The Joys of Puppy Ownership

Lord knows (and my Instagram followers, probably) that I have long, long loved dogs. A lot. I grew up with dogs; I dogsit often…. It’s not that I never wanted one of my own but work made that a very hard responsibility to take on. I never wanted to be selfish about it. But when I began working for myself this year, it suddenly seemed possible to rescue a little guy. At last, all the joys of puppy ownership are mine.

When I brought Neville home, my heart grew four sizes. And my mind is consumed with worry — is he happy? Is he scared? Is he okay? Is he hungry?

Will that ever go away? I doubt it. But I really don’t mind.

I have realized, though, that I totally babytalk my dog. I don’t do it on purpose. It’s just that he’s so damned cute and when he looks at me or does certain things, my voice goes up a couple octaves and I sound like a moron.

Things I Never Thought I’d Say In a High Pitched Voice

“Omigoodness, what a good boy!” But “good boy” is more like one word and I say this super fast so it sounds like “omigoodnesswhattag’boy!” See also: “Whoosag’boy?”

“Good potty, buddy! Hooray!” Yes, I actually say this out loud. Because when your puppy has peed or pooped in your home and then learns to go outside, it is GLORIOUS. See also: “Who’s excited to pee outside?!”

“Please don’t eat my bunny!” Needless to say, many things have been moved to high shelves.

“Buddy, please stop nipping my nose!” I say this through laughter. He loves to lick my nose but when he gets really into it, he’ll nip with his lil’ teeth. I’m supposed to be firm on this but it’s so stinking adorable.

“Can I have my hand back, pretty please?” (Or, my foot.) I couldn’t tell you why but when we’re on the couch, he loves to sit on my hand and/or arm. And oftentimes, when I’m standing in front of the sink or something, I look down and he’s sitting on my feet.

Because People Have Asked

He’s a German Shepherd mix — he’ll be a big boy. I set out to adopt a smaller dog but he actually chose me and I could not say no. And I’ve always loved big dogs the most anyway. (Yes, I’ll move when he gets bigger.)

He’s partially potty trained — we’re working on it.

“Neville” is for Neville Longbottom. All the pups in his litter were named for Harry Potter characters. Hermione, Ron, Lupin, Luna, Sirius, Myrtle… and so on. Oh, and Harriet. Because she has a scar on her forehead. They were saved from a kill-shelter.

He’s a little shy and cautious but ultimately he’s very affectionate and easygoing. He already knows “kisses” (he’ll lick my nose if I hold him up and say it) and was pretty good about “sit” almost right away.

His ears are the softest.

No, I will probably not start and Instagram account for him. This seems to surprise people but they may not realize I am already running four accounts — some for work and sometimes more. But don’t think there won’t be photos on the regular on my personal account.

Yes, you can leave your best pet or dog-related advice in the comments. I would love it, in fact.

Friday Favorites

As is tradition, I do still want to pass on a few fun items for you to enjoy at the end of this week — but with our theme of the post, all animal related, of course!

Okay, this is amazing. It has joy, it has hope, it has suspense! These bros totes reunited a baby goose with his family. It’s got a few twists and turns at the end. Five stars.

A friend of mine also recently rescued a German Shepherd mix! You should follow Winnie Cooper on Instagram.

Many of you have probably seen this video — a dog rescued his pup buddy from drowning in a pool.

My parents and I went wine tasting for my birthday in Santa Ynez Valley where, at one winery, I encountered a cat named Cutiepie. Ironically named, I say, because as you can see, he was clearly planning to murder me: