We got a puppy finally. We named her Yuki.
You love what you care for whether a puppy or a car.
Yuki means “snow” in Japanese. White, gray, with some darker spots, it suits her. From Sandy Creek Bernedoodles, she is a mix of Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle. This is a popular combination for people with allergies.
Purebreds have the advantage of known genetics. Hybrids have more potential dangers and benefits. We took the precaution of genetic testing to minimize risk. I expect she will be a part of our family for the next fifteen plus years and has already thawed my stoic heart with her puppy love.
Be ready to spend money.
Doing it the right way:
- Pet insurance with Trupanion: I like their model. Basically, they’ll pay 90% per issue with no maximum. Price per month drops a lot with a high deductible. So, if investing in a healthy puppy and paying attention to care, it is an affordable option for premium service.
- The Kenton Animal Hospital: Expensive but upfront. Worth giving early great care and then tapering off to more affordable yearly costs once puppy becomes dog. Basically, do all the recommended visits, shots, medicine with them for the first year. Afterwards, maybe go less often or search for a cheaper option.
- The food: I want to feed puppy meat. Wife objects. Vet approves. Negotiations ongoing. Dogs need more than a bag of dog food and water. Regardless of righteous vegans spitting tears on Portland’s streets, puppies love meat for good reasons.
- All the extras: Bit by bit. Piece by piece. From toys to treats and trips, it climbs from an ounce of silver to an ounce of gold.
A puppy is not a baby, but it draws all love like one.
When my son, Yuri, was born sixteen years ago, he was the center of the universe as is right and proper. We got Yuki at eight weeks and a day. For the last month she has been the center of our universe but in a milder way.
People with pets such as dogs and cats may talk about them like children and about themselves as parents. It’s a delusion.
Even at only three months Yuki is about as developed and independent as she will ever be. Children require a magnitude more support and offer an even greater magnitude of reward.
My son is my immortality. In him, my will and my genes can carry on. A dog, even a Border Collie, can’t continue my legacy.
As with Ipo, the Akita of my youth, so too will Yuki be my family, but she will be family as the dog. I can call her daughter, but this is… delusion.
I don’t mind the anthropomorphism, as long as people have kids along with getting pets.
Portland loves dogs and kind of likes kids.
As a city, Portland Oregon, is going through a tough time. Still a wonderful place for families, it has a cultural aversion to such traditional relationships—as if those who dare to propagate hate nature or something. For many here, it is more socially acceptable to adopt a rescue imported from a Texan puppy mill.
Portland is a puppy pipeline target.
People breed dogs to scam Portlanders into thinking they are “rescuing” when they are perpetuating the problem, creating a larger and larger population of abused and genetically broken dogs.
Pay more attention and/or money to avoid funding these cruel scams.
Beware toxic femineity.
Toxic masculinity might cause a boot to send a dog flying, but toxic femineity will create an industry of suffering to sate the void in childless hearts.
Get married. Breed human babies. Get a healthy puppy. Live the dream. Die content.
And don’t forget to set up your Trump Account.
