Want a puppy? Strider says better be willing to up your game

By Strider the Dog

Dear Strider,

My question is simple: I’m a single mom, with a 5-year-old son. I work at home, so my schedule is kind of flexible. My son wants a puppy. Should I get a puppy? I’ve had dogs before, but never that young.

Maybe this is a question for Woody, your puppy intern. I’ll let you decide about that.

Thanks for any help in my decision-making here.

— Unsure in Ashland

Dear Unsure,

Wow, talk about throwing me a curve ball. (Not that I chase balls of any kind, being a herding dog. It’s what Tod calls a metaphor.)

This is a far from simple question. I’m all in favor of your adopting a puppy. To be fair though, I think you should know what you’re getting into.

Dogs are one thing, but getting a puppy means you’ve got to step up your game. Take Woody. He’s a particularly mellow dude. But puppies are puppies. They need plenty of socializing, which means a lot of attention from people and other dogs. They need plenty of care, plenty of activity. They get up several times a night to pee and poop until they get more control over their digestive systems.

Puppies need all this and more. I’m not saying they’re not worth the extra effort. All of us here are enjoying Woody to the max, sleepless nights and all. We wouldn’t have it any other way. The question to ask yourself is if you’re up to a year of broken sleep, of teaching basic commands, of having a favorite parking spot at the dog park, of making sure you always have lots of poop bags on hand, and of not being too worried about chew marks, destroyed favorite shoes and accidents in the house. The love you get in return may be worth it. Only you can say for sure.

Meanwhile, I put this to Woody, and here was his reply:

“Woody is puppy! Woody is happy always, then hungry, full, fast, sleepy, bouncy, friendly always. Woody love life! Woody love fun, love people having fun! Woody think everyone need fun, everyone need puppy! Get from rescue, from shelter, lots of puppies everywhere, all need homes like Woody got!”

So do you still want a puppy? Puppies and boys kind of go together, it’s true, as long as the boy’s mom has enough bandwidth to deal kindly and firmly with both. If this is you, then our local shelters and/or rescues are bound to have just the right pup. You can tell them what you’re looking for, and they’ll contact you when they have one. If you do go ahead and adopt (yay!), let me recommend you also, at the same time, get in a good supply of enzymatic stain and odor remover, available at any store —  Shop’n Kart or the Grange, for example.

Trust me, you’ll need it.

Dear Strider,

A lot of people go to therapists for anxiety and other issues. What they really need is a wise dog just like you, don’t you think?

I wish you would have something like a book reading at Bloomsbury so your fans could meet you. I would bring organic dog treats!

Aloha,

— Linda B.

Dear Linda,

You are too kind. I bet you know what I think! Any dog who loves you (and what dog that you love doesn’t?) is a great cure for anxiety. And for loneliness. If someone suffers from either of those and has room in their heart and their house (preferably with fenced yard) for a canine companion, that’s therapy right there!

Also there’s always the option of fostering a dog, just to see how it goes. Or anyone lonely could go to the shelter and take a caged dog for a walk. Help a lonely dog and get less lonely! Win, win, imo.

I know you already know this, Linda, so thanks for giving me an excuse to share my pet thoughts. And thanks for wanting to meet me! Also for the promise of organic dog treats. Maybe we could get together at the dog park some time?

It could happen.

Feeling down? Need advice? Or, even better, feeling up and want to share it with the world? Just email [email protected] and spread the joy.