Say hello to what we hope will be the newest member of the Cluth-Myklebust family. Magnus is a two-year-old Chihuahua-something mix (A few folks think he’s a Chiweenie, which prior to Sunday I’d never even heard of) who’s about as cute as it gets. The Chihuahua (and the puppy) in him means he’s got a LOT of energy, and though he’s technically no longer a puppy, you’d ever know it by watching him.
Getting to the point where I was OK with getting a dog was no easy thing for me. It’s not that I don’t love dogs- I really do adore them- but there’s a huge responsibility that goes along with having a dog in your life. As I’ve often said, I love being irresponsible and self-absorbed. Never having had children- by choice- I’m not the sort that easily and willingly takes on long-term responsibilities. Throw in the fact that I wasn’t certain how our two cats would react to a canine interloper, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand my reluctance.
Erin’s spent the last few months wearing me down- and let’s face it; I’m not very good at saying no to her…and I’m pretty OK with that. I’ve wanted a dog- in theory, at least- for quite some time, so putting up a fight wasn’t something I was really prepared to do for any length of time. Then we decided to go ahead and take the plunge….
We met Magnus Saturday afternoon at the Pixie Project, a local animal rescue nonprofit (for whom we’ve previously raised money) in Portland. After spending about 20 minutes with him, we were smitten and decided to take him home on a two-week trial basis. Today marks day three, but I’m guessing he’s going to be with us for the long haul. The cats aren’t being quite so sanguine about Magnus’ presence in their domain, but they’ll come around. The short version is that this is going to be an adjustment for all of us. New routines, new responsibilities, new problems.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a dog, and I’m no dog whisperer. I suspect it will take every bit of two weeks for things to settle out enough for us to know what we’ll need to do over the long haul. None of us are going to adapt overnight, and I repeatedly have to remind myself that the first few days are going to be the most challenging. Perhaps in a few days or weeks the stress level will subside and we’ll all be more or less used to one another. Fred and Sjón will eventually figure out that Magnus is (literally) all bark and no bit and a threat only to himself. Erin and I will adapt to having to be responsible for a pet we just can’t throw food and water out for and know they’ll take care of the rest.
Stay tuned. This ought to be interesting.
