It’s been about four years since our family nest was emptied of all grown children, so we decided that a second dog would liven up the house. We didn’t expect to adopt fourteen pounds of canine terror, but here we are.
MerriMac, our little pup, is allegedly a poodle/retriever mashup, but we think she behaves more like a Rosemary’s Baby/devil’s spawn breed of dog. Yes, I’m exaggerating . . . a little, but MerriMac has the supernatural ability to jump into the exact seat I was a room away from occupying. She can also turn invisible and sneak out the door we’re opening before we even see her pass by. Trying to leash her up for walks is like trying to grab an angry snake without getting bitten. MerriMac goes crazy when she sees the leash -- barking, hopping, twisting, turning, leaping, and nipping with excitement. But I’m actually finding patience I didn’t know I had.
I lamented to the vet about the aggravation MerriMac causes compared to our older dog, who was as gentle as a lamb from the day we adopted her. The vet responded matter-of-factly that MerriMac is a normal pup, but our older dog was an exception; the vet called her a unicorn. I totally embrace that particular mythical beast analogy, but I’m not sure yet I was ready to tackle the heroic task of taming what we now consider to be our 14-pound fire-breathing dragon. I’ll just trust that the teacher appeared because this student was ready.
I’m Suzanne Degges-White and that’s my perspective.
