Welcome Home, Charlie Brown

We've had Charlie Brown for two full weeks now.I started writing the second sentence to say something like "he's quickly become the center of the family," and as I was typing, he peed on the floor.That's what having a puppy is like so far. Mid-congratulation, he does something he's not supposed to, and I say "No," and he is sorry for a moment. The hiccups are mostly a reminder that he isn't a supreme being - a notion that without occasional reminders to the contrary, his human-mom and I might be spun up into believing. Something about having a face with enough wrinkles to be mistaken for an ethereal 150 year old wise man must be the connection.Charlie's French Bulldog mouth is an ugly thing, pocked with hundreds of  little bumps that signal eventual whisker growth. It's often clamped on an innocent teddy bear, or octopus, which he tosses about with a blind rage that can be instantly followed by lights-out sleep of the dead. His bunny-hop running veers off to the right after a few steps, possibly because one of his legs hasn't caught up in length to the other. For a creature of only about 11 pounds, his flat-nosed snores rival a grown man's in volume.Having been a cat person since I was a kid, what's surprised me the most in these first few weeks is how human-like Charlie is. My cats have never seemed even slightly similar to people in their instincts or preferences, and that's what I've loved about them. As Neruda wrote, "yo no conozco al gato." Dogs, however, seem to occupy a hybrid realm of human-like social needs mixed with the inherent poop-eating habits of a beast. (He hasn't actually eaten any poop, to my knowledge - but not for lack of trying.)Cats have never listened to me. The first cat I had never once sat on a human lap. The second cat does often, but the notion that he would perform any actions on command is a hilarious fantasy. The dog, however, has learned how to sit, stay and come when his name is called within the first ten weeks of being a dog. He's not listening with a chip on his shoulder, either. After being told what to do, he still loves us enough to lick our faces right off of our heads.Before his arrival, I crammed in as much dog book reading as I could, including "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete. The monks live on some magical dog-raising farm in New York, where they pass all their time training German Shepards. Some of their practical advice doesn't fit with a 9-5er's lifestyle, given that they are monks, but their overall attitude and suggestions have been beneficial in gracefully making Charlie Brown a member of our household. After reading, I think that if I had devoted my life to being a dog-monk, I too could train Charlie to walk by my side without a leash.Charlie stops every few feet during a walk to smell and taste whatever is in his path. He needs the walks, but dislikes the simple decisions that accompany them - when to turn, when to cross, when to go home. The taste of this grass, that grass, that pole and this rock are of much greater importance to him than maintaining any kind of regular route or schedule. He seems to enjoy company without order, not unlike a human kid. Maybe, like with human kids, this will change. Maybe not.It's a strange thing to have an animal capable of listening and understanding - and also blatantly choosing not to listen or understand. When he blankly stares at me while I plead with him to come, or sit, there's a fleeting moment of recognition that I've seen his facial expression used many times before by people during uncomfortable discussions - when I'm saying I need a day off from work, or that I don't want to donate to their fundraiser. The capacity for being perplexed seems to be what puppies and people most commonly share. Cats, on the other hand, never appear to be confused. They are certain everything they touch is a trifle, and every person they know is a servant.When the dog isn't around, I find myself appropriating some of the lessons he's teaching me into my human relationships. I'm more aware now of when someone is slyly telling me what to do. At work, I pause, realize I've been issued a command, and wonder what the dog would do. This awareness of power-relationships was something I never developed while living with a cat. Now that I have a dog, all of my actions are seen through a filter of "what command has prompted this behavior? do I need to listen to this person? ...is it OK to pee here?"Charlie's excitement is easily contagious, he can get his people riled up with a single 'yap yap yap.' But, he's only ten weeks old, and it's our responsibility to usher his enthusiasm for life into adulthood. Apparently, that's a common failure point - after the novelty of puppyhood wears off, many owners lose interest, and dogs end up in shelters.Whether we decide to 'keep' Charlie or not isn't a realistic question. Instead, we are looking for answers to things like 'how do we train him to be the ring bearer at the wedding?' and 'would he like the mountains or the beach better for vacation?'Although he and the cat haven't yet become snuggle buddies, the cat has accepted his existence, and like the humans, he seems to understand that there's a new person in the house (no matter how much he looks like a dog), and he's going to be here... farting, snoring and peeing on the floor... for as long as he wants to be.