When I met Birdie, I was actually known as a cat guy. So much so that I was once asked to leave a date’s apartment because I was “way more into the cat” than her. Despite that damning evidence, I don’t identify as a cat or dog person. The division between those who like animals and those who don’t is much starker in my opinion.
Even though I love both, I wasn’t one of the many who adopted a pet during COVID. There were a few basic needs I had to square away first—where to live, what to work on, how to stretch a dollar. As fate would have it, I ended up with a dog in my life anyways.
It hasn’t all been treats and belly rubs, though. Sure, the early days were great. When I was still a new scent, she was always excited to see me. Fast forward to when I started taking a larger role in her care, and she gave me the “you’re not my real dad” treatment.
I’ll never forget the first time my girlfriend went away overnight, and it was just the two of us. Birdie didn’t eat or go to the bathroom for about 16 hours. I went so far as to carry her outside and place her on a patch of grass and she still looked up at me as if I’d dropped her off in the desert with plans to drive away.
Rather than letting me have the satisfaction of giving her mom a good report, she put her tiny little foot down, and let me know I had to work for it. It was frustrating then, but I get it now. She had to make sure I was going to stick around. That I’d love her even when she insisted on sleeping under the couch instead of on the bed. And I do.
Over time, we’ve come to an understanding, a love and trust. This week, while having the apartment to ourselves again, we’re watching our favorite tv shows and eating at the appointed times. We’re walking the neighborhood and playing her version of fetch where the ball only sometimes gets returned to the the thrower and totally by accident.
I remember thinking about a previous pet that it was the first time I felt truly responsible for something other than myself. With Birdie, I was stepfathered in, but I’ve come to feel the same way. The bumper sticker you always see is “Who rescued who?” but I think we adopted each other.