Oh My Dog!

obsessed with dogs

How Not To Adopt a Pet: Removing Barriers to Pet Adoption

Several years ago, a friend of mine wanted to adopt a specific breed. She reached out to a number of breed-specific rescues who all told her the same thing: Sorry, you don’t have a fenced-in yard.

So, what did she do? She contacted a reputable breeder in her state and purchased a pup.

Did I mention she’s a vet tech? And she can bring her dog to work? She’s single, owns her own townhouse that, no, doesn’t have a backyard, but in literally every regard would’ve been the perfect person to rescue any pup.

Thank goodness every rescue doesn’t have that policy. We adopted both Emmett and Lucas while living in a condo that, yes, we owned but had no direct access outdoors.

How Not to Adopt a Pet: Removing barriers to animal adoption via OhMyDogBlog.com

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In another instance, very recently, I was somehow added to a threaded discussion on Facebook about electric fences. The original poster was an adoption coordinator or counselor for a foster-based rescue I think. She asked whether or not rescues allowed dogs to be adopted into a home with an electric fence. The answer, of course, was a resounding no way. There were probably close to 50 comments before I left the thread, all stating that an electric fence precludes someone in every case because they’re dangerous, they let wild animals in, they rely on shock, etc., etc., etc.

Now, I’m not a fan myself for a host of reasons, but. I know many incredible pet parents who have electric fences for a variety of reasons. In one case, a vet who took phenomenal care of Emmett in his aging years has one in addition to a fence because her dog was an escape artist and she needed a second line of defense. And, at least here in the Midwest, HOAs stipulate all kinds of crazy things, including whether or not you can have a fence and what it looks like. If someone’s only option is an electric fence, and no shelter or rescue will adopt to them, it’s not stopping them from getting a dog! They can, like a cousin did, get a pup from a rehome situation posted on cragislist, or from a dog printed in the newspaper, or, like my friend did, from a breeder.

Anyone who wants a dog will get a dog.

So, why do rescues make it so hard to adopt a pet?

I’m talking specifically about barriers to adoption, which speaks to a much, much larger issue I touch on in a minute. I realize that, sure, rescues and shelters have to create criteria for adoptions. They need to conduct some research into the person wanting to adopt to make sure that their animals are going into a good home… but who defines good?

In my time volunteering in all sorts of rescues in a number of states, I’ve seen criteria that included:

  • must have a fenced-in yard
  • out-of-state adoptions can’t already have a pet in the home (from a breed-specific rescue that does transport)
  • no electric fences
  • must own your own home or provide a letter from you landlord stating you can have a pet
  • submit to a home visit
  • submit references
  • be home during the day

I’ve read news stories about fantastic potential adopters being denied for all sorts of reasons, like:

That list could go on, but the bottom line for each point is that they’re making assumptions about the kind of person you are based on subjective criteria, which prevents some good people from adopting animals. And, as I said, that doesn’t prevent them from getting animals because, let’s be honest, you can get a dog or cat from just about anywhere at anytime. We found fosters Molly and Petey dumped in the bayou. We found Newt, essentially, in a parking lot. We found Ripley through friends who had a pregnant cat give birth in their barn.

The other thing about that list is that those are barriers that apply to only a certain percentage of the population.

I’m going to insert a big pause here and jump topics to animal shelter volunteers.

Bear with me because it all comes full circle…

There’s been a ton of research into volunteerism across all kinds of industries, but there have been several recent publications surrounding volunteerism in animal shelters. One of the main questions, of course, is how to retain volunteers for the long haul. However, for the purposes of our discussion, I want to take a look at demographic data that seems consistent:

A national sample of 426 animal welfare volunteers was given modified versions of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2007) annual “Volunteering in the United States” survey and of the VFI [Volunteer Functions Inventory]. Results suggest that the typical animal welfare volunteer is female, White, pet-owning, heterosexual, employed, childless, married or partnered, Democrat-leaning, between the ages of 40 and 59, has an income between $50,000 and $99,999, and is Protestant. (source)

OK.

So, here’s the thing: Animal rescue across the board is a middle class white lady thing. Statistically, of course, which doesn’t matter at the individual level where I know lots of animal welfare advocates and volunteers who are not middle class nor white nor ladies. But, by and large, that’s the demographic nationwide.

{{If you haven’t yet read Bronwen Dickey’s Pit Bull, please do. It covers this issue in greater depth than I can here with a lot of the nuance and history accounted for and analyzed. Plus, it’s just a fantastic book.}}

When you take a look at the list of pet adoption barriers, well, the reality is that generally speaking lots of them wouldn’t apply to middle class white families. That’s not to say I think animal welfare intentionally excludes people based on race or the demographic factors related to race (for which I highly, highly recommend digging into in this book. So good and informative, even though she doesn’t tackle animal welfare head-on). Of course it’s not the case for every single person and family in America, but it is statistically the case for many people and families in America.

As I said, I don’t think this is a purposeful problem but rather a set of arbitrary exclusions enacted by many rescues over time that then precluded animal adoptions from being a democratic process.

And, as I also said, those barriers to adoption will never prevent a person from acquiring an animal. They’ll just prevent more shelter animals from finding their way into loving homes that, sure, might not have a fence or might not have a food or vet budget determined by the rescue.

I’ve encountered versions of this discussion around two other topics: the cost of adoptions and the cost of pet care. I have a post on the cost of pet care coming soon, but in my post on the cost of adoptions and the corresponding discussion on Facebook, it was clear that many people do believe there should be an income requirement for pet adoptions. That’s galling to me because it’s basically saying that poor people shouldn’t adopt pets. Ugh. Same goes for those pet food discussions. If someone can’t afford to feed XYZ premium food, then can they truly afford to take care of the pet? so the argument goes. Double ugh.

Matching pets with a suitable home and family is vitally important.

Every shelter, rescue, foster, whatever must have guidelines, of course. A more flexible approach doesn’t mean no barriers whatsoever; it simply means taking into account more types of people and lives.

By the way, whether or not the reasons for denial are just, rescues are privately held organizations that can adopt to whomever they deem fit. However, I’ve recently left two Facebook groups centered around animal adoptions because the threads were so disheartening–not just the electric fence question, but the question about dog food, and the question about apartment dwellers, and the question about reference checks all ended with resounding cries of “exclude them!”

All I can think, though, is this:

A good home, even an imperfect one, is a better home than a shelter.

I’d love to know what you think. I know many of you work or volunteer in animal welfare in some capacity. I have a million tabs saved in my Chrome with anecdotes, policies, research, and so on, but I’d love to hear from those of you with boots on the ground, so to speak. Have you encountered any of these barriers to pet adoption? Do you have experience being prevented from adopting? Or does your volunteer experience track with this? Please share your experience in the comments so we can all learn more about this crazy important topic together!

ADDITIONAL READING:

Is your dog spoiled?

Cooper: “I guess it depends on your definition of ‘spoiled.’ Like, yesterday, Lady forgot to move my blanket into the sun spot on the couch in her office so I had to choose between napping in the shade but on the blanket or napping in the sun but on the blanket-less couch. Do you call that spoiled? I. think. not.”

At first, I thought I wanted to write a lighthearted take on spoiling our pups, especially around the holidays.

Is your dog spoiled?
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Like, does Cooper want a faux fur blanket from IKEA to toss in the sun-dappled spot on his couch? Would he really want that? Or is that just me spoiling him?

Want the blanket? He doesn’t know it exists!

Deserves the blanket? Well, that’s another story. (He totally does. We’re going there this weekend to do some holiday shopping, and that blanket is coming home for Coop!)

However, as I did some light googling around spoiled dogs thinking I’d find some good memes, I discovered something: People get super-duper up-in-arms about spoiled dogs! Like, kinda crazed and a smidge bonkers.

Some, I think, are bizzaro remnants from outdated training modes that say you’ll “spoil” your dog if you let him on the bed or allow him to eat dinner before you or let him ahead on leash, or that “indulged” dogs become bossy and manipulative, or whatever… I forget sometimes that many people still buy into these myths simply because the world in which I live and work puts so much stock in science-based training. I forget that there’s a whole other side of the dog world that allows people to truly, honestly, wholeheartedly believe that if a dog jumps onto the sofa, it’s because he’s trying to attain higher ground and, thus, the assertive, dominant position over you.

Coop’s like: “Naw. I just want the squishy, sun-dappled spot. I like a pillow under my noggin. And, hey, could you see to a faux fur throw up in here? Thanks, Lady.”

So, let’s redefine “spoiled,” shall we?

I like the idea of indulging my dog because, frankly, he deserves it, and it makes me happy to make him happy! My dog doesn’t know he’s spoiled, though he does know the types of behaviors that tend to get him extra rewards like cuddles and snacks. And he likes to perform them liberally! But, he doesn’t know that a faux fur throw or an after-dinner bully stick or cuddling under the covers at night or walking ahead of me or whatever is considered to ruin his character by some humans. He does know that those things increase his joy, and I know that his increased joy increases mine.

Yes, my dog is spoiled. But I don’t care. I love him that way. I love to spoil him. He deserves it. He puts up with a lot, and he’s always happy to do whatever I want to do when I want to do it. He’s always happy to just be with me, and I appreciate that more than words, more than faux fur throws, and more than after-dinner bully sticks (though he’d take the throw and sticks over the words any day).

Two questions for you today:

  1. What do you consider “spoiling” when it comes to dogs?
  2. Is your dog spoiled? 

I’d love to know in the comments whether or not you think your pup is spoiled, if there’s a such thing as a too-spoiled dog, and how do you know where the line is! 🙂

Pets for Christmas: Should you gift a dog or a cat?

I’ve been researching a post about adoption barriers, and I have a whole huge situation–with footnotes!–coming on that in the new year. For now, though, one thing I’ve encountered over and over again in my research: Limiting adoptions for the holidays throws up yet another adoption barrier not founded in data.

I am fully aware that this isn’t a popular opinion, so stick with me, guys, because I’m going to break it down.

Should you give a dog or cat as a Christmas gift_

I’m sure you’ve seen the headlines:

  • Pets Aren’t Presents
  • 5 Reasons Not to Give Pets as Christmas Gifts
  • Why You Should Avoid Giving Pets as Gifts

As so on. There’s even a massive online campaign from my least favorite, most hated animal group, PETA, that includes a social and blog push for “pets aren’t presents.”

Before we look at the numbers, let’s set three expectations:

First, we’re not talking about giving a puppy to, say, your mailman or your child’s classroom teacher. This isn’t a surprise for your Great Aunt Gladys (unless she explicitly told you all she wants is a kitten). This is a pet gift within your own household. And, honestly, the numbers bear this out anyways… people aren’t giving pets as presents to random people on your list anyways.

Second, every single one of the “don’t give pets as holiday gifts” articles I’ve read included the same theme: Giving a pet as a present brings an animal into an unprepared household. Since every  article includes this same warning–the recipient won’t be prepared–I’m wondering who they think gives the pet. I’m not sure if this is a scenario that assumes you give the pet as the gift and then wash your hands of it, but if we’re talking pets adopted into the same household (see the point above), it’s an expectation on the giver’s part to, you know, give the pet’s supplies along with the pet. Since more often than not this pets-as-presents debate focuses on parents giving their kids a pet for Christmas, well, the parents buy the supplies anyway.

Third, I’m focused solely on dogs and cats. Unfortunately, as with just about every animal welfare topic, there’s little reliable data on small animals, and I’m striving to avoid assumptions or anecdotes in favor of data.

OK, so we’re talking about a dog or cat given as a gift within the household and a responsible adult is involved in the decision. 

Seems simple enough, but somehow the popular opinion has decided people give pets willy-nilly to unsuspecting friends and family who know nothing about pets, who don’t have the budget for it, who haven’t pet-proofed their home. And then it turned into skyrocketing relinquishment numbers post-holiday (which the data shows that’s a far cry from the truth… more on that in a minute). Honestly, who’s giving dogs and cats out to everyone on their list?

All that aside, this happens so often in animal adoption: feelings seem to hold more weight than data. So, let’s look at the data.

My preference is always to find peer-reviewed literature, and there’s not a ton, but there’s this: “Should Dogs and Cats be Given as Gifts?” published in the open-access journal Animals in 2013. You can access the full study here, but here’s what the authors state in the intro (bold emphasis added by me):

Common arguments include statements such as: pet ownership shouldn’t be an impulse decision; the recipient should consent to pet ownership and be involved in the selection of a pet that fits his or her lifestyle; it’s a long-term commitment; pet ownership is costly; the holidays are a bad time to bring home a new animal. This message may be driven by concerns of inappropriate homing and return to the shelter. Often, organizations that support these arguments cite anecdotal evidence that returns of pets from unhappy gift receivers occurs frequently. However, the available data do not support these concerns.

They went on to clarify the purpose of their study:

While there is strong existing evidence to show that dogs and cats obtained as gifts are not at a higher risk of relinquishment than dogs and cats obtained in other ways, the myth that dogs and cats should not be given as gifts still persists.

They concluded:

The lack of associations between receiving a dog or cat as a gift and its impact on self-perceived love/attachment and whether or not respondents still had the dog or cat in the home is evidence supporting the notion that pets given as gifts are not at higher risk for abandonment. Further, denying potential adopters the right to obtain dogs and cats as gifts may unnecessarily impede the overarching goal of increasing the rate of live-releases of dogs and cats from our nations’ shelter system.

Ultimately, the outcomes for animals given as gifts are the same outcomes of the general pet population. 

As far as anecdotal evidence, ASPCA Pro published a case study of a shelter in Charleston, SC, that launched a “Home for the Holidays” program. In that case, the president of the shelter reported that 40 pets have been given as gifts through their program and none have been returned.

In the ASPCA’s official position statement on pets as gifts, they write:

Recently, the ASPCA conducted a survey to learn more about people who acquire pets as gifts. In the survey, 96% of the people who received pets as gifts thought it either increased or had no impact on their love or attachment to that pet. The vast majority of these pets are still in the home (86%). The survey also revealed no difference in attachment based on the gift being a surprise or known in advance.  Several studies conducted in the 1990’s and 2000 (Patronek, 1996, Scarlett, 1999 New, 1999, New 2000) found that pets acquired as gifts are less likely to be relinquished than pets acquired by the individual.

And, across the ocean, the conversation is changing on pet adoptions through the RSPCA. Here’s an article that examined data and conducted interviews and concluded, again, that pets can be wonderful gifts as long as it’s not a surprise to an unsuspecting friend or family member. Check out their relinquishment rates graph, too, which further shows that the data just doesn’t bear out on the supposed increase in post-holiday pet relinquishment in the UK.

Finally, in this piece from CBS News, the journalist juxtaposes a shelter’s reluctance to adopt pets during the holiday against the data and the HSUS’ position, as well, ultimately concluding that more progressive shelters are likely to allow or even encourage adoptions during the holidays.

BTW, one of the shelters quoted says they try to counsel against adopting pets as gifts but understand that the person can ultimately just leave and go buy a pet to gift… so, who wins in that scenario?

This myth seems to be simply another barrier to pet adoption. Common assumptions that aren’t backed by research prevent pets from finding their families throughout the entire year, but hopefully this myth can be dismantled so that more pups can spend Christmas morning in a home!

Bottom line:

  1. Don’t give a pet to someone not in your household. Duh.
  2. Make sure an adult is involved in the decision. Also, duh.
  3. Pets make wonderful gifts and giving an adoptable dog or cat a home for the holidays is absolutely lovely–IF numbers 1 and 2 are strictly followed!

So, what do you think? Have you heard that pets shouldn’t be given as gifts? Have you ever received a pet as a gift?

The Best Fresh Dog Food Delivery IMO: Health and convenience from The Farmer’s Dog

At an event many years ago, I chatted with someone who was a pretty pet-savvy person. We talked about dog food, and I mentioned adding fresh veggies–carrots, beans, peas, etc.–to the boys’ food. She looked aghast. “I don’t feed my dogs people food,” she said. “I don’t want to turn them into beggars.”

OK, the behavior issue aside, when she said “people food,” I couldn’t help but wonder: Well, what is dog food made of if not… food? At least, shouldn’t it be made of food, real food, like the kind people eat? If a bag of kibble says it has carrots in it, how’s that different from giving your dog a carrot?

The conversation seemed silly to me, and now, thank goodness, it’s come full circle…

The Farmer’s Dog Food Review

The Best Fresh Dog Food Delivery_ Health and convenience from The Farmer's Dog

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Why Fresh Dog Food?

This is the big, underlying question: Why feed your pup fresh dog food?

At the end of the day, food is food is food is food. What makes one meal different from another ultimately comes down to how it’s made, right? Take the carrot example. Boiling and steaming both cook the carrots, but steaming preserves its nutrients while boiling loses 60% or more of the carrot’s nutrients. Eating a raw carrot might not be best, either, though because research shows  that some cooking methods might actually boost the carrot’s antioxidant power. Basically, a steamed carrot is a carrot, a boiled carrot is a carrot, a raw carrot is a carrot, a dehydrated carrot extruded into kibble form is still a carrot… but they’re not all nutritionally equal. I think we can all agree on that, and I think we can all agree that there’s nothing grosser than a boiled carrot. (Actually, maybe boiled asparagus is grosser?)

Anyway.

If you’re going to eat food, which of course you are, and if you’re going to feed your dog food, which of course you are, wouldn’t you want it to be the most nutritionally-rich food available? Of course you do! We all do! And the benefit to our dogs is that they don’t have to choose between, say, a grilled chicken breast vs. drive-thru chicken nuggets because we make the decisions on their behalf. So, it stands to reason that if we know fresh food is best, and we’re in position to decide the best food to feed our pups, we’d want to go fresh, yeah?

There are a TON of fresh foods hitting the market (more on that in a minute), but we’ve found The Farmer’s Dog to fit our lifestyle, budget, and Coop’s belly quirks.

Backing up one quick step: When I wrote about The Farmer’s Dog previously, we switched foods after getting the results of Cooper’s allergy test. At the time, I didn’t write a full review because I wasn’t sure how helpful it would be since I was so focused on food allergies. We were so pumped to find a recipe that didn’t contain a single allergen from Coop’s list, and while he’s limited to one of the three formulas for that very reason, it’s made measurable, noticeable differences in his belly. I wanted to sing that from the rooftops! But, SO many of you have reached out with specific questions I didn’t answer in that post that I thought I’d pull them together in a full review after all!

{{Note: Because I think rotating proteins is so super important, we’re still rotating in The Honest Kitchen because two of the three formulas from The Farmer’s Dog do contain allergens on Coop’s list.}}

The other big thing is that our food production system is deeply flawed. Romaine lettuce, anyone? I’m sure you’ve all seen the gobs and gobs of dog food recalls due to tainted ingredients, as well. In fact, there’s a major one underway as I type this: FDA Alerts Pet Owners about Potentially Toxic Levels of Vitamin D in Several Dry Pet Foods.

It’s critically important to me that we’re feeding Cooper a food where the ingredients are responsibly sourced and the production is smaller scale for better quality control. I fully acknowledge that no food production system is perfect. For that, we’d have to grow and make our own, which let’s be honest, isn’t happening.

The Very Best Fresh Dog Food Delivery

I think we can all agree that fresh food is the way to go, but that’s not without a substantial list of pros vs cons when it comes to pet food. It’s not like you can walk into the produce section of your local pet store and pick up a fresh meal, ya know? Let’s take a look at some of the obvious pros and cons of fresh dog food and fresh dog food delivery services:

  • Cost: Equal parts PRO/CON. I get into this in detail below re: The Farmer’s Dog, but these services are definitely more expensive than picking up an average store bag of kibble (though there are many premium kibbles that are comparable or even more expensive). I do think it’s worth examining the cost of health-related issues from convenience foods vs. wholesome foods. But you guys know me: I’m NOT someone who says in a blanket statement kibble is bad. It’s not. Even though I advocate for real, whole food, these services might not fit your budget. #noshame It’s my opinion that The Farmer’s Dog is priced at a fair value. It’s definitely a stretch if you’ve been feeding regular kibble, but not if you’ve been feeding premium or, as we were, a dehydrated option like The Honest Kitchen.
  • Packaging: PRO! Alright, you guys. You know I’m obsessed with finding eco-friendly solutions to every pet care problem. Well, The Farmer’s Dog comes in recyclable packaging AND the insulation is cornstarch that you dissolve in your kitchen sink! The brand is committed to sustainability, too, so you can trust that their production methods are gentler on the environment.
  • Website/ordering: CON. You can’t see the formulas until you create an account. I feel like that’s a bummer for those of us who have dogs who are SO sensitive to ingredients that we can’t make decisions until we see every last ingredient.
  • Convenience: PRO! More on this below, but having the food automatically shipped is a life saver.
  • Small-batch production: PRO! For all the reasons stated above. And each packet comes labeled specifically for Cooper.

The Farmer’s Dog vs Ollie (or NomNom Now, PetPlate, etc.)

Fresh food + delivery is the future, y’all.

Hopefully by now you’re on board with the fresh food piece, but delivery?

OK, so I know that you’re busy. I’m busy, you’re busy, we’re all literally stretched so thin it’s impossible to keep up. Grocery pickup has changed my life! I honestly can’t stand going into the store–truly, grocery shopping is my single most hated chore–so ordering online then driving over and having someone load it into my car is, in my opinion, the greatest invention of my lifetime.

At least it was.

Until… Delivery!

Delivery is the next wave of convenience foods, which is SO much better than “convenience” foods like McDonald’s or microwave meals because you can pick all your own healthy foods and have them brought to your doorstep. My neighbors, who have five children, get their groceries delivered, and I’m sure it’s changed their lives for the better! Well, that’s how I feel about fresh food delivery for my pets. I think more people are demanding delivery for more and more things (I have three different apps on my phone for takeout/delivery services…) so you can expect to see tons of fresh dog food delivery brands crop up to fulfill that need.

After my previous post, I got a ton of questions about how The Farmer’s Dog compares to Ollie. Honestly? We’ve never tried Ollie. I did Google a bunch of the brands that are already out there, and nearly everything I read ranked The Farmer’s Dog toward the top for convenience, cost, and options. Here’s a review from a food blog I love if you want to read some specific comparisons.

How Much Does The Farmer’s Dog Cost?

It varies. It depends on the size and age of your dog and his or her daily caloric needs. Let’s say you love a sedentary pug. Well, your cost is going to be lower–and rightly so!–than my high-energy, perma-pup Am Staff mix. He needs a lot of calories in the day to keep up with his skittering and cat chasing!

That said, they do offer arrangements to do the meal as a topper, which I think would be an ahhhhhmazing way to mix whole foods into a kibble or dehydrated diet in a cost-effective way.

My advice? Try it (at 50% off) and see. It’s either going to work wonders for your dog and his diet (which I really do believe it will) or it won’t! But, it can’t hurt to try, especially at such a discounted price.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, everyone wants to do what’s best for their pup. That’s it. We all do the best we can with the parameters we have. No, this isn’t going to be for everyone. It might not be a full meal option for you, either, but the topper situation might work. Or, maybe you’re ready to dive into something new. Everyone’s doing their best, and as long as you’re loving your pets, you’re doing great. If part of that includes trying The Farmer’s Dog fresh dog food delivery service, I’d love to help you get started with a discount: Click here to try it for 50% off!

What stones have I left unturned? I tried to answer the questions I had gotten via email and DM, but in case I missed something, or if another question cropped up for you as you were reading this, please leave them in the comments! I’d love to provide as much info as possible, and if I don’t know the answer, I’m always happy to reach out to the company to find the right information! 

The Farmer's Dog

Some additional reading:

Is my dog basically Lassie?

This story starts Thanksgiving Day.

We took Cooper and Violet hiking in a nearby nature preserve. We wanted to burn off Coop’s energy before we left for Thanksgiving dinner at my brother’s, plus burn off a few preemptive calories before all the pies.

Well.

Turns out, every other person and pup in central Indiana felt the same way. Every trail we took, we encountered dog after dog after dog. Which, as you know, Cooper doesn’t handle well. John had Violet in the backpack, and I had Coop on his harness. The squeeze cheese worked for a while, so did u-turns and forks and circling back and zig-zags and just outright stopping while we waited for dogs to pass us by. But, of course, he reached maximum threshold at some point way in the back of the preserve, so it was a lot of pulling, lunging, and barking until we got back to the car. I ended up just running him back–he focuses way better when he’s running–though my shoulder ached by the time I loaded him into the car.

Such is life with a stressed-out, reactive pup, right?

You plan. You prepare. You manage. But, we can’t control other dogs and their owners. Unfortunately.

The next day, we decide to get our Christmas tree. We ran some errands, then stopped at the library to let Violet play. A block from the library, the Girl Scouts sell trees each year for a fundraiser, so we planned to hit the coffee shop on our way, then pick out a tree and head home. As we loaded Violet into the car, she looked up into my eyes and said, “Pooped.”

Sure enough.

So, we decided to do the tree later and just head straight home. We put her down for a nap and thought we might as well clean the house before we decorated anyways, so that’s what we did. And, since my darling daughter tends to huck her plate when she gets frustrated, that included scrubbing down the walls and cabinets in the kitchen.

It was then, at some point when I was scraping dried milk off the baseboards, I felt a twinge. Just a small little tweak across my lower back. Not a big deal. Just a little ache.

The day continued: My sister came over to watch Violet so we could finish some errands. She stayed for dinner. We missed getting the tree but were ready to throw ourselves into full-blown Christmas Saturday morning!

And then… in the wee hours of Saturday, like 1:30 AM, I woke up with the worst back pain ever. Like, enough to draw tears. It took me ages and ages to stand up, to slink my way out of the bedroom and into the living room. I had it in my head that if I could just stretch out on the floor, I’d be OK.

Cooper popped out of bed, of course, and came with me. He watched me. He sat in his chair in the living room and stared at me. Unblinking. He just stared.

Well, turns out, I was wrong. Once I got on the floor, it was worse by significant degrees. But then I couldn’t get up. At all. I tried shifting, rolling, scootching to the cabinet to pull myself up. Nada. Not happening.

So, I turned to Cooper, my beloved pup who stays by my side every day no matter what, and I said, “Cooper, go get John.”

He looked at me.

“Coop. Please. Get Papa.”

He stared.

“OK, bubba. I’m dying here. I need help. Go. Get. John.”

He jumped down from his chair, walked over, sniffed my face, and then curled up alongside me and rested his head on my belly.

I couldn’t move.

He got comfortable.

And slept.

John found me two hours later in tears and cursing in the loudest whisper I could muster. (This whole time, you guys, I didn’t want to wake Violet. I knew that would make everything way, way worse…)

Cooper, though? Sound asleep by my side.

Is my dog basically Lassie?

Is my dog basically Lassie?

No. No, he’s not.