It’s funny how you never realize what you’re missing until it comes along.
One day last summer, Shells and I were killing some time before we were to meet our friends downtown. One of our favorite ways to do this was to browse the pet stores and play with the baby animals. We were looking at puppies and ended up playing with this sweet dachshund puppy who warmed up to me right away. I pretty much fell in love with her— you would have too, believe me. Shelley asked the employee how much the dog was, and after being fed some line about how you wouldn’t cheap out on buying a family member, we found out that the dog was $6500. I immediately felt my eyes fill with tears— how could anyone afford to pay that?
So began a quest. Shelley was determined to find me a doxie. She searched for MONTHS and we settled on short-haired (less shedding) and the miniature dachshunds because they max out at about 12 pounds versus the standard 32. One day she told me she found The One— he was from a breeder out in Minnesota. Jennie, the breeder, sent us a video of the smallest puppy I’d ever seen. He was black and tan and barely had his eyes open, and when I heard him yip and look at the camera I was smitten.
Over the next few weeks, we received regular video updates of our little guy and got to watch as he grew and learned to play with his brothers and sisters, potty train, and graduate to solid food. In the meantime, we got set up with all the necessary supplies and had way too much fun picking out adorable puppy toys and a little Buffalo plaid collar.
On October 16, we packed up our car and drove out to Philly. The plan was to meet Jennie there at the airport. She was meeting us and a woman from Boston who was buying one of the girl puppies from the same litter. On the way out, the sky was dark and it stormed almost the whole way. Shelley worried it was a sign that we weren’t supposed to get this little guy, but I assured her that this was the right addition for our little family.
When we walked up to Jennie, I felt my eyes zoom in and turn to hearts as I focused on the tiny puppy tucked under her arm and staring into my soul with large brown eyes. Shelley didn’t see him at first and Jennie showed him to her and Shelley, without even looking at me, made the exchange. We both knew it was a done deal! He was 2.5 pounds, uncertain, and one of the cutest things I’d ever seen in my life.
Throughout the course of that weekend, we took Draco through Philly in a puppy backpack.We saw some sights and just tried to acclimate him to as many people and places and smells and sounds as possible. We wanted him to be well socialized and comfortable so that when he met our family and friends and Zorro and Ru, he would be prepared. We went to Carlisle that night and stayed in a hotel. He ran around looking for his family under the beds but ended up sleeping in the space between my neck and chest, safe and warm under all my hair. He sat with us on a porch while we drank whiskey and talked and marveled over the fact that we, who had never had dogs in our lives, were now dog owners.
The next day, we toured Gettysburg before heading home (where he slept on my lap the whole time) and embarking on several weeks of intense socializing where he met almost everyone we know, went on walks, bonded with us, started puppy class, and even went camping. We tried to be as intentional as possible because we wanted to do it right.
At one point, Jason asked us, “Do ya love him yet?” and we were like, “yeah…of course we love him. Have you seen him?” And he said, “but you do REALLY love him?”
One day, we looked at each other and talked about that. We hadn’t fully understood what he meant then, but we do now. It’s not just loving him because he’s cute. It’s loving him like a member of our family. This little puppy is my constant companion. He sits on my lap all day while I work. He forces me to go for walks even when I don’t want to. He always knows when I need a good snuggle. He makes us laugh. He loves to run around with Ru (she is less amused by this game) and to cuddle with Zorro and bring him toys. He knows exactly what time Shelley gets home each day and anxiously waits at the door to greet her so enthusiastically I think his tail might fly off. We’re all in his little pack, and he protects us and trusts us to do the same.
I’ve never had a dog before, so I didn’t know what I was missing. Thanks to my sister getting Ollie, her golden, about a year and a half ago, I had some idea of what to expect, but it’s different when it’s your sister’s dog versus when it’s ingrained in your daily life— when you hold him while he gets his shots at the vet or when you walk him and he looks back and gives you a big puppy smile for the very first time.
Draco is now 10 months old and fully grown at 10 pounds. He’s definitely long, and he is the sweetest dog. He is my sidekick pretty much all day every day, & I’m so grateful for that bond. I think back on my younger self, who wanted a dachshund and a skateboard and pink converse and to live in California. I’m about halfway there; I think younger me would’ve been delighted to find out that I finally got my little dachshund puppy.
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| Asheville: Blue Ridge Mountains |
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| Draco’s first Halloween |
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| The day we picked him up! |
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| Reading at the park |
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| Philly |
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| Always cuddling |
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| Camping |
