Saturday, September 26, 2020

Pandemic Puppies


LUCY BURDETTE: The pandemic puppy has become a hot trend and for better or worse, I have surfed the wave. My husband John loved our two Aussies, but really had no interest in another dog. To be fair, they are a lot of work. And we like to travel. But as the months locked up at home unspooled, we obviously weren’t traveling anywhere. My urge for a dog got stronger, John softened, and I began to look.


In the olden days, pre-pandemic, a person could go to an animal shelter and meet the pets and choose one that fit the family. But times have changed, now it’s all done online. We were looking for a small dog who could get along with T-bone, since his safety came first. As I quickly learned, small younger dogs had huge waiting lists. I was rejected for not having a fenced in yard for what was described as a low key Jack Russell terrier. Then I found these guys, but they could only leave as a pair. (John said no, really no, but they are still available. It breaks my heart to see them still listed. Maybe someone out there would like to look at them?)





Then I started looking for puppies, also scarce as hens' teeth. But we lucked into our Lottie and brought her home when she was 7 1/2 weeks old. I hadn’t had a puppy since I was 35. And John had never had one. We had no idea! There were some very low moments with housebreaking that I will not describe in detail. One thing that helped was friends (like Debs and Gigi) who had great advice. Another was having a couple of pals, Ann and Lori, who were going through the same thing at the same time. I’ve invited them to help me with this post today.

LUCY: Why did you get a pandemic puppy?

Sergeant Pepper as a newborn

ANN MASON:  Our precious Toby died on April 16, aged 14 years and 5 days.  He was the quintessential LBD --  little black dog -- and we were devastated.  He left a black dog shaped hole in our hearts.  Sometime the end of May we had yet another LBD melt down, and Julie asked me to call our breeder, see what she had.  Yes, we'd had a few glasses of wine.  Julie said that if we could find a little black dog, we'd  name him Sergeant Pepper.  We already had Penny Lane, a six year old Pomapoo.  Keep the Beatles theme et al.  I called the breeder, and she had exactly zero puppies!  But she had a poodle in labor.  The next morning our Sergeant Pepper was born, named already.   What can I say?  It was karma.

Lori with Clementine coming home from the rescue

LORI RADER-DAY: Honestly? I missed having a dog in the house. Our dog Ursa died in June of 2019, piling on to what was, for me, pre-pandemic, a really crappy year. So Clementine is less a pandemic puppy than a return to the normal my husband and I had for twelve years with our first dog. Having a dog gives us structure to our day (oh boy does it) and gets us out on walks. In quarantine, those things became even more important.

LUCY:  What's been the hardest part of raising a puppy?  

ANN: Dealing with peeing and pooping and eating and sleeping and chewing on all electrical cords.  At almost four months, Pepper is almost potty trained.  Julie and I watch him every moment that he isn't crated, have learned the signs, and we have had only one piddle this week, not bad.  No poops at all.  He is learning to ring the bell when he wants to go out, and he always goes potty as soon as he hits the grass.  Eating and sleeping we have down pat.  He is crated with water and food and a chew toy, has slept all night from the git go.  Electrical cords are cordoned off, more or less.  So far none of us has been electrocuted but it's early days.

LORI: Our particular puppy weaponized defecation so that whenever we left her alone in her crate, she lost her mind, anxiety-pooped, and then slid around in it. Her first night with us, we gave her and her crate three baths. She's settling down now, finally, but not being able to look away from her for a MINUTE has caused more than zero meltdowns. I have been working on a really difficult book, too, so it wasn't all Clem's fault. But, like, 98 percent.

LUCY: As I said before, we had no idea how hard the first month to 6 weeks would be with a puppy. For the first month, we barely slept. A week or two ago when Lottie went to the door and sat, and looked back as if to say 'I have to go out,' it felt as if we'd discovered the Covid vaccine! 

What's the best thing about this puppy decision?  


ANN: The best part is puppy breath, the way he stands on his hind legs and holds up his little arms to be picked up, how he learned sit and down in about three tries so that he plops on his little butt or tummy when there is the slightest possibility of a treat.  Right now he is curled up on my lap, under my arm, sound asleep.  He's soft and silky and cuddly and smart as hell and doesn't have a doggy odor.  That's poodles for you.  What's not to love?


LORI: She's such a sweet little girl and have you seen her fluffy ears and orange paws? She's a delight when she's not eating her own poop or chewing on shoes. I missed that relationship after our first dog died, and having a dog back in the house, while slowing down my book and creating basic and total chaos, has been good for all the grief I feel about the world.



LUCY: We picked Lottie up on July 18. My book was due on September 1. Really a dreadful idea in hindsight. 

Hints for anyone considering a puppy?  

ANN: Three words.  Crate  Crate Crate.  And cover that crate.  Just like a new baby, feed, potty and then put down for a nap in crate.  Well, if a baby you might want to use a crib, but you get my drift. And by all means cover the crate.  This is puppy's den, dark and quiet and safe. Drag a lead when not crated.  Do this the first seven months.  It serves a couple of purposes.  You always know where the puppy is -- on the other end of that lead sticking out from under the couch -- and you never play chase.  All you need to do is pick up the end and start walking.  The puppy will follow and bingo, you've done leash training.  Trust me.  This works. Keep to a routine.  Dogs can tell time.  It's a fact.  Analog or digital, daylight savings or standard time.  Meal time, nap time, play time, potty time, bed time.

Unless  this is not your first rodeo, consult a trainer.  It's the best money you can spend.  She will evaluate your puppy, give you direction in early training, and tell you how brilliant that  puppy is. 


LORI: Make sure you have 1,000 things she CAN chew so you can swap them out for things she isn't supposed to be chewing. Nylabone, soft toys, frozen teething toys. She's currently chewing on an antler (?) someone gave Ursa, which is why I have time to write these answers. Oh and WALKS, as many as you can do and very small treats so you can give them all the time for the behavior you like. Also, secure your house better than we did or you, too, will be at the emergency vet in week three, covered in urine and waiting for x-rays.


LUCY: Here's a photo of some of Lottie's stuff. You see why it was a lifesaver to have these two puppy pals at the same time we were managing our Lottie in the earliest days? I'll leave you with two videos that demonstrate why this was all a wonderful idea after all...and please, tell us your puppy stories!




 

Lori Rader-Day is the Edgar Award-nominated and Anthony and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author of The Black Hour, Little Pretty Things, The Day I Died, Under a Dark Sky, and The Lucky One.

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mysteries, including THE KEY LIME CRIME.

Ann Mason is a retired RN, everything from high risk OB to Hospice, living in Rochester NY with partner, Julie, also retired, plus Eliot the polydactyl cat, Penny Lane the Pomapoo, and Sergeant Pepper, 16 weeks and potty trained!!!  As are we all.

65 comments:

  1. Oh, what cute puppies!
    We had dogs [golden retrievers] when the children were growing up, but we’ve not had a dog for a while now, so there are no cute puppy stories to share. But I’m enjoying seeing the antics of these cute little guys . . . .

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  2. I've been enjoying following the acclimation of these three puppies to their humans' homes. Lottie and Sergeant Pepper and Clementine are so adorable, and I get to enjoy the sweet pictures and not the messes. Thank you, Lucy/Roberta, Ann, and Lori for continuing to share the puppies with all of us. It's a sweetness and joy we all need right now.

    Husband and I lost our rescue Brittany Spaniel Coco last June (2019), and we've been thinking about getting another rescue Brittany. Coco was a senior dog, and we will probably get another senior. We enjoy giving these sweet doggies lots of love and attention during their golden years. Of course, the problem in trying to get a rescue is the problem of getting any dog now (as discussed above). The pandemic makes it harder to have a dog transported because of passing through several hands, and I'm trying to be careful/safe in the face of COVID. But, we do miss having a dog, so it's more a matter of time than if in getting another.

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  3. Puppies are so cute but exhausting. No more! Our last three dogs have been adult rescues already housebroken. And I have loved them to smithereens.

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    1. Our two previous Aussies were rescues too Pat, Poco was 7, and Tonk was 8 months. So no housetraining, and yes, we loved them to smithereens too:)

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    2. This is my last newborn of any breed or species!

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  4. Lucy, thanks for the chuckle! T-bone is definitely making it clear to Lottie that biting is Not ok! That T-bone was patient with Lottie at first then decided that was enough!

    After the shut down began, I remember a neighbor's cute dog wanted to go up to me for me to pet and the dog's owner apologized. I've been reading about dogs getting the COVID virus and I really feel bad for the pets and their owners. I wonder how do the owners protect their dogs from the pandemic? I am aware that dogs cannot read the signs asking people to maintain social distance.

    I've been reading many wonderful stories about people adopting dogs. A dog that was returned to the shelter twice Finally found his forever home with the actor from Mad Men. The actor has a big house with a big yard for the dog to run around!

    Diana

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    1. We all need those stories Diana! As for dogs and Covid, from what I've read the CDC says there's no evidence that they transmit the virus to humans. So i'm sticking with that because enough is enough with that stupid virus!

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    2. Thanks, Lucy! I just sent you photos of my cookbook collection via IG.

      On another note, the movie Stranger Than Fiction will be on Netflix in October.

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  5. What great pictures. If only I weren't allergic.

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    1. thanks Mark! Lottie is a Havanese which is supposed to be a hypoallergenic breed:). Just saying...

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  6. It's good to know you aren't alone, isn't it? We adopted an 11-week-old kitten on July 11. Our last senior cat died last October and it was time, but it's been a wild ride like yours and Ann's and Lori's, except he was already litter trained. I've been working hard with the squirt bottle to train him off the kitchen counters and table, with moderate success. I think we're starting to get on top of the playful biting, too. Many cords are tucked away, and our big sitting room/kitchen now has zero house plants in it (I had almost a dozen previously).

    But he loves for me to pick him and walk around talking to him, and having a cat sleep on your lap in the evening while you read is pure heaven. It was definitely the right pandemic move. I now have dozens of FB Ganesh fans who eagerly await my daily kitten photos!

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    1. He's adorable Edith, and a social media star! T-bone was a handful as a kitten too, but now he's mostly focused on managing Lottie

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    2. Lucy - that video of T-Bone and Lottie playing is so sweet. Such patience on the part of T-Bone with Lottie's frantic enticements to play!

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    3. Title of that video should be "Puppycats"

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    4. Edith, I get on FB every morning just to see Ganesh!

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  7. Even me —So not a dog person — loved this post. Ann, Lori, Lucy! So much fun!!! And so exhausting.

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    1. It's a bit like having a baby, Hallie, except you are stuck on fast forward. Pepper has gone from a newborn to an adolescent in two quick months. He's virtually housebroken, a feat I never managed in less than three years with my kids. Longer if you don't just count potty training!

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  8. I'm not a big believer of reincarnation, but Pepper is my Toby all over again. They look alike they talk alike sometimes they even balk alike ... When Toby died in our arms, we swore that was it. No back filling. No more little black dogs.

    That turned out to be about as likely as a Jungle Red Writer not having a little black dress.

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    1. So glad he came into your lives Ann! Thanks for sharing your stories today.

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    2. Thank you for asking, Lucy Roberta

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    3. I am SO glad you did this, Ann. Pepper is a doll and we need all the joy we can get.

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  9. Ah, puppies. It seemed like a great idea (at 61) to finally choose a dog after a lifetime of having them fall into my life randomly. I believed it would be simple if I followed all the rules, went to puppy school, training sessions and read all the books.
    Ultimately, Frida trained me to pick up my shoes and gloves. Two years later we have found our rhythm and the training kicked in. I couldn’t have a better Covid Companion.

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    1. Oh phew, I'm glad your story had a happy ending! two years is a LONG time LOL. We are learning to always put shoes away too! Life would be dreary without Lottie...

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  10. Oh, wow. What a *lovely* post to get up to this Saturday morning: friends and puppies and videos! Thank you, all three. And I'm not even a dog person, but your tales of puppy love and videos of T-Bone and Lottie frolicking, what's not to absolutely love...

    I've had only one dog in my life and I was an abject failure as an owner/trainer. I've stuck with cats ever since, who have trained me to be a satisfactory caregiver for them. And I've loved them all anyway!

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    1. There is still hope for you, Amanda. Until we go Toby in 2006, I hadn't had a dog in 30 years. It was cats, lots and lots of cats, often as many as five at a time. I was a stereotypical cat woman. Dogs and cats are different, duh. And I love them both. Puppy breath and kitten breath can't be overrated!

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    2. Ann, I'll take your word on that. Never say never is my motto...

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    3. Amanda, it might very well have been the dog, not you. I believe there is always a special dog out there for everyone.

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  11. So enjoying all these puppy lives vicariously. Of course I've seen all of them on Facebook and Instagram, too, but who can get enough of sweet baby doggies? Thank you for sharing them, Lori, Ann, and Roberta!

    My oldest daughter has an aging Bernese Mountain Dog--Barli's over nine years old, which is ancient for that breed. (But in great shape, thanks to daily walks her whole life.) Concerned that she was lonely since they lost their other dog a couple years ago, and that my grandson would be bereft when she dies, they decided this was a great time to get a Berner puppy. Hooboy.

    Enter LunaLulu. She's now five months old, and weighs almost 60 pounds (Barli weighs 110). I can't imagine having one dog that big, let alone two, but she has livened things up considerably. Barli has finally accepted her into the pack, and is having a dickens of a time teaching Luna her manners. I'm pretty sure they vacuum up enough hair every week to create a whole other dog, too.

    The worst part of this situation is that, because of the pandemic, I've missed all the puppyish parts of Luna's life already (not to mention missing my grandson). They live five hours away, drat it. I wonder if we will be able to forge the same relationship I have with Barli, who always flops at my feet when we're together. I miss that big furball!

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    1. Clem might be part Bernese Mountain Dog...we shall see! She's 27 pounds and counting.

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    2. On the plus side, Lori, Berners are a loving breed. So if she is, hopefully she will have that attribute.

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    3. Lori, Clem is adorable. And I love her name. Our neighbors have a two year old daughter named Clementine! And she has bright red hair!

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  12. Our rule is no pet we can't pick up. Taking Pepper to get weighed today so we can titrate the heart worm prevention meds. Last moth he weighed 4 lb 14 oz. Now he is four months old and I'm betting he'll top six pounds. Want to start a pool?

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  13. We acquired Louie, a black standard poodle puppy, in December. Jazz, our other standard, was bereft after losing our previous male. Things went well during the chaos of Christmas. In the new year, Louie started to assert himself: twenty minutes of quality outside time, and he'd let loose the minute he hit the kitchen, giving me an adolescent eyeroll as if to say "You can't make me pee outside." His legs grew longer and more was within reach: a watch strap, a plastic cell phone cover, and worst of all, the Pilot pen which leaked on the living room rug. If I leave a pen or eyeglasses on the kitchen table, they're gone in the blink of an eye. Now a year old, he continues to be on the prowl, demolishing TP and phone charger cords.

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    1. Have you spoken with a trainer Margaret? Poodles are so smart, up there in the top three with Border Collies and GSDs. I'd do that post haste.

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    2. Louie is good about the important things: house-trained, still willingly sleeps in his crate at night, SIT, STAY, NO BITE. We're teaching him to retrieve in the yard. And training him to obey me during a walk before he's too heavy to control, our major concern.

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  14. I forgot to mention the Snuggle Puppy. It's a fairly big fluffy puppy toy with a heartbeat. Pepper and Lottie have had one from the beginning. Last night I forgot to turn it on when putting Pepper down for the night. He whined and cried, very unusual for him, until we took him out for another potty that he didn't seem to need. Then he sat in from of his crate and just stared at me. I realized I hadn't activated the heart beat. When I did, Pepper snuggled right down and slept for the next nine hours. IMHO it's a must have.

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    1. That's funny Ann. At first we relied on snuggle puppy, but now he's out as one of Lottie's toys. I took the heart out to use later (in case I need it after the election LOL). In fact I hate to admit, but now Lottie is sleeping with us:). She hates that crate, will always hate it!

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  15. Today is a big cooking/baking day for me. I hope to read all about the puppies later, but I love the pictures and the topic. Sweet, sweet, sweet.

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  16. Thanks for the photos and videos! With four cats and an elderly mini-dachshund, we aren't equipped to add any more pets to the menagerie at the moment. Although there's this beautiful young gray and white tiger who keeps coming to visit. I am so a sucker for a curious face peering in my patio doors--but it looks to be in great shape, so I think (hope) a neighbor is caring for it. Thanks again to all for sharing!

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    1. Flora, our Lucy was a neighborhood cat, and she is our joy. It's silly how crazy we are about her. I doubt we will ever make her a totally indoor cat, however, unlike our other two, who were adopted as kittens, so we worry about her when she's not in the house.

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  17. Just lovely! Nothing is cuter or sweeter than a puppy! Or maybe a kitten! Well, any baby when it comes to that. I've got 3 cats and a dog who is 10 and I sometimes wonder if I will ever get another puppy. I tell myself I won't; it will be a used dog, which is kind of an odd thing to say. Pre-owned isn't any better. An older dog from the shelter, one that doesn't have more energy than I do. But puppies are so irresistible for all the reasons you folks have stated. Thank you for the pictures and stories.

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    1. You'll see what feels right when the time comes, meanwhile enjoy that old guy!

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  18. Of course, I am an avid (I almost said rabid then decided against it) Facebook fan of all three of these adorable pups! Growing up we had 1 million dogs Irish setters, Puli, great Dane, and two poodles. And matching English Springer spaniels. But as an adult, I have only had one dog, the cutest beagle in the world, McGee, when I lived in Atlanta.
    Ex boyfriend Jim took/got McGee. And that was the end of that dog thing.
    I truly cannot imagine—cannot!—having a new puppy. You all are absolute saints!

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  19. I love all the puppy updates, and I applaud all three of you for trying a puppy after years of having adult dogs. The shift from senior-speed to puppy-speed can make anybody a bit crazy.

    I volunteered for a border collie rescue group for five years, and I'm here to tell you, most dogs who show up at shelters or get dumped by the side of the road are about seven months old. That's the age when they shift from being puppy cute to being adolescent bratty, and people who can't deal with it give up the fight and give up their dogs. That means that I, as a foster, had to deal with all the usual adolescent brattyness as well as the dog's emotional trauma from being dumped in a scary place by the people the dog loved. I cannot tell you how many shoes, pillows, electrical cords, and pieces of furniture my fosters ate while I was at work.

    But we all survived, and all but two of them found happy homes with other families. Two of them stayed with me and the two I adopted intentionally, so now I have four dogs (and three cats, but that's a different story). Love them all, and also love watching them work out the pack dynamics.

    If you're interested in a dog, rescue groups do still have them available, and we still transport or do meetups if necessary. If you want a dog, don't give up!

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  20. Lucy, Ann, and Lori, thanks so much for sharing today. I love all these pups, and can't imagine life without a dog. My two are sleeping by my feet right now, my constant companions. Which is lovely except when I'm trying to cook and I have two German shepherds underfoot...

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  21. Couldn't be a better way to kick off the weekend, Lucy/Robert. Thanks also Ann adn Lori for the wonderful shares. I am glad some of the posters mentioned cats + T-Bone. I can report on our Covid project which was socializing Major, the yard cat. I am happy to report she now will wait by the door when it looks like rain is coming. She will spend the night inside, sleeping on the softest thing in the house (me). All dogs are great; I just can't get past the wet dog odor.

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    1. congrats on luring Major into the house! Lottie is supposed to be hypoallergenic and therefore not smell like a dog LOL. We'll see!

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  22. I've never purposely adopted any cats or dogs mainly because I lived in apartments that didn't allow pets and living on my own, I feel it's fair to the pet to leave alone, in a crate, all day. We did have pets growing up. Mostly cats but a dog or two would try us out every now and then. My sister married a guy with a dog and they have always had dogs and cats. All the dogs that have come along in the past 30 years have been named for grandparents until the newly adopted "puppy" this year. That one is named for the town where my brother-in-law grew up - Petaluma or Luma for short.

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    1. That's a cute name, Luma! I agree, leaving pets in crates all day isn't right. When and if we all go back to the office, it's going to be very hard on these pets.

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  23. There is light at the end of this tunnel! My daughter got a puppy last spring. She was at our house the other day, perfectly behaved, sat at our feet, went outside to poop. Absolute little darling labradoodle

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  24. Ugh, you're giving me puppy pangs! Sooooo stinking cute. No more pets, Jenn. No more. Look away!

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    1. You have quite a group now Jenn:), a puppy could not help with your deadlines...

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  26. Oh so adorable! And Pepper in his first moments of life - precious. The videos of T-Bone and Lottie made me think of my vet's phrase that cats with a child have velvet paws - no mention of the big hiss I saw :). Those two are on the way to becoming Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

    I admire your patience and your perseverance. I have always adopted my fur babies as older animals. It's not as important as cats who seem to be born with the understanding of a litter pan, but with dogs, it's great if your housetraining is limited to the dog training the owners. Oh, wait, that's what they all do!

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    1. that's right Kait, and we are on our way to be trained properly:)

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  27. Ann, I want to know more about the bell. What kind of bell is it that your pup rings? I'm picturing one of those kind you'd see in hotels in old movies. Very intriguing.

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  28. We have a new puppy, too. Her name is Ruby. Your pup is adorable, Lucy! Our older dog, Rosco is now 12 and I knew it was time to get a female pup. Here in South Carolina I was able to choose a prospect on line and then take Rosco up for a meet and great with an animal behaviorist and the dog. It went well and a week later after the shelter spayed Ruby and gave her her shots, we brought her home. What an upheaval in our schedule! Ruby starts obedience classes with me next week. My writing has suffered mightily! But we are in love with Ruby. You can see both doggies on my FB page https://www.facebook.com/lynda.s.hill
    It does make a bright spot in the darkness of Covid.

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