Just before the pandemic started, we got a dog. My wife wanted a dog. My daughter wanted a dog. Like a stereotype, I did not want a dog, but ended up liking the dog anyway. It did not bother me so much, tho, because I am a walking stereotype.
Nevertheless, I had some concerns about getting the dog.
- It was late February, and we knew Covid was coming. We did not know what the impact of it was going to be. In my mind, and my mind tends to work like this, is that my life would turn into a zombie movie. My wife and I would be out of work and I’d be hunting squirrels in the Michigan suburbs. How could we also be responsible for a dog in this nightmare scenario? Could it even hunt the squirrels with us?
- No one is going to train the dog. My daughter was 3 at the time. My wife and I both have demanding jobs. You may notice I thought we were losing these jobs in the zombie apocalypse, so I am unsure why this was a concern. But even with the likelihood of hell world, I was wondering who is training this animal? Won’t he pee in the house all the time?
- I do not want a puppy. My daughter is too young to be gentle with a puppy. Also, they yap a lot. And I feel bad putting them in a crate, which was a thing responsible dog owners do, per what I learned online from people who really, really like dogs.
- The dog was going to have a ridiculous name. I did not know what the name would be. However, my wife wanted to let my daughter name the dog. My daughter, being three, would pick a name I would be embarrassed saying out in the yard.
Meet the dog
My wife immediately found a reputable breeder who had a puppy available. A Maltipoo, which is about the most basic dog one could own. He is the dog equivalent of a pumpkin spiced latte.
We brought him home, and he was a happy little guy. My daughter named him Sunny Marshmallow. Which is a ridiculous name. The vet likes it. The groomer lady likes it. My neighbors like it when I call his name three houses down when he runs to see what’s up at the green house on the corner. My daughter likes it when she holds the dog and tells people this is her dog Sunny Marshmallow.
He is trained kinda, but he still requires one puppy mat in the laundry room for his little mistakes. He has no crate. He never had to hunt squirrels. I love him a lot, but I am far and away his least favorite person in the house.
Anyway, we have a dog.
