The "Joys" Of Pet Motherhood

PD has been my fur daughter for a couple of weeks now and boy, am I having growing pains!

When I was 20-years-old I purchased my first car, a shiny, new red, stick shift. I went with a friend; we knew nothing about negotiating and just said "ok" when told the price. I signed all the paperwork and got ready to take my new car home except there was one small problem: I couldn't drive a stick shift. My friend drove the car off the lot for me and promptly took me to a big parking lot for my first lesson.

After I completed a couple of parking lot turns I was pretty much on my own, with a car payment and a car I couldn't really drive. The car was parked in my mother's driveway and every day I would go out and screech, lurch, and stall my way down the street as I taught myself to drive. It got to the point that I would literally get a headache whenever I looked at that car. I feel much the same energy when I interact with PD.

I haven't owned a dog since I was a teen; I didn't have to do anything but love my dog Floyd. PD must rely on SO and I for everything and that can be an overwhelming responsibility; especially when I am a perfectionist with no patience for the learning curve. I have yet to experience the "joys" of pet motherhood. I want her to be a Perfect Dog, and if she isn't I want to know by osmosis how to extract that behavior from her. I am constantly thinking I'm doing it wrong and that does not feel good at all.