I Was a Dog Mom for Only a Day
On March 5th, 2020, days before the world exploded into a deadly pandemic, I woke up and decided I had to get a dog. I thought about getting a dog for years, actively searching animal shelters and national rescue websites for months. Last year, I decided my waiting a long time meant I was somehow prepared or deserving. I was not deserving of or ready for the responsibility of a dog. No one is entitled to anything beyond fundamental human rights, not even things that could make us incredibly happy.
I was emotionally vulnerable at the time, living alone and lonely. Maybe having something to love and look after would keep me from the toxic situation I had just escaped. And by nature of that dog being a dog, she would love me in return.
On this random winter morning, I remembered a shopping mall from my childhood with a puppy-selling pet store. As a kid, any time we got to that mall, my siblings and I made it our mission to visit the puppy store. Even if we had to wait in line, it didn’t matter because we would be able to see, smell, and hear living breathing puppies with just a glass wall of separation between us. Our mother would not let us get a dog because she is allergic. She rarely entertained signing up for a “meet the puppy” session other families would get to do, sitting in a cubicle with their hopeful “forever friend.” I personally doubt my mother is allergic…
