Puppy Love

by Alysa Sullivan, March 29, 2007

Spring is in the air! The birds are chirping, the onion grass is growing and the mud is ubiqitious. The age old adage tells us that a young man's thoughts turn to love. Well, the thoughts of this mother of two turned to puppy love.

I was having dinner at The GILDED OTTER (3 Main Street, New Paltz) last week (KIDS EAT FREE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS-- GOOD TO KNOW!!) with a friend. Chatting about summer plans, bemoaning the demise of the Willaims Lake Club (Rosendale, NY) my pal breaks her great good news. She is getting another dog, a companion for her delicious 1 year old Labradoodle (1/2 Lab, 1/2 Poodle)! She tells me she is going on Saturday to pick the little one up. "Oh and yes, there are some unspoken for pups Alysa, sweet little labradoodles, they don't shed!!!!!" It was as if she just gave me the line on a new shoe store in the Valley. I became obsessed with thoughts of a new puppy.

Now, let's back up for a second, so that I can tell you that I already have, in addition to the two kids under eight year of age, two dogs. And they are large dogs, one is 80 lbs and the other in the 60 lb range. I know that I need another dog like the proverbial hole in the head. But, I am transfixed. Nay, obsessed.

Even though I played it cool at dinner, by the next day I am calling my friend "Call the breeder and make sure there are puppies left". "Call the breeder and make sure there are females left!" "Check that they are black, because my other dogs are black and I need to complete the matching set"I wait for her to call back. The day drags on. I am now reduced to the love sick teenager waiting for the Captain of the LaCrosse team to call (I hate football).

The news comes down, there are two pups left, one is a black female. Uh oh. I am that much closer to really and truly having three dogs.What is wrong with me? But, Saturday AM comes around and there I am following my friend to the puppy house. And yes, of course it was love at first sight and of course I can handle three dogs, I am a mother of two after all. What can a puppy do that a colically baby can't? Bring it on!!

So, now we are almost a week in to life with three dogs. The three have worked out their pack, and every one is settling in to their new roles. I can hang with getting up a few times a night to take her out of her crate. Sleep deprived? Oh this is nothing. Oddly enough it is my four year who is having a hard time adjusting to the new order of the house. At least this puppy will grow up faster than a baby sister would and while it will try to steal her toys, it will never want to wear her clothes.

The pet food scare of the last food weeks has frightened many pet owners. But I follow the same rules for my pets as I do for my family. If I don't want nasty antibiotics and preservatives in my food, why would I turn around and give it to Fifi? In fact, because of the food scare, my favorite dog food has been scarcer because it was not on the list of potentially tainted foods. MERRICK produces both cat and dog food using human grade ingredients, organic chicken, freeze dried fruits and vegetables with no artifical colors, flavors or preservatives.
With choices like Cowboy Cookout, Turducken and Grammy's Pot Pie, what dog wouldn't be devoted to you?

The company will not sell their food in national chains so as to maintain quality control, but lucky for us it is available at AGWAY OF NEW PALTZ (145 Route 32N) $26.99 for a 15 lb bag $1.99 for large cans

Grass-Fed and Organic Meats (307 Wall Street, 338-mooo) sells, in addition to their superb meats for your dinner table, both raw dog food and wonderful bones for your pup to gnaw on. The raw dog food is $2.30 lb


While in Uptown Kingston, head across the street to PAWPRINTS AND WHISKERS (292 Wall Street) for some of their incredible edible dog treats from the DOGGIE DELIGHT BAKERY AND CAFE. Handmade from wholesome ingredients, indulge your faithful companion with a canine naopleon or carob coated biscuits ($.50 each)