This last Thanksgiving we got a dog. It’s my first one and it would have been a bigger deal before kids. Now, it’s like we’ve acquired an aggressive toddler. People often say having a dog prepares you for kids. Perhaps. It totally works the other way too. Anyway, it’s a third thing I have to take care of. Unlike the children, Oreo always accepts the food I give him and I only have to bathe him once a week, so it’s not too bad.
We got him from the Humane Society where he came with a name, Cronos. The name is from Greek mythology, the god of time that eats his children. Gross. The kids renamed him Oreo, something the children eat, so we went with that.
When Oreo gets rambunctious, I take him on walks around the block. We go out at least three times a day. I used to be trepidations about walking in downtown Hillsboro at night, but being accompanied by a fifty-pound border collie/pit bull mix makes me feel safer. Walking around that often has also made me more familiar with the goings on in the neighborhood. Do you know who is out at 9 p.m. in Hillsboro on a weekday evening? Other dog owners.
Taking the dog for walks is also his toilet time. He smells and then pees on all the fence posts and shrubs. Every time. Then if we pass another dog he wants to smell their butt. “Oh you’re the dog peed on the telephone pole. Nice.” I also have to bring little baggies for his no. 2s. It’s like toting around the world’s worst water balloon.
Officially, we got Oreo for the kids. Ivy spends a good portion her the day leading him around from room to room. Like having another kid, he’s also the source of controversy as he has chewed up several toys and sometimes plays too rough. Honestly, I prefer the interaction to the kids using screens. He’s always excited when someone comes home, even if they just went to the mailbox and back.
His best feature is his ability to chill with us. He follows us from room to room and then camps out on the floor about 3-6 feet away. It’s pleasant having a creature nearby that just hangs out. He hates being alone in the house, so we take him with us in the van. I spend a significant portion of my days picking up and dropping off and he’s just happy to go along for the ride.
