We adopted a puppy. Her name was Honey. She had a simple back story- Folks at Hong Kong Dog Rescue found her and her 3 sisters and put them up for adoption. The interesting thing about these sisters? They looked too alike to be mongrels. They might be a mix of two pure breeds. Well, we would never know. But every super hero had a dramatised back story. So did Honey and her sisters. 

We decided to adopt a dog because we felt it was the right time for our daughter to experience taking care of a pet. My wife and I grew up with pets. The emotional ride of having a pet was remarkable. It was a condensed version of life. It was a 15 year long trailer of existence. It was a meaningful and necessary episode of life.

We first saw Honey at an “Adoption Day.” She was there with her other sister, Sugar. They were shy. They hid under the table and did not came out to play. While the other puppies were dashing around battling for attention, Sugar and Honey remained cool. 

Perhaps it was their “Oh, kids. 😒” chill that caught my wife’s attention. Yes, my wife has an exquisite taste in spotting cool people, from the people she chose to work with to picking her life long partner, i.e., her husband, me.

Having Honey at home has been wonderful to our children. Our daughter started to understand the weight of her new life, one that included responsibilities that had real consequences- Not paying attention to Honey after a meal? A puddle of pee to clean up. Not being firm with your leash? A mad chase after an excited puppy. Our daughter complained, “I don’t know what I am feeling. I feel I have lost something. I miss something. I want to play with my friends.” 

“Bye bye, childhood.” I murmured.

Our son loved Honey. He screamed at us when we tugged a resistant Honey a tad too hard. He would share his favorite books, toys, and snacks with her. He wanted to hold her leash. He also let her take his spot on the beanbag – something that he would never do for anyone else. 

I am learning more about dogs. I am witnessing the emotional conviction and terrifying divide in the online dog communities: Raw vs no raw? Vaccination or not? 

Because of Honey, I am more convinced that the internet is not designed for us humans. We simply aren’t evolved enough to handle this type of information exchange. Because of Honey, I am more certain that we have already designed our own demise by creating the internet. We have laid the groundworks to the final chapters of humanity. We created a world for AI to win. Oh, I digressed.

Finally, I am learning more about myself. I had new opportunities to witness my anxiety manifesting. I slept poorly nights before we picked her up. I could not stop thinking about what I needed to do. I became agitated. The “oh my god what’s going to happen” jar inside me was constantly spilling over. 

I am struggling to end this post. I wanted to say “thank you” to Honey. At the same time, I am worried and I feel dreadful. I don’t want to be too attached to her. I am trying to figure out what we should do with her today, a Saturday. I wonder if flees have conquered her. What about tape worms?

Yea. I suppose that’s what my daughter is feeling- the mixed feeling of love and nostalgia of a tad more care-free life.