I adopted a dog this month. Because when moving into a new place, adopting a dog before you finish unpacking is a splendid idea! I have had my little Mina for less than 3 weeks, and quite honestly I couldn’t imagine life without her. She is a little nine year old Maltese with a great personality, peppy energy levels, next to no teeth, and a slight Napoleon complex around big dogs. Oh, and she is a bit of a nutcase. So we get along great! I got her from the Irvine Shelter (which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone looking for the perfect canine companion). She was a dirty, matted little stray with horrible dental issues who clearly had been neglected over the years. But I still fell head over heels for her the first time she bounded up to me and licked my nose! For those of you that think that adopting from a shelter means that you are guaranteed an animal with issues, then I am here to prove you wrong. Yes, there will be some out there with separation issues, trust issues, or some other problem, but that is all easily put to bay with lots of unconditional love and consistent use of behavioral strategies (hooray for ABA!!)
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| My little malteaser! |
Prior to adopting her, the shelter wanted to know my experience with dogs and background with training them. I was like “I have a masters degree in clicker training for humans!” Well, it’s true… I pretty much do! Although I have found that I can train kids with special needs far faster than my dog! The irony is not lost on me that I can toilet train a kid with autism in two days, and my dog still attempted to poop on the carpet this morning. But we are getting there. Accidents are now becoming few and far between. Although last week two days in a row she decided that my workout mat looked like a really great place to pee. Hey, at least it wasn’t the carpet!
Day One of Dog Ownership….
I took Mina home on February 1st and we had an uneventful first evening. The next morning I rolled out of bed at 6am, threw on my knock-off Ugg boots over my PJ’s and grabbed my leather jacket to take her out to go pee. While I’m standing in the freezing cold (well, by Californian standards anyway) she refused to do anything other than sit on the grass and stare at me. So up the stairs we trudged to go back inside. It was at that point that I realized that my door locks from the inside. Having just moved in, I was not aware of that fact. I had locked us out. At 6am. In my bright red tartan PJ’s. To say that I was not a happy camper at that point is putting it mildly! After uttering quite a few choice words, and unsuccessfully trying to use my body weight to ram the door open (yes, in my desperation I actually attempted this!!) I accepted the fact that we were well and truly locked out with no phone, no key, and no means of breaking in. Thankfully my new next door neighbors are early risers and rather amazing people, and they let me and Mina camp out in their living room for almost 2 ½ hours!
A little bit of advice for people who get locked out: 1) Don’t lock yourself out in the first place, 2) Give a friend a spare key and 3) if you do have to call a locksmith, then ASK them how much they will charge ahead of time! My locksmith who claimed that he would be there in 20 minutes took over 2 hours to show up. Evidently I was not the only stupid person to lock myself out that early in the morning that day! It literally took him less than a minute to open the door, and I got charged a whopping $200 to get back inside my house! Let’s just say that my behavior has been well and truly shaped, and that I will never be repeating that mistake!
Happy to see me?!?
The most hilarious thing about Mina is her reaction when I get home. Whether I step outside for a minute or an entire day, she is beyond excited to see me! She runs around in circles like a little nutcase, randomly leaping at me like a flying squirrel to lick my face, and then continues to spin in circles! She is also very jealous of my iPhone. If I am mid-text and she has not had at least 5 minutes of undivided attention yet, then I am not getting access to my phone! She is hilarious!
Extreme Makeover Doggie Edition…
When I first took her home, I was told that she wasn’t allowed a bath until her stitches came out from her spay surgery. So I’ve been living with a smelly little scruffy dog for the past 2 ½ weeks! She got a MUCH NEEDED grooming and bath yesterday. That made her happy and me equally as happy! Ah, a nice smelling dog! She is so soft and fluffy and white! I’m wondering how long that will last for…
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| Bad hair day! |
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| MUCH better! |
My gumsy dog…
It’s a good thing that I adore my dog, as she has cost me a small fortune over the past several weeks. Between locking us out, getting groomed and all of her medical bills, it adds up. But I’m prepared to do what it takes to get her healthy and happy. And tomorrow that means forking out for more dental work. Yes, as of tomorrow I will have a toothless dog. Poor wee thing. Although I’ve got to say, it’s quite entertaining to watch her attempt to eat little pieces of dog biscuits!
I’m grateful that the shelter took care of most of her medical needs before I got her, and they refunded me my adoption fee when I told them about her ongoing dental issues. A dog is a big commitment, but in my opinion it is more than worth all of the effort! So if you have been pondering getting a dog, and you have the time to commit to having one, then I say GO DO IT! I’m now a doggie person for life. My little Mina should have a good 5 years left in her, and I know that we are in for some great times. She is the perfect little companion! Who needs a man when you have a fluffy wee dog to give you unconditional love?!?! I pity any of the future men in my life… If my dog doesn’t like you then you are out of luck dude. And if you don’t like dogs, then I’m sorry, we are not going to get along. Cat lovers stay clear!!
Why are you still reading this? Go adopt a dog. Like now… Hello? What are you waiting for?!? Do you see how happy I am? That could be YOU!!
