How To Not Raise A Puppy

Lady at five weeks

After cleaning a puddle of liquid poop that was a foot in diameter on my living room floor, I realized I may not be the best dog parent. Wondering if I was the only one, I went to Google. Searching for the answers to all of my questions, I found that I surely was not alone. Thousands of questions regarding puppy health remained unanswered or answered only in general terms on the web. The questions ranged from What kind of plants are poisonous to my puppy? to My puppy ate a half-eaten cherry off of the floor, will he be ok??? (an actual post with actual three question marks). I wondered how so many puppies eventually grew into dogs when it seems like none of us know what the hell we’re doing? 

Having read two puppy “how to” books in advance, and patiently waiting four weeks to bring my pup home, I certainly thought I knew what I was doing. Cesar Millan, aka the Dog Whisperer and the author of How to Raise the Perfect Dog, made me feel pretty confident about my new journey into motherhood. The Monks of New Skete, authors of The Art of Raising a Puppy, told me that I had nothing to worry about. Then, my adorable little German Shepherd puppy threw up seven times on my bedroom floor. Clearly, I was wrong. 

I shutter to think what other new puppy moms and dads face without any research at all? Countless young adults jump for the chance to have their own Man’s Best Friend after just watching a Budweiser commercial with a loving yellow lab. Do they have any idea what they’re getting into? Were they drinking too much Budweiser to care? 

Millions of dogs enter Animal Shelters every year; about 3.9 million of them, according to the ASPCA. People turn in those dogs partially because of this problem of ignorance. While ignorance is a common theme among humans, when it comes to other living things, it cannot be acceptable. 

The main focus on getting a puppy has always been how to transition your new pet to your environment. But what about us humans? Unless we’re the Dog Whisperer, we’re left scratching our heads at every single torn up pillow and puddle of pee (or poop), no matter how many “how to” books we read.  

These books fail to address some of the most important things, like Why does my puppy think my hands and feet are its chew toys? and What should I be feeding my seven week old puppy? More importantly, they fail to relate to many of the young adults that wish to train their own dog by themselves. The Monks of New Skete had a whole monastery to watch their dogs. One monk wasn't stumbling out of bed every hour on the hour the first few nights to let their puppy out to pee. We are left to stumble and manage on our own. 

So should we “trust the process” or educate ourselves? Years of schooling have taught us to study, yet so many twenty-somethings are getting dogs without a second thought. A puppy is a commitment of about fifteen years, and dogs don’t understand “It’s not you, it’s me.” Our parents have already cut most of us off, and we are left to our own devices on how to raise a living thing. Are we crazy? Probably. But only a good kind of crazy if we educate ourselves enough.

Home Again

There's truly no place like home. And no place like Charleston, South Carolina.

After being away for four years and now returning with a different prospective on life, love, and my own pursuit of happiness, I have found a better appreciation for this little city. For so many years growing up, I took for granted the beautiful cobblestone streets and charming historic buildings. I neglected the sharp and spirited nature of my fellow Charlestonians. I grew tired of going to the beach every day in the summer - poor me. I didn't try to immerse myself because I didn't want to settle. I wanted to get away. I got away. I moved to Auburn, Alabama to for college, and I found myself falling in love with my home town more and more every time I came back.

Friends at Auburn asked me, "Why did you come all the way over here if your from there."

I knew what they meant. Why would I want to leave what most perceived as a perfect place? I now realize that I had to leave to discover that my town, in fact, is just what I need.

I thought about transferring back home a few times during my time at Auburn. The first couple of years away from home were hard for me, going to a college in a small town with virtually nothing to do but drink, hike, or go to cheesy greek events. Auburn was a great home and one I'll cherish forever, but it always left me a little homesick for Charleston.

It wasn't really until I came home for the last time from Auburn that I realized I wanted to live here again. Maybe it was the awesome graphic design internship I had this summer at Nudge Studios based in the heart of East Bay street. Maybe it's the camaraderie that I'm finally seeing with friends from my high school (they actually all kinda like each other now). Maybe it's the fact that I've never felt more or an adult - back in my hometown with a chip on my shoulder and a salaried job to help me pay for my own rent, not at my parents' house!

Charleston embraced its arms around me like an old friend, letting me know everything was going to be ok. It let me know this is where I am supposed to be now. Not to say I will be here forever, but so far, I'm enjoying every minute. A wise man once said you can never go home, but he wasn't from Charleston.

Off To The Races

Looking for a job is the ultimate obstacle course that every college Senior faces in the last stretch of college. You've run the marathon, but now you have to climb rock walls and jump through fire so you can truly finish the race and make your parents believe that you are a fully functioning adult.

Hearts are heavy, eyes are foggy with nostalgia, and we can and will probably lose our minds. Training involves weightlifting coursework with job searches. Researching job openings at popular companies during class, only to settle for a mediocre runner up so you can feel like you have a likelier chance of being offered the position. Most you never hear from again, even after paragraphs of cover letters and follow up emails. *sigh*

It's quite terrifying. Where will you be in in a month? Who knows. What do you want to do? A lot of things, but only a few of them will pay for an apartment in the city of my dreams. What direction will you choose?

All of this is supposed to be exciting, yet I find myself afraid of the mysterious future and the thought of how I can possibly make myself happy in a world where business casual is actually considered casual and I won't have time to own a cute, fluffy dog? (I WON'T SETTLE FOR A CAT, DAMNIT.)

Why do job positions seem so easily fitted to my experience, yet I'm not hearing any offers? I am overqualified for some of these jobs, yet nothing seems to give. Is this what Hell feels like? Constantly rejected for positions you are over-qualified to fill?

All I could ever ask for is a job that inspires others. One that is creative, yet constructive. A job at a company that values original ideas and the voice of even the smallest member. I want to make money, but I want to be proud of how I make it. I have so many different interests in the marketing, design, culinary, and writing field that it is overwhelming for me to think that there is a perfect job out there for me. I enjoy sales, but damn can it be stressful. I love art, but it won't pay for that apartment.

Now, the only thing I can do is wait. Wait for the answered follow up emails, the sent resumes, the cover letters, and that perfect job that God will hand over to me with a wink and a pat on the back. Hopefully I won't have to wait any longer because my legs are tired of running through this course.

To The West

I always heard about Austin, Texas. 

"Keep Austin Weird." South By Southwest. 6th Street. So Co. Queso. All sounded appealing.

Finally, I was able to visit this mythical place for a conference with work. Six days I spent exploring vintage boutiques, graffiti walls, food trucks, rooftop bars and everything far and in between in Austin. The verdict: When can I move here?

The attitude of this place. The style of these people. The overall joi de vivre and progressive culture that I had only ever dreamed about in a metropolis city. I fell in love with the weird and the beautiful in this capitol city and I'm never going to settle for less. 

Day 1 (Wednesday): Land in Austin around 3pm. Wait for check in at hotel with a Blue Moon. No judgmental looks, even a "cheers" overheard from an attractive twenty something across the hotel bar - not your average 3pm patron. Looks good so far. Hit the gym, ordered delivery and passed out to wake up early the next day.

Day 2 (Thursday): Conference fun; full of interviews, sessions, and free meals. The whispers of "I need a drink" and "When can we get drunk" start to be heard around late afternoon. After dinner, we do a little hotel partying (flip cup on ironing boards) and then head to 6th street where chaos insues. Rooftop bars with no covers and $5 pitchers of your drink of choice that you sip through a straw. Dancefloors with huge projected music videos. DJs. Cheap drinks. Take your pick. I mean, this street is closed down by blockades every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. What? End the night with a pit stop at a local Mediterranean food truck. Mistake hot sauce for ketchup. Somehow made it to bed.

Day 3 (Friday): Conference fun again; interviews, roundtables, free meals. Completely blown away by these people. At the end of the day, a sponsor surprises us with an open bar at a trendy dive called Handlebar where the employees have mustaches and there is a seesaw on the rooftop. Tab runs out and we realize we haven't eaten. Head to the Iron Cactus for some southwest eats and die over some amazing baja fish tacos. Afterwards, we go back to 6th and bar-hop around. First, Voodoo bar with private cabanas. Next, Maggie Maes for some live blues and drinks on the rooftop. Last but not least, Rooftop Bar (strangely not on a rooftop) that features climbable booths and stripper poles for patrons. Just keepin it weird, Austin. Ended the night with a hotel party and late night life stories with new friends. 

Day 4 (Saturday): Free day from the conference. Slept in and went to South Congress (locally known as So Co) for food and exploring. Found "designer vintage" shops and an antique mall hidden on the strip. The market displayed local artists and great attitudes about booming Austin business and the influx of new people in town. Everything about this street was perfect. Dogs in stores. Vintage clothes. Art. Care-free attitudes. Western prints. Local craft. Fresh food. This was my "Aha" moment. This is when I knew I was going to come back. Next, we toured the capitol lawns and got lost downtown looking for cheasy gifts for our loved ones. Ended the night with the conference banquet, celebrating these incredible universities with advertising departments that I had never imagined before. I was truly humbled by the work and ambition of the people I met and learned more in these past few days than I ever did in a classroom. 

I thank Auburn University and The Auburn Plainsman for this incredible experience. I hope to find a job that brings me back to this magical city someday. Until then, I will be dreaming of Texas and searching for any opportunity to get me back here.