And that's what I'll remember until the end of days, which hopefully this isn't. Based on all the reliable information my wife and I have consumed to date, we must be vigilant without hysteria, which unfortunately is spreading faster than the coronavirus is (COVID-19).
Our new dog, Jenny, is such a sweet and loving girl, longing to belong to a family. She's a four-year-old terrier-pug-and-other-stuff mix, with short but very strong legs (more on that later), covered in thick and wiry creme-colored fur, and ending with a wound pug-like tail. Named Genesis at birth, our daughters decided they wanted to call her Jenny for short, with a J instead of a G. The 1981 hit song 867-5309 / Jenny by Tommy Tutone kept running through my mind as we drove her home from the Monterey shelter called Peace of Mind Dog Rescue, where they find homes for usually older dogs of seniors who can no longer care for them. Jenny's also a veteran mama having two litters of her own.
"...Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to..."
Everything went well for the first three days, Jenny getting used to her new home, and us to her. There was at least one pee accident, but that was fine. Plus, we were all home with her, and hadn't left her alone yet. That changed when I left on a work trip to go to a conference (that hadn't been canceled like so many now are).
After I left, Amy took the girls to school on a Tuesday and left Jenny in the house alone. She howls and barks, and that much we knew since we had worked out together in the garage the day before and left her in the house (the girls were at school). That we can deal with. She's a dog, and that's what many dogs do, especially when they're in a new environment. But when Amy returned home from work later in the day, there was poop and pee on the floor, and scratch marks on the front door molding.
Meanwhile, I was in a large metal tube in the sky, sniffling a little and hacking a little due to my allergies and asthma. I worried because I'd read that airlines were isolating people they thought were sick, although no one paid any attention to me. I didn't want to be locked in the baggage hold in a Hannibal Lecter glass case. Right before we took off, I heard a woman behind me say, “If you need to throw up, then use our bags. They have a better seal.” I assumed she was talking to one of her children, which I empathized, but of course didn't want the vomit noise and smell behind me. Fortunately, that didn't happen.
Jenny had a few more accidents while I was gone. And so did I. Meaning, when it was my moment on stage at the Phenom conference I attend, everything went great until it didn't. Thankfully just momentarily. I moderated a panel of HR and recruiting leaders discussing job candidate and employee experiences. I didn't have a sniffle or a hack until about two-thirds of the way through the discussion. I tried to time the coughs in between the discussion and laughter after a panelist said something funny, but then I was trapped in the cough zone. It was only 5-10 seconds, but when I was done, my voice was gone. Literally gone.
Amy and I have always loved end-of-the-world stories. Novels like The Andromeda Strain, Lucifer's Hammer, Swan Song, The Road, The Year of the Flood, The Age of Miracles, the Left Behind series and of course, The Stand, have always fascinated us. Add to that movies and shows like Planet of the Apes, Terminator (all of them, even the cheesy sequels Amy likes), The Walking Dead, Revolution (from a few years ago) and so many others always keeps our Armageddon cups runnething over! And have you every seen A Boy and His Dog? Yikes.
Now, don't get us wrong, we don't want the end of the world to come, but Amy is also a prepper and a planner and we do have earthquakes and fires and other possible natural disasters that can occur where we live. So, while she wasn't fighting anyone over toilet paper at Costco this last week, she did stock up with staples and such for us.
When I got home from the conference, we tried a baby gate in our kitchen to keep Jenny isolated while we were out, but she just jumped over it. Over three feet jumped over it. We couldn't believe it, but she did. We realized then we had to go to crating her while we're away for short periods of time and discovered that was something she was used to. Phew.
And again, this is all what I'll remember until the end of days, which hopefully this isn't. Again, based on all the reliable information my wife and I have consumed to date, and continue to consume, we must be vigilant without hysteria, which unfortunately is spreading faster than the coronavirus is (COVID-19). You've already heard it more than once -- wash your hands, stay home if you're sick or if you have respiratory problems, limit travel if you can, maybe avoid large gatherings. The CDC and John Hopkins are two sites full of resources to keep you and your families as safe as possible. There are many others as well. Make sure their reputable, though.
"...Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to..."
"Dad, stop singing that -- it's in my head now and I can't get it out," Bryce just said to me.
Well, Bryce, if the coronavirus continues to spread, and it's now in our area, we're going to all be singing that song and many others together every day when schools are shut down and our entire family is schooling and working from home until the community spread subsides. And hey, a family and its dog that play together stays together! Again, not making light of this all, just living our lives and carrying on, because that's what we do.
"...Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to..."
To each other, of course. Stay safe and sane, kids -- don't touch your face until you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds while singing:
"Jenny I've got your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny don't change your number
Eight six seven five three oh nine
Eight six seven five three oh nine
Eight six seven five three oh nine
Eight six seven five three oh nine..."
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