I got a new puppy on Friday, an Australian Cattle Dog. It’s a breed renowned for its energy, dedication, loyalty and intelligence. He has a blue coat, brown feet, a black patch over one eye and will soon have pricked ears.
In recognition of those qualities, and in tribute to the late Leonard Nimoy, we named him Mr. Spock.
Buster, Pirate and Scamp were also strong contenders, however, and might have been better fits. Like all puppies, he’s a regular Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — love and fuzz one second, tearing up the couch and terrorizing the cat the next.
And our nights, good grief what happened to them? Once blissful periods of sleep and serenity, they’ve been transformed into short bouts of rest interrupted by sharp teeth and frequent potty breaks into the rain. Concerning the latter, we’re doing our best but cold puppy poop between the toes remains a nightly affair.
“Fascinating,” indeed. Perhaps we should have named him Dump Truck.
But life with a puppy is a seesaw. The lows have you digging through your pockets for your receipt, and the highs find you giving silent thanks for the smile they put on faces of your loved ones.
It’s also a process of discovery. We already have a dog, one who loves to run and play but is perfectly content as a couch potato. She’s game for whatever, making her a willing collaborator for personal laziness. As a puppy, but also due to his breed, Mr. Spock doesn’t live in the same universe. We knew when we got him that cattle dogs won’t tolerate sloth, so in preparation for the years ahead we’ve been making forays into some new territory, the realms of regular exercise. Shudder.
This strange and new form of recreation has been eye-opening, taking us to locations I didn’t know existed. For example, there’s this place called South Whidbey State Park on Smuggler’s Cove Road. Old growth forest, a healthy system of trails, access to the shoreline; it’s awesome. And word is it’s entirely publicly owned. Turns out Freeland Park and Robinson Beach are also public, assets of incalculable value where humans and canines alike can stretch their legs.
Who’d have thought there’s life beyond the computer screen, that the heart can beat at more than one speed? Perhaps Mr. Spock was the right name after all. I might not be venturing where no man has gone before, but he’s certainly showing me a new frontier.
Star Trek rules.
