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So we never thought of ourselves as those “crazy, pet loving, treat your animals like people,” kind of dog owners. Actually quiet the opposite; we spent most of our life making fun of those types of people. “I mean is it really necessary to have Fiddo in the wedding party or hold “bark mitzvahs” for Rover. It brings a whole new meaning to man’s best friend.” Although we were not a, shall we call them “dog enthusiast couple” we had been itching for a puppy of our own.

We spent a few years casually searching breeders, rescues and websites for a pup, not wanting to rush into ownership, get a dog to damaged from his past and unwilling to spend the unreasonable 2 grand most Old English Sheep Dogs went for these days. I finally stumbled upon a breeder in Maine and enticed my husband into a “quick” 5-hour trip up the coast with words we both knew to be a lie “We’ll just check it out and see if it’s a reputable breeder.”

Five and a half hours later we were on our way back to Rhode Island with an adorable little puppy. At least, as adorable a puppy can get when projectile diarrhea is shooting out of its quivering butt like a volcano. Our puppy parenting instincts quickly kicked in and we immediately felt terrible for this tiny little creature and guilty we were taking it away from her family and home. I imagine this is how actual parents feel most of the time with real children, terrible and guilty. First things first, once we were home and the mess was cleaned up, tell our parents! We did this as directly and gently as possible, stating,  “Who needs grandkids, you now have the most beautiful 2-month old, 8-pound, grand puppy.” At this point in the game we had convinced ourselves this was a cruel joke on the parents, however it wasn’t long before we became what we promised we wouldn’t.

We’d turned into those “crazy, doting, yuppy,” pet owners who replace searching for a town with good school systems and saving for college tuitions, with searching for the best dog training preschool and saving for pricey, pet life insurance. I mean any future kids we may have can always attend a community college or trade school, right?