PUPPY PUPPY PUPPY PUPPY PUPPY.

Well the spoiler is right there in the title, so let’s cut to the chase! A couple of days before Christmas, Mekko and I adopted a puppy! PUPPY!!!! What a joyful, adorable, and sleep-depriving way to ring in the new year!

As many of you likely know, about 14 months ago my little old dog Linus passed away. I took it hard but my other dog, Mekko, didn’t really seem to. They were a funny kind of a pair—Mekko was essentially adopted on a whim one January day in Brooklyn, and Linus arrived by happenstance a few months later when he was found as a stray. The idea that they—a rambunctious young 50-pound pit bull and a geriatric 12-pound white toy breed—might form some kind of special bond was irresistibly adorable, but it never totally came to pass. Mekko was always really gentle with Linus, and I think his sleepy laid-back nature had some calming effect on her, but that was about the extent of it. Instead they settled into a comfortable, arms-reach arrangement that worked for everyone. And while I never regretted keeping Linus for a second, I was always aware that he wasn’t exactly what Mekko might have chosen for a sibling if she had a say in the matter. At various times I even considered getting a third dog better suited to Mekko’s brand of fun, but the idea fizzled among work stress and financial constraints and wanting to avoid appearing like a crazy person intent on dying alone surrounded by a dozen rescue dogs who might then decide to eat my corpse. Do dogs do that? Asking for a friend. 

Throughout the last year, I’ve considered bringing the human to dog ratio in this house back up to 1:2. Approaching 9 years old (HOW?!), Mekko is still a bundle of playful energy, but I’m not so delusional that I think that will last forever. She’s technically considered a senior. In the spring and summer of 2018, she successfully underwent treatment for a mast cell tumor, plunging me into the exciting and extraordinarily expensive world of canine oncology. Part of me felt certain that another perfectly-imperfect dog would just drop, fully-formed, into my lap, but when that failed to actuate as the months ticked by I realized I might have to actually do something this time to make it happen. Nothing like a cancer diagnosis for one dog a few months after the death of your other dog to make time feel very limited and precious! I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t get around to this in time for Mekko to still enjoy it. 

So first, the goal was summer. Summer was really busy. Then the goal was fall—my birthday is in late September, so that seemed like a fun idea. But that was a really busy time, too, and I slowly started to recognize that what I was waiting for—a prolonged period when the timing felt right, the finances were comfy and work was slow (do these things ever go hand in hand?), and the house was well-prepared—was just not going to happen. There’s never a good time to upend your life, even if the change is relatively minor. The conditions are never just so. 

So thinking back on how Mekko and Linus entered my life, it struck me that a little impulsivity when it comes to decisions like this is kind of my modus operandi, and dog-related ones have historically not ended in any form of regret. Thinking about it too much was causing me to psych myself out. I already know how to have a dog. I already know how to have two dogs. This is ridiculous. Enough’s enough.

So I submitted an adoption application to a small local rescue organization. The approval came almost immediately, and to be honest I wasn’t sure I was going to do anything with it. On the night of December 22nd, I planned to spend December 23rd chipping away at house projects.  Then I woke up on December 23rd, took Mekko outside, and called the rescue. By noon, I was walking into a room containing 11 wiggly little tiny puppies, a litter freshly transported from a high-kill shelter down in Tennessee (this is super normal on the east coast—the south has an immense spay/neuter/overpopulation problem). They all came running toward me, which I feel bears repeating. ELEVEN. TINY. BABY. PUPPIES. RUNNING. AT. ME. I could have burst into tears, but I still wanted the lady to let me adopt one of them so I controlled myself. 

I didn’t tell anyone I was going. I spent about an hour picking up puppies, putting down puppies, snuggling puppies, and watching this huge, varied litter interact, trying to read the tea leaves on their itty bitty personalities to predict which one I thought would get along best with Mekko.

Do you know how hard it is to choose one puppy out of ELEVEN?! Guys. So hard. 

A couple stood out, but one of them—black and white with some brindle peeking through, and the most adorable speckled little nose—kept coming back. He was gentle and relatively calm. He sat in my lap on his back while I stroked his little bloated puppy belly. He came when I called him over, and sat down at my feet. I noticed he seemed to be particularly attentive to the woman who runs the rescue, even though he’d only been under her care for a couple of days. He was playful with his litter mates but not totally insane, preferring to participate when engaged but not really instigating. I just had a feeling. 

And by 3 in the afternoon, I was introducing Mekko to her new little brother. And my heart grew three sizes that day. The thing you can’t see in this photo is how fast Mekko’s tail was wagging as she sniffed this little guy all over for the first time. She was SO excited. He wasn’t quite sure yet, ha!

Then we went to the pet store and got some supplies, because that kind of advanced planning is, evidently, how we roll. And ya know what? Everything. Turned. Out. Fine. You figure it out. You rise to the occasion. It’s a big deal but a manageable one. 

I realized sometime during the car ride home that I actually have no idea what kind of dog he is. I keep asking him but he hasn’t learned to talk yet. The rescue listed the puppies as Lab/Hound mixes, which…sure. I think there’s definitely pit bull in there—which is really what I was looking for and assumed these guys were!—but the rest…who knows! I know there are DNA tests for this nowadays, but I kind of think the not-knowing is fun. Will he be 30 pounds or 80? Only time will tell!

He is settling RIGHT in. Like a lot of puppies with his background, he arrived with an active case of fleas and various intestinal parasites, so we’ve been working on resolving that. Turns out part of that adorable bloated puppy belly was because it was full of worms! How precious! How completely grotesque! Animals, am I right?

And then there’s THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE. He keeps trying to initiate cuddle time with Mekko, whose resolve appears to be waning by the day. Over the past few days they’ve REALLY started playing, and it’s just the cutest most special thing ever. Mekko could obviously devour him in one bite and he’s no match for her in a game of tug (hell, a lot of times I’m no match for her), but she’s so gentle with him and likes to let him selectively win so he comes back for more. She’s teaching him! My heart can’t take it! He’s also been taking good notes on Mekko’s advanced cuddle and napping techniques and really excelling in those areas.

I sort of hate to admit it, but I still haven’t named him! I know, I know. Don’t shame me!! Since he’s been under the weather while the worms, uh, evacuate, I just want to make sure his name fits his personality which is coming out more and more everyday. Also, I think part of the problem settling on a name may stem from having gotten too many opinions while we saw all these people over the holidays. Ha! So like, I got this. It’s not for lack of options. I’m not sure I can handle more options.

So. There’s a new 11 week-old, 11 pound wild animal living in my house, with tiny razor sharp teeth and a very small bladder, and it’s kind of the best. It’s true that puppies are a lot of work with a lot of needs, but I gotta say—while I’d absolutely do the adult dog adoption and the senior dog adoptions again—it feels like a real privilege to get to raise this guy from 10 weeks. I haven’t had a puppy since middle school! The house is absolutely littered with toys, I’m churning out boiled chicken and rice like it’s my job, and have never spent so much time monitoring the frequency and viscosity of poop in my life. And, as I type this, I have a couple of dogs—my dogs—sleeping soundly on both sides of me, occasionally letting out a little snore or dream-twitch to remind me it’s real.

Maybe the timing for that was just right, after all.

If you’re interested in adopting one of the puppy’s litter mates, I think they’re all still available! Go fill out an application at Hollywood Dog Rescue, located in Pine Bush, NY! Liz was a pleasure to work with. 

About Daniel Kanter

Hi, I'm Daniel, and I love houses! I'm a serial renovator, DIY-er, and dog-cuddler based in Kingston, New York. Follow along as I bring my 1865 Greek Revival back to life and tackle my 30s to varying degrees of success. Welcome!

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126 Comments

  1. 1.7.19
    Sara L. said:

    Ow, my heart. He is precious. Congratulations on the new family member! I love your description of how it is never the exact perfect time to get a puppy. You just make it the right time, once they are in your house. We rescued a dog a little over a year ago, and I was terrified, but now I couldn’t imagine not having her. Enjoy that puppy!

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Thank you, Sara!

  2. 1.7.19
    Kate said:

    My heart is so happy for you and Mekko! Congratulations! He is absolutely adorable—that speckled nose, gah!

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      I know!! I’ve been warned it’s liable/likely to turn all black as he grows up, but for now at least the speckles are so speciallll!

  3. 1.7.19
    Southern Gal said:

    Ooooooh so precious. Love him. He is so lucky to be in your family! Good luck with his name. It will come.

    And thanks for this post I needed something like this today as I prepare to call my lawyer on my stupid landlord who does not know the law. Ugh.

    Will come back to these photos today to calm myself. Happy new year!

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Oh noooo, stupid landlord. Good luck! Happy new year to you!

  4. 1.7.19
    Janine said:

    Because I’m Canadian, I think his interior name should be Timbit

    *firm nod*

    • 1.7.19
      Janine said:

      Interior?
      INTERIM

      Why are you like this, autocorrect. It’s been years, get it together!

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Timbit! Why not!

    • 1.8.19
      Erin L said:

      LOL, I was thinking Eames.

  5. 1.7.19
    Katherine said:

    I’ve been wondering if we would get a puppy post soon! He is so freaking adorable, I don’t know how you get anything done with that cuteness in your house! How wonderful for Mekko to have a baby brother companion, and how sweet to see them forming a relationship. A sibling for Christmas might just be the best gift ever. Welcome home puppy boy!
    PS We adopted our senior dog on a whim too. We had spent the day at the shelter looking for a new canine friend, but nothing quite fit, but when we were leaving they told us about this sweet older dog that was being fostered, so we called her up and she brought Tali (then Sherry) out to meet us on the trail. We knew almost immediately that she was the right fit for us, and once we told the foster parent we wanted to keep her, she was like OK, she’s yours, byeeeee! And she just left us with her! Her adoption cost nothing because she was over 8 years old. We were so startled by how quickly we became her parents, but she’s been by our side for five years now.
    Like you, we also had zero supplies for a dog, so we loaded her up took her to the pet store, and had to buy all the things ”“ leashes, a harness, a bed, food! It was our first outing as a family and quite a memorable one in my husband’s two door Mustang.

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Haha, it *may* have been a somewhat unproductive couple of weeks, but can you blame me?! He’s actually been pretty relaxed, though—sleeping through the sound of power tools, even!!—so I do have some other updates coming your way! :)

      Thank you so much for adopting a senior dog! They’re the best. I love that story. <3 <3 <3

    • 1.8.19
      Molly said:

      Sleeping through power tools?! You made a good selection/dodged a bullet there. If he’s really got hound, it sets him up to be a howler.

  6. 1.7.19
    Bonnie said:

    What a happy story to wake up to. Congratulations.

  7. 1.7.19
    Diane said:

    HappyPuppyHappyPuppyHappyPuppy!

  8. 1.7.19
    Jennie said:

    Puppy and dog love is the best. IMO you can’t truly achieve hygge without a furry animal next to or on you.

    • 1.7.19
      Carlene said:

      I literally never imagined hygge without a dog until just this moment & I believe you are correct.

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Thirded!

  9. 1.7.19
    Christine said:

    So touching, and so well written! Thanks for sharing your unique, charming, and very funny stories.

  10. 1.7.19
    Stephanie Zell said:

    Mzel Tov on your new furkid! I’v loved seeing your stories over the past few days featuring this little bit.

  11. 1.7.19
    RC said:

    You had me in tears with this one. Pure happy tears.

  12. 1.7.19

    I totally love this. Thank you for sharing! Enjoy them so much!

  13. 1.7.19
    Betsy said:

    Congratulations!! Wow, he is cute. What a joy! We rescued our now-three year old pitiful mix from a local prison (!) a year and a half ago. We think she’s pitbull/lab…? Anyway, dogs are just the best!!

  14. 1.7.19
    Chelsea said:

    What a sweet puppy!

  15. 1.7.19

    Congratulations. And bravo for adopting a rescue. Wishing you much happiness and few messes.

  16. 1.7.19
    kory said:

    Yes! Congratulations :)
    I’ve had a similar chain of events in December, but cat-related. I have been thinking about adding a cat to my 1:1 human:cat household because I could see she was getting lonely. But then the overthinking, oh the overthinking! But that is OK, because impulsive way is the way to go. Suddenly there was a kitten on our biggest cat rescue NGO facebook page and they named her Afrodita! THE NAME WAS THE SIGN! I could not overthink it away! So I decided to obey the sign and ignore the fact that two weeks after she arrived to the household I would have to organize some serious catsitting because I had to visit family for Christmas. We also have poop and pee issues, but it will pass, I also realized that I have NEVER had such a small kitten, EVER. She is now ~15 weeks old, switching from full demon mode to pure squishy purry snugleness in seconds, the big cat is more playful and actually seems to like the little attention-stealer. It is really amazing, the amount of oxytocine in the house. And yes, the timing was just right :)

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Awwwwwwwwwww! Have fun with it!!

  17. 1.7.19
    Devyn said:

    Totes Adorbs! Congrats on the new family member.
    Names are important, you are wise to hold off until you find the right one. We’ve always given our rescue pups new names as the ones they came with rarely fit. Our current pup came to us as Drake. He is now Bixby. https://www.instagram.com/p/BldWiN6hEj1/

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Awww, I love Bixby! Look at that sweet baby! (I still can’t get over that Mekko’s shelter name was…CREAM. I mean I’m sure it becomes challenging to keep naming dogs all the time, but…CREAM!)

    • 1.7.19
      Mary W. said:

      Maybe she came is as part of a pair, and the other one was coffee colored!

      Still, Mekko is better.

    • 1.7.19
      Rachel said:

      OMG, Cream. That is hilarious.

    • 1.9.19
      Lindsay said:

      You want worse? My dog’s rescue name was – no lie – Stinky. I mean really…

    • 1.7.19
      Ryan said:

      I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever have to come up with a new name for a dog. We’ve now gotten three dogs from the shelter and decided to keep all of their names that they came with: Yoshi, Flynn, and Ziggy.

  18. 1.7.19

    This is fantastic, a little puppy to raise.

    He’s a sweet little thing and I love how Mekko is warming up to him quickly.

    I hope to eventually adopt too, but not while my finances are a pittance, but at least, I work close to home!

    I do, however have a surrogate pooch. He’s a miniature Australian Shepard and a totally sweet bundle of fur and is I think 3 now. He belongs to good friends of mine so I take care of him and watch their house when they go away for a few days or weeks.

    He every now and then spends the weekend or simply overnight here at my place from time to time and we’re best friends.

    Anyway, enjoy the little precious guy and Mekko too. BTW, the name will come, probably out of the blue something will come out of your mouth and it’ll stick.

    I have 2 I hope to use, Mingus and Miles (named after 2 Jazz musicians from the post war jazz years, now both long gone but I love their music).

    • 1.7.19
      Gillianne said:

      Long ago, one of my neighbors had a cat named Mingus. Decades later, a friend named her feline boss-of-the-house Coltrane. I’m kind of surprised I haven’t met a Satchmo.

      Whenever the time comes, enjoy your jazz-homage fur-friends.

    • 1.7.19

      Actually the idea came from an old house tour on Apartment Therapy about a decade ago where the photographer took inspiration by using the onwer’s pet a red short haired Dachshund who’s name was Dijango (as in Dijango Reinhardt and the idea stuck. :-)

  19. 1.7.19
    Krystal said:

    GAH my heart is exploding. I am so in love with this. My perfect ratio (in my head at least) is two cats and a dog. I currently live in a tiny apartment with relatively limited finances so for now it’s just me and my one totally spoiled kitty. He’s SUCH an only child and can’t stand any other animals entering his space, so we’ll see how that goes when the day comes – he’ll only get older and more crotchety lol. I have plans to maybe foster a bit when I eventually move into a house to get him a little more used to the idea of his solo style being completely upended. Playing it by ear. *shrug*

    Also, it took me almost a month or two to name my lovely when I first adopted him. The name the shelter had given him absolutely wasn’t right, and nothing else seemed to quite fit. Eventually, I was watching some tv show and one of the character’s nicknames was Rabbit … CLICK. Yeah, my cat’s name is Rabbit and it is the most perfect thing ever. My little bunny just completes me.

    I’m so happy for this new addition to your home and can’t wait to see all the amazing photobombs with that super sweet face. (I mean, that nose, come on!)

  20. 1.7.19
    Sam said:

    There’s nothing quite like two dogs snuggling by your side. We’ve had 2 older pit mixes (at separate times), then added a 2 yr old pit last year which was quite an adjustment as the others had been pretty laid back, but she keeps our old man young at heart. Wouldn’t trade that for the world!

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      It’s so cool, right? Mekko’s such a playful dog whose signals sometimes get misread, meaning that it’s very hard to socialize her (too many bad dog park experiences for that to be a good option, sigh), and so watching her run and play with this puppy is just the best. So happy!

  21. 1.7.19
    Lori said:

    You’ve been killing me with your puppy Stories on Insta! Congrats on your fur baby! It’s so cute watching him play with Mekko and sleep like a human.

  22. 1.7.19
    Kathy S said:

    Congratulations on your puppy! We adopted two kittens (brothers) from the shelter for our 44th anniversary this summer and to get a friend for our 3year old female kitty. We went intending to adopt one and did. After a trip to Walmart for kitten supplies, my husband said he needed a playmate, so back to the shelter we went and adopted his little brother! They were both born at the shelter and were friendly enough but were obviously weaned too early ( kneading us obsessively and sucking on our clothing. At almost 9 months old, they still do if need to settle down and take a nap!) We kept their names, Zeke and Zephyr, because we liked them. But recently, I’ve been referring to Zeke as Flash because he can sneak through the door so fast you don’t see him!
    Anyway, enjoy your friends. Someday I want to get a dog, but husband says dogs bark and scare away the deer he wants to attract. Oh well…..

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Awwww. I need those other puppies to get adopted so I’m not tempted to go back for another, haha!!

  23. 1.7.19
    Ali said:

    I’m going to be that annoying person and predict he has some American Bulldog in him? It could just be the pit bull, but those eyes, and the cute bump on his head, also those giant paws, maybe an 80 pounder!? He reminds me so much of my Orlando when he was a pup.

  24. 1.7.19
    Ericka said:

    Congrats Daniel and Mekko! We adopted a puppy – my first ever – on Dec 30 and I am dying at the cuteness. The razor sharp teeth and nails, and stealth come from under the couch surprise attacks (and worms!) bring unexpected joy to our household as well.

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Congrats! Right there with ya! Even those 4am potty trips feel oddly OK. :)

  25. 1.7.19
    Emme said:

    He’s adorable! I’m glad Mekko has a buddy. I know what you mean about just going for it. My S.O. and I went out for lamps one Saturday and adopted a 3-year old husky mix instead. It was minutes to adopt and then a game of Supermarket Sweep through the Petsmart to grab the basics. Best decision ever.

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Well done!! Husky mix > lamps, for sure. :) :)

    • 1.7.19
      Alexis said:

      Yeah, we did that too. Impulsively adopted a labbie from the SPCA, dropped him off at home and went back out to get things for him (including a bed that he eviscerated that night). He was so nuts that first night that I thought I’d made a huge mistake, but he calmed down and is such a good boy now!

  26. 1.7.19
    Chris said:

    The cuteness factor is off the charts. What a lucky little guy. Best to you all in 2019!

  27. 1.7.19
    Jaimie said:

    We have been fostering Italian Greyhounds for a decade(!) now, and they don’t lose that desire to playplayplay until around 10-11 years. I was a little sad when Goliath stopped wanting to play with our fosters, but then he just wanted to cuddle 100% of the time so it was pretty okay.

  28. 1.7.19
    Kit said:

    I know you don’t need more name options, everyone has puppy name opinions, but don’t you think his name is Aalto? Like, doesn’t he look exactly like that is his name???

    I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you don’t need more names but it’s like I have had a VISION from BEYOND.

    • 1.7.19
      Mary W. said:

      Oh, my. That is really good.

  29. 1.7.19
    Ursula Ellis said:

    Lots of luck with Mr. Adorable. It seems to me he couIdn’t have found a better human or sister dog. ‘m very envious. I have an 11 year-old Aussie who hasn’t had to vie for our attention tor 2 years now. I think bringing a puppy in will keep him young. Who knows. But you’ve inspired me to go looking. There’s nothing like a new puppy–getting up in the middle of the night to let them out and checking poop viscosity not withstanding!
    Can’t wait to hear what name you’ve chosen. More pics please!

  30. 1.7.19
    Leslie said:

    I love this so much, thank you for such a heartwarming story in your (best ever) storytelling manner! Congratulations :) (and you got this!)

  31. 1.7.19
    Kate said:

    He’s precious! Take time with that name, even though I love my dog desperately I actually regret the name I chose for him. I’m happy to see you adopted a black dog! Mine’s also black coated (terrier mix) and I didn’t know when I adopted him that apparently black dogs are far less likely to be adopted. One of the shelters near me does super cheap black dog adoption days to try to find them all homes. I don’t understand why people don’t want them, I think they are beautiful!

  32. 1.7.19
    Mindy said:

    When you said your heart grew 3 sizes, I choked up. We live in the jungle where animals don’t mean much to people and just last week the sweetest, most gentle kitten I’ve ever had was tossed on our property. Our older cat, (the meanest I’ve ever had!) is slowly getting over her snit and the two dogs just hung their heads and sighed. But our hearts! So full of love and the laughter little beings bring! Like your dude, she went without a name for several days. Somehow, in this tropical country, she was like an ice princess- white and grey, with eyes like slate- so our little friends suggested Elsa. So happy for you and your dogs! Pets add so much to our lives.

  33. 1.7.19
    Lori said:

    On a completely random note, is that one of those Williams-Sonoma pastry boards topping off your bedside table? I just got myself one for Christmas (I blame my addictive viewing of the Great British Baking Show for finally tipping me over the edge) and it’s fantastic and it’s also giving me Ideas.

  34. 1.7.19
    Kim said:

    YAY YAY YAY puppy! He’s so sweet looking. I see a little jack russell terrier in him too. :)

    We got a “pit mix” puppy over the summer to buddy up with our 6-year-old pit and let’s just say Posey didn’t roll out the welcome wagon like Mekko seemed to! Ha. He’s about 6 months old now and they are definitely best friends now. Just took awhile!

    Puppy pics, coming at ya! https://www.instagram.com/p/Brsbq76FgOQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      omgggggggg babies!

  35. 1.7.19
    Mary W. said:

    That boy’s name is Manhattan. Mannie for short, and I would agree there is some pittie in him. Rescues don’t always like to say so, as misinformation can make them harder to place. Congratulations to you and Mekko!

  36. 1.7.19

    THANK YOU for rescuing him! He’s so cute, and the world could use a little more fat puppy belly happiness (not the worm part, but you know what I mean). Like Mekko and Linus, my two pups have never really wanted to cuddle and are completely different sizes (50 lb mutt, 10 lb mini dachshund). But they came together later in life, and every time I see a little more gray in their muzzles, it makes me so sad that I’ll have to say goodbye sooner rather than later. I’m so glad you have that sweet little face to bring some cheerful energy around your home and to keep Mekko company! Hope your 2019 rocks!

  37. 1.7.19
    susan said:

    Yeah, ok, I didn’t *need* to cry at work. Nope. So sweet. So very very sweet. Dogs (and cats) I’ve found will let you know what their name is all in good time. Congratulations on your newest family member :)

  38. 1.7.19
    Rachel said:

    Congratulations! He is very cute, and I totally agree on not rushing naming. It’s an organic process.
    I’m happy to have some good news about dogs. Over Christmas, our 11 year old beagle/pointer mix was diagnosed with lymphoma, and it’s been very tough.
    Because she was otherwise in such great health and spirits, and because I work from home and we have pet insurance and we’re financially secure, we’re trying the chemo route. She had her first treatment last week, and thus far she’s handled it pretty well. There was some first night nausea and a vomit, but then she perked right up and we had a great weekend.
    Until last night, when she crawled underneath our bed at 2 am to vomit, and then went outside to have watery diarrhea for 5 minutes. My husband and I were wrecks worrying about what that might mean, until we moved the bed to clean up and saw that there were several pieces of green plastic in the vomit.

    So my dog with cancer decided that yesterday was a good day to chew up and eat the cap to a half gallon of buttermilk (I think the cap must have rolled away or fallen in between the recycling can and the wall when I rinsed the jug out for recycling, and it probably had buttermilk still on it…).

    All of this is to make the point: dogs, man, they keep you laughing and crying and completely on your toes. I think she’s gotten rid of all the plastic, and she’s starving and has devoured the bland snacks I’ve introduced, so I think we’re good. But she’s both adding and taking years off my life in a single moment.

  39. 1.7.19
    S@sha said:

    Adorable. Congratulations.

  40. 1.7.19
    Robin said:

    Bad pet names? I got one for you….Beni, Hanna, and Habachi…..get it? We adopted two of the three (I know, I know – we should have taken all three…). Kept the two girls…Hanna but changed Habachi to Henrietta….we call them Henri and Hanna and my mom calls Hanna Hank!

  41. 1.7.19
    Carol Gibson-Kish said:

    The best kind of chaos! So happy for all three of you.

  42. 1.7.19
    Meredith said:

    Please continue with the InstaStories of these two sleeping. Like, forever. Never stop the puppy sleeps.

  43. 1.7.19
    Keely said:

    I foster dogs in Alabama that are transported to a rescue up north, and I just want to say THANK YOU for choosing to adopt that little nugget! You are amazing! Can’t wait to see what you name him and to watch the little guy grow up.

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Thank you so much for the work you do, Keely! We need more people like you!! xoxoxo

  44. 1.7.19
    Roselyne said:

    “There’s never a good time to upend your life, even if the change is relatively minor. The conditions are never just so. ”

    … That realization is why I have 2 kids.

    And am planning on a puppy at the beginning of my next maternity leave, because why not have TWO small creatures with tiny bladders, right… *rolls eyes*

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Right!! (I’m so, so the wrong person to ask, but you have my full support, ha!)

  45. 1.7.19
    Molly said:

    I love them. Also, I think he’s a Tucker, but excited to see what you (or serendipity) choose for a name!

    • 1.7.19
      Daniel said:

      Haha, oddly enough that’s my ex Max’s dog’s name! He was a transport from Kentucky, so TUCK! So while very cute, I think I’ll let that one go in the reject pile or it might be just a litttttttle weird ;)

  46. 1.7.19
    The Lady said:

    Cheese, we all know his name is Marty. Just give in.

  47. 1.7.19
    Jeannette said:

    i know he’ll pay the love forward 1000 times.

  48. 1.7.19
    AnnInSF said:

    You can tell your “friend” that according to my friend, a forensic pathologist, you’d be in no great danger of your dogs snacking on you if you passed away. Cats, though, is a totally different story.

    Anyway, congratulations on your new bundle of love!

  49. 1.7.19
    Susan said:

    Omg he looks like a black and white cookie! Or a Zen yin/yang symbol lol.
    Our rescue, Astro, is now two. We did his dna b/c he looks like a beagle with cattahoula spots, lol, turns out he is beagle, tree walker coon hound, and dalmation…in short, a stubborn lil badass who wears a sweater that says “Troublemaker” He works hard to live up to that nickname, but really he is the best.
    Wishing you and your new baby all the feels as he settles in.

  50. 1.7.19
    Gayle said:

    Thanks a lot for sharing. My heart grew three sizes: made me tear up too. I am now live-in staff to Pixel, a 9-year-old stray cat that I found as a starving kitten, hiding under a van in a parking lot. I tried to find a home for her because I was “too busy”. Hah. My life would be immeasurably darker without her. I’m so happy for you and Mekko.

  51. 1.7.19
    Rachel said:

    OMG, the precious, I’m dying! Wow and I have so many comments and feel like I relate to so many elements of this post…

    1. First of all, as a tangentially dog-rescue-involved person (I’m not going to act like I do as much as some of these amazing people!) from a southern state, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for taking our babies and giving them wonderful homes! I live in Oklahoma but am from Minnesota originally and it seems like we are sending transports from here to there all the time. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with this state.

    2. Our previous pup (who we sadly and unexpectedly lost at only 3 years of age and it was horrific–but I like remembering her because she was totally my soulmate) we found as a stray at roughly 8 weeks, all alone! She too had the bloated wormy puppy belly and I also took like three weeks to name her because I had never named a dog before! So much pressure! Her name was Maisy :)

    3. We also totally just added another dog to our family (maybe?) Officially we are still fostering him but I think we’re gonna keep him… our neurotic-and-grouchy-with-strange-people-and-dogs primary doggo Jewel was not really a fan of him in the week and a half before Christmas, but then we were gone for a week and boarded them separately and since we got back she seems totally happy with him! they even play together which was the goal! I can definitely relate on the “hemming and hawing for months because there’s never a good moment, OK now I’m just going to do this impulsively” because that’s what I do too apparently. I reached out to a shelter volunteer friend about this new guy thinking he was an 18 month old German Shepherd mix, as was posted on Facebook… turns out he’s a 9 month old Anatolian shepherd mix and 75 POUNDS, which is quite the difference but so far most of my dogs have not been what I expected (when we found Maisy we were planning on adopting a larger female dog and definitely not a puppy, but then she showed up and it seemed cruel to take her to the shelter and then pick someone else) and it’s worked out!

    Sorry! That was a lot! I love dogs and I’m so excited for you and Mekko!!! Happy new year and new puppy!

    • 1.7.19
      Ryan said:

      Our third dog is from Oklahoma (we live in WA) and was flown up here after being in a rural shelter there for 6 mo. We seem to have more than enough large pitt and lab mix dogs but just a few hours away the central valley area has more than enough tiny chihuahua types. I’m glad that there are resources available to move dogs around to get them to people that want them. And until we get a handle on the unwanted pet reproduction problem I fully support the spay/neuter programs for all shelter dogs/cats.

  52. 1.7.19
    Sara said:

    I just love the way you write about dogs. Big congrats. I can’t wait to continue to Insta-stalk your happy family of 3.

  53. 1.7.19
    Kat said:

    I’m sobbing from cuteness! Congrats to you and Mekko. Please post as many pictures of them snuggling as humanly possible.

  54. 1.7.19
    Maureen said:

    Congratulations! So happy for you! <3

  55. 1.7.19
    SImone said:

    Hi Daniel I’m very very happy for you (and Mekko), our hearts just want to love, nothing we can do about it. We have two resque dogs from Spain, our youngest (Rusty) was a puppy when we got him. Our eldest (Dobby) was already grown up (nobody knows how old she was) and she was a bit odd and becoming more and more of an einzelganger. We chose a puppy as a companion for Dobby because we had heard stories from other resque dog-owners that if both dogs are fearful they can enhance that in each other. Dobby liked Rusty when they met, but when it turned out he was going home with us she was quite miffed. It took her months to become herself again. They are really great friends now.

  56. 1.7.19
    jana said:

    please send an ambulance to oklahoma because i just. fucking. died.

  57. 1.7.19
    Alexandra said:

    He’s adorable! Congratulations to you and Mekko and the best wishes to your little bundle of joy!

  58. 1.7.19
    Marieke Laauwen said:

    Congratulations. He obviously should be Mari cause Marimekko is a cool dogduo ;)

    Noa will be 6 months wednesday and though O dread puberty I am happy to leave puppy days behind. I love puppies when they live somewhere else. Seeing her grow is a privilege though…

  59. 1.7.19
    Sharon said:

    Oh my goodness, he is completely adorable!!!

  60. 1.7.19
    LD said:

    Was wondering if that puppy was yours!! I have the twin although mine is more white with spots. Do the DNA!!! I had to, Cosmo was listed as lab mix by the rescue, I think they label all of the dogs this. It came back Catahoola Leopard Dog (duh the spots), Shetland Sheepdog, Boston terrier and Shar Pei. It was so cool. Never heard of Catahoola but learned something new!! Congrats on your beautiful pup!!!

  61. 1.7.19
    greta said:

    Since Mekko has a Finnish hame, you should name him Kitos, which is Finnish for thank you. Such a lucky pup– you are an excellent owner!

  62. 1.7.19
    Shannon said:

    Aww so sweet. Congratulations! Rescues are the best. I’ve got four right here….so maybe someone should say if they will eat my dead corpse as I am crazy dog lady

  63. 1.7.19
    Celia said:

    Congratulations!!!!! AWWWWW!!!! Great call.

  64. 1.7.19
    Meshel, The Muffin Queen said:

    Oh, those two together *swoon* I teared up from the beauty of it all.

  65. 1.7.19
    Alison said:

    If I may suggest a name for this little guy, I always like the name “Mars”. I like how the Romans described Mars, the God of war, as a dignified, brave, unstoppable hero who rose from darkness and led his people out of tragedy. The name Mars to me feels noble and gorgeous.
    Oh, also, congrats! Our blue pit is 7 and her brother (a black lab) is 12 and slowed down. We are thinking about getting her a puppy as well.

  66. 1.7.19
    Lily said:

    Yay! Yay! Yay!!!!
    This makes me so happy!

  67. 1.7.19
    Mariane said:

    Thank you for sharing your new addition Daniel! He is soooooooo precious, can’t wait to know the name you will pick. Also, Mekho is 9!! Where does time fucking fly?

    • 1.7.19
      Mariane said:

      *Mekko. Sorry pretty lady!

  68. 1.7.19
    Adriana said:

    I. CAN’T. EVEN. WITH. THE. CUTENESS!!! When we used to foster for a local rescue we had five kittens that we had to name. We named them after dances…Tango, Twist, Jitterbug etc. We kept two. After a year we kept calling Tango Mr. Fluff because he ended up so, well, fluffy. One day i was like, kids I guess his name is Mr. Fluff now. Perfect for him, embarrassing at the vet! We have been down to one dog since losing our old man 3 years ago. My husband says he’s not ready but secretly i think he just prefers to lavish all his love and attention on Cassie (who has 39 nicknames btw including Casper Weinberger, Boo Bear and The Crunch) because she wisely decided to go all in with him after Hoobert died (and she was my dog!). Anyway, congratulations and love the post and the pooches!

  69. 1.7.19
    Jordan said:

    His name is obvs Worms.

  70. 1.7.19
    Joy said:

    LOVE love love love love. Keep sharing. Great family addition. Sweetest ever.
    Joy

  71. 1.7.19
    Jenny said:

    Congratulations on the new addition to your family! And just FYI, of course there is a doggy DNA test!!! It’s called Wisdom Panel https://www.wisdompanel.com and it let me know that my “hound mix” (also rescued from a shelter in Tennessee via NYC) is actually Doberman, Rottweiller and essentially “too mixed to tell”, lol. But to me, she is 100% pure joy! All the best w/ your pup and Mekko too!! Xo

  72. 1.8.19

    Oh, Daniel. Congratulations! I’m so excited for you, Mekko, and that sweet little pup.

  73. 1.8.19
    Mouse said:

    Obviously his name is Oreo. :)

    I feel one should give animals names you can sing to them, so my next (female) animal will be Caldonia, so I can sing the BB King song at her:

    Caldonia, Caldonia, what makes your big head so hard!

    Seriously, so happy for you and esp. for Mekko.

  74. 1.8.19
    april said:

    Almost in tears at my desk over the sweetness and nose freckles and all of it. Congratulations! That little dog just hit the jackpot.

  75. 1.8.19
    Tamisha said:

    Gaaaa! Puppies are the best. We lost our 15 year old toy poodle old man in October, leaving us with just the two standard poodles. I want a puppy soooooo badly, but we’re not really at a point where it is prudent. And let’s face it, 3 dogs is a bit much. I’m tempted to get my mom a puppy as a surrogate though. Would that be bad? really?

    Congrats on your new addition! So glad you have good energy at home!

  76. 1.8.19
    Molly said:

    ❤️❤️❤️

    A thought to help you narrow down names: per the dog training book we have, dogs do best recognizing two syllable words as their names (and one syllable commands).

  77. 1.8.19
    Laureg said:

    Congratulations! What a beautiful addition to your family! My heart was flip-flopping all over the place as I read this- the sweetness!! I hope you and Mekko both enjoy your new little guy, and I wish you all many lovely adventures ahead.

  78. 1.8.19
    Hilarie said:

    Hi. I happened upon your blog post and thought that I could help to enlighten you on the type of dog breed your new puppy could possibly be. I have a Catahoula dog – a rescue from a high kill shelter in Louisiana- who looks almost identical to your new puppy. Catahoulas are really lovely and cool dogs, and happens to be the state dog of Louisiana. My dog Lily Luna is now eight and is the sweetest thing ever. I wish you the best of luck with your new puppy!!

    I have provided below links that will hopefully allow you to see photos of my dog.

    file:///Users/hilarieblumenthal/Desktop/IMG_4016.jpg
    file:///Users/hilarieblumenthal/Desktop/IMG_4013.jpg

    • 1.23.19
      Molly said:

      Hiya Hilarie,
      I’d love to see the photos of your Catahoula, but the links you sent are to files on your desktop. You’ve got to upload them to the internet somewhere so we can see them!

  79. 1.8.19
    Tim said:

    I hope you’re working on a book. Your writing is incredible.

  80. 1.8.19
    Kim said:

    I’ve been following on Insta and have to say, he is just adorable! So glad he and Mekko are getting along.

  81. 1.8.19
    Steph said:

    Congrats Daniel! When this little cutie popped up on Instagram I was hoping you would share the adoption story with us! Looking forward to watching him grow up and see how big he turns out to be, and what his personality is like. I’ve loved all your adorable posts about Mekko (one of the earlier blog posts about her pooping on the rug is still in the top 5 funniest things I’ve ever read) and I’m sure there will be many more lovely moments for all of you together and I just hope you share some of them with us :)
    PS: Dogs will unfortunately eat you after you die. But they wait longer to do it (days) than cats (hours) if that helps.

  82. 1.9.19
    Phyllisa said:

    Just.absolutely.loved.this!
    I lost my black lab/pit bull cross almost 2 1/2 years ago, and haven’t really been ready to try again, but on Dec 23 I decided to cruise my local shelter’s hit parade. I found a 6-7 month old German Shepard pup (full? mix? no clue) and decided the next morning (it was 9 pm), without telling anyone, I was gonna be at the shelter when they opened to bring her home for Christmas! Unfortunately for me, she was off “visiting Santa,” but on Dec 26, at the best after Christmas sale ever, she came home with me! As you say, sleeplessness, awareness of potty habits and the like notwithstanding, you gotta just go for it! All the best for the new year and thanks for the leaf blower rec (that was my other Christmas present).

  83. 1.9.19
    TanjaK said:

    Congratulations! What an adorable puppy. And what a lucky pup he is. It seems you are very attentive and loving. I have wanted a doggo for a long time, but my job requires me to be away from home most of the day, driving from one client to another. And I live in a flat, no yard. A lonely dog is not a happy dog. But one day I will have a rescue. Here in Europe there are organisations that do a great job rescuing retired greyhounds. I don’t want to go into what happens to the dogs after they stop racing, it’s often cruel. But they do make fantastic pets, believe it or not.

  84. 1.9.19
    Ashley said:

    Best blog post ever

  85. 1.9.19
    elin said:

    Since you like scandinavian design and have been to Finland and stuff, may I suggest a finish name for the pup? Like Pekka. That sorta goes with Mekko.

    Also, congrats on your sweet boy :)

  86. 1.10.19
    TuulaJ said:

    Like Elin above, I’d like to suggest a finnish name to go with Mekko: Paita (pronounced paita), which is shirt in finnish. I know you’ve already got thousands of suggestions already.
    Congrats on your lovely new dog!

  87. 1.11.19
    Paul said:

    Oh wow! Gorgeous! I am sitting here tearing up… your new lad brought back happy memories of bringing all our pups home for the first time. We have six – 3 Goldens, a Scottie, a Lurcher and a Rottie cross lad; Titch the Rottie boy was supposed to be a foster… but I think we knew on the way home with him that he wasn’t going anywhere, then Tequila the rescue Lurcher decided that he was her new pup, and that was a done deal…
    Our latest addition was about 18 months ago – a Golden girl called Tresor (Cornish for “treasure”); she filled a gaping hole left in the pack a year earlier when we lost Tressa to aggressive liver cancer. Like you with Linus, it took time to recover from the loss. The day I first held her was… indescribable. This perfect, amazing little bundle of golden fluff, it’s like she reached into my chest and stole my heart there and then. Which might explain the heart attack a couple of months later… but I would forgive her anything. Integration was a bit interesting – we discovered the hard way that the Scottie, Tiefer, thinks I’m her personal property; so there was quite a bit of jealousy to start with, but we got over it very quickly and pretty soon they were all firm friends. I’m really glad to see that Mekko and your new lad seem to be getting along so well – they’ll be partners in crime in no time!
    By the way – I think he’s a Moose. And the speckled nose is just the icing on the cake.

  88. 1.11.19
    Danielle said:

    Congrats on the new puppy!! I have nothing original to share other than that I am so happy for you – and Mekko! :)

  89. 1.12.19
    Amanda said:

    Congrats, the two of them are super sweet together. He looks a lot like our @gussiegoose – 14 months and going on 65 pounds

  90. 1.12.19
    Ana said:

    Hi there, always enjoy reading your stuff. Re: dogs eating your recently departed body, i think you’re referring to Marie Prevost? Or the great Nick Lowe song, misspelled “Marie Provost”?

  91. 1.12.19
    Reese said:

    Congrats on increasing the canine to human ratio in your home. He’s absolutely precious! I mean, that nose alone… Here’s to lots of cuddles and toys everywhere!

  92. 1.13.19
    Kelly said:

    So adorable! Congratulations!

  93. 1.22.19
    Jo said:

    I assume by now he has a name, but if not, I might suggest Freddie (Mercury). Freddie and Michael Jackson sang a song together and the phrase black or white was in it. Ok, Freddie (white)/Michael (black, sort of), the phrase black or white, and, well, I mean, look at the dog’s adorable face! So that’s my two cents.

  94. 5.5.19
    Michelle said:

    For the record, I read that dogs won’t eat your corpse but cats will after about 3 days. Score one for Team Dog!