Tido Jermaine Says it All

Where can start? My family and I moved into a house and prior to this, we were in an apartment. My son who is an animal fanatic requested to get a dog, preferably an American bully when we were in our apartment. I told him once we got into a house with a backyard I would consider looking into it, not expecting him to hold me to it. Two weeks after we moved into our home my son reminded me of our earlier talks of getting a pet. I quickly shut down the option of getting an American bully because the landlord didn’t allow that breed instead, I told him I would take him to the shelter and allow him to pick out an expectable breed and we would adopt. Going to a shelter and the adoption process was all new to us so, it was a bit of an adrenaline rush. We arrived at the shelter and it looked like a little college campus for pets, all nice and clean and everyone was super friendly. I informed my son that we would be looking for small breeds and preferably one that was already housebroken. Zion’s smile was bright as the sun while he walked through and looked at all the pets needing a home but it began to dim because every pet he wanted to choose had already been spoken for. As we get ready to turn the corner we hear a continuous barking and rattling of the cage. Zion looks towards the noise and stated he liked him because he was full of energy and he thought he was a nice-looking dog. That started our journey to get our now, Tido Jermaine. He was a five-month-old puppy who had just recently been found so he had to be listed for like seven days to see if anyone would claim him and if no one claimed him we could come back to get him. The wait was finally over, I don’t think my son slept at all; every day he was like, “ I hope no one claims him!” When we picked him up he said I’m naming him Tido and I gave him Jermaine. We bought so many doggy items including a cage. We put Tido in the cage and he cried and barked without ceasing. We decided to take him out and he wagged his tail and laid around and when it was time for a restroom break he would bark at the back door, he was trained from the start. There was one thing we had a problem with for about six months after getting him, the minute anyone would open any door he would sprint out like a bolt of lightning, therefore, dubbing him his nickname Escape Artist Tido. When I tell you Tido was everybody’s exercise instructor for free, I mean just that. I believe Tido could talk to the toddler in the house because he would be in ready said go position by the front door and I would hear the toddler trying to say his name and outside in the same statement. I would be tripping over myself to try and get to the front door and by the time I would get to the corner to see the door all I would see is the tan color of Tido’s coat and King Josiah, the toddler, looking back and smiling at me. Here I am in go mode, waking up my husband to watch the toddler and running out the door, half-dressed, hair all over my head and yelling Tido come back! Tido where are you! (This happened during my son’s school hours) Tido would be nowhere in sight, I would walk the complete block just to make it back home and find him sitting on the neighbor's porch.

Overall having Tido has been a joy, he keeps everyone on their toes and has enough energy to pass out, and never runs low himself. He is also now the neighborhood’s favorite Puggle.