Can you keep a secret? (Patreon)

First of all: no, I’m not pregnant. And not currently working towards it either, for that matter. I want to go to space before having babies, or at least that’s my plan. Because if there's two things known to always go to plan, it’s spaceflight and fertility. 

So... can you keep my secret?

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Yes?

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Secret handshake/mysterious wink/pinky-promise?

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Ok here we go: 

I FINALLY GOT A DOG! A REAL-LIFE ANKLE-BITING POOPING-ON-THE-FLOOR ABSOLUTELY AMAZING DOG.

Sorry if you thought I had copies of Trump’s tax returns or knew Kim Jong Un’s whereabouts. I know me adopting a dog might not be very important to the world. But it is absolutely huge for me. And only a secret for now because it's more fun that way.

If you’ve been here a while, you know that I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. I love dogs. I absolutely love training dogs. Agility videos make me ugly cry. I give every dog-owner friend I have unsolicited advice and have very strong opinions about everything from breeds to training styles. 

When the quarantine started, I fostered a dog named Melba* for a bit. She was great, but big and high-energy. And as much as I love bigger dogs, I’ve had to come to terms with that I can provide a much better home for a smaller one. I was planning on adopting a senior, or at least an adult dog. They are calmer, and have set into their personalities so I could make sure that they would be a good fit for the life that I can provide.

*Melba just got adopted the other day btw!! So stoked for her!

I was constantly saying “absolutely never ever a puppy.” I’ve raised puppies before, and it is so much work. Like full-time job amounts of work. But then I got a call from the SFSPCA. They had a 16 week female puppy with a heart-shaped nose that had lost one of her legs in an accident. I didn’t have any plans for the day, so I hopped in Truckla and went to see her. It took about five minutes until I was a pile on the floor. Like a sand castle in a rain storm. 

She was just the sweetest little creature and everything I had been looking for in a dog. Happy, confident, willing to work for treats and ready for adventure. A perfect bring-everywhere travel buddy. So I slowly gathered up all my plans and put them into the brain shredder. Because maybe we don’t choose our dogs after all. Maybe they choose us.

It has been nine days since she got here. And it has been an absolute rollercoaster. So much pee. So much poop. And plenty of “what have I done” moments. I have 21 tiny puppy teeth wounds on my right hand alone. But she is so amazing. I adore her, every little freckle on her belly, and I'm so grateful that in this world of possibilities we somehow found each other. 

She loves cheese, playing with leaves and chasing her tail. She moves around like a champ and does three-legged burnouts that would make professional drifters jealous. She sleeps wrapped around my neck and comes running when she needs me to scratch her right ear for her. She absolutely loves to learn new things with the clicker, and I think she might be the most intelligent dog I’ve ever had. So far she's learned sit, down, drop it, wait and wave.

I was in the middle of filming a build when I went to the SFSPCA, but I've decided to make my next video about her instead. Mostly because it means that I can spend another month getting her adjusted to the workshop before having to jump into a build. 

Honestly, I’ve been a bit hesitant to talk about her publicly. There’s just something that rubs me the wrong way about the whole clicks-for-cuteness thing and YouTubers making their pets a part of their brands. I just don’t want to feel like I’m exploiting her, or that I have her for the wrong reasons. But also GIVE US ALL YOUR PET COMPANY SPONSORSHIPS ALL I WANT IS TO SPEND TIME WITH HER AND IF THAT IS WHAT IT TAKES THEN SO BE IT

I need your help! 

Here’s the thing: I still don’t have a name for her! I had always imagined that I would have a workshop dog named Scraps, but I’m worried that it would seem like I’m mocking her disability. I’ve cycled through names like Sparks, Trotla, Freckles, Rivet and Fern but nothing seems to stick. So give me your best name suggestions! We are all ears. And puppy teeth.

XOXO
Simone and Still Untitled Puppy