Step 7: Shadow

I love any dog named Shadow because of my very first puppy.

Ok, not a puppy in this picture, but her and I did grow up together, and she was the best dog that I ever had. I actually named her Shadow (well, technically I guess Santa named her Shadow) because of my favorite movie when I was five years old - Homeward Bound. There was an awesome old golden retriever who's name was Shadow, and I really wanted my own Shadow because of that movie.

Now, I didn't get a golden retriever, but that turned out alright because let's be honest - it makes more sense to name a black animal Shadow than it does a golden animal. BUT I did meet an old golden retriever named Shadow at work the other day, and I felt like my life was complete. If only there had been a pit bull named Chance there too... and somehow a cat named Sassy... :3

Step 6: Love the Names of Dogs

As any dog lover knows (or any animal lover, for that matter), each dog has his or her own unique personality. And let me tell you, working with a bunch of different dogs 30 hours a week, I come across some really interesting characters.

My favorites, though, are the ones with names that I like. And I like each name because it reminds me of someone from my life. Granted... most of those someones are from television shows or movies... but it's still fun to picture them as dogs!!!

For example:

• Every time I called across the room to Jack the golden retriever, I kept catching myself sounding like Jack Frost's little sister from the movie Rise of the Guardians.
• I say Toby's name the same way they say his name in The Great Mouse Detective. Too bad my Toby's a golden retriever and not a basset hound.
•  Max the German Shepard Mix is just as spastic as the boy in Parenthood.
• I keep calling Brunie the German Shepard either Bruno or Brony. She is neither an awesome singer nor a crazed My Little Pony fan-boy.
• I can never play Kingdom Hearts again without picturing Axel as a little corgi with different colored eyes.
• And Kevin. This one's legitly based on one of my friends. Kevin is no longer my roommate's sexy-mexy, but rather a gigantic black Newfoundland.

I can't wait to see how many more friends become dogs. :)

Step 5: Get a Job Working with Dogs

My first day on the job, Maxward the German Shepard was already there by the time I clocked in (at seven in the morning, I might add). And there was diarrhea all over the floor.

I'm not going to lie - my first day working in dog daycare was pretty rough, but it actually had nothing to do with cleaning up after all the dogs (I've got pets of my own, so I'm used to it). It was more that I was anxiously bored.

First off, I'd never done anything like this before. Sure, I've watched wolves, but with the wolves I knew their fights were about dominance and they wouldn't actually hurt one another. And if things did get a little rough, I knew the wolves could handle it. Dogs aren't like that, and I don't know these dogs well enough yet to be able to tell when they're legitimately fighting too hard or getting too worked up and are about to snap at another dog. So I hover.

But there's only so much hovering you can do (intermixed with some pee clean-up here and there) before you get bored. I wanted so badly to turn my attention to something else instead of just standing there and watching everything (because the previous jobs I've had, you didn't just stand there - you were always doing different things), but I was afraid to. And, technically, that's my job to stand there - I watch the room and the dogs and make sure that everything and everyone is friendly and clean.

But that first day I forgot about the best part of working with dogs - I'm working with dogs! I shouldn't just be hovering over them - I should be interacting with them. My second two days went a lot smoother once I adjusted my mindset about the job and started playing with the fuzzy little guys (well, I guess I shouldn't say "little," because there are some huge dogs who come to daycare!). And now me and Maxward are pretty good buds. ;)