I am now the proud grandmother of a granddoggie. Last October when Ron and I went to Dresden to see Julian perform, we also went with him to pick out his “baby,” a 10-week old Shiba Inu puppy.
Was I happy about this? Not totally.
I understood why he wanted a pet. The winters in Dresden are enormously long, dark and cold—and lonely. No one wants to go out. He wanted “someone” to come home to. He wanted someone waiting for him when he came home.
However, I was worried. The dog cost a lot. A lot.
And the puppy was a big responsibility for a 19 year old, especially a 19 year old that was hardly ever at home. I didn’t know how he would manage taking care of a baby when he sometimes struggled to take care of himself. At least, that’s how I saw it.
Plus, the dog would tie Julian down. He wouldn’t be able to just go do what he wanted when he wanted. Not to mention, he travels home for a month in the summer and a few weeks in the winter (if he is lucky).
He assured me he could do it and would make it work.
I have to admit, despite my reservations, when we arrived at the breeder’s home , the door opened and four little puppies came running towards us, that was it for me. And Lord Fudo was by far the cutest and smartest of those left. Now Ron and I have pictures of him on our phone screen savers. We talk about the dog almost as much, if not more, than Julian’s dancing!
Julian has made having a dog work. And it’s been a good thing for him, making him more responsible and happier.
He’s now one of those guys who never goes anywhere without his dog. Early on he even went furniture shopping with his baby, Fudo, in a backpack worn on his chest instead of on his back. Fudo would sit in it with a stuffed animal for company.
He’s called me long distance in a panic when Fudo throwew up. He has posted status updates on Facebook about his pleasure when, after a bought of diarrhea, Fudo’s stool was normal. He has purchased him sweaters, toys galore and taken him to the vet numerous times.
The biggest issues now revolves around summer. He can’t really bring him home. He’s almost too big to travel in the plane, and underneath the plane is too difficult for a dog, especially in the summer. Plus, Julian will fly too many times once in the US. He’s devastated about leaving him behind, but he’s making plans to do so. (Better to teach him to be left now when he’s young, especially since he’ll have this experience annually.)
So, now my Skype visits with Julian include talking to Fudo as well. I love my son and my granddoggie! And Julian dotes on that baby dog!
We are just waiting for one thing: For Julian to teach Fudo to dance.
Leave a Reply