Thursday, July 10, 2008

How did I get here?

Let's be clear: were I to choose a pet, it would be a dog.  It would not be a Pomeranian.  I don't care how nice they are, it just does not fit.
Think about it.  Here I am, the last free American Man.  A tragic folk hero in the vein of Edward Abbey and Jack Kerouac and John Henry.  I drive an old, overpowered pickup that I built myself.  I drink straight whiskey, smoke cigars, hunt, fish, shoot guns, drink beer, and sleep outside without a tent.  Don't think of this as bragging, it's just the way things are.  To balance it all, I am loyal and helpful.... much like a dog without all the drool (though I have humped a few legs in my day).  
So, when my friend Alaina mentioned that someone would need to watch her dog, I volunteered.  I had to, it's what heroes (tragic or otherwise) do.  
I met Jack.  He's tall for a Pomeranian, and seems smart.  He has had some training, and understands three commands ("sit," "stay," and "gimmie a paw").  He is sweet and housebroken.  He is a chick-magnet.  
All in all, I figured it would be fun to have a little friend for a while.  A little reordering of my life, and it would be like a game.  
Man was I misguided.  
I have reordered my life quite a bit.  Jack won't let me oversleep.  He needs food and so on and I have to give it to him.   I take him with me everywhere I can.  I walk him twice a day.  He curls up in my lap at random, and likes to steer the car, though he is too short to reach the pedals.   
So, I guess he is fun.  What I didn't count on, and what is going to be a problem later, is that I really like him.  He's fun to have around.  
So I guess I can make peace with people instantly referring to him as "she" just because he's cute.  The ladies like him, and he isn't a bad companion.  We already went on a trip and we had fun.  
A little contradiction keeps things interesting.... right?

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