Wednesday, May 2, 2018

The Dog I Need


The Dog I Need

My neglect of this blog has been appalling of late and for that I sincerely apologize.  Several of my readers have written to check on me and for that I am so touched and grateful.  The simple truth is that I have been busy finishing up a writing project that I've had going for quite awhile and after a day spent doing nothing but finding the proper word for the proper place, my brain is so flat it could slide right beneath my bedroom door.  I am left with no wit, no bite, no cohesive thought.  Add to this the one fact that will not be ignored:  I am raising a big puppy to be a well-mannered citizen of the world and that is quite a tall order indeed.  So I suppose I have indulged in a bit of puppternity leave and I hope you'll forgive me.

Andrew is growing.  You can almost sit and watch him grow, so rapidly is he doing it.  His feet are like dinner plates and neither he nor I are used to them yet.  He trips over them regularly; I trip over them only occasionally.  Apple, who began by tolerating him the way an elderly aunt might tolerate a bouncy new nephew she neither asked for nor particularly wanted, is now visibly fond of him and I often catch them napping together on the rare occasion Andrew naps.  He does sleep soundly all night long and has done so since the first week he came home, a fact for which both The Songwriter and I are extremely grateful.  However he has woke me up on too many mornings by sticking his tongue in my ear.  (Andrew, not The Songwriter.)  He was incredibly easy to housebreak, something we have been ever so thankful for.  When your puppy is roughly the size of an articulated bus, being easy to housebreak is a gift unsurpassed.  Also, he abhors vacuum cleaners and hair dryers with a passion usually reserved for the homicidal.  We are hoping he outgrows this.

At just five months old, Andrew weighs fifty-two pounds and shows no signs of slowing down in that progression.  I confesss to googling, "How big will my dog get?", more than once.  There are charts and the like online that profess to an accurate prediction for this, but frankly, the results were so alarming that I've decided to just wait and see.  I can tell you he is far too big to comfortably dine with his food bowl sitting flat on the floor so, whilst I search for a stand that doesn't offend my aesthetic sensibilities, he is eating off a big round hatbox, no doubt the only dog on the street to be doing so.  He is also now enrolled in a canine charm class to aid him in his journey to responsible adult.  We tried group classes but as he was both the biggest dog in the class as well as the youngest, and as he vociferously let it be known all through class that all he really wanted to do was play with his classmates, it was deemed advantageous to all involved if he was trained privately.  His legs are so long that when he responds to the command, "Down", he sticks them straight up and out before flopping on the floor with a theatrical thud much in the manner of a canine religious experience. His teacher has declared him "very intelligent" which should make me proud but at present is a niggling point of concern.  As I write this I just saw him run through the back garden with my underwear on his head.  If he learns to open doors we are in serious trouble.

He loves riding in the car and as we've enjoyed an unusually cool, almost cold, Spring, he has been coming along with me quite a lot.  Let me tell you, the sight of a huge black and white puppy hanging out the window of a little green Fiat has been the most reliable way I've yet discovered to put smiles on grumpy faces.  Stopping at traffic lights is a gregarious experience for everybody.

I promise to do a better job on the blog particularly as Andrew continues skipping to adulthood.  He is very funny, very sweet and quite the snuggler.  He is also very different from Edward, as I'm sure you can tell from this writing.  A friend told me when Andrew moved in, "God gives you the dog you need", and I think she's right.  There is a look in Andrew's eyes that reminds me of the soulful gaze of Edward but just when I see it and start to dip down into grief at that terrible loss, Andrew will do something hilarious and I burst out laughing.  He is the dog I need.


23 comments:

  1. Thank God you're back! I have checked for you everyday. I also have a five month old puppy after losing my Baxter a few weeks ago. I couldn't bear the emptiness so I rescued the perfect puppy that I needed. But I still get a punch in the gut every once in a while when I think of my old pal. Hard. Again, so glad you have returned!

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  2. I like that thought, God gives you the dog you need. That happened for me when my husband died and I adopted a dog from the animal shelter ten days later. Bounce is a great match for me and helps lift the sadness and change it into smiles. Andrew is a handsome big boy and I love his spots.

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  3. I am so glad Pamela that you have found another soulmate - he does indeed look adorable. I know thatno dog will ever replace Edward - I have had many dogs throughout my life and I wouldnot say that any one was a replacement - just another friend to help me on my journey through life.

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  4. And a fine boy he'll be. Glad you were able to open your heart once again. Andrew is a lucky dog.

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  5. Welcome back PAMELA..........your words have been sorely missed here on the Westcoast of Canada.

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  6. Welcome back PAMELA..........your words have been sorely missed here on the Westcoast of Canada.

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  7. So happy to hear your voice....Instagram is great--but not the same connection. Yes, the dog we need. My amazingly faithful, handsome Jones is just beginning to reveal that he will be twelve in a couple of months. Standards can live very long lives, but his touch of arthritis makes me sad and his eye are not the best. However, that said, on Saturday he took himself on a walk to the park (close by) where he could commune with the mallards and geese and sea gulls.......fortunately, he chose not to go swimming. A dog lover caught him and brought him home--thank you so much.
    My huge dog (prior to Jones), as a puppy, grew like Andrew and we never knew what he could reach from day to day. Andrew looks like he has all of the ingredients of a "noble" dog--it's just those intermediary steps needed to arrive at "Noble" status.....
    Blessings and I'm glad you are back.
    xoxo
    Mary

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  8. Is there something about the last day or April? I have come back after more than a year, just today.
    Andrew is lovely, and his Newfoundland provenance should stand him in good stead - we know how sturdy, dependable and kind are all manner of Newfoundlanders!

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  9. i can see he is going to deserve his own book. running through the yard with your pants on his head. and his short start in puppygarten! yes. i can see that private lessons are preferable.
    we love you. no explanations needed. this post was worth the wait. sending love and hugs. xoxo

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  10. reading this put a smile on my face! great way to start the day...

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  11. So lovely to read your blog this morning and the antics of your new puppy. My brother has a new pug puppy and it seems that he is almost impossible to train. Maybe the bigger the dog the easier it gets.

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  12. Thank you for the update and those glorious pictures of the dogs. I think your friend is right: we do get the pet we need, and that's a wonderful thing.

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  13. You can be sure he will never grow out of loathing vacuum cleaners.

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  14. Charming post, and I, too, like the quote, "God gives you the dog you need." I'm confused, though, about which dog is Andrew: The tall dog with the little girl at the beginning of this post? Or the black and white dog in the photos at the end of this post?

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  15. Yes, we are given the dog we need. You are on a wonderful journey and it's a delight to be a little part of it. What fun you all have together. God bless.

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  16. Look at that boy! Just look at that beautiful boy!

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  17. .... and yours was the post I needed to make me smile and laugh out loud as I navigate the last days of my precious father. Thank you.

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  18. Welcome back, Pamela, and hello Andrew! I'm pleased to hear there were good reasons to be offline. These days on more active on twitter than my blog, but I posted today and will try to be more active this summer, once I finish a writing project of my own. Cheers!

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  19. He is adorable and sounds like he'll be a nice addition to your family. I hope, one day, he'll get his own book, like his older brother Edward.

    Love to you both,
    Karen

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  20. Adrew is an exceedingly handsome lad! I am happy to see your post this morning. I check almost daily for updates. I lost my canine companion to cancer almost exactly one year ago. I'm still not over it, do we ever get over losing somebody precious? Have not taken the jump to find another. However, I have the privilege of being caretaker for my daughter's 3 year old German
    Shepherd during the day while she is at work. No easy task!! Thank you so much for your words, they are a pleasure to many!

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  21. That pic of Andrew and Apple just stops my heart! Thank you for sharing! I wonder if I might caution you about feeding your dogs from elevated bowls....there are significant opinions that this can contribute to bloat, an often fatal occurrence. You can Google it. He is your baby and you can decide if it is risky or not. At our house we err on the side of caution more often than not. I agree sweet Edward can never be replaced but Andrew is a most handsome distraction for you and for Apple! God bless!

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  22. Hahahahahaha! The image of Andrew running through your yard with your underwear on his head is perfect! We all need those kind of moments, sounds like your puppy gives you them in spades. xox.

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I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!