The contradictory demands of puppy-raising seem engineered to make our lives impossible. We need to provide structure, safety, leadership, build a lifelong bond, and be constantly mopping up pee, somehow without completely losing our minds along the way...
Read MoreWe sleep in the living room with her for ten days—Luke on the couch, me on the floor. Sometimes at night she thrashes, sometimes she needs to go out suddenly. I keep my keys and coat by the door along with a bottle of water for the pavement. The hallway, elevator, and lobby are spared; the club-goers are not.
Read MoreSeveral times during this ordeal I have wondered if the vet is just making shit up. When Nika is bounding around the house and tearing through the forest, it’s hard not to think she must be perfectly fine. Is it possible? Maybe this is all a hoax.
Read More“Bring a urine sample,” Google advises, and Luke and I wonder how exactly one collects a urine sample from a dog. Nika, our Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, isn’t inclined to pee on command and probably won’t tolerate being besieged by a soup ladle mid-stream. Nevertheless, we set out on a June morning, armed with said ladle and a bottle of Purell.
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