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What Really Happens When You First Get A Dog
The story of my shelter pup.
A few months ago, I adopted a stray from my local shelter. In the midst of moving to a new apartment, getting ready to start a new job, and adjusting to life in a different city, I decided that throwing fuel onto the fire might be alright, and so I got a tiny terrier mix that I dubbed Marlowe. This isn’t exactly a first for me — a couple years ago, I had a sweet giant pup named Othello. While I no longer have him, I do still have a rather charming tattoo of his name on my ribs and the indelible memories of our very strange companionship. I loved him dearly, and I still miss him every day, but ultimately, my living situation was not good for him. It was the hardest choice I ever made, but I gave him up. It’s taken a while for me to be ready again, but apartment living is lonely, and let’s be real: I wasn’t gonna motivate myself to go on walks!
Getting a new pup has brought back all the weird feelings associated with new dog ownership, and let me tell you — it isn’t all milk bones and chasing mailmen, or whatever the doggy version of sunshine and rainbows is.
The whole experience was filled with every trepidation possible, and quite a bit of clandestine activity as well. I had been looking at shelter websites with hearts in my eyes for quite some time now, but not everyone…
