Get a puppy? Don't get a puppy? I should've predicted how my life would unfold back in March — when we were all first sheltered in our homes and scared to venture out. When April came, I started considering the dog mom thing seriously. By the time May hit, I was actively researching types of breeds and to-dos online.
This mom was officially suckerpup-punched by my own family.
Yup, we got what the world now calls a "quarantine puppy"
Yet, may I admit to all pet parents: I regret not welcoming a puppy sooner than we did. (Do not tell my family this.)
"I don't think you realize what it means to get a dog… it's a lot," I'd lecture on repeat to my kids and husband prior to waving my white surrender flag.
"But we want a puppy!" they'd plead — husband included.
This Groundhog Day dialogue started in early 2019 and continued pretty much daily for one whole year. "It's going to rip up our yard, it's going to chew everything, it's going to pee and poop everywhere, it's going to cry at night, it's going to dictate how we live and when and how we travel… and I'm going to end up being the one doing all the work for it."
And then my family would cry (the kids) and roll their eyes (my husband) and tell me I was a buzzkill. And then my daughter would scream, "Why are you so mean?!" And my husband would echo her.
Sound familiar, moms?
It took 12 full months for me to give in to the inevitable, despite the barrage of squishy #puppiesofinstagram screenshots they'd find and shove in my face on the daily.
Why so resistant? (You mean, besides the fact that I'd just scored a gorgeous new stunning white couch last year?) I wasn't sure I was in the right head space to handle a puppy. My daughters were busy. My husband was opening a new office. I was all over the place and then some. And then, in March, came the this-world-is-falling-apart-and-I-have-zero-patience-for-anything phase.
What finally broke me? A hometown connection.
We'd been "shopping" since the start of summer, but few pups were available thanks to pandemic puppy-fever and none of them seemed right. Just when I thought we'd run out of options, a friendly childhood acquaintance had lunch with my sister and announced that her out-of-town family friends had a brand-new litter they were looking to find homes for. Pure white labradors, first-time dam, first-time family breeders — exactly what we were seeking.
Pictures of what looked like teeny-tiny white piglets with their eyes closed, videos of them nursing from their mommy, and phone numbers of "how to reserve one" were texted to me. I called. One conversation with the owner and everything suddenly felt right.
"I can do this," I thought
We sent in the deposit. Seven weeks later, we picked up our "Dolly," drove her home in a basket wedged between my daughters in the backseat (she didn't make a peep!), and have been trying to keep her out of my backyard roses ever since.
Our first few weeks with her found me planted outside in my patio all day with her soft little body in my lap and baby jaws nipping my hands because I'd yet to get better chew toys. As I wrote this, she slept under my chair in the kitchen. We are still in the "take her out to potty in the middle of the night" phase, and when I stand outside in my robe and flip-flops at 1 a.m., I try to remember if my parents did the same thing with our family dog 30 years ago?
My daughters are in awe. My husband is acting like a 10-year-old with a new toy.
But the one with all the feelings these days is me
Because, as much as my kids begged for this new family member to join our house, I'm realizing that our new "baby" is actually bringing me much unexpected happiness and productivity. She is proving to be therapy for ME — a sweet new life of distraction to counter everything that has been infuriating and/or agitating my anxiety these past several months. Who knew that I was the one who actually needed this new friend so much?
I am completely exhausted and filled with love and joy. It feels like new mom life all over again — except now my 8- and 9-year-old babies are taking turns to pooper-scoop their new little sister's mess on the lawn. Family life suddenly seems normal — despite feeling so upside-down amid a nonexistent back-to-school season, our favorite local businesses folding, and utter chaos everywhere else.
To hell with the world's dysfunction — for now, anyways. Happiness comes with a brand-new puppy. This latest mom of three finally gets it. No more regrets.
