February 6, 2017

We are only three days away from our new puppy flying in, and I couldn’t be more excited… yet simultaneously petrified!  It is truly an odd sensation to experience the exact same amount of both emotions.  The puppies will be 7 weeks old tomorrow, and I can’t seem to figure out where the time has gone.  They have grown like weeds from little smushballs into finally starting to resemble actual dogs.

We were torn for about 5 weeks on which puppy to choose.  It might sound like a really stupid first-world problem to worry about- let alone- lose sleep over…but we were stressed to the max.  This dog is going to be a part of our lives for hopefully close to the next decade (maybe even more), so it is very important to us that we choose the right one.  We want one that is going to be as handsome as Meatball.  But also one that is going to be well-behaved and have an excellent temperament.  It really felt like we were on a matchmaking show.  “Hi, I’m Meyli, and I would like my perfect dog to enjoy long walks on the beach in the moonlight, be familiar with pairing fine wines and cheeses, and be as indoorsy as me.”

The final two for us ended up being Yellow and Lime Green.  Lime Green had been Brittney’s favorite from the get-go.  She mentioned that Yellow had short legs, which made him more appealing to me because I like the idea of having a little tank as a pet.  Early on, she noted that Lime Green was a huge baby, and would not stop crying, even if he was being held.  Um, RED FLAG!  Automatically, I gravitated toward Yellow.  But then, the dog mommy in me couldn’t stop thinking about that poor needy baby Lime Green, and how I wanted to give him the best life possible so he’d never cry again.  He was very similar to Meaty in that neediness aspect.  (Side note: that is how I picked Meaty… he was the last in line to get any yogurt, and when he finally did, all the other pups in his litter immediately licked it off of his face…  I vowed then and there that I would give this dog all the yogurt in the world… and I’d say that mentality held true for the entirety of his spoiled life).  Another similarity to Meaty that I noticed was when Brittney said Lime Green was incredibly food-motivated.  Uh… there was no other way to describe Meaty (probably because of that yogurt story).  That mug would do calculus for a piece of food.  It also was one of the reasons I think he could not stop eating socks… As much as I loved Meaty with literally my whole heart and missed him some kind of terrible, did I really want another dog to mirror his neediness and bad ways?

As the puppies continued to develop, Brittney noted that Yellow had sprouted legs, and that Lime Green was now going to be the shorter one.  Plot twist!  I kept asking if Lime Green was still needy, and she kept reassuring me that he was going to be fine (suuuuuuuuuure…).  She would send me pictures of them side by side, and I kept going back and forth between the two.  It wasn’t until we FaceTimed with her about 2 weeks ago and got to see her interacting with the pups, that we had made our decision.  We were going with Lime Green.

The next thing we have been unable to decide on is his name.  Meaty was so easy because I was in love with Rob Dyrdek’s bulldog Meaty from Rob & Big.  Zippy also came effortlessly because Darren really said “How about Zippy… because there’s zippy chance you’re getting another dog”.  This time is so different.  We have battled with names now for 7 weeks and counting.  Every one I like, Darren doesn’t, and vice versa.  We have decided to call him Puppy in the meantime and let him tell us what his name is when he arrives.

I have seen slight flickers of excitement from Darren, but I think his main concern is making sure Zippy is going to be okay.  He knows this puppy is going to turn her now-perfect world upside down, and he doesn’t want her to feel like she’s being replaced.  I’m stressing so much over how Zippy will react to this new addition, that you’d think I was having an actual human baby and worrying about my toddler.  I think Darren also misses Meaty so much, and firmly does not believe he’s going to love this dog the way he loved Meaty.  However, I think this dog will open his heart to love even harder than before. And I just know the moment they meet, it’ll be game over from there.

We’ve bought just about everything we can think of for a new puppy, yet still feel extremely unprepared.  I guess we’ll just wing it on Thursday!  As recommended by Brittney, both of us are reading Cesar Milan’s book “Be the Pack Leader”.  Darren, who hasn’t finished half a book in the 10 years we’ve been together, is already through 60 pages of this book (which makes me think he is secretly excited about Puppy).  I feel like we are learning a lot, and I can even see differences in Zippy over just the past few days.  I’m not sure if it’s changing our energy because we think we’re learning stuff, or if we actually are, but she is listening!  I know it sounds crazy!  Speaking of crazy, Cesar continues to plug his Dog Psychology Camp throughout his book, so I looked up how much it would be to go.  Ummm…. 5 days for $5,950!  But if you don’t bring your dog, it’s 5 days for ONLY $5,450!  What a steal!  What kinds of people are attending these camps?  Sultans?!  But, I digress.

This week is extremely bittersweet for both me and Brittney.  While I am thrilled for this new addition, our world is about to be turned upside down by this puppy.  My days of getting 9-10 hours of sleep a day, and couching for hours on end will be gone… at least for a little while.  We will be spending our Valentine’s Day this year taking Puppy to get his 8-week shots.  It is also hard for Brittney to part with Lime Green, as she has grown extremely attached to this particular one – moreso than with the other pups of the same litter.  This puppy is so exceptional to both her and me.  She wrote on her Instagram on the picture below, “The history in this guy is overwhelming, emotional for me, all I can say is it’s God’s will.”  He is more than just a cute little pudgeball with a sweet face.  He is a symbol of hope, and the ability for both she and I to harness the strength to move on and love again, after losing Meaty and Bocha – who will both forever remain impossible to replace.

I hope this puppy is as gentle and sweet as Meaty.  I hope he loves humping stuffed animals and furniture with the same fervor as our Meatball.  I hope he is a lapdog.  On the contrary, I hope he listens.  I hope he leaves socks alone. I hope he is good with kids.

Wish us luck, we’re going to need every last bit of it!  If you have any puppy/training advice or tips for us, please feel free to message me through our Instagram @meaty_and_zippy or e-mail me at meatyandzippy@gmail.com!  🙂