This past week, I babysat my friend Tyler’s dog Mochi—a seven pound white Maltese with separation anxiety and a spoiled palate. Maybe for some people, looking after this dog would be a privilege, but for me it was a steep learning curve. My feelings towards dogs are indifferent at best (I am very much a cat person), and I will admit I was mostly hoping Mochi would regard me with this same indifference. I was very, very wrong. Without Tyler at her side, I became her stand in owner. I wondered if this was what motherhood was. Giving her meals, walks, and constant attention is probably something dog owners are very used to and happy to do, but I really felt like a teen mom for those first few days. As someone who doesn’t enjoy extra responsibility, I know I sound overdramatic for the amount of actual “work” that I had to do, and Mochi really is a pretty cute dog. However, I will say that through my short dog sitting career, I gained a newfound respect for pet owners that I did not have before. I’d like to share some lessons that I learned for myself throughout this process which I also think could easily be applied to a small toddler.
1. Bribery is important: Mochi does not understand English or Korean and there is no point in trying to verbally explain to her why exactly I need to leave the room for five minutes and that I’ll be back shortly, or why she can’t have my pizza rolls. Just keep her occupied with a treat instead of a lengthy discussion on personal space.
2. It’s not her fault she’s stinky: It is inevitable for an animal to play outside, and I cannot expect her to wash her own paws afterwards with soap and water. Sometimes food gets on the floor, and I can’t blame Mochi for not developing opposable thumbs to pick it up. Just be grateful that she hasn’t thrown up yet.
3. Do not ignore that sinking feeling in your gut when you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Do not close your eyes and fall back asleep thinking it was nothing. It was not nothing, it was a premonition: Denying a dog the pampered treatment that it feels is its right has consequences. If it wants to sleep on the bed, let it sleep on the bed—the only other alternative is Mochi peeing on your carpet as an act of direct retaliation. Sometimes you have to concede the smaller battles for the sake of your room not smelling like dog pee and the vinegar that you soak the carpet in to get the stains out. (Any advice on getting pee stains out of the dorm floor would be much appreciated.)
4. Go big or go home: No amount of affection, treats, or pets will ever be enough to satisfy a creature like this. At no point does a dog ever grow tired of getting attention because it runs on some kind of secret renewable energy source that has scientists scratching their heads. My warning to all potential parents out there? This is not a once-and-done kind of deal where you can entertain the creature for as long as you feel like and go right back to reading your book or scrolling through Twitter. It is truly a lifelong—or in my case, a full seven days—commitment.
I think that my close brush with motherhood has left me changed—and maybe even for the better. For example, my ears are now strangely attuned to the sound of a very specific kind of bark that Mochi lets out when she wants a refill of water in her bowl (from the filter, of course, not the sink). It made me reflect on the value of time, like the amount of time I’m allowed to leave the room without Mochi starting to bark. Overall, I have realized just how difficult it is to look after an animal that is completely dependent on me for its survival. I know that Mochi wouldn’t last even an hour out in the wilderness alone, which is a terrifying thought. Tyler always says that a hawk could easily snatch her up from the grass, and I couldn’t agree more. I think these are some of the things that make parenthood so hard—the oscillation between being afraid for someone’s life in between every other breath and also fighting the annoyance when they start digging through your trash in the middle of the night. So shout out to parents of pets and children everywhere; you are all very brave and responsible for taking on this work. And a word of warning to those on the fence about potentially becoming a pet owner: if you’re in doubt, don’t do it. This is both for your sake and the pet’s.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.