My daughter got married last summer. I would have written a column about it, but after selling my extra kidney on the Chinese black market to pay for the nuptials, I didn’t have any money left for ink. For the purposes of this column I will refer to my daughter as “Zoe” and her husband as “Will,” because their names happen to be Zoe and Will. But I digress. My newly impoverished state is not what this is about. This is about what the parents of every young bride hope and pray will come next. This is about the special gift that will fulfill their purpose in life. I am referring, of course, to a minimum of five to ten years of ABSOLUTELY NO BABIES! ZERO! This is why my wife and I were thrilled to learn that we were the proud new grandparents, to their new dog – our “granddog.”

If anything can snap a starry-eyed couple back to the reality of caring for a newborn, it’s a puppy. As everyone knows, having a puppy is exactly like having a baby, that is, if you could lock your baby in the garage for two or three hours while you went out to dinner. In other words, the stark reality of caring for a demanding puppy is the most effective form of birth control.

Our granddog is a one-year old mongrel named Milo. They “adopted” Milo from a humane society. My daughter is pretty sure that his first owner was homeless. This is because every time Milo spots a homeless person he makes a b-line for them. Milo LOVES homeless people. That, and he loves to dig through garbage.

If he was once homeless, Milo has hit the jackpot. As my loyal readers know, I grew up in Alsea. Years ago, one of my daughters asked me after visiting the orthodontist, “Dad, did you have braces?” My answer, “Zoe, kids from Alsea don’t get braces.” In fact, we were lucky to get a couple of off-brand jeans at the beginning of the school year. Milo’s life is now like that prostitute from Pretty Woman after Richard Gere took her on that shopping spree on Rodeo Drive. His wardrobe is enormous. No off-brand attire for Milo. Only the finest tweed coats and breathable rainwear.

Here is Milo sporting something stylish and catching some Z’s after an exhausting day of being spoiled –

As the old song goes, “Zoe and Will, kissing in the tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Milo in the doggy carriage.” Welcome to the family Milo!

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