2020 Vision

I've started this post over and over, mainly because I was never quite sure if I was going to continue with my blog this year.  I've had it since mid-2011, which is a feat in and of itself, but I've been posting less and less in here with 2018 having a record low of three entries.  Why?  Well, 2018 was a terrible year for me, and I just couldn't make myself care enough to write here.  But now that 2020 has arrived and January is creeping along - very - slowly, I've decided to keep on truckin'.

Mainly because I want to talk about my puppy.

That's right, people.  Everyone who's reading this already likely knows the biggest news to hit news stands: Ashlee and Theo are getting a puppy!  He is a golden retriever (an "English Cream," which just means his fur is super light) and, as I write this, he is six weeks old.  We are set to pick which puppy in the litter of eight will be ours on January 25 and we will bring him home a week later on February 1.  I've spent the past several months preparing, and now it's almost time!  Our lovely boy's name?  Draco!

We're as prepared as we can possibly be: we've got his crate, toys, brushes, toothbrush and toothpaste, toys, shampoo, carpet cleaner, blankets, toys, food, treats, and did I mention toys?  We'll also be employing clicker/positive reinforcement training, which I learned about from dog trainer Zak George and his books and YouTube videos, in order to have the best behaved boy possible.

There may be some who wonder why we're purchasing our puppy from a breeder instead of adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue.  Why a golden retriever, you may ask?  Well, the short answer is to protect our three guinea pigs by having a dog with a low prey drive.  But golden retriever rescues exist, you say.  Yes, that's true, but we don't know what's in those dogs' pasts.  We explored that option and saw that a lot of those dogs need to be in a "one pet only" household, or only come in bonded pairs.  We need to raise our puppy around our guinea pigs to ensure the safest interactions possible, though said interactions will be minimal.  We're not looking to have the picture perfect Instagram pets where our dog cuddles with our guinea pigs, and it's all idyllic.  We just want our guinea pigs to be safe.  Though I don't owe anyone explanations, I do want to insist that it's never been about just wanting a golden retriever puppy, so we run to the nearest breeder.  Getting Draco has not been a spur-of-the-moment decision, a Christmas gift, or anything like that.  We've done a lot of research and decided this was the best avenue for us to pursue.  However, we've also decided that our next dog (we're considering the possibility of having two at once several years down the road) will most definitely be a rescue, as our guinea pigs will no longer be in the picture.  (They'll have gone to their permanent vacation home in Norway by that point, you know.)

Another thing people might wonder is if we're getting a dog to "prepare" us to have children.  Theo and I have been married for over two years, so you might wonder when the baby making wheels will start turning.  Well, those wheels are firmly stuck at the moment, as I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which essentially means that becoming pregnant is very difficult.  I've contemplated making a post about this, but basically, we've been trying to get pregnant since we got married with no luck.  We still want children, but that's a desire that's separate from getting Draco.  I'm not looking for pity or advice.  We've seen a fertility specialist.  Adoption is a possibility.  But we're also still young.  We've got time.  If we were to find out we were pregnant tomorrow, nothing would change.  We'd just be pregnant while raising a puppy, and we'd have an unruly teenager dog and three guinea pigs at the same time as a newborn.  No big.  The point is, if we did suddenly become pregnant, it wouldn't affect our pets.

So, yeah, there's that.

In other news, I just bought my seventh pair of Converse, which is extremely exciting.  Note to self: hide them from Draco.

2020 is promising to be a great year.  It'll be filled with a trip down to Florida, a trip up to Ohio for a metal music festival (METALLICA AND EVANESCENCE WHAT), trips to Missouri for my beloved Kat's wedding, hopefully another round at the Titanic Conference in Pigeon Forge, possibly a trip up to Wisconsin to see my beloved Lauren, aaand who knows what else!  Lots of puppy poop.  Maybe we'll get pregnant.  Maybe we won't.  Right now, I'm content to just wait and see.