“Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like; afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way.”
–Caroline Knapp
May 23, 2020, I became a dog mom to a happy and healthy Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy (I totally sound like a new mom, huh?). Evan and I drove to Montecito, about 15 minutes from our apartment in Santa Barbara, and took Comet home. We paid roughly 2k, and while that may sound like a pretty steep price for a dog, it was totally worth it (thanks for the stimulus check Trump lol). Since that day, life has been pretty amazing and we wouldn’t change a thing, though some days present its challenges.
To New Beginnings
Let’s start from the beginning then. Evan and I started living together April 2018, and after a few months passed, I began pestering him about wanting a dog. At the time I was a graduate student, and even though our complex allowed dogs, I was too busy and focused on school and my traineeship to take on this commitment. Yes, dogs are a huge responsibility (maybe not as much as children… but stepping stones).
After I graduated in 2019, I landed a job at UC Santa Barbara as an Undergraduate Advisor. So I moved out to SB and Evan, of course, followed me after a few months of long distance (I’ve always been the dreamer in the relationship). The point is, I never lost sight of wanting a puppy (a corgi to be specific). So, come March when Covid hit, I started working from home and man was this an adjustment. I began feeling a bit depressed, like many others out there, from the lack of human contact. But the silver lining was that I now had more time to care for and train a puppy!
In early April I convinced Evan that it was time for this next step in our relationship. I started looking at animal shelters, on petfinder.com, corgi.rescueme.org, pwcca.org (Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America), and queensbeststumpydogrescue.org. I found that while there were a few corgi dogs for adoption, this was not a very common occurrence at the height of Covid (corgi rescue is not totally impossible, which is why I recommend looking into these sites). I then just googled corgi puppy liters in my area, and found this nice breeder who was AKC certified. We were originally placed on a waitlist as all corgi puppies had been claimed. A sketchy individual fell through, so Comet was now available to the next person on the waitlist. As other waitlisters had passed on this opportunity (perhaps they found another breeder elsewhere or life happened), we moved to the top and eventually became the first on the list! The moment the breeder asked us whether we wanted the last in the litter, we jumped on it! Hence, how we became dog parents.
Puppy Life
It’s now August 2020 and we’ve had Comet three months (five months old). Of course, while having a puppy equates to more highs than lows, it can have its challenges. As puppies get older, they can outgrow bedding, dog bowls, harnesses/collars, etc. Puppies also need to visit the Vet for several rounds of shots and fixing (if applicable). In our case, we are also going through professional training (the Vet noticed some fear aggression). Hence, having a puppy can be expensive. In fact, a puppy is both a financial and time investment.
Sooooo I hope I didn’t scare you off when I mentioned fear aggression. To clarify, Comet is a perfect gentleman 95% of the time, but corgis are known to get moody (some more than others). We were not allowed into the Vet’s office due to Corona, so we did curb-side drop off. This meant we didn’t get to actually see how the Vets handled Comet (usually its a very quick exchange) or how he behaved in the room. But, of course, as responsible pet owners, we enrolled him in professional training so we could learn a few things ourselves in terms of handling and behavior. Over the last few months, he has become so well-behaved and we are about to start his second round of training. Needless to say, he still has his moments with getting picked up out of the car or at the bottom of the stairs after a walk, putting on a collar over his head or harness on his body, or taking the dreaded bath. This just goes to show no dog is perfect, but when you make an obligation to become any kind of parent, you learn these quirks and try your best to modify behavior with positive reinforcements (like treats) and experiences.
Even though having a puppy is not all sunshine and rainbows, the enjoyable and happy times far outweigh the frustrating and difficult ones. Being the over-achiever and perfectionist I am, I can be really hard on myself when a behavioral issues occur, or being told I need to be more assertive or ____ , especially when I feel I am putting my best foot forward. But this is also a great lesson that it is okay to not be the perfect parent… there is no such thing!
So let’s talk about the good times then!? Comet has brought so much laughter and love into my life. He can be such a goof ball when he gets the zoomies or sploots, crawls up on Evan’s chest as he uses the foam roller, or when he barks as the shower comes on (remember not a big water guy). Comet is seriously the biggest cuddler and lapdog of all time, he continuously licks all parts of your body (face, neck, and FEET), and he is so smart! He learned sit and down within the first 20 minutes of home training and he’s practically an advanced loose-leash walker. Additionally, he poses for pictures and knows he is the cutest thing to walk this Earth. In fact, whenever I take him to the dog park or for walks and there are people around, he will immediately run up to them excitedly, since he’s hoping they will give him treats. Comet is also so well-behaved around other dogs. While on the more reserved side when it comes to making fur friends, he has been initiating play more recently. He’s also not territorial at all and doesn’t mind sharing his hedgehog toy with others.
I could go on and on about how wonderful my good boy is and how much you learn as a new pet parent, but you will just have to get a dog, cat, bunny, etc. yourself to see what I am talking about.
If you would like to follow along on Comet’s adventures, his instagram handle is mr.cometthecorgi
