Thursday, August 11, 2011

Dog Days of Summer

I'm about to embark on this crazy thing: On Saturday, I'm adopting a dog.

This is a big step for me, and something I've wanted to do for a very long time. A VERY long time. I've wanted a dog for as long as I can remember, a childhood dream that hasn't been realized because my family's situation never allowed for it. But now I'm finally at the stage in my life where I feel capable of fulfilling the responsibilities that come with this decision, and it's one I want to make.


He's a rescue dog, a young schnauzer mix named Charlie, a stray from the streets of Mexico. He was found with a badly fractured leg, and was taken in and mended by a Mexican family before joining Loyal Rescue here in Ontario. He sounds like a charming little guy—his foster mom tells me he is sweet and calm, and loves nothing more than being with his people.

He'll need some training—he hasn't been trained on a leash and, living in the city without a backyard, that's definitely something he'll have to get used to. And of course, there are manners to learn in human society, such as greeting people politely, understanding that humans make the decisions, and not begging for food (my biggest pet peeve). The idealist in me hopes he'll be perfect from the outset, but the realist in me has been fervently brushing up on dog training, so we can get started on the best foot.

Isn't he the cutest?*
The part that excites me the most about welcoming this new companion into my life, this joyous little creature, is not only teaching him, but learning from him. Learning about intuition and body language and loyalty in ways that I've only brushed the tip of the iceberg in knowing. I'm excited about establishing better routines, and exercising more regularly, and giving myself more time at home—such a wonderful, elusive thing when left to my own devices. I feel like this dog will help me prioritize the things in life that I need and want to work on, and help me feel more grounded, less selfish, more in tune with the world around me. I think dogs make people better people, and I'm excited by the change that I'll see in me too.

I have worries too. I worry about it adding stress to a great home situation. I worry that he won't be happy, and that it'll be evident, that he'll be destructive and rude. I worry I won't have a social life. I worry the timing isn't right, and that my life is still too malleable. I worry I won't be able to live up to responsibilities I'm signing up for, but I feel deeply like I am, and I've learned to trust my gut. I've thought about this for so long and hard, and I feel like this dog is the right one for me. I feel like he's a good one to tie my fate to for the next 10–15 years. I feel like he's a good soul that I want in my life. I feel like his needs are a priority to me, and that adopting a rescue dog helps more dogs in the future. I've already started feeling a thrill of excitement when I head home, a thrill at being greeted by a wagging ball of hair.

So we'll see. It's been a hard decision, and one I've laboured over, but one I'm really excited to make. Is this what it feels like to be an adult, staring down the barrel of a life-changing choice?

*I promise, I won't just fill the blog with photos of him in goofy costumes, but I make no promises about the future state of my twitter feed. OMG, I just realized about all the dog sweaters I can knit!

Got any advice for me, dog-owning friends?

1 comment:

Penny for your thoughts