In March, we welcomed a rescue dog into our home. His name is Yeti and he’s wonderful and complicated and we love him. This is our first pet as a family, the first pet my husband and I have been responsible for as adults. And it’s opened up a whole universe of new experiences, learning, and opportunities for play.
Don’t let those sad puppy dog eyes fool you. This little guy is full of wiggles and tail wags when he sees us first thing in the morning and any time we return home. He loves to chase balls, eat dandelion fluff, and get belly rubs. His doggy joy is contagious and these celebratory, playful moments happen multiple times a day. (In between moments of frustration at his difficult adolescent puppy behavior of course!)
The kids, especially my 7-year-old, have been asking for a pet for quite awhile now. For various reasons—some more obvious than others—we ruled out the following options: guinea pig, leopard lizard, snake, bearded dragon, cat, rat, bunny, and parrot. This led me down several Internet rabbit holes over the course of a year, trying to figure out what kind of pet would fit into our lifestyle.
“Mom, are we ever going to get a pet?” my son asked imploringly, almost dejectedly, in January.
Seriously—were we? The easier path would have been to say no. We’re out of the haze of early-childhood and we’re enjoying our relative freedom of parenting school-age kids. Getting a pet would throw a wrench into that—would a pet add to our lives, or would it feel like an obstacle?
I grew up with cats and dogs and my brothers even had a couple albino rats for awhile. My favorite cat, Blossom, was a long-haired beauty we found as a kitten on the side of the road. He grew into a large, majestic creature whom I adored. And even though some may claim that cats can’t love you, I am certain Blossom loved me back. My husband grew up with a dog who he loved too. So we wanted that kind of furry companionship for our kids.
You only get one childhood—we couldn’t imagine our kids growing up without a pet of some kind. And since we’d ruled out nearly everything else, the choice was obvious.
So, we started to look into the logistics and details of what it would mean to get a dog. How much would it cost up front? What supplies would we need? How would it change our lifestyle? Were we ready for a commitment that could last up to 15 years?
We are deliberate decision makers who like to do seemingly endless research first. But once we decide we’re going to do something, we move quickly. After narrowing the type of dog down to a “Spaniel” breed we then had to make a decision between getting a puppy or an adult, or buying from a breeder or adopting from a rescue. And honestly, this was a really hard decision! Dogs are expensive no matter where you get them from and they require a lot of time and attention. Adding a dog to our family feels like acquiring a new family member and a new, expensive hobby all in one.
The influx of information I’ve taken in about dog behavior, training, and care is second only to parenthood. And I’m not even the primary dog person—my husband is taking the lead on dog training and carrying the mental load of pet ownership. (This was part of the deal we made when we decided to take the leap to get a dog! I’m so grateful to have a true partner in life.) We’ve bought a lot of stuff for this dog already, spent time and money on training, and exerted mental energy to learn how to be confident dog owners.
Of course, as with all big life decisions, it almost doesn’t matter how much you’ve researched or planned—so much of the learning happens as you go. This dog has made us laugh with joy and cry with frustration. It’s thrilling and overwhelming at times. And in the first few days, when our new dog was growling at the kids and barking late into the night in his crate, we started having second thoughts.
“I regret adopting my rescue dog” I found myself typing into Google just a week after bringing Yeti home. The search results were pretty unanimous: Most people experience feelings of regret in the first couple weeks post-pet adoption. This is normal.
Phew. I mean, at least it’s normal, right? I’m not a monster for wondering if we made a horrible, life-altering decision to bring a living creature into our home that may or may not hate our kids? Yeti is a rescue who was quite neglected in the first few months of his life, so he’s anxious around strangers and adjusting to life in our home brought up a lot of big feelings for all of us!
Now, two months in, he’s settled in pretty well around here. He’s still unsure about strangers, but at least for our household, we’ve figured each other out. And even though there are definitely annoying or challenging things about owning a dog, there are some really great things too. I’ve met more neighbors and had conversations with more unexpected people while out walking the dog than ever before. It’s been so fun to see the kids delight in Yeti’s puppy antics and see them grow in confidence and responsibility too. (The kids and dog have fully bonded now, thank goodness!) And there’s nothing quite so cozy as reading a book with a dog all snuggled up next to you.
May 20 is National Rescue Dog Day—a day I didn’t know existed before joining the dog owner club. I had a lot of angst at the beginning about whether getting a puppy from a reputable breeder or rescuing a dog was the better choice. And I’m honestly still not sure—I think either option can be the right or wrong choice, depending on the individual situation. So, this isn’t an attempt to convince you one way or the other or to try to encourage you to go get a dog. But I will say that welcoming a dog into our home has been full of surprises and I’m really enjoying the journey.
I laughed so hard when he was barking and playfully growling at this spider craft my youngest made. He kept trying to eat the purple fluffball, but then backing away like he was scared of it. It was hilarious and this photo does not due it justice.
Owning a pet is one of those life experiences I really wanted my kids to experience in childhood, but I’m discovering how fascinating and enriching it can be as an adult too. Adulthood can be kind of a grind, so being open to new experiences and making space in your life for play is really important. Welcoming a dog into our family has provided both. We’re at the very beginning of what will hopefully be over a decade of life with our fluffy friend. What joys and challenges are around the next corner? We really can’t say for sure. And I kind of love that for us.
How have pets changed your life? I’d love to hear about them!
Off to go play with my dog,
—NK
I love that Yeti (brilliant name!) got so angry with the purple fluffball. 😆 For my cat, unfooted slippers are her mortal enemies. She attacks them without mercy.
How fun and exciting and stretching and life-giving! I am not a dog owner but I am a dog grandma and my son’s dog is long-term guest in my home. This furry adorable Malamute-Husky mix is a sweet companion, well-mannered, playful and loving. He is bright spot in my life and is welcome here until the time comes to return to his dad.