I’ve promised myself that the theme of 2021 would be “baby steps”, adopted from one of the best (and most relatable) movies of all time, ‘What About Bob?”. No grand plans. No swift movements. Just small steps through each day and hopefully nobody gets hurt.
And then in a fashion that’s VERY true to form for me, I negated that promise immediately while making excuses to myself to override the decision I made…
If I’m being honest, this has been a long planned and thought out process. I started about a year ago. I had my son extensively allergy tested and the one thing he’s 4/5 allergic to is furry animals. Also, the one thing he’s been begging for since we lost our pug Ziggy a few Septembers back: a dog. He’s an only child, a highly anxious child and we had a big decision to make. Of course we started with what most parents hope will resolve the issue… fish. HARD eye roll on that one. Fun fact: if your child requests a furry pet for companionship because they are a lonely only child during a pandemic and you gift them a fish, you’re a friggin’ idiot. I have no idea WHY I thought that would work, but now we have a fish cemetary in our backyard that we have to carefully navigate around while playing catch.
Anyway, our “journey” has been interesting. For over a year I’ve belonged to every adoption group, signed up for every alert. I’ve contemplated a hamster and called the allergist for him to scold me and tell me that would actually be worse than a dog. I’ve read books that have described the delicate nature of a household dynamic and how a new family pet can be a blessing OR create a hostile chaotic situation if it’s not presented and processed properly. And THEN we found her. We had no idea what to expect in terms of sex or looks because our only major requirement was that the puppy needed to be at least 75% standard poodle (taking advice from our allergist) and a few weeks ago the search ended. I guess I always assumed I’d be outnumbered by boys for the rest of my life, but the playing field is leveling out a bit because our new family member is a GIRL. That’s odd for me to wrap my head around, but I’m psyched about it.
We’ve kept this a secret from the kid because he doesn’t do well with anticipation and my husband has to travel to pick the new babe up today. I am SUPER nervous adding another living being to this family and I know we are all going to embrace her and shower her with love. It’s been 15+ years since I’ve welcomed a pet into my home/life and I would love any helpful advice you might have to share with us. Please send ideas, resources, links, whatever ya got! Also, if you know my kid and preemptively spoil this surprise I WILL find you and I WILL… you know the drill.
She doesn’t have a name yet. She IS on Instagram and TikTok (you could’ve smelled that coming from a mile away) and she’d appreciate your friendship as we welcome her into our world. You can follow her life with us @cavapooobsessed and help us name her, train her and smother her with love.
Deena Lang 