Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the sixteenth day of the month is "Instruction."
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We have a friend who has recently completed his cancer treatment and as soon as he left the hospital after having his staples* removed from his final surgery, he went to the Humane Society and adopted a puppy. A four-month-old lab mix named Humphrey. I waited for the appropriate two-week shutdown for new dogs and texted myself an invite over to meet him.
I don't know what he's mixed with, but he has a little wiry beard and gorgeous eyes and he licked my foot as soon as I walked in the door. So squishy! He let me kiss his nose!
So we played and I touched all his feet and his nails and I touched all his teeth and said his name over and over again and was basically ignoring my friend so I could focus entirely on this fellow. Eventually my friend said, "why are you touching his teeth?" and I started talking about how it would be easier to brush his teeth if you could touch his teeth and by including it in puppy play, it would make both Humphrey and my friend's lives easier in the future.
Then Humphrey nipped at me and I gently tugged his tail and he stopped.
"How did you get him to stop?"
I AM THE PUPPY WHISPERER!
When's the last time you pet a puppy? Who's the best boy or girl in your life?
*Can you believe that it's 2023 and we're still using stitches and staples and SuperGlue to treat sites of injury and I feel a bit like Molly Weasley in The Order of the Phoenix when she's horrified that Arthur is trying stitches. I feel like in 2323, people are going to look back at how we treated cancer patients (you put poison in them? and irradiated their organs?) the same way we look at leeches and humors.
AHHHHH! Humphrey is the cutest puppy in the entire world!!! What a great way to celebrate finishing cancer treatment (I tried to convince my sister to get a kitten when she finished hers, but she didn't take my advice, hrumph.) I like how it shows a lot of optimism- puppies are a lot of work, so your friend obviously feels well enough to take that on, and also pretty certain that he'll be around for a long time, to take care of his new friend. Yay!
ReplyDeleteI thought that going to get Humphrey right away was so brave, but my friend basically said that cancer had taken away a year of his life and he was just going to pick his life right back up! Go him!
DeleteHumphrey is adorable and what a genius idea about the teeth. It reminds me of one of the "tricks" my sister taught me about getting my babies used to water on their face when they were little to make washing their hair easier. It worked for one perfectly...the other one not so much (in fact, the single biggest child tantrum I had to work through as a parent was a 45-minute unstoppable tantrum because water got in someone's eyes during bathtime; ironically, it was basically that child's ONLY TANTRUM in their entire toddlerhood...and it was over a few drips of water. That said, I hate water on my face, so I guess I can't cast any stones).
ReplyDeleteAlso, are you by any chance a tween whisperer, too...because I NEED HELP!!!
Tweens are so hard. So many feelings! I can't help you, but I will say that I refer to my own "eighth grade angst" as the peak of the worst time in my life. Let's be gentle with the youngsters.
DeleteI'm trying to be gentle (and think I'm doing a reasonable job with that)...I just want to make things easier. It's just SO hard. Ugh. Sigh. And YES to middle school (and even high school) being pretty awful. I would not go back to my teens years for any amount of money.
DeleteI am unfamiliar with puppies. Even kittens are almost a step beyond. ð
ReplyDeleteOh, I've never had a puppy! They just seem like so much work. We did get Zelda as a baby kitten and NEVER AGAIN will we get a baby animal!
DeleteThis is so cute! And hahaha - I love your addendum about stitches. It really does seem so brutal and old fashioned!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute puppy! Our neighbors brought home a new puppy last fall who was really cute. So tiny and wriggly. A few years ago, another neighbor got a new puppy -- a Bernedoodle, which in my opinion is the CUTEST puppy breed on the planet. He was so FLOOFY.
Bernies are SO CUTE - babies and adults! Humphrey has two Bernie neighbors and I hope to be able to see him play with those dogs someday!
Deleteyou are a puppy whisperer! so jealous you got to spend time with a puppy! The fur is very interesting to me - very not lab. congrats and lots of love to your friend!
ReplyDeleteApparently he had two siblings at the shelter who looked much more like labs. I think Humphrey looks like he has some terrier/schnauzer in him, but I guess we'll wait and see. His paws indicate he has quite some growing to do.
DeleteI could tell his name was Humphrey even without you informing us. Of course that's his name! He's adorable. And looks like he has some German pointer in there.
ReplyDeleteMy granddog Zydrunas is the best boy in my life. He's a bully breed mix, and I'm completely in love with him. He has a huge smile and the best forehead wrinkles. He is all Joy and Exuberance.
So much of Modern Medicine still sounds decidedly NOT Modern at all; I agree. Cancer treatments are still so brutal. I hope Humphrey provides a great deal of Joy and Comfort for your friend.
I think Humphrey has already improved my friend's quality of life greatly and I'm so happy for him! He deserves it after his long struggle.
DeleteI don't know what makes me happier - the puppy or that your friend got a puppy as a "I finished cancer treatment" present.
ReplyDeleteI actually haven't been around puppies very much. Our dog was 2 when we got her, and I only briefly got to see my SIL's dogs when they were puppies.
We definitely knew our friend was confident this era of his life was over when he started texting us photos of dogs he was considering! Yay! It's such a great present for himself.
DeleteOh my goodness, he is so cute!!! Look at that little face!
ReplyDeleteI KNOW! He's so cute. SO. Cute.
DeleteOh, those are such clever tricks! And oh, he is so cute!
ReplyDeleteI will do whatever Humphrey wants from here on out because those eyes tell me that he's in charge.
DeleteOMG HUMPHREY IS THE GOODEST DOG. HIS FACE.
ReplyDeleteI KNOW!! SO SQUISHY!
DeleteSO happy your friend and Humphrey found each other. And you definitely have some puppy whisperer tricks going on! Tell us more!
ReplyDeleteThe first time someone said they got superglued in the E.R., I thought they were kidding!
I don't really know any puppy tricks. We read a book about dog training when we first adopted Hannah and it said to treat a rescue dog like a puppy for the first two weeks, so all I remember is that we tethered her for about a week, took her outside every two hours, and pet her and touched her and said her name over and over and over again. Oh, and we hand fed her, although I guess that's a controversial practice. I will say the handfeeding was useful when she got sick, though, because she was used to us feeding her small bits. Mostly, I just think if you get a puppy, you need to have a system and everybody who's involved in training the puppy has to be on the same page about that system!
DeleteHe is very cute; it seems like maybe he has some terrier in him? My brother's Jack Russell had wiry hair like that. She used to feel like petting a bristle brush! I never heard about the teeth thing, but my friend got a dog and they definitely did not know how to train her, so I looked up some things and have been working on getting her to come using treats. It is interesting how fast they learn (so I think) but she still tries to get out the door when you come to the house and I have had to chase her down before, which was not fun at all.
ReplyDeleteYes, I definitely think terrier/schnauzer. Whatever the mix is, he's super cute and friendly.
DeleteDogs want to be trained, so it's not hard to do it, but it does take time and effort, so that is a challenge with a new dog. That being said, it's worth it to have a dog who behaves well!
He is very cute and I love his name! And how nice of you to give your friend some tips that will make life easier down the road!! I am glad your friend has this new companion.
ReplyDeleteOscar is our very very very part-time pet. She's basically my MIL's cat now and it's best for everyone. Phil tried to bring her home a few weeks ago when my MIL was going out of town, and she would not let him pick her up to put her in the carrier... he tried everything and it was NOT happening. So I don't know when she'll come to our house again. It didn't help that Paul was with when he was trying to bring her home. So maybe next time he wants to bring her back to our place, he'll go on his own and then maybe she'll be more cooperative? Other than our cat, our former neighbors have a beautiful Great Dane named Pandora. I used to be terrified of dogs but have been working on it and I really love Pandora. She doesn't jump on me and has gotten used to my smell so she doesn't bark much around me. But now I won't see her much since they moved away. :(
Poor Oscar. I know it hurt Phil's feelings that she wouldn't let him take her home. But it does seem like maybe Oscar's taking a stand about what's best for her. :( Sad for the humans, though.
DeleteLuckily Phil is extremely pragmatic so took the whole situation well. He is the only person that can pick her up so he will need to get her into her carrier to go to the vet in the fall but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. She's very happy at my MIL's and is a good emotional support animal for her. So it's probably best for everyone, even though Phil especially misses his orange velcro kitty.
DeleteHumphrey is delicious and YOU are the puppy whisperer! I'm so happy that your friend is doing well and that he added a doggie to his life; this is great for him and Humphrey. Maybe a DNA Dog test will happen and we'll find out what Humphrey is aside from Just Perfectly Lovely?
ReplyDeleteI hear Leaches are making a comeback. ðģð
I meant leeches! ðĪŠ
DeleteOh, boy, if a doctor recommended leeches to me, I would definitely ask to see another doctor!
DeleteOMG, I love him. He's so cute... and obviously, you need to be hired as his dog trainer :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't want to be his trainer. I just want to pet him whenever I want!
DeleteWhat an excellent way to celebrate the end of cancer treatment! And I'm glad your friend is doing well - well enough to take on a puppy, even! Humphrey is adorable!
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased for my friend and he's so in love with Humphrey. It's also been great for him because he told me that he met one of his neighbors that he'd never met before on a walk with Humphrey! Dogs make you more social!
DeleteOMG. Humphrey. I am dying from the cuteness. He's just... awwww.... And, more awww for your friend, who clearly is committed to saying the hell with the cancer, and living his life. What a wonderful human being. Humphrey and he are lucky to have each other.
ReplyDeleteAnd, well, to be honest? Staples do a great job. They're a pain to take out, though. Glue is super-awesome (pun not intended), particularly for head wounds and on kids. Scars that you can barely see. Seriously. :)