NewlyNested: Tango and Cash – The Dog Version [FaN Favorites]

.

a favorite blogumn by Debra Goykhman

Debra Says: I chose this piece because it still accurately describes what my nest really looks like.  I also think people need to become aware that adopting an animal is a wonderful and necessary mitzvah.  Many people (including my husband at the time of adoption) think shelter dogs are just problem dogs, but even though mine are “double trouble” they are still full of love and sweetness.

From March 3, 2009

Tango and Cash aka “Double Trouble” entered my life just a few weeks ago. The handsome duo are two medium size white and tan terrier mixes that my husband and I adopted from our local Humane Society. We were warned that it would take a few weeks for the two to adjust to their new home, but after the first night they were settled.

The person who needed the most adjusting was me.

I had no idea that within a few days I’d be calling Tango and Cash my babies and really mean that they were my little boys. I also didn’t expect to be so exhausted at the end of the day. I felt like a new mother who no longer had the time to always brush my hair, coordinate my clothing and apply make up in the morning. The biggest adjustment was learning how to be more of an authority figure.

My husband had become addicted to The Dog Whisper and decided to follow all of Cesar Millan’s ways. Within a few days he had our dogs sitting on command, walking by his side, and staying where he told them. I was having a different experience with them. When I walk them in the morning I find myself trying to root myself to the ground and hoping that they won’t pull so hard that I end up getting blisters on the bottom of my feet. When I take them to the dog park alone they won’t always return to me when I call and when they do I usually end up with mud and saliva all over my clothes.

Yet, dogs have a great deal of love and fulfillment to offer the right owner. How many times does your spouse jump up for joy when you walk in the room? Mine stopped doing that once we got married. I am happy to know that my dogs now get to live their “dog days,” lying on the couch instead of in a shelter or an abusive home. Because of that, my “Double Trouble” is worth all the change it takes to have them in my life.