Pillow Talk

It’s been about three months now since we got our puppy Buddy. The Nagasawa household couldn’t be happier as he brings much joy to every member of the family. That’s not to say it’s been easy. As any pet owner can tell you, it’s a lot of responsibility and work. Having a dog has added another dimension to my life. I now find myself doing things that never in a million years I would expect I’d be doing.

For instance, on the weekends I now find myself watching Animal Planet. I make sure that Buddy knows I’m watching it, as if he really cares. For all he knows I could be watching Jersey Shore. I guess I’m trying to show him that I’m interested in his species. I mean, every time there’s a commercial on TV that has a dog in it, I’ll pick up Buddy and we watch it together.

The puppy training is taking longer than I expected, probably because no one wants to be the disciplinarian. He just kind of shoots you that tilted head puppy dog look, and even if he just shredded my wife’s new shoes from Nordstrom, all is forgiven. I’ll probably get grief from experienced dog owners as I’m sure training is as much for the dog as it is for the owner. I guess you could say we’re really spoiling him, but whatever.

Proof of this is that he actually sleeps in our bedroom. OK, I confess, he sleeps in the bed with my wife and me. He sleeps down near my wife’s feet, so it really hasn’t been a problem. Until recently, that is. The other morning I awoke to what I thought was some playful nuzzling from my wife. She was planting some wet kisses on me and tickling my ear with her tongue.

When I reached over to reciprocate, it was Buddy slobbering all over my head. My wife was in a dead sleep on the far side of the bed. Disappointed that it wasn’t her, I put Buddy down on the floor so he could take care of his “business” on the puppy pad. I sat there laughing, thinking it was a good thing he’s not a French poodle.