Introducing ... Riggins!
It started with Rupert. Then came Loretta, followed by Momo and General Peaches. Getting a dog was the furthest thing from my mind as recently as six months ago; Dan and I have a wonderful cat named Stella. But it is a testament to the insidious persuasive nature of social networking that after Fibonnaci-rate growth of photos shared by our friends who appeared to live, work,and have a social life with their dogs, I caught puppy fever. Once we moved to Outer Sunset where there was a beach and a park and no landlord it was just a matter of time. In San Francisco, dogs outnumber kids by about 13,000.
We had a technical term for the kind of dog we wanted: Smush-Face Dog. A chug (chihuahua-pug), pug or french bulldog that was low-key, cuddly, quiet and small, who didn’t require a lot of maintenance. Basically: a cat. And yet … a dog!
Never has one of my favorite quotes been more appropriate:
The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing.—Blaise Pascal
What I wanted was completely unrealistic, yet I somehow convinced myself that this could happen. Dan and I could handle the responsibility. Better yet … we could practice some good habits such as obedience training, work/life balance and poop cleanup that would be useful if we eventually became parents.
Dan took some convincing—mainly because he feared that most of the work of another pet would fall on him. But right after Thanksgiving we looked ahead and realized that we would be home for a few months without major travel, and right now was perhaps the best chance we’d ever have to make a dog part of our family.
Let The Right One In: Finding The Dog Of Your Dreams
If we could choose any dog, and we were going to have the dog for a long time, I decided I wanted a french bulldog. Dwell magazine wrote an article highlighting the “bad design” of Frenchies, but they are SO CUTE (see the above quote about heart vs. reason). They are quiet, small, don’t require a lot of exercise, and they meet the smush-face criteria. I scoured the internet for local breeders and researched breed standards and convinced myself that our Frenchie would be perfectly healthy and not at all like those other Frenchies.
However. Reality has a way of creeping in and the truth is that we couldn’t afford a dog from a breeder. Even if we could afford one it is more aligned with our values to give a shelter dog a loving home. Without giving up my dream of a smush-face dog, I asked Dan if we could go check out “adoption hours” at a local rescue organization. There were a couple that looked promising, including Wonder Dog Rescue and the SPCA.
Adoption Hours 101
The most important thing to know about open adoption hours is: do not go ANYWHERE near them if you are not prepared to walk out with a dog. Pat Miller wrote an excellent article about choosing the right dog and I read it but we thought we were still in the “just looking” phase. I was all like “I’m not 5 years old, and we’re not going to pick the first dog we meet.” But that’s not how it works.
We were running an errand at SOMArts a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday and we passed by a sign that said SPCA adoption hours were open. I’d been looking at some rescue sites online and it seemed like they all required an extensive application/interview process before they would consider letting you take a dog home. Since we didn’t have any dog supplies or any proof that dogs were allowed where we live, I thought we were safe.
We walked in and a volunteer directed us to the adoption area, which included several “alleys” of rooms with large windows where visitors could look in and see the dogs. As soon as we saw Riggins, we were pretty much done. He wasn’t a pug or a bulldog and he didn’t have a smush-face. He looked too skinny, and really scared. According to the SPCA he was adopted and then returned the day after Thanksgiving because his owner lost a job. We tried visiting with him but he just hid behind the legs of the SPCA worker and wouldn’t look at us.
We decided we’d try visiting with him one more time. The SPCA worker stayed outside the room so that Riggins wouldn’t be distracted. Right away, he liked Dan. He was five months old, still a puppy but already fixed and had all his vaccinations.
Can we keep him?
So now we are dog owners. Stella is adjusting better than expected and we are still hopeful that they’ll be cuddling on the couch by Christmas. We’ve been taking Riggs around the city to discover what a dog’s life is like here. I’ve been reading up on pending legislation … especially new rules that will affect Ocean Beach and Golden Gate Park. Riggins even came running with me, although he was much faster when we were heading in the homeward direction.
Even though having a dog is fun, it is way more work than I even imagined and a little overwhelming. If any of you have tips, send them our way!
