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.