Becoming Ned
By Caitie Steffen
My dog, Ned, is the best role model a human could have. Not only do I think that Ned is more enlightened than me, he's so endearing that I can't even envy his beginner's mind and purity. He lives fully in the moment and never stops smiling. When Ned was a puppy, I started compiling what I've labeled, Nedisms. Because, from the moment my boyfriend and I met him, he started teaching us life lessons that I want to share with others.
Ned's backstory is also as unique as he is, and one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories. It was right before Labor Day in 2017, and my boyfriend and I had just made a very adult purchase of a condo in Richmond, in the east Bay. If you are at all familiar with Richmond you will know that there is an interesting part of Richmond riddled with a tumultuous history, and a boring part of Richmond that reminds me of a sleepy East Coast town where the only regular documented crime is jaywalking. We opted for the boring part in a gated community where the HOA enjoys harassing homeowners, for example, when holiday decorations are kept up too long.
I love animals, and dogs in particular. So of course the moment that we moved into our 2 bedroom condo I began leaving very subtle hints for my boyfriend Joel. "Hey honey, look at this cute puppy for sale in Walnut Creek." "Hey do you want to drive into San Francisco this weekend? Oh and coincidentally, Muttville is having a dog adoption day as well." Or dropping a name: "The Milo Foundation is only an 8-minute drive away maybe we should stop in on our way to the grocery store." Joel is stubborn and takes forever to make a decision about something, so he strategically played along with me dragging him to dog adoptions knowing full well that we would not be leaving with a dog. Do you know how hard it is leave a dog adoption empty handed?! The only reason I didn't lose my mind was because at the time, I was working at a dog friendly office, so I could get my dog-fix at work.
Months went by and still no dog. Now it was Thanksgiving 2017 and we drove out to the Sacramento suburbs to spend the holiday with Joel's family. Did I tell you that I love a good Black Friday deal? There's nothing better than buying something really nice for half the cost. I never would have thought that would be a dog.
The day after Thanksgiving we were all recovering from a night of too much food and wine, and we were in no rush to get the day started since we were going to be driving back home later in the afternoon. I was enjoying my coffee and perusing Black Friday deals when my phone went off with a new message alert. It was from Joel (who was sitting 3 feet away from me.) I opened the message and clicked the link. It was a CraigsList ad, "New Pomeranian puppies for sale" in the little town of Weimar. My spirit lifted a little and I gauged his face for sincerity. He was serious, so I called, to see if the cute black and white female puppy was still available. A nice lady answered the phone and said she still had 3 puppies available and that we could come see them in a couple hours. Seeing as how we didn't want to die at the hands of some scary stranger in the middle of nowhere, Joel's parents accompanied us on our journey.
We arrived at a tucked-away house, and as we walked up to the front door we were greeted by a nice lady. She invited us inside and took us straight into the kitchen where what looked like a cross between a chicken coop and a guinea pig cage was holding three little balls of fluff. There was no way I was leaving that house without a dog. As I approached the cage, this one slightly larger puppy was literally bouncing out of the cage jumping all over his 2 younger siblings to greet me. He proceeded to pick up a mouse toy (that you would find a cat playing with) and carried it around by the tail oh so proudly. I asked the lady about the funny, dark, brown puppy. She said that he was the last of his litter and on sale. He was also going to be brindle color, which is rare in Pomeranians. A one of a kind clearance puppy! I had to have him.
We said our goodbyes and piled back into the car with a new puppy. As we drove back, I'm holding him because of course we went in completely unprepared. We stopped at a pet supply store on the way home and picked up everything that a new puppy owner would need. Just as we turn down Joel's parent's street, the puppy now officially known as Ned, started getting a little restless and crying a bit. Of course I'm completely clueless and think that maybe he's a little car sick. Right as we pull up the driveway and park the car I feel warm liquid down the front of my shirt. Yep, my new puppy just peed on me. He looked up at me with these innocent eyes so uncomfortable with what had just happened, and I think I fell even more in love with him at that moment.
Ned has been the best impulse purchase that my boyfriend and I have ever made. He has taught us both so much about unconditional love and patience. He looks at life with youthful exuberance and his positivity is infectious. I mentioned earlier that I began writing down Nedisms. Here are some that he lives by everyday:
• Appreciate the little things, like socks!
• If you want to be a cat, be a cat.
• Don't let your size be an inhibitor.
• Never be embarrassed to be yourself.
• Why walk, when you can prance? Or dance? • Give lots of kisses.
• Greet everyone with a smile.
• Live every second in the moment.
• When you spill food on the floor, just eat it off the floor.
• If you have something to say, just say it.
• Don't discriminate.
• Stop to smell the roses, literally.
• Protect your family.
