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:

As the Fresh Prince said “my world got flipped turned upside down” this month! While many of my friends and colleagues have encouraged me to take my business freelance for years now, I’ve always hesitated. But in 2018, opportunity kicked me square in the gut so here I am, up and running, with clients and projects and the whole thing. It’s been a whirlwind, but an exciting one, and I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying this way of working and all the collaborating I’ve already been able to enjoy. (Not to mention not sitting in the car for three hours every weekday — the money I am saving on gas alone and the time I’ve earned back for sleeping? Worth it.) And on with the latest “Friday Favorites,” boys and girls!

WHAT I READ

• I thought this was interesting. Airlines are empowering their flight attendants to reward guests with miles in flight. Are they doing so as a conciliatory gesture or to thank people for putting up with the jerk in the seat next to them?
• HBO is releasing an Elvis documentary. I was surprised there hasn’t been a commercially successful one about him yet.
• A very cool bar looks to be opening in Burbank soon and I can’t wait to check it out!

OTHER BLOGGERS & INFLUENCERS

• Social Media Club is kicking off 2018 with a big bash. COME JOIN US! The food and drinks are free!
• Lindsay is nailing down her goals for 2018 and I am a fan. I can also relate.

EARLIER THIS WEEK

• I participated in Forces of Geek’s “Best of” for 2017. Check out my picks here.
• I also wrote a piece for ConnectHER’s in-house magazine. I’m pretty proud of it. Check out the issue here — I’m on page eight.
• Guardians Director James Gunn liked my tweet about him. I died of happiness to know that.
• Donald Trump was declared healthy at 6’3″ and 239 lbs. Fun fact: One inch shorter than that would have him deemed “obese.” Here are some other people who are 6’3″ and between 235 and 245 lbs.:

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

• But anyway, PANDAS, guys. PANDAS. In IMAX. Cute alert on HIGH. (Oh and let’s not forget “Pick of the Litter” about PUPPIES.)