Fur Dad

Prior to 2018, I’d never had a pet of my own. I grew up with our family having dogs, barn cats and horses, but not one animal for which I was completely responsible. That status changed in 2018 when Georgie came into my life. My beloved Georgie was with me just 2.5 years; towards the end, he was deaf and blind and his needs were special and many. 

 
I had people in my life who said I would never have a dog; they said I wouldn’t be able to deal with the mess - the constant shedding, (Georgie as a Cavie shed constantly and copiously) or with his chronic diarrhea. But, I did. If he had an accident; I cleaned it up. When he destroyed my kitchen rug, I got a new rug. Sleeping in became a thing of the past. I became a morning person because Georgie’s toileting needs weren’t going to go away; I adjusted.

 Georgie died 8 months ago and it broke my heart. After a few months, I realized how much I missed being responsible for another life. Having a dog meant having a schedule, meant having continuity and purpose beyond myself every single day.  Georgie, as an old dude, was content to sleep 20 out of 24 hours a day. When I adopted Georgie, I owned a house with a backyard. I just let him out the backdoor to do his duty. I moved to the community I live in May of 2019; the daily schedule changed to walks on leash. Georgie adjusted; I adjusted.

Then came Arabella, "Bella" ... As a much younger dog, the challenges with Bella are different. She doesn’t shed; she’s healthier and quirky. As a puppy mill survivor, she is wary, often frightened of many things. For instance, Bella doesn’t like her feet to be touched, a puppy mill behavior I’m told. But, she’s responded well to routine and positive reinforcement. It took a week to housebreak Bella ... two more weeks to leash train her. (She’s a smart five year old!). She makes mistakes when her routine is disrupted; I just clean up the mistakes.

We begin each day about 6:30am with a walk and “potty time”. This morning we walked in a thunderstorm. We got soaked. I saw a couple of my neighbors just as I was exiting the building. They asked me why I didn’t have an umbrella. Have you ever tried to juggle opening and closing an umbrella with a dog on a leash and then try to open a poop bag when the time comes? For me, the answer is just enjoy the rain. You dry out eventually. 

 I take Bella with me when I can; but there are times she must be crated (a crate is her safe place). I take her to work with me and most times no one knows she’s with me. She is a stoic little girl. Bella likes to be cuddled and I am happy she loves being held by some of my neighbors. She likes the other dogs in the building, but doesn’t know how to play; she also isn’t interested in treats or toys. Her personality is emerging; when we’re alone she zooms around the apartment. Bella counts on me and I love that feeling of trust. Whatever Bella needs, I provide. We’re a team. Who knew during this stage of my life I’d have a dog. I’m a better man, a better person, because of it. I'm a fur dad!