And, I Fear, A Small Gold Dog Just Took Over Our Lives

The dog was perfect, it was hard to deny. Perfect in every way. 16months, pure bread, the perfect colour, one thousand dollars. His name is Buddy.

We went and ate noodles in Preston. It was while I was sucking noodles in that I decided, what the hell, I’ve always wanted a Bulldog, here was, what sounded like a good dog, that needed a home. It’s only the things you don’t do, that you regret. It would be nice to have a dog again, how bad could it be?

What the hell, I’d talked about it often enough.

You know, I’m going to live on my own soon, and it is nice to have a dog to come home to. I get a bit like a hermit when I live on my own, and, at least in theory, it will get me out of the house and exercising, not enjoying my own company quite so much. One day a week training will be required for him and good for me, it seems so little to have to do, considering I am home nearly every night watching TV. It’s not like I haven’t had dogs before, I had Oscar for ten years, I had all my childhood with dogs, I like them. Dogs are cool.

He was very excited when he first got home, as would be expected. He never stopped panting. He didn’t settle much.

Sam and I quietly said to each other, What have we done?

Rachel came over with daughter Frieda, they walked in just as I was rolling a joint. Rachel asked what that was, so I just finished rolling it and put it aside. Rachel said he was beautiful and declared he would take over the house. And then wondered out loud if she would be willing to look after him after her initial enthusiasm.

Sam and I quietly said to each other, What have we done?

We took him for a walk not long after we got him home, and halfway home he just decided he’d had enough. I knew that was a part of the breed, but they were kidding, he did not want to move. I kind of puts a slight dampener on walks. We bought him a dog bed, until I get him a kennel.

Sam and I quietly said to each other, What have we done?

Mark said we were a cliché, and I felt that cliché part of the way through the night, when I looked around and we’d finally got him quiet and he was laying between me and Sam, this little gold dog. And I felt it when I looked around and sitting on the couch with Sam was Buddy and I was on the other couch, and I thought, from here on in it is the three of us, and I felt a shiver up my spine and thought, You know, I liked it when it was just the two of us. It was the first time I thought, we’ve made a mistake.

But, he is good when you put him outside, he just goes to sleep on his mat, no problem.

Jill said she had a kennel spare with “My House” emblazoned across the door. She thought that was “just the ticket.”