DOGGIES!!

Today's post may seem like it is coming from left field but hear me out, or I guess in your case... read me out. There is this craze around having a puppy or a doggy recently. I don't know if it is just in Los Angeles or a California thing. But I work in a retail environment and a pet friendly mall. Everyone brings their doggies. It makes me want a doggie. 

On social media all I see are bloggers looking amazing and having a ball with their little furry friend. I want a furry friend to have fun with and talk on walks to encourage me to go out and a be a healthy human being. I can see how people have dogs as therapy dogs or if you are depressed. Because ultimately you have a living breathing thing that solely relies on you fulfilling their every need. Whether that be feeding them, entertaining them, teaching them, giving them love and attention, or taking them out to do their business if you live in a condo or apartment. 

This all sounds amazing, I was so invested and sure that a puppy would make my life better that I roped my husband into it. He did not want a dog because right now he is at home more than I am and he would be the primary care taker of the puppy and we live in a condo so that means taking the puppy our frequently. I had seen all of my favorite bloggers get puppies and then my friends from college started getting puppies of their own. I felt like it became a step of life, like college or marriage. I decided to surprise my husband one day to go see some puppies locally. When torn between two little Shih Tzu puppies that were all white with beautiful green eyes we were in a huge mess. I fell in love with them instantly and wanted to take them home. However, as soon as the owner brought the puppies out my husbands demeanor completely changed. He went from being happy to being in a fiery rage with me for having ambushed him into a puppy. We had a huge quarrel that ended up in tears. I so badly wanted a puppy and selfishly so, meanwhile my husband selfishly didn't want a puppy for several reasons. The first being he didn't want to take care of one, the second being that he felt it would compete with my attention, and as it was I already didn't spend enough time with him he argued. 

I understood and validated his point and clearly we don't have a puppy right now. But this post is not just about how choosing to get a puppy is a big deal and you should consult all parties before making that sort of commitment, but also about society and how at least in my part of this bubble there is pressure to have your life together. And that somehow includes having a doggie. 

Shortly after that entire ordeal, we watched the movie "Boss Baby" which actually had a very eye opening message. If you haven't watched it please do, it is not life changing but it is truly eye opening. At least for me it was. The movies entire message *spoiler alert* is about how doggies are taking the role of babies. The boss baby needs to ensure that humans still want to have babies as well. The entire premise was that the production or consumption of babies was decreasing as the evolution and selective breeding of doggies was changing for the consumer, smaller longer living quieter dogs. This frightened me as I believed it to be true. I never wanted a child nor had the want as I did to have a doggie. I still do, it is still a daily struggle. I constantly see women come into my store with their designer bags and designer dogs that just makes me think that I am doing something wrong to not be where they are. 

Comparison is the biggest robber of happiness and I have learned that the hard way. It is human nature to want to see what someone is doing or where they are in comparison to you. This can become unhealthy and I have got to learn to be content and happy where I am now. I have learned to do this as time has gone on, but it takes time and I do have relapses although momentarily where I wish I could ask my husband for a puppy and that he would jump for joy. 

What do you think? Do you have a furry friend? How did that come about? Let me know all of the details below! Until next week. 

Xoxo, 

Ivon Auriemma