I grew up in a family of no pets. Actually, that's not quite accurate. I grew up in a family with a few fish, some that lasted and others fated for the fast flush. We never had the kind of pet a person can cuddle.
My husband always wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog, but for years, I said, "I'm not a dog person." Whenever we came across a Berner on our travels, he'd point it out and list some of its great features. I didn't see that happening.
Before I was married, at my first boarding school teaching job (where, coincidentally, I met my future husband), two of the girls told me that they had found a cat they'd been secretly keeping in their room for a couple weeks. They didn't think they could hide the cat anymore, so asked if I wanted him. "Sure," I said, without giving my answer any thought at all.
I loved that cat, who despite a few near-death experiences, lived for many more years, traveling with me from Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY to Somerville, MA to Ann Arbor, MI to Lakeville, CT, where he finally died old, fat, and (I hope) happy.
When my daughters were about five and eight, we decided to get a new cat, so I brought the girls to The Little Guild (a wonderful animal shelter in Cornwall, CT). We had so much fun petting all of the cats, imagining giving each one a forever home with us...until we noticed that my younger daughter's eyes were red and tearing and her throat started to itch and, well, you figured this out faster than we did. She's allergic. No cat. No dog, either.
Flash forward a few years: I heard about Doodles (not the drawing kind, the low allergen kind). I started looking at Labradoodles and Goldendoodles online. Have you ever gone down the cute puppies online rabbit hole? I clicked around long enough to discover Bernedoodles: the looks and personality of a Bernese and the low-allergen-fur of a Poodle. Sold.
You might notice that none of what I've said answers the question. If I were reading a book with a character who spends forty-three years thinking she would never have a dog, but after a couple hours on the Internet, had contacted several breeders and set up a visit to a puppy store, I'm not sure I'd buy it. But that's just how it all went down.
Impulsive decision, but I wasn't wrong. Tuukka (Yes, he's named after the goalie on my husband's favorite hockey team. Maybe I'll write a different "Why I" post about picking names) has brought so many valuable lessons to me. He makes me get outside every day, so every day I appreciate what's around me. He knows the value of a nearly-empty jar of peanut butter. He understands that one can't be sure what's really going on without getting up close to take a sniff. And, maybe most important for me, he gives love and demands it. No matter what else is going on in my life, no matter how busy or stressed, I know that playing with him will put me in a better mood.
What puts you in a better mood? Leave a comment.
by Carita Gardiner