Meet Siam

Meet Siam, the latest addition to our ever-growing furry family.  I don’t know why I get myself into these things.  I never seem to learn.  I knew from the start that this would be another mega commitment for the next couple of months, starting from scratch, the feeding, the disciplining, the vaccinations, the grooming, the everything else that comes with “parenthood”.  Especially when they’re pups, it takes a LOT of time and effort.  I take my role as my animals’ human VERY seriously, so taking on another baby is truly a full-time job for me.

Strangely though, Siam is a Toy Poodle, hands down, possibly my LEAST favorite dog breed.  Growing up, the 2 breeds I really didn’t care for were the Chihuahua and the Poodle.  And what should I end up with as an adult?  A Chihuahua and a Poodle.  My past dogs were the bigger breeds: I’ve had a Dalmatian, a Labrador Retriever, and 2 Beagles.  I’ve always found poodles to be a little freakish, even outside of the clownish clips they usually have, I never really found a liking to the breed.  But like I always say, I never choose a companion animal based on breed; it’s always about who I make a connection with.  Of course he’s adorable.  But I’ve seen dogs 10 times cuter, but I wasn’t gripped to take care of them like I felt with my 3 dogs.  The moment I looked into those sad eyes of his, I knew I was in trouble.  I’m an experienced dog owner.  I won’t be fooled by the goo-goo eyes, and the licking of the chin, and the falling asleep in your arms…these are all tricks of the trade these smarter-than-you-think puppies employ to have you eating out of their paws.  They so know how to hook humans.  I know for a fact, out of many experiences, that once you get them home, they start to unleash their puppy hell.  They cry and chew and pee and bite and pounce and chase and drool and tear everything they see into shreds.

And true enough, within an hour of bringing Siam home, he was already crying at full shrill volume, shrieking with all the power his little lungs could bellow, and I had to channel my inner Cesar Millan, and tried as much as I could muster to be calm-assertive (I was more like frustrated-hysterical).

Turns out, little Siam is feistier than Cairo or Nairobi were when they were puppies.  I’m drained, spent and exhausted.  Looks like I need to be really firm with this one, or else I’ll have an unmanageable hellion on my hands.  But you know what, once I put my foot down and disciplined him, it worked.  Like a charm.  It’s been almost an hour now since I got him to shut his whining, and he seems surrendered to the idea of his new home.  I really just had to assert my alpha dog position in our pack, or else they’ll dominate me every chance they get.  So let’s see if I bit more than I can chew.  But it’s not like I have a choice.  When I commit to an animal, I follow through, no matter how difficult they turn out to be.  I’ve had happy endings.  Aras, our rescued domestic cat was quite a spitfire; you could hardly handle him without getting scratched.  But now, he’s the most malambing cat you’ll ever see.  So I’m up to the challenge of raising my little Siam, it’s not hard to fall in love with him.  It’s not just that teddy bear face of his, it’s that little dog “soul” of his that’s beaming through.  And for better or for worse, we’re in each other’s lives now.  Welcome Siam!  We love you already.