Eggs?

If “Eggs” was on the nametag, I might have walked away. However, I like pancakes. Pancakes was on the nametape. Yesterday also, I thought Pancakes was a girl. I was wrong on both counts. I did manage to walk away yesterday, barely. It was so late in the day, a day that was going so well, to just pop on something big like that. I had to walk away. Yesterday after I looked at the dog, another family had gone into the puppy room. I had just told the person at the desk that I might come back today and see if she was still there.

As the boys went in and looked around, she (the desk person,) said the puppy might not be there tomorrow (today.) I looked back at her (I’d been staring into the puppy room, watching the family peruse the goods,) and said if those boys pick that puppy, you know I was here first! She laughed and said “I thought you were leaving…” to which I did (after the boys had left empty handed.)

I thought about it all last night. The clincher, my 20/20 grade. If God’s grace can shine on me like that, then I’m pretty sure He’ll help me out with my dog if I need some motivation to take good care of him. Really, though I kept thinking of good reasons not to get a dog, and the issues kept resolving before I could even state them clearly. I have the time. I have a yard. I love dogs. Yes, I could use a companion pet.

However, only two things stuck. 1) They poop. Yes, this behavior will have to be trained in some way to cause the minimum interruption to my lifestyle (which does not currently include collecting poo in little baggies.) However, as the dog will walk with me, I’ll have to get some baggies… I can figure it out, I suppose… as I begrudgingly agreed to myself to tend dog shit for the next fifteen years.

Next, will this was the kicker. No solution whatsoever that I found- yet, I did proceed. See pets do provide many great benefits for our lives I believe, however for all the joy they deliver to us over the years- they seem to pull near all of it back right at the end when they leave us. The pet application asked under what conditions we would wish to return an animal and giving a series of checkboxes for things like moving, change of jobs, new family member, etc. None seemed to fit, so I checked ‘other:’ and filled in “Natural death.”

Now that I think about it though, I do keep my pets after that. Really I could have put down on the form that I would only return the pet to them was when there was no longer any more natural life. Pets are only meant to have good, joyful lives, not lives of suffering and pain. Now, there is a place and a value to pain and suffering in the world- just not for animals. Animals are awesome and also soulless, treat them accordingly.

I didn’t really “decide” (on the top level, perhaps better said: “I didn’t decide to admit that I’d decided”,) to get her (him,) when I left the house- I was just going to see if she (he,) was still there. No, in case you’re wondering, no, I did not go as soon as they opened- I don’t even know what time they opened. But I waited, in case someone else wanted him more I guess.

Maybe some little boy in a car passed by this morning and was tricked by his mom into another trip to the zoo if he’d cease the puppy tantrum again– maybe this morning, that little boy could have taken the moment and opportunity given to him to rise up and say No! Not the zoo! A PUUUPPPPPYYYYY!

Maybe, if that little boy would have given it his all (and God knows he’s got it in him,) that little boy would be wondering what to name a puppy right now. That is however, not the case. Not at all, there might not have been a little boy (or girl.) If so, they didn’t want a puppy enough I guess.

I was up late and slept in again- less sleep over all, yet still over six hours and I felt rested (somewhat hard to tell with the new upped dose of Vyvanse.) I wasn’t in a hurry, I had no plans for the day, nothing to do. I told myself I could go take a drive across the northern half of the county instead.

Or get ahead on some Psychology homework, or write my semester paper for Humanities, or a theme review for Intro to Film, or a whole paper for English (and now, oh look now I’m considering just the pre-writing packet.) There are all kinds of better ways I could have spend the day, I could have cleaned the house, or mowed the lawn, cleaned off the porch.

Like I said, I never really decided to get her (him,) I was just going to go see. Well, I saw. She (he,) was still there. They had let the real name slip last night (Eggs? Who names a dog Eggs? A animal shelter with a litter of nine pups that all get breakfast food names. His sister was Pancakes…) I thought about eating breakfast and didn’t. I did have tea. I boiled it steeped it and had all the time in the world to drink it- even another cup too.

I left it half full and headed over- you know, I like to be productive in the early portions of the day… (uh huh…) I started to thing of the things I would need, not much… Collar, leach, kennel, toys, lots of toys- this puppy likes to chew. From playing with her (him,) last night my hands and arms are covered in this red scratches from his impossibly sharp teeth. Already, I have trained him out of that (starting once we were in the car,) simply by expressing my “Ouch!” so he would know how I felt about his teeth. He still gnaws on me, yet much lighter now.

The paperwork when through, I’m not sure if they called my references or not. I wasn’t sure who to put down… so I listed the County Administrator and my Pastor. Ha. It seemed to take a while for them to do their background checks and the paper work. After a while, someone came to get me off the floor- the paperwork was done, they were just waiting for me. While playing- and recalling the Pancake mishap- I picked her (him,) up by her (his,) armpits performed a visual gender check. It’s a him. Two months old, born soulless and now already nutless too.

His mother Lovely had him (and the whole breakfast litter,) at the shelter- he’s lived his life in that puppy room, first with his mother until he was old enough for her to be taken away, then performed the surgery on him four days ago and put him back in his pen (he did have the nice sized one in the corner.) I’m not sure how much healthier (or noisier,) environment a puppy could be born into. He’s been well cared for so far, and most certainly has been enjoying the quiet today.

First, we had to stop by Pet Supplies Plus for the necessary items. Oh, he’s a puppy- everyone wants to pet him, he loves it. Me too. Could this be the ultimate conversation starter? I had no answer for the most common question: what’s his name?

I’m not sure yet I would say, what do you think? There I heard suggestions for Casper and Melu, and many, many more ideas on a Facebook post too! Yep, puppy pictures on Facebook brings in all the likes and comments. At the store and at home he has stayed near me, on leach or off. Nearly underfoot. This dog likes to cuddle, I think he likes me. (I also know he’s a soulless animal, merely a mirror for me to see a reflection of my own soul.)

At least 90% of the ideas are based on his color. Maybe a third are close, but not quite Cocaine (Coco, Kilo, Line, Navado, Snowy, Ice.) Then, some good ones like “Frank”, “Charlie”, and “Deoghi”.

We got home and got set up, he took a nap on my lap then we went outside for him to pee. No accidents so far. In news from out of nowhere, I received a FB marketplace message a few days ago offering to trade an AR-10 firearm for the HF Radio I’ve had listed for sale for several months. Listed for $700, I likely would have taken $500 for it, yet I had no idea on the value (or utility,) of the firearm. That’s okay, I have a cousin that does.

With the information I needed on its value, I accepted the trade today and made plans to meet with the gentleman out at the Lead Bunker. Not really on their list of services, yet one of the employees there (no Bill, Bill was gone skydiving,) was very helpful. Neither I or the guy I was getting the gun from were interested in spilling freedom seeds today- only just one or two make sure it was operable.

I suppose I’m a nervous buyer, however, I feel much better now have seen it fired and with they guys opinion that the gun was in “practically brand-new condition”. I already have another HF Radio, the 991a which is more versatile too. I did not have a long gun. If I went “shopping” for a long gone, I likely would have gotten something much smaller. I’d been looking at a few bolt action 22’s.

This AR-10 is chambered in .308; for those, like me, that had to google it: it will easily kill deer, elk. Can be used against bears, though some prefer a bit more. It’s also been used to kill elephants and euthanize whales. It’s safe to say that his long gun (and a suitable ammo supply,) could feed me. However, power is also a limitation. With this tool, squirrel is off the menu. No quail, rabbit, or ducks.  Small animals would explode.

So what a day. It’s the 23rd of September 2023. My friends birthday was today, may his God rest his soul. Oh, another third of the naming suggestions were skydive related: Ripcord, Sky, Cloud, Shaggio, the list went on.

I’m thinking of few more ideas too… maybe “Spotless”, or “Texas”, as I think his spot looks like the State. Is it normal for dogs to sleep with their eyes open? This dog likes to sleep. Three or four naps today, all on my lap- then outside to pee after each one. We walked down and met our neighbors to the south. Then the pup even got an arranged through the fence sniffing with the two dogs to the north. Those are both great dogs and I’d seem them out. I think getting a chance to smell each other while they all see their humans getting along is good.

When I went to do the radio trade, I crated him. I’m not sure if any dog likes it, at first. I think it’s good for them to know and to have a safe place that is their’s in the house (or travel and bring it with us.) After the last nap at 8:30pm he just didn’t seem to wake back up- just looking at me all groggy eyed. I imagine the shelter closes at five or six and the animals are on their own after that. I took him outside one more time, then put him to bed in his kennel.

He didn’t really like this. He was just sitting there and looking at me, then started to whine a bit as I was not looking back at him. I went up stairs for a minute, I came back down, he was still looking at me and started to whine again. I went to the kitchen so I would be out of sight, he whined louder. Needing to darken his world and ensure he could not see me ignoring him, I went back upstairs and found a small throw blanket. Just the right size to cover the whole top of the kennel and enough to drop down over the front after I’ve secured the door.

Within minutes, he was sleeping. I hope he feels like home. In his pen at the shelter he had a bed he seemed to like, today (see pictures above,) he kept stealing my keys by pulling the lanyard from my pocket as I sat on the floor, then he’d run back to his bed to chew on them. As I was checking out ($250 for dog…) I asked if I could also buy his bed, as I would otherwise get him a new one, yet I’d prefer to buy the one I already knew he liked.

The person at the desk smiled and said I could have it for free. The kennel is a medium size, enough for the bed and a water dish and not much more. So, this dog has a home. This home, has a dog. I have to remember to feed him. One cup in the morning, one cup in evening. When I feed him, I should feed me. This could work. He’ll remind me if he’s hungry. I won’t ignore him.

The last time I almost got a dog my younger son talked me out of it. Life was different then. Today I text him the Pancake photo and told him my plans. Communication is hard with adult children, I’m just starting to figure out this part of parenting. Is this still part of parenting? I think so, maybe, idk. It’s still a part of life, that’s for sure.

Now I’ve got a puppy. I really want to take this moment to say how happy I am. A lot of the forms and medical stuffs are clicking into place. I’m in college and doing well. I know others by name and am somewhat sociable in classes. I’ve got a financial budget in place. And now, now I’m happy. This is it, I’ve made it.

I’m taking this moment to say how happy I am with my puppy (the still nameless being,) before I go to bed.

It’s puppy, in a kennel for the next eight hours. I’m not likely to be happy with the contents of the kennel come the morning. Or maybe, I’ve happened upon the one pre-potty-trained dog in existence (in hope, I thank you Lord.)

Oh well, shit happens. I’ll get some baggies for the walks.

Time to rest.