Pippo The Puppy

On Saturday March 23rd, 2019, Simone and I left the house with every intention of our day being like any other. I grew up in a house where Saturdays were work days. So, I left the house with a long list of things to do. We ran a few errands and at one point we started to approach the puppy store. Simone suggested we go in and just look. Now this is something that we actually do quite often. Puppies just seem to make things better and it has always been fun to go in and look together. We hold the puppies, take pictures and then leave. So, I agreed and we went in.

The store was crazy busy and there were definitely more people there than normal. We took our time loving on the different puppies. There was one puppy in particular that seemed to just LOVE Simone! It was a little teddy bear puppy. He was a white/tan color and super excited and just followed Simone everywhere he went. We had a five minute conversation on whether or not we should get him. We asked for the price, saw how much he was and said, "we'll think about it," and then left! Ha Ha He just was way to expensive and in that moment it just didn't feel right.

We continued our errands and as we were browsing around one particular store, we kept bringing up the puppy. I kept saying, "Should we really get a puppy?" and Simone would say, "It would be so fun to have a puppy." We sounded like broken records, saying the same lines over and over again. Then at one point, I just looked at Simone and said, "If we can't have a baby, then we might as well have a puppy." At that point I just lost it and had an emotional breakdown in the middle of the store. Simone just held me as cried.

When Simone and I were dating and engaged we both talked about kids and when we wanted to have them. Simone loves kids, and was excited to have some 'soon.' My entire life, I had never wanted to have kids after I was 30. So we both knew going into marriage that we didn't want to wait very long to start trying. I had the mindset that it would be easy for me to get pregnant. I thought I would be similar to my mom who never had any troubles and no miscarriages. It was just easy for her. This however, just hasn't been the case for us.

Someday I would like to write in more detail about our fertility journey, but for now I will just say that it has been a very emotionally draining experience for me. It is something that has been weighing on my heart heavily and has affected my mental health in ways I didn't know were even possible. As we stood in that store crying, I knew instantly that we were going to go back and get the puppy.

We bought our things, and headed back over to The Puppy Store. As we drove back over I felt nervous and excited all at the same time. I kept thinking of all the reasons we shouldn't have a puppy, but in my heart I just wanted something little to hold so bad. I talked myself into it being a good idea for us by the time we walked in. As we went to the corner of the store where our teddy bear puppy was, we realized he was gone! The salesman came back to us and told us that someone had bought him just before we'd gotten there! My heart was so disappointed and I told myself it was a sign that we shouldn't get one.

Then Simone said, well actually...."This little Yorkie is the one I originally liked." He said it was the Yorkie that had drawn him to that case in the first place but that the teddy bear was just so crazy excited it took away his attention. We stood there watching the little Yorkie Terrier. He was cute and calm and just seemed super sweet. We stood there talking about it for maybe 30 minutes. We finally asked if we could hold him. This puppy was in a special case with all the younger puppies. They were pretty strict on who was allowed to hold them. They wouldn't even bring him out of the case into the main store, and instead asked us if we would come to the back to see him. They took him out and instantly he snuggled right up into me. In that moment I just felt like he instantly loved me. He was different than the other puppies I had held that day. It was like he was meant to be mine. Simone took a turn holding him and he instantly cuddled up with him as well. We sat on the floor and played with him for a little bit, and that was it. We were sold, and said we wanted him.

I know there are many people who are anti puppy store, and I get it. I am a big fan of shelters, and rescuing dogs. I would recommend that direction to everyone looking for a dog, but in the moment this was what felt right for our family. I was adamant about finding out where the puppies had come from. They assured me that they were not from "puppy mills" and were able to show us exactly which breeders they had bought him from. They even had rescue dogs in their shop. Seeing this info really helped me to feel better about our decision to buy a puppy from the puppy store.

We filled out a bunch of paperwork and went over some basic info while they got him ready to come home with us. They brought him out with a big blue bow. Simone was grinning from ear to ear. He was just so happy! Simone knew right away what he wanted to name the puppy. He wanted to name him Pippo. Growing up Simone never had a dog. But they did have 3 cats. The first cat's name was Pippo. When Pippo that cat died, Simone came home to a new cat named...you guessed it, Pippo! Ha Ha Then after that cat passed on, they named the 3rd cat Pippo. This name was passed from one pet to another. So, with much excitement, Simone named our new puppy Pippo. He was so excited to name our little puppy. Just as a little side note: Pippo is actually the name they use in Italy for the Disney character Goofy. Our little Goofy, Pippo. We really love him so much.

We left the store and went straight to PetCo and Walmart to buy our little guy some essentials. Because this whole experience was so unplanned and totally spontaneous we were not prepared. I have heard stories from friends who get to adopt little newborns. They get a call and within a few hours they pick up their precious bundle of joy. Most of them were totally unprepared to bring home a baby. I know that a puppy is not a baby, but I compare it to this situation. Totally overwhelmed and so happy all at the same time.

Pippo has been such a challenge and such an adjustment for us, but neither Simone or I would change a thing. We can feel how much Pippo loves us and it brings us so much joy. It's fun watching Simone play with Pippo. He is so happy to play with him, never complains about needing to take him out in the middle of the night, and is just super patient with our new and sometimes restless puppy. I know a puppy will never replace a baby in our lives, but for us it has filled a hole. I love seeing this new side of us as a couple. The way we work together, taking turns on potty duty, or food duty, or play time. I feel like Pippo has brought us together more than I could have ever known. We really love Pippo so much and are so happy to have him as a member of our little family.

P.S. Leave us a message with all your puppy tips and tricks. We will take all the advice that we can get!