A Berlin, A Bird, and A Ball
So I know that most of the time I’m complaining about the agonizing life-changing challenges of puppy ownership. But I really need to give Berlin great credit for the great distance she has come in a little over a month.
On Saturday we took her out and scoped the park for other dogs, of which there were none. After deciding the coast was clear, we nervously unclasped her leash to see what she would do. She immediately spotted some birds that were parked comfortably on a tuft of green grass in the middle of the baseball diamond and raced off after them. After she had scared them off, she came running back to us with a big goofy grin on her face and was tackled to the ground with kisses and congratulations. Congratulations from me, kisses from her father. YOU KNOW IT.
This morning was another breakthrough as she pounced on me as soon as I got out of bed and started batting her squeaky ball around the bedroom floor. I took this opportunity to try “catch” which she had not yet been able to comprehend. But this time, she took to it like a duck to water and was racing across the floor retrieving the ball. She still hasn’t figured out that she’s supposed to drop the ball at my feet so I can continue to throw it, but at least she is no longer staring at the ground with an enormous question mark emblazoned on her forehead.
Not to be a total sap, but I’m madly in love with this dog. I have trouble falling asleep at night because she’s lying right next to me on her doggie bed and I just want to stay up and watch her. Just to see what she might do next. When she starts chewing on my diamond ring, I find myself wanting to LET HER, because WHO REALLY NEEDS AN ENGAGEMENT RING ANYWAYS? It’s not like Matt saved for months while working a minimum wage job to earn that baby for me. Besides, he would surely agree that if it makes her happy IT’S WORTH IT! (Note to animal activists: I do not allow her to chew on it because, yes, I know that in the rare chance she actually swallowed it her esophagus would be sliced open and she would die and yadda yadda yadda.)
When she cocks her head to the side in that inquisitive manner that dogs do, I melt to the floor in an oozing puddle of butter. When she gets out of the bathtub and shakes her wet black fur all over my white tiled bathroom, I kiss her on her soft little snout and give her a treat. When she gets super duper excited to go out and mistakenly pees on the doormat WHILE WE HAVE A CREW OF EIGHT PEOPLE OVER FOR MOTHERS DAY, I flip over the mat and sheepishly try to deter their attention from the urine smell in the front hallway… because c’mon, people, look at that face!
I’m so head over heels. You just gotta get yourself one of these dog things. Better than crack. I swear.
