Last fall,  a sad loss for Kathy and me tore a hole in our hearts.  It was the unexpected death of Bobbi, the younger of our two golden retrievers.  She was 11 years old, which is a fairly long life for a golden,  but it still felt cruelly unfair to have to say goodbye to her.   And in the wake of her death,  both Kathy and I were fairly certain that we could not and should not even think about bringing the rambunctious chaos of a new puppy into our home and life while our increasingly fragile 15-year-old, Ellie, was still with us.  Perhaps sometime down the road, but not now.  We were determined to make the rest of Ellie’s time with us as comfortable and serene as possible.

But then came the news that the breeders from whom we bought Ellie 15 years ago were about to bring another litter of golden retriever puppies into the world … and there was a very good chance that this would be the last litter for them.  And just like that, our thinking shifted – and it became all-but-unthinkable for us to let this opportunity go by.   Part of what may have convinced us was the fact that Ellie was one of the puppies from the Olsens’ very first litter of puppies – and is the only one of them still alive. Getting a puppy from this newest litter, which might very well be the final litter,  seemed like a way for us to complete the circle and sustain a legacy.

We have our dear friend Kate Potter Barrow to thank for bringing us aboard this exciting adventure in the first place.  It is she who actually found the Olsons fifteen years ago, as they were just starting their breeding business,  and the Bergs and Barrows were blessed indeed to be able to take two beautiful puppies-  Ellie and Pete- into our hearts and homes.  Fifteen years later,  Kathy and Kate returned there to meet the latest batch of puppies and to choose the ones that would become ours.

Before that memorable day was over,  Kate had chosen a spunky young male whom she named Houston,  while Kathy chose a gentle female whom she named Mabel.

About a month later,  when the puppies had turned eight weeks old,  Kathy returned … this time with me and with her dad … to bring Mabel home with us.  This was my first opportunity to meet the Olsons,  and they proved to be everything that Kathy and Kate had said about them; they were warm, salt-of-the-earth human beings, and one could easily see just how deeply they love each and every puppy that they help bring into the world.  As we stood out in the driveway before departing,  we found ourselves crying tears of gratitude that this beautiful new puppy and all of the joy that would bring us- even as Mary cried tears that I’m sure were a mix of joy for us and sadness for herself as she had to let go of yet another beautiful puppy.

(There are two puppies in these pictures because by the time we were able to come get Mabel,  all of the other puppies had been picked up by their new owners.  The two that were left were Mabel and Houston.  Kate came the next day to pick him up and bring him home.)

As we set out on our long drive home,  Kathy’s dad had Mabel on his lap- just as Bobbi had sat in his lap when he and Kathy picked him up eleven years ago.   Mabel was good- but for the first several miles of the trip,  she seemed a little sad and bewildered.  And who wouldn’t be?  She was being taken away from the only home she had ever known- from the people who had loved her and taken care of her- and from her last remaining sibling, Houston.   But her cries weren’t angry cries of “how dare you?!?  I don’t want to go with you!!!  Take me Home!!!”  It was just the tender little squeaks that dogs make when they are sad about something – or maybe a little scared.   But it didn’t take long before Mabel seemed to settle into some sort of realization that she was with people who cherished her and would take care of her- and that she was just trading one loving home for another.

 

Our single biggest fear was how Mabel and Ellie would get along.   Ellie had been amazingly patient when a rambunctious puppy named Bobbi came into our house- but that was 11 years ago, and we would not have been surprised if Ellie had been a bit less tolerant this time around.  We also knew that it was possible that Mabel might accidentally hurt Ellie in the course of just trying to play with her,  and we were bound and determined to not let that happen.  But as it turns out, Ellie has been as gentle and patient (and tolerant)  as a 15-year-old dog could possibly be.  And Mabel seems to know (most of the time) that she cannot play with Ellie with the same frenetic, ferocious exuberance with which she frolics with her brother Houston on their occasional playdates.  Which is not to say that she doesn’t go too far at least once a day, forcing us to put her in the cage for a timeout.  And much of the time,  we have Ellie sequestered behind a gate so she can spend most of her time in undisturbed peace.   But we are convinced that Ellie appreciates the presence of another dog in the house- even a whirling dervish like Mabel- because when the gates are down and she can go where she pleases,  Ellie almost always goes out of her way to be where the action is. It’s almost as though Ellie enjoys and is actually benefiting from all of the new energy that has suddenly entered our home.  (It reminds us of how Ellie entrance into our lives 15 years ago served as a bracing shot in the arm for our cocker spaniel Luther.)  And on those occasions (albeit rare) when Mabel and Ellie of them are lying quietly together,  we feel like all is well with the world.

So what has this first month been like?  In a word,  crazy.  There is nothing like having a puppy in the house to turn nearly every routine of one’s life upside down and inside out.   So many of the choices we are making these days center around this little bundle of fur and what she needs.  Our family room (appropriately enough) is strewn with every manner of dog toy you can imagine – and we have both piddle pads and rolls of paper towels in ample supply and strategically placed where they can be quickly grabbed as events necessitate.  Our ‘coming and going’ and our ‘sleeping and waking’ is pretty much geared around Mabel – and an outsider looking in or hearing of it might wonder “why in the world would you want to do this?  Isn’t life complicated enough without a needy little puppy thrown into the mix?  What were you thinking?”

And yet,  for all the craziness – for all the hassles – for all the expense – for all the worries – that are wrapped up in having a puppy,  there is still this:  We love Mabel.   She is part of our family, part of our home, part of our lives – and after just a month, it feels like we have had her forever and we cannot imagine life without her.  Yes, it is exhausting- but it is also invigorating to be raising a puppy … and more than once in the midst of the chaos,  I have turned to Kathy and said (with complete seriousness) “I’m not sure I have ever felt closer to you than I do right now.”  That might sound completely absurd if you think that a husband and wife can only feel close to each other while peacefully riding in a boat through the proverbial Tunnel of Love.  I think for us,  the raising of Mabel is part adventure, part gauntlet, part project … but we are in it together and relying on each other like we never have before.  It’s fun, maddening, humbling, and wondrous – and sometimes it is all of those things at once!

One thing that makes this particular adventure with Mabel a bit unique is that four of her siblings – the aforementioned Houston, as well as Kerry, Willow, and Fiona – belong to people here in Racine.  (Three of the four belong to people from our church.)  So this is an adventure that we are sharing with others- and every time we hear of someone else’s issues or frustrations, it helps us realize that we aren’t the terrible puppy parents that we sometimes feel like we are.  All of us are just doing the best we can – and trying to keep these frequent frustrations in proper context.  Misery loves company, as they say – but so does Joy!  And these puppies are bringing joys upon joys to all of us.

One of my favorite moments with Mabel came the night after we brought her home.   Long before we even knew we were getting Mabel (long before she was born), Kathy got us tickets to see the amazing Paula Poundstone perform in Milwaukee, with our good friends Kara & Brian (who, by the way, were Mabel’s wonderful welcoming committee on that Friday night when we first brought her home.)   Obviously, it was not ideal to be leaving Mabel alone for an entire evening less than 24 hours after bringing her home.  (How scary would that have been for her?)   Fortunately, we were able to enlist the aid of our friend Ashley Mulder,  who manages one of the best dog day care centers in the area.   She was more than happy to come and be with Mabel (and Ellie) that night.  As I was standing in our hallway talking with Ashley about a couple of last logistical matters,  I said “by the way,  we aren’t bothering to barricade the stairs yet because she doesn’t seem the least bit interested in them.”  And Ashley started smiling and laughing – and then asked me to turn around and look at Mabel, who at that very moment, was slowly climbing up the stairs to our second floor!   It was like something straight out of a sitcom!  And that one moment beautifully represents what raising a puppy is like.  (Those of you who are parents can relate, I’m sure.)

It was also a perfect example of how puppies are full of surprises and often seem to be one step ahead of us and of the assumptions we make about them.   And those stairs have also been one way to measure Mabel’s growth.   That first time up the stairs was slow and halting – and now she literally takes the stairs two at a time at a full gallop.   And while her first few times down the stairs were even slower and more hesitant,  she now bounds down the stairs far faster than we can!  And just yesterday, for the very first time,  she managed to hurdle the gate that we have erected between the family room and foyer – yet another sign that she is growing by leaps and bounds.

 

But the growth is not just evident is her size- but also in how she is beginning to calm down …. slowly to be sure, and there are plenty of times when that gentle arc of calming and maturing is abruptly interrupted or reversed.  But already we can see some unmistakable signs that she is not just growing, but growing up.  It is yet another reminder of how dogs teach us about the fleeting nature of time, since time (in a sense) passes so very rapidly for them.

(I just saw a meme that said that in 52 days a dog has lived the equivalent of one year in the life of a human being.  The preciousness of life is especially clear when we are mindful of its fragility and its impermanence.)  Of course, one is fortunate if a dog lives into old age,  and when one is riding the wild waves of puppyhood, there is always that undercurrent of fear that a puppy’s inexhaustible inquisitiveness coupled with our momentary inattentiveness could lead to disaster.  Earlier today, Kathy and I suffered through a few moments of sheer terror when Mabel managed to slip between my legs as I was walking into the house with my backpack in one hand and a bag from Buffalo Wild Wings in the other.  In the blink of an eye, Mabel had run out of the garage and out into the front yard and out of sight-  as a  thousand awful images flashed before my eyes.  I’m sure it was roughly 90 seconds (but it felt like 9 hours)  of running around before we managed to cajole her back into the garage, scoop her up into our arms, and bring her back inside.   (Leave it to Kathy to keep her cool while I was losing mine.   My cries to Mabel were frantic and downright scary- but Kathy had the presence of mind to call out to her in lighthearted, fun-loving fashion- and that made all of the difference in the world.  This was one of many moments when I was so glad not to be a ‘single parent.’   Kathy are a very good team in the way that we tend to bring different strengths to whatever task is at hand.  And at least most of the time,  when one of us is at the end of our rope,  the other is usually there to lend an extra hand and pull us back from the brink.   And maybe – just maybe – between the two of us,  we will manage to raise Mabel to be a beautiful dog who will be with us for a good long time.)

Here are a few more pictures.  This one was taken during Mabel’s first visit to the vet.  We were delighted to be told that she was a beautiful and perfectly healthy puppy- and her follow up visit this past week earned similar high marks.

Our friend Anna Nielsen,  who looks in on Mabel from time to time,  has snapped some wonderful photos of her.

 

I love this picture because you get a little glimpse at the mayhem of having a puppy.  This was taken on a day when Kathy gave Mabel the cardboard tube from a spent roll of wrapping paper- and she ended up being much more interested in playing with that than in playing with any of the thousand toys available to her.

These next photographs were taken by Polly and Mark – one when they came to meet Mabel at our house for the first time, and the other when Mabel had a fun outing in their fenced-in backyard.

I love this picture of Mabel sleeping on our family room couch.  This is from the day after we brought her home.

Last but not least- here are side by side shots of roughly the same pose:   me with Bobbi her very first day with us . . .  and me with Mabel the day we picked her up from the Olsons.   There is nothing quite like the joy and sense of anticipation one feels when you are holding your brand new puppy in your arms for the very first time.