Pet Parenting

I don't have kids. I don't want kids. But I have an adorable 120 pound small shetland pony...er...dog. Baxter has been a huge part of my life for the last six years, and it's hard to imagine my life without him. We've celebrated his birthday, mine, gone to the ocean, across the country, and had other adventures. When we left North Carolina, we left several of his dog friends, and someone he loved a lot. It was really, really hard.

Bax with Le Partner in Crime
on New Years

But all the fun and bonding stuff doesn't mean we're perfect together. The other morning, my car got stuck in the driveway. This was after the night where I was caught driving home in a blizzard, and went off the road twice. Terrifying, but I was okay. So in the morning, I had to move my car so my roommate could get out, and managed to get it stuck. Using Baxter's weight to my advantage, I threw him in the backseat, and began shoveling.

And then he started trying to move to the front seat. I'd tell him to get in back, and then...he stopped listening.

At 6am, I found myself screaming at him because I was so livid I wanted to break someone's neck (namely my landlord's for not having the driveway plowed). Once my car popped into the road (literally), I threw Baxter back inside, apologized for screaming at him and went to work.

I came home about 12ish hours later.

Just before Christmas I was working 16 hour days between two jobs. I've been gone from home a lot. I miss my pup. I know he misses me because when I come home, he doesn't even want to go outside first thing, he just wants to crawl into my lap (because he thinks he's the size of a puppy) and snuggle. It breaks my heart that I'm away from him so much, and makes me feel like a bad pet parent.

Which is why on Christmas, and December 31st 2012, Baxter made the pilgrimage to a friend's house and rang in the holidays. I don't like being without him. I don't like that I'm currently in the library typing this up, and he has to hang out in the car. Pretty much, if you want to be friends and hang out with me, your place needs to be Baxter friendly, k? Thanks :)