Our family objectively lacked a dog. Of course, we have outgrown the stage when, before the birth of a child, a pet appears in a married couple, for example, as a training object for love. My husband and I did not have such a need, because everyone had dogs. It seemed that this gestalt was closed to his son, he tried himself as the owner of both achatines (land giant snails), and a curly-haired representative of the Cornish rex cat family, and even the 70-liter fish world.
“I want a dog,” my son said one day on New Year’s Eve.
– We are not Koreans. There will be an olivier salad on the table,” I replied.
Then he checked the cost of the puppy and started saving up. Thus, he clearly and unambiguously made it clear about the seriousness of his intentions. So we had no choice, and we called a family council. We studied the ratings of smart and compact breeds, and not parodies of dogs that are carried in a bag and deprived of canine joys. But all our endeavors ran into the difficulties that we had to face. It seemed as inhumane as possible to condemn oneself to loneliness in an empty apartment while waiting for the owners from work, and to lock oneself in an aviary was completely monstrous.
As time passed, my son forgot about his desire, but my watch “sobakomaterine” started up. I transformed from an office plankton into an activist with untapped potential and sought to realize it at home, apparently to achieve an energy balance. And my husband regarded my affection for puppies as an urgent reason to go after a second child.
The dog fit perfectly into the concept of my need for overprotection: firstly, it is a new family member who needs to be cared for and cherished, and secondly, it is a huge responsibility. Therefore, it was important that all family members not only agreed, but also wanted to get a dog. Experienced couples are familiar with the true nature of collaborative solutions. Usually the husband confidently declares, “It was my decision.” But quickly or, conversely, after taking a pause, he says to himself or aloud: “I took him with my wife.”
And so, when all that remained was to decide on a nursery, a lucky chance helped us. On vacation in the Crimea, a sapboard with a charming eared creature overtakes me (I’m talking about my son), followed by a sapboard with a girl and an unusually brave dog. We decided to get acquainted with the owners of the brave conqueror of the sea, the half-sister of our future long-eared princess.
It turned out that this breed is called papillon (papillon) – from the word “papillon”, which means “butterfly” in French. Indeed, the huge ears, like butterfly wings, add incredible charm and charm. The attractive appearance, high intelligence, and wonderful character of the companion breed is not a dog, but a dream. Charmed and licked by papillon, we lay down on deck chairs and without hesitation paid for the puppy’s reservation from the breeder.
It was a small matter to choose a name for our girl. According to the passport, it was, as well as according to the meaning, an accidental joy. I suggested calling him Yuta, and my son, who was raised on Russian rock, instantly approved.
Utah comes from the word “eutha”, which means “our family”, I also listened to such a singer in my youth: “And ahead of summer, / We swam and waited for the wind, / We swam, looking for land. / Listen! Listen up!”
We spent the end of our vacation watching videos from the nursery, in which she was smiling and waiting for us. On the way home, they fell ill with covid and therefore postponed the long-awaited meeting with a new family member a little, at the same time deciding to prepare an apartment and buy a “dowry”.
I had to sacrifice my usual lifestyle: completely remove all items from the puppy’s access, including charging and shoes, dismantle the cabinet for arranging the couch, and the like. We allocated a budget for monthly maintenance and unforeseen expenses, and, as it turned out later, also a round sum for related products. My husband even joked when the amount exceeded 150 thousand rubles that it could be my new phone. So I have a Utaphone of the latest model.
We couldn’t do anything else, we have a smart home where even the kettle is controlled through a speaker. A new family member couldn’t be deprived of the benefits of the digital world. She was bought a smart drinking bowl and a feeder with a camera, voice recording and a lot of settings for remote connection and monitoring.
When all the preparations were left behind, we went to the “screenings”. It became obvious that the breeder-dog handler does not understand the concept of “accustomed to a diaper” what we expected. Puppies who grew up on self-care did not perceive the street as an excuse to satisfy their natural needs. All the rag products in the house were equivalent to a diaper. Naturally, at first, all the rooms of our apartment, covered with carpet, turned into a toilet expanse for a new family member.
Then how did I look younger and prettier in my worries and worries! Judge for yourself: schedules, diapers, feeding by the hour and grams, sleepless nights, which were not even on maternity leave. The dog asked to come to our bed at night, but we were on the defensive, although some did not always.
She didn’t rock Yuta in her arms, didn’t wean her off sleeping together, but she was near the couch, had conversations, and often got up at night. It was the second week of my transformation into a zombie, and I had just adopted my husband’s strategy of ignoring Utah, when suddenly she stopped whining and found her place for sweet dreams.
This gave me strength, and inspired by my victory, I began to make long-term plans not only for active leisure together, but also to unlock the exhibition potential of Utah. “Your parents are multiple world competition champions. So you can, too,” I set up the Yutu, convincing myself of the correctness of the chosen course.
But first, the consequences of her toilet exercises had to be eliminated. I started writing my dissertation on choosing a chemistry that is harmless to the source of puddles, but magically, at the molecular level, absorbs traces of “wet crimes”. As a result, a fantastic book was published instead of a scientific confirmation of the words of the advertisement and the promises of the manufacturer.
Three months later, we were literally able to take a deep breath and recorded a successful transition to a combined toilet schedule. Errors were extremely rare, but accurate: a pile on the dining table, a puddle on the couch… I’ve been patient, because the first year of a puppy’s life is the most important, and you can’t miss anything.
Zoopsychologist consultations were bought, because we were looking for ways to nonviolently raise a dog. They fed her manually and all in turn, as they wanted to form a hierarchy and affection. They ignored her disapproving behavior and turned on unpleasant sounds to wean her from dangerous activities. We thought that instead of punishing the dog, we should eliminate the reason.
On a walk, Yuta resisted the muzzle and tried to take it off. That’s why I had to extract delicacies from my mouth–feathers, fish spines, and feces. She learned the necessary basic commands very quickly, and we moved on to learning the dog’s “copromat.”
A little later, we were faced with a new task – the Yutka turned out to be “not allowed to travel.” She was seasick in the car, and the advice on training and developing positive emotions was not successful. But we have gained a wealth of experience in eliminating the effects of canine activity from the car interior. 101 methods of oilcloths, carrying, shifting the feeding time and other dancing with a tambourine were tested.
And everything would have been fine, but I had allergic bronchitis, and the doctors agreed that Utah urgently needed to find a new home. After correcting the order of the model dog lady, I started casting. She refused all the nurseries, which literally lined up. She conducted “interrogations” of potential owners with passion, secretly dreaming of finding active long-term owners and experienced dog breeders. And I was heard, Utah moved into a three-story castle in the woods with 16 acres for self-walking. And most importantly, the reaction of Utah, as she accepted the new owners. Just two hours after I met her, she was rushing from my arms to her new “mom.”
My husband, son, and I miss this eared wonder from time to time, but we realize that we have found her a better home.
