Julia, Henry, and I returned to Calgary at the end of last week after a ten-day stint in Toronto and Halifax. Coming home was satisfying for many reasons, and none more important than to see our three-year old Bernedoodle, Frankie. I grew up with family dogs – a Lab named Maisie and a mini goldendoodle named Molly – and always expected at some point we’d add a dog to our family. But I always saw that as a longer-term plan; ideally, we would have kids and bring a dog into the picture once they were older. Fortunately, Julia persuaded (forced) me to join the COVID trend and choose one earlier than I likely would have otherwise. I’m so grateful she did.
If I reflect on changes that have positively influenced my life in the past few years, finding Frankie is top of that list. In many ways, dog relationships are simple; they love you unconditionally. Their needs are relatively straightforward: play, exercise, food, treats, affection. You always know where you stand with a dog. Yet, their personalities are incredibly nuanced and varied. They can be loving, funny, sad, playful, anxious. Sometimes they can be assholes. Within an hour of getting home and seeing Frankie on Friday, she ate the sandwich off my desk while I went to get a glass of water. And she was very pleased about it.
For how fun they are, they are also a serious obligation. We travel often and rarely with her because I refuse to put her in a plane cargo hold. That means consistently finding someone to take care of her. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a great group of close friends who willingly take her. People often say it takes a village to raise a child and I think that’s sort of true with a dog as well, at least it has been in our case.
Frankie is such an important part of my life I can’t imagine living without a dog ever again.