SAHDM

Solei enjoying some downtown with us outside

I fell victim to corporate downsizing this summer. After receiving the news, I decided to take some time off before jumping into my next job. It was the perfect time to take a "career pause;" summer in Minnesota (helloooo, no better time of a year to get a severance package)! I was also burnt out, wanted some time for myself, and an added bonus, I could spend more time with my two "kids;" Schnoodles Luna (9) and Solei (8).

Stay-at-Home Dog Mom (SAHDM) is not a long-term career aspiration, but I jumped into my new role with gusto.With all my new found time I planned to paint, cook, clean, decorate, garden, read, write, lunch, cocktail, swim, dance, lose ten pounds, learn a new language, and find myself. I dreamt of recovering from all this work with idyllic afternoons sipping margaritas on the porch, reading Saveur magazine or a beachy novel- the dogs snoozing by my side. Apparently I forgot one major factor; my dogs are special.

Yes, everyone thinks their dogs are special, and they are all special for different reasons. Luna and Solei's expertise; commanding attention. They are attention commanding geniuses. I knew this before my "sabbatical," but I thought maybe their desire to command attention was related to our being at work all day. I actually convinced myself the dogs wanted to spend every evening hanging on our every move to make up for all the hours it took us to put a roof over their heads and food in their bowls during the day. Anyone who has a "special" dog knows this notion is insane, and here are our stories.