Meet Stan the Mann!


If you follow my personal Facebook account, then you'll know, we got ourselves a Pandemic Puppy in August. 

That's right, I finally broke down and adopted a dog. I know Adolpha's first word was "Dada" but I'm pretty sure her second word was "puppy." For over ten years Adolpha has asked us every day if we could get a dog. 

I didn't want a dog because I had enough to take care of and I knew that no matter what anyone said or promised, I'd be the one responsible for the dog. 

But once we were in the throes of the pandemic with no end (still) in sight, I decided that maybe we all needed a little furry friend to make us feel better. Every day we'd send links to one another advertising different dogs that were available for adoption. We argued over the pros and cons of big dogs vs. little dogs. Puppies vs. older dogs. We made lists of potential names for our non-existent dog. 

Finally, after several weeks of planning, we found the perfect dog and name: Stanley.

We're all big fans of The Office and Stanley is our favorite character so it made sense to name him Stanley. 


When Stan's adoption day rolled around, we wore masks and sat in our minivan while we waited for him to return from his surgery (snip, snip). Finally, after two hours of waiting, a masked volunteer dropped a sleepy puppy in Gomer's lap and we were told, "Good luck!" 

I didn't know what to do with a dog. Neither the Hubs nor I had a dog growing up and we didn't have any sort of "dog-ternal instinct" that would kick in. So, I ordered a bunch of books and started reading. I've read more about raising dogs than I have about raising kids! Luckily, Stan is super smart and he's made it quite easy for me.

We've had Stan for several months now and he's officially part of the family. So, must a part of the family, he got his own Instagram account. If you're not working on social media, you can't be in this family!


When we got Stan the kids were out of school and everyone could help take a turn watching him, playing with him, feeding him, walking him, pooping him, all of it. But within a few weeks school started and the state was like, "Ma'am, your kids need to be learning shit, not taking care of the dog so you can fart around on Facebook." 




So, guess who is Stan's BFF? 

It's not terrible, though. He gives warm hugs and is always happy to see me, which is more than I can say for the rest of my family. I finally get why people like dogs so much!

OH! I forgot, here's the FAQ everyone always wants to know about Stan. 

What kind of dog is he? We don't know. Because he's a rescue, we weren't given a lot of info except he's a "Retriever mix." There are days he looks like he's got some beagle in there or some boxer. 

Those paws are big! How much does he weigh? He's finally growing into his big paws. Last month at the vet he weighed just over 30 pounds. The vet has guesstimated he'll be 70 pounds. 


As I said, I don't have a lot of instinct when it comes to raising dogs, so give me your best bit of advice please! Follow Stan so you can take in all of his cuteness! 

And if you order a signed copy of any of my books, you can be assured that Stan helped me stuff the envelope. Act now and receive a slightly-chewed bookmark for FREE!!

 

7 comments:

DeannaJos said...

Good luck! I have never wanted a big dog, a dog that sheds, or that a dog that the kids were not going to take care of. I am the proud mother of a 115#, german shepherd/boxer mix that drops enough hair to build another dog on a daily basis BUT she is my baby. She goes almost everywhere with me and waits on my agenda to determine her next move. (She won't go to bed until I say "I'm going to bed"). She even has her own car! My kids have accused me of loving her more than them and of course, they are wrong (are they, though?). I was in your boat 6 years ago and would not trade the past 6 years for anything. Love him, become his buddy and let him do all the things you said you would never let him because NOTHING nor NO ONE will love you like your dog.

Becky Lundgren said...

The pandemic will have some effect on you and Stan.
Two items that might be useful are The Importance Of Socializing https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8941891 and Teach Puppies Before Training Them https://www.vin.com/vetzinsight/default.aspx?pId=756&id=9173281
There are more articles at VetzInsight and Veterinary Partner.
You're going to enjoy having Stan! ;-)

Garrett J said...

We are getting ready to do the same thing. I wanted a pig but was told no even though they are smarter than dogs and use a litter box. But I will settle for a dog for now. My girlfriend said we could talk about a pig when I am 80. I think by then she is just thinking of an easy way to get rid of my body. :<) Good luck with Stan he is adorable.

Michelle said...

You can get his DNA tested, believe it or not!!! We used Wisdom Panel and found out our rescue dog was 25% Boxer, 25% Border Collie, 12.5% German Shepard and a few other breeds. It was pretty interesting and not too expensive. Enjoy your fur baby- he's adorable!!!

Unknown said...

You're going to meet so many dog obsessed people. Like seriously, they love their pet more than their children, family, and would literally mortgage their house if their dog needed life saving surgery. My parents are those people. Hell, I used to be that person but now I have two small children and I understand why people like cats now. Good luck, he is pretty cute

Middle-aged runner said...

Just a quick question: does Stanley have a green octopus comfort stuffed toy? Does he wrestle with it or something?

Mike said...

a dog like this you have to feed every day - homer simpson

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