He has his first trip to our family vet and gets plenty of attention from the vet nurses, reception staff and visiting clients. His final jab will mean he can safely go to the ‘big dog’ park. This important window of opportunity means that Scooter will get maximum exposure to the wild world. The Puppy Tool Kit that we highlighted in the November issue of Urban Animal has a list of things we have to expose Scooter to. Small children are regularly invited to pat the puppy and Scooter almost sees every passer by as a potential friend. Loud trucks, parking cars, tykes on trikes and everything we can expose him to makes the world a less scary place.

There’s also stuff and situations that he’s met which aren’t mentioned in the manual–the guy in the motorized wheelchair that plays heavy metal, giant prams, crazy people, crazy drunk people, gregarious punks, reticent Emos, a lady who routinely brandishes an umbrella, a man who practices bird calls and middle-aged junkies–Newtown certainly is a colourful place. People sitting in cafes stop us, ask how old, confirm that he’s a Dalmatian, pat him and most mention how cute that giant patch is on his eye. Our fruit shop vendors stop serving people and come outside to meet the little man. The guy from the shoe boutique wants to pat him and pick him up. The couple who run the deli ask me all sorts of questions and so it goes on.

There are a few puppies who frequent the park and Scooter has decided that he has the inner courage to go forth and play. Although younger than all the other puppies (most are around 4-5 months), Scooter is evenly sized to the Japanese Spitz, the cattle X, and larger than the Schnauzer. He gets very excited when he sees another Dalmatian. Although four and a half months, this guy is way bigger than our little Scooter. He’s a reminder of what is in store size-wise with the little man. That brings me to the typical comment that I hear from everybody, “Look at the size of his paws. He’s going to be a big boy.”  Now I’ll admit that he probably will be big (I met his dad as well as his mum) and I’ve often made the same comments about other puppies. But when I really analyze the paws and size observation, I realize that all puppies have proportionately bigger paws than the rest of their bodies. Their paws act like snow shoes, allowing them bumble their way through the awkward stages of puppyhood, minimizing those spills that they routinely take through rough-housing and dozy moments.

Putting a magazine together and having a puppy is an almost impossible task. Puppies are very time consuming, some would argue that at this age they’re little time wasters. However there’s nothing quite like a little pup to melt your heart. They have a unique smell and are such loving and innocent little critters. And time consuming or not, at least I manage to put together a pet magazine. So in some small way Scooter the Pooter is research and a catalyst for more stories and social interaction. Besides, PT’s already used his image in promotional material and so we joke that he’s a tax deduction. My biggest dilemma at the moment is getting that damn song out of my head. C’mon the Pootie, C’mon the Pootie.