Portrait of a Good Boy: Axel’s First Year

I got a puppy in November of 2021. While I’ve raised six other puppies over the past 30 years (including a basset hound, two golden retrievers, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and two Maltese/bichons), I hadn’t had a dog for nearly a decade. His name is Axel. Today is his birthday.

Like everyone (except my mom), I had been thinking about getting a dog during the Pandemic, and due to my allergies thought it would be best if it didn’t shed. Having had both male and female dogs, I’ve found I prefer males. Having had both large and small dogs, I’ve found I prefer big dogs. I’ve entered my senior years and am not exactly wiry or spry so a medium-sized dog seemed like a better idea. I began looking online for medium-sized, nonshedding dogs and had settled on finding a medium Bernedoodle puppy. I found Mayson, a puppy in Montana. Even as I was skeptical that this was a legitimate operation, I ventured so far as to interact with the breeder about having Mayson sent to me via airplane. It ultimately seemed sketchy and I abandoned that plan.

Then I got my hair colored by Cheryl and went in an entirely different direction.

Also getting her hair done that afternoon was Wendy, who proceeded to tell Cheryl that she and her daughter, Maggie, would be flying to Tennessee in a few days to pick up a puppy for Maggie. I was reading People magazine under a dryer at that point, so didn’t really listen very closely. When Cheryl was done with Wendy’s haircut I inquired about the breed of dog they were getting. Dakota Sport Retriever, she said, which I’d never heard of. It’s a mixed breed, she explained, golden retriever and cocker spaniel, so it’s a medium-sized dog. Hmmmm. Intriguing. She told me her Dakota Sport Retriever doesn’t shed. Excellent.

I asked if there were additional puppies for sale.

“There are puppies from various litters available.”

“If I found a puppy I want, would you be willing to bring it back with you when you are in Tennessee?”

Yes, she said. Their plan was to rent a car and drive home, and she thought there would be room in their kennel for a second puppy. At this point, Wendy is my new favorite person.

All in all, though, Axel is a good dog.

Our manner of play has evolved through the seasons. When he was itty bitty and the weather was bitterly cold for months on end, we devised a good game with tennis balls. Since he wasn’t quite grasping the idea that he needed to let go in order for the game of Fetch to continue, I’d have two other balls in reserve so they were flying every which way and he’d go after them, one after the other. He particularly enjoyed it when I started throwing them up the stairs. When I first threw the ball outside in warmer weather, he headed back to the front door with it in his mouth, clearly trying to take the game back inside where it belonged. Duh. Humans.

Axel’s best friend, Jack, lives across the street. He howls if he sees Axel outside. Jack was born the day before Axel, so they are perfectly matched playmates. Also beloved are the neighbors across the street (with the frightening fire pit), Laura, Andy & Caleb, and their dog, Blue, who let him out and walk him while I’m at work. Nick, his counselor at Good Boy Camp, where he spent two weeks in May, also figures large in Axel’s gallery of Favorites.

But with Axel in the house, I’ve ventured outside much more (except when it was frigidly cold). Among the things I’ve realized in the months since I brought him home is how having a dog for a roommate alters how I view the world around me. My goal is to make sure he has 60 minutes of solid exercise per day, and without a fenced-in back yard, we go for long walks. Pausing to sniff along the way, as one does, causes me to cast my gaze more around me. To let my eyes linger longer. We’ve walked in wind, rain, and snow, and the hiking boots I bought a few years ago have finally gotten some wear.

He provides me with humor, exercise, companionship, and affection. I see great things down the road for us — exploring Minnesota state parks, taking road trips and maybe pursuing therapy dog certification. Although we have only begun our journey together, I have already contemplated how hard it will be, one day, when I have to let him go. Just like it was six other times, with Loafer, Gunnar, Bo, Bella, Tibor, and Pippi.