On Dogs

Tell us a little about your current dog—or you most recent dog relationship. How did you come to get him/her? What’s the backstory?

So my first dog was at my Dad’s house. My parents are divorced and so I’ve always my dog Maddie at my Mom’s house, and all of my other (future dogs) at my Dad’s. My most recent dog is named Blue and he is a golden retriever. Originally, my first dog at my Dad’s house was a little westie named Casey, and then when she was getting really old we got another puppy—a golden, Maisy—to keep her company in her old age. We thought she would be a great way to make Casey a little more lively. And they really loved each other.

 

Casey passed away, leaving Maisy as the solo dog of the household. After a couple of years of that, we decided we wanted to get another dog. We had never had a boy dog before, so we were like “why not?!” So we Maisy, and then this new dog. And because I had just started going to the University of Michigan, we knew that the dog had to be another golden retriever, and had to be named blue (to make “Maize” and Blue, Michigan’s school colors). 

 

 

Had your family always been “a dog family”—or dog friendly? What was the impetus for getting a dog in the first place?

Yes, ever since my parents got divorced (when I was about 2 years old), and then when my Dad moved into an apartment, we got a dog. I think I was probably about 4 years old then. Ever since then, I’ve never not had a dog. My Dad has never directly said that we got Casey because of the divorce. I think part of the reasoning was that he was living on his own—you know, newly living on his own—and wanting company. And he knew my sister and I wanted one. I am sure we asked for one, and of course wanted a puppy. Eventually, viola!, he got us a little white puppy. I think it was partially to make us excited to go over to his house when he first moved. 

 

 

What’s your favorite memory with all of your dogs?

So the one that immediately comes to my mind is that story of how we got Maddie, the dog at my Mom’s house. I was incredibly pet spoiled when I was a kid. I would cry and cry and beg for all these random pets. At one point, my Dad gave in to getting me a red-eyed tree frog. So anyways, this time we were going to Petco to get crickets—we specifically went here because there usually aren’t any dogs. We did this intentionally because, well, my sister and I would always find a dog we were obsessed with and then we would cry. So we went there, but the Animal Protective League (APL) was there with black lab mix puppies that needed to be adopted. So naturally I grabbed one and carried her around the entire store for an hour. And then my Dad got her. But he eventually ended up not enjoying having a puppy in the house. I was so upset. Thankfully my Mom ended up taking her—Maddie! It’s probably my favorite story just because of how it all happened. We were not planning on getting a dog until that moment.

 

Another favorite memory of mine is when Maisy was a puppy, and Casey was getting older. They would chase each other around the whole living room. Casey was the smartest dog, and she would always outsmart Maisy—even though she was the faster puppy. She’d always be beaten whenever they were chasing each other. So it was just funny to see Casey be rambunctious before she got older and sick. It was really sweet.

 

 

What’s one thing that you know today that you wouldn’t have known without your dogs?

This sounds dark, but first and foremost my dog showed me how I respond an emergency, panic situation. There was this one time when my dog was old, she would chew these bones, and they would become very small. So small, in fact, that she would start to choke on them . . . it was so horrible. It had happened before and she nearly died, but thankfully my Dad saved her. It was this whole crazy thing. Anyways, then it happened again—just my Dad, dog, and me in the living room. She had this terrifying choking episode, and I completely froze. I did not know what to do—I could not do anything. I did nothing to help. Fortunately, my Dad was able to fix it and help her. She was okay. But it made me realize how, when I’m in a moment of crisis, I can’t function. I can’t do anything!

 

I was thinking about this recently because I just I just completed this wilderness, first responder course over Spring Break. The entire beginning of the class was dedicated to learning how to control your breathing and calm yourself when handling an emergency. I was reminded that this was exactly what I needed to work on. So, yes, that is something I certainly wouldn’t have known without my dog.

 

I think for a lot of kids that feel some sense of responsibility over their dog, it’s essentially the first living thing you have to care for. When something goes wrong and it’s just you there—and you’re a small child—you have to step up and try to do the right thing. So it’s similar in some sense to having a sibling I suppose.

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What has your relationship with dogs taught you? What has your dog given you?

So, I think all families invariably go through tough times. And at times when my family was going through things or loss or arguments or big changes, the dogs were always there and exactly the same and happy. They just kept us all way more lighthearted and unified. They made the house so much homier. All that said, they really played an integral role in my upbringing.

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What would you say to someone that was contemplating getting a dog—or someone who was dog-skeptical? What would your pitch be?

 I would start by saying that there is a dog out there that is right for every single person. It is so crazy how dogs have such different personalities—I can assure you, there is a dog with a personality that is right for you. A “doginality” for everyone that would brighten anyone’s life. Of course if you don’t want to care for a living thing, don’t force yourself. But I only see the positives.