The Adventures of Quickstride & Shambler: Calvin

I had been reminding Jenny for months to RSVP to the wedding invitation that she had fastened to her fridge. The invite had been there since late summer or early autumn, and through the stresses of grad school and moving apartments, she had procrastinated to the last minute, finally sending in her RSVP so late the soon-to-be married couple revoked her plus one. This worked out for her, as she wouldn’t have to pay someone to board Zander, her Siberian Husky, since I was now freed up to take care of him.

Zander and I didn’t always see eye to eye. Huskies can be very particular about the people they tolerate, and Zander is extremely picky. It takes people years to get on his “good” side, and even then he won’t necessarily give them the time of day. When I first started dating Jenny, Zander thought I was coming over to play with him, often badgering me to throw a ball, chase him, or simply hold onto his chew toy for him while he chomped away.

After a few months, Zander had determined that Jenny’s new boyfriend had overstayed his welcome. So when the opportunity came for me to take care of Zander for a weekend, I viewed it as an opportunity to bond with the dog that I knew was (and is still) the most important boy in Jenny’s life.

The first day, Zander was clearly looking around my apartment for Jenny, wondering where I had hidden her. Being a typical California two bedroom apartment, there weren’t very many places for me to hide her, and as soon as Zander figured that out he regarded me with suspicion.

Nevertheless, Zander and I bonded through multiple walks a day, a couple trips to the dog park, and just hanging out and becoming friends. When I gave Zander back to Jenny, two things were pretty clear: Zander had moved past suspicion of me to a general tolerance of my presence, and I was ready to get another dog.

It was an exciting realization, but also one that gripped me with no small amount of anxiety. The last dog I had, Ash, had met a premature end during my first deployment in 2016. Ash had been a rescue, and I wanted to rescue another dog, a puppy this time, but I was incredibly nervous about the prospect of another rescue meeting an early demise. As a sort of mental compromise, I decided that I would shop around for a rescue puppy, but if it stressed me out too much, I would spend the money and get a puppy from the same line or breeder as my Yellow Labrador hunting dog, Shaka, had come from.

I dove into researching rescue puppies, determined to find one that suited my criteria. I really wanted a Lab mix, as I figured that the good-natured genes of a Labrador would help mellow out the neurotic terrier genes that are almost certain to be present in a mixed-breed rescue pup. A male puppy was high on my list of priorities, preferably brown, so I could name him Hank, after Hank the Cowdog from the children’s book series.

My research brought me to a pair of puppies being fostered together just north of me. They were boxer-lab mix puppies named Calvin and Hobbes. While they weren’t brown, they met all of my other criteria, and I quickly submitted a request to meet the pups.

The foster mom, Laura, responded rapidly, and a quick meet and greet was scheduled for later in the week. I counted down the days until our meeting, and when the day finally arrived, Jenny and I took off a little bit earlier than we needed to so as to acquire some Chick-Fil-A on the way to our appointment.

Following the GPS after our Chick-Fil-A detour, Jenny and I arrived right on time and knocked on the door. Laura greeted us, as did her own two dogs, and ushered us through the house and to the backyard to meet Calvin and Hobbes. I fell in love with both of them instantly, the precocious four-month-old puppies chasing each other around the back yard.

As I played with Calvin and Hobbes, Laura peppered me with questions, asking me about how many dogs I had raised before, what my training plans were going to be like, how I would socialize a puppy, and what I would do with the puppy when I went to work.

I breezed through the interview, and while I thought both puppies were great, I knew I wanted Calvin most of all. He was slightly quieter, very nosy, and he had a rough-looking scar down the left side of his snout and a tear in his left ear. Calvin had a rough-and-tumble quality about him that made me just fall in love with him.

It was also very impressive how well trained both puppies were. Calvin and Hobbes had already learned several important commands, including sit, stay, come, and a few tricks. Laura even informed us that they were very close to being fully housebroken, and in response Hobbes immediately peed on the floor in the house.

With the introductions concluded, Laura informed us that there was some other folks interested in the pups, but that she thought I was a good fit for either Calvin or Hobbes. Jenny and I thanked Laura for her time, and then headed back to Monterey to wait.

Fortunately, we didn’t have long to wait. The next weekend, my brother, Max, and his girlfriend came to visit, and while they were out exploring Jenny and I took Zander to the beach. While we were roaming around the beach, Laura called to tell me that my adoption of Calvin had been approved and I could pick him up that afternoon after I sent the adoption organization a few pictures and a modest fee.

Overjoyed we quickly ran home and snapped pictures of my apartment, without informing Max, who posed for one picture in my living room. Jenny and I left as abruptly as we had stormed into my apartment, steaming back North to pick up Calvin.

When we returned to Laura’s home, she greeted us with Calvin, his blanket, a leash, and a toy to take home. His brother, Hobbes, had been adopted the day before and renamed Finn before moving to San Francisco (you can follow his Instagram @sffinnyz). Laura snapped a quick picture, and as we got ready to depart for home, Laura asked us if we were going to rename Calvin.

I had thought about it, after all I really wanted to name a puppy “Hank,” but I had decided that Calvin would remain Calvin. It would make it easier for him to transition into my home without having to learn a new name.

We drove home with Calvin in Jenny’s lap. When the three of us arrived back at my apartment, we burst in without warning, surprising both Max and his girlfriend, Jenna, with an adorable puppy. They were understandably excited, and immediately set to playing with Calvin, who loved the attention, and then peed under my kitchen table.

The first order of business with Calvin was socializing him and we were fortunate that Monterey is as dog friendly as it is. We were able to take Calvin almost everywhere, and he met so many different dogs and people over a short period of time. Calvin went with us to Carmel, where he was fitted for a walking harness, and he went on play dates with Zander and our friends’ dogs as well.

Over the next weeks and months, Calvin grew from a mischievous puppy into a slightly less mischievous adolescent dog. We learned that he loved the beach, hiking, and food. I took him everywhere, even golfing. It didn’t take long for him to turn into a genuine beach and bar dog, and a permanent fixture in our adventures.