31 Jul PuppyBaby

My daughter brought home a puppy this month. She named it Josie, or Jo for short. She wants to take Jo back to college with her in August. She feels that this is the ideal time because it will give her the chance to train the pup before she graduates from UNC next May and has to find a job.

This would be fine except we already have a six-pound Morkie named Stella. Stella is four years old. And since DeLaney’s been gone to college for the better part of the past three years, I’ve grown pretty attached to her. Truth be told, I was not 100% sure I’d be able to part with her when DeLaney graduates. I was, however, fully prepared to give it a shot. But now Jo is here and she’s taking up all our time – and most of our finances.

Getting a puppy is a lot like bringing home a baby. There’s no good time to do it. It’s a ridiculous amount of work and it costs a small fortune. But, boy, do you love it! Everything it does is adorable. So you overlook the fact that it urinates on your best rug, chews up your favorite sandals and gnaws the legs off your coffee table.

Jo has become a good playmate for Stella. They are constantly wrestling, playing tug of war with their toys and chasing each other around the yard. They also have mad barking contests – an added bonus for my neighbors and me. At the end of the day, they’re both pretty worn out. And so are DeLaney and I.

The good news is, Jo will be going back to college with DeLaney in just two weeks, leaving Stella and me at peace again and most of our furniture unscathed.

The bad news is, I’m going to miss that pesky puppy when she’s gone.