Vivian has filled our home with paw prints, dirt and love | Suzy Fleming Leonard
"Are you sure you want a second dog?"
The husband isn't big on change. He was content with our family of three.
In his defense, Eli is an incredibly easy pup. No chewing, shedding or extraneous barking. He gets excited about walks, car rides and ear rubs. He doesn't chase squirrels or cats and shows only a detached interest in rabbits, armadillos and possums.
Eli has been the perfect companion to me while I work from home, quiet and comforting, and always up for a trip to the mailbox. But sometimes, he seemed bored. What guy only wants to play with Mom?
I wanted to find the perfect companion for him.
Enter Vivian.
We drove eight hours to Athens, Georgia, to get her. By the time we'd spent eight hours with her on the drive home, we were smitten.
OK, maybe not Eli, but he came around in a couple of days.
Vivian is a 2-year-old twirly girl who wakes up happy and keeps the smiles going all day.
It's been 10 years since we've lived in a two-dog household, and it's an adjustment.
Suppertime, bedtime and walks now require tight choreography. No switching food bowls. Who's sleeping where. Please don't wrap me like a Maypole in dog leashes.
Vivian is stylish, with thick Ugg-boot pompons on her legs. I swear they were white when she got here. Now they're a dingy gray, thanks to the Florida sand she skids through several times a day while playing tag with Eli in the back yard. Actually Eli was white, too, before he started chasing his little sister through dirt piles.
More by Suzy: I believe in love at first sight, as long as a dog is involved
I also wasn't prepared for the attention.
Walking one big, fluffy poodle is a novelty. Walking two is a parade.
People roll down car windows and holler. Strangers stop on the sidewalk and stare. I feel like I need to brush my hair and my teeth before leaving for our morning walks. These dogs are too fancy to be seen with someone wearing paint-stained shorts and a grubby T-shirt, plus they have way better posture than I do.
Breakfast on the lanai is no longer my quiet time. As I read the paper and solve the crossword, Vivian darts over to Eli and licks his cheek before skittering away. He takes the bait and they circle the pool, coming precariously close to falling in. They haven't yet, and if they do, I'm reasonably confident they would figure out how to swim. Poodles are, after all, water dogs. Still, I'm not looking forward to blow-drying a poodle at 7 a.m.
Eli is a serious guy. He's like a fuzzy engineer, thinking things through before acting. He has to look at a tree or mailbox pole from every angle before leaving his mark.
Vivian is spring-loaded and as vivacious as her name implies, popping her head out of car windows to accept adoration from strangers and freely offering kisses. While her new brother sits in reserved silence, chin raised with dignity, Vivi wiggles with excitement, letting out excited little chuffs, eager for the next adventure. She's also a bit of a show-off. Maybe she suffers from second dog syndrome.
Our pool deck has never been so covered in muddy paw prints. It's a wonder there's any dirt left in the yard, considering how much is on our floor and in our bed.
But our hearts are full, and we haven't stopped smiling since she arrived.
Life is good as a family of four.
Now, does anyone know how to spot-clean a poodle?
Suzy Fleming Leonard is a veteran features journalist. You can reach her via email at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Or you can find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Does our new girl suffer from second dog syndrome?
