So my husband and youngest daughter got me a new cavalier king charles spaniel puppy. He is a tricolored beautiful baby boy. It has been an adjusting period getting all of the other animals to come and meet him without calling me a traitor and an asshole.

The first night when we brought him home all of the other animals were like “Yay, mom’s home and she has a wiggling little snack for us!”

I was like “No you can’t eat it and also it’s your little brother. He lives here now!”

The look of utter betrayal on my naughty nunu’s face was breaking my heart. My daughter held the puppy and that was great because now they can think that she’s the traitor and that I am some unknowing party to all of this. But the jig was up when I slept on the floor right next to his crate. The cats are outside my bedroom door whispering to each other:

“Why is mom sleeping next to that puppy? It belongs to the college kid, right?”

“Is that thing leaving when she goes back to school?”

“Mom loves him she just said so!”

“Quick! Someone go shit in her shoe!”

“Ewe! That’s uncivilized, we are house cats. There will be no shitting in shoes! Maybe just piss on her pillow or favorite sweater!”

“That sends a message!”

“Who wants to do the dirty deed?”

“No one? Well great! How will mom know that we are unhappy if we don’t ruin something?”

“I just knocked her valentines day flowers on the floor? I was going to do that anyway, but now she will think it was because I’m pissed.”

The next morning when I got up at four thirty in the morning, because he came from a dairy farm and that’s probably when he had to milk the cows, I went downstairs and walked past the water and flowers and shards of glass to get him outside to learn how to be a potty trained guy. When I came back in, I walked past the water and flowers and shards of glass to put him back into his crate. I then came down and picked up the mess that the cats left me and thought to myself “Hey, it could be worse, they could have shit in my shoe.”

The second day that we had him, we took him shopping. We also had plans for brunch and I was having serious anxiety about leaving my baby at home in his crate. I didn’t know I was getting a puppy when I made the reservations. So I Did, in fact, consider just sneaking him into the restaurant because he is only four pounds. But then my inner voice, that sounded like my husband and spoke like him with his vernacular said “Becki, you are not going to take that puppy with us. Put him back in his crate. He will be fine.”

“Mom, has the puppy in her coat!” my inner voice that sounds like my daughter says.

“Becki, give me that puppy. He can’t go with us.” my inner voice that sounds like my husband says. Then my inner voice wrenched the puppy from my grip and put him back in his crate.

The older dog looks at me and says “Don’t leave that with me. I’m not babysitting. No one asked me if I wanted a baby brother!” Which is a lie because I did ask her if she wanted a baby brother, but I think the translation isn’t exact from dog to human so our wires may have been crossed. I thought she said yes. She clearly said no. How do I know that? Oh because she sits with her back to him and refuses to look at him. So it is more clear to me now that she didn’t want a baby brother. OOOOPS!!!

Potty training is going well. He sometimes comes when we call him which is way better than some of my cats that don’t come at all when I call them. He sits on command. He now knows that we don’t expect him to get up at four in the morning to milk cows and will sleep until a reasonable seven thirty. So far so good.

The leash thing is a bit of anomaly right now. He lets us put on his harness and leash and then he allows us to drag him where we want to go. So we still need to work on that. He was great at the vets. Our Vet is amazing and she was so happy to see him. So that makes it easier for him. He even started puppy classes. My husband took him because I am still trying to get school work done. Because when I put things on my schedule, I pile it high until I cry and feel like my insides are going to rip out of my anus. But I am getting better….meaning I notice that it is too much for me. I won’t be doing this again. But while my husband has been doing so much with him while I am busy, he is bonding with my husband. Last night he ran off my lap and over to his dad. It broke my heart. So while my oldest dog was sitting on the other couch giving me some serious side eye, I was on the end of my couch giving my husband some serious side eye. “That’s my puppy!”

Actually I am thankful for my husband’s help. He really had a great time with his new puppy. He even spoiled him and bought him more toys than any one puppy could ever play with. But only one puppy can, because if his toy is outside of his bed, he goes and puts it back in it. I could never get my kids to clean up their toys, so I am going to count this as a win, even though I am certain that the puppy is just being selfish.

I hired a puppy sitter who is super excited to come over and work with him, while I do school work because myhusband says that he is not going to stay here and be a puppy sitter all week long. Something about paying bills and having a job. Whatever!!!! But it is going great so far. Aside from my older dog who is in pure denial about having a new baby brother in her life. The cats are coming around. No one has shit in my shoe yet….so that is all good.

Moral of my story: No moral, just I still miss my Princess. She was really special to me. This new baby is not a replacement but he is a new journey. So to Princess I will honor you with all of the cherished memories that I have of you. The car rides and the cuddles and the love you had for chasing bunnies under the fence. I hope you are having a great time in heaven….or dog camp…or whatever they have for animal spirits…maybe a totem spirit guide? I don’t know, but I love you!