Thoughts on Having a New Dog

We got a new dog over the winter break. After 7 months of looking (and even having a dog in the home), we found our unicorn dog. 

Our daughter named him "Captain Love", and while it sounds suspiciously like a 1970's porn star, we thought her rationale for the name was pretty sweet.

"Mommy? We should name him Captain Love."
"Why, kiddo?"
"We could call him Captain for a nickname, but his real name is Love. Because I love him." 

For obvious reasons, we will not be yelling "Captain Love, Come!" at the dog park. We just call him "Captain." Though he strikes me more of a Gilligan than a Captain, this will certainly be a story that will be told a million times. 

We just call him Captain.

In the last week of having a dog, it made me appreciate so many things that I took for granted with Sadie and Zeppelin. For starters, both of them eventually learned to walk on a leash past distractions and could give attention with a single call of their name. Let's just say with Captain, we have a long way to go (though he does strike me as an eager and fast learner). I think his parents were a "Distracta-hound" and "Adora-mutt", but that's just my hunch. 

Other things that I've relearned after 15 months of not having a dog live with us:

• I forgot what 6am looked like because I was sleeping.
• COLD COLD COLD F*CK IT'S COLD WHY DID WE GET A DOG IN DECEMBER IN NEW ENGLAND? Dude, just PEE already...COLD! 
• Ooh, warm puppy couch cuddles are the best! 
• Wait...Buddy, what are you chewing on? No, not the CELL PHONE! 
• Now that we have a natural predator in the home again, I've relearned where all the kitty hiding spots are located. 
• Frito Feet. 
• We are all aware of how reactive Sadie was to noises, and are so thrilled that the heater, mailman, trucks, neighbors and pretty much any city noise seems to go unnoticed by our hound. Gone are the days where we had to make sure Sadie was out of the house when the heater kicked on, lest we had a shaking puppy.
• That said, because I started off always reacting to Sadie's reactivity, I felt like I was one step behind. We're taking a lot of preventative measures with Captain, and it seems to be paying off in spades so far. Dogs barking outside? Look buddy - puzzle toys! 
• Oh, right - I have to move the cat box where he can't help himself to kitty crunchies....

This list will undoubtedly get longer as we navigate living with a dog again, this time with a toddler. For now, it's nice to curl up with a baby on one side, and a dog on the other, and enjoy the comfort of the couch on this very cold winter day. 

-M3