OMG Jami. I love this story so much. You can play any pivotal moment in your life both ways. Get rejected by an agent? Is it a sign that you should give up? NEVER. It's a sign to work twice as hard to get the next agent. Your story, of course, resulted in the furriest, cutest most lovable dog ever. So happy for you!!!!
I am not a dog person. There, I said it. But I *do* love a love story, an origin story, and people finding joy in the lives. (And I have 2 cats for whom I would pretty much walk on fire, so there's that). I really really like other people's dogs. I'm a great dog auntie. This story will, I hope, go in your book? It's a story of how stories find us and then what we can do with those words. love to you & leo
also, it's worth following the poet Tishani Doshi on instagram b/c she's a brilliant poet (and a really really nice person) but her travels are all: and here is the dog I met in Italy, and here are the dogs in Oslo, and here are the dogs in Cochi....
A lovely story & an adorable pup! Someday, I, a stranger, will tell you the story of my adorable dog who became handicapped 7 years into our life together, who learned to use a dog wheelchair, and who became known as The Mayor of Court Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. He died January 21 this year, and I know part of me will never recover.
I lost my dog Abby unexpectedly two and a half months after my dad died of cancer in 2019. It about broke me in half. Two weeks after Abby passed, my husband and I adopted two young littermates who came into a local rescue together. I couldn’t handle the silence and was drowning in grief. Two puppies was a horrible decision, and yet they saved me that summer. Every morning when I wake up and see their warm brown eyes peering back at me, I’m so grateful they’re here, even though their origin story - their first six months with us even - was a complete shit show. Sometimes beginnings are messy as hell.
It makes me so happy you got a dog. And I also love Isaac’s advice which then goes back to your saying - go with your gut. I’m just happy you and your dog are together and you’re no longer dogless.
Aug 17, 2023·edited Aug 17, 2023Liked by Jami Attenberg
I don't even understand how someone is a person without a dog, let alone a writer. Seems totally related to writing if you ask me! And Leo is adorable. <3
Love this. I did the (first?) 1,000 Words in 2020, and wrote all about my intensely beloved dog, whom I lost that January in the same 24-hour span that my mom died (and five days after my father-in-law died, and a month and a half before our best orange cat). I'll always be grateful that I had the motivation and discipline to get down those words while my loved ones, and that pain, was still so fresh in my mind.
Three and a half years later, I'm still dogless—and I feel it acutely. My late dog was an amazing friend, and I still miss her every single day. But we've somehow made it up to five needy cats, and my job is wearing me down in massive chunks, and my husband had a cancer recurrence this year... so maybe it's not the right time. But I also know, as those of us with the best dogs do, that when the right one comes along it'll be kismet. Leo is beautiful and soulful! May you have many, many happy years together.
Oh goodness. I too have been dogless since just before Thanksgiving. I have spent time with friends that have dogs, and I have to wonder sometimes if I'm more interested in hanging out with their dog or them. Maybe it's both. For the last week, I have been walking a dog for a friend that had surgery and won't be able to walk her dog for a few weeks. That has helped my doglessness somewhat. I spent almost two decades with my various dogs on walks around town, twice a day without fail. Having a dog to walk with again has been nice, even if it's not my dog. I also have a lot of fall travel coming up, which gives me pause when I think about getting a dog. I remind myself of this even as I look at dogs online and think about what life would be like with a dog by my side again. Sometimes it gives me panic at the thought of the responsibility again, and sometimes it makes me feel excited at the idea. We will see what the future holds. Congratulations on your new friend! Thank you for sharing.
Wonderful. He looks adorable. My dog died earlier this year and I still miss him immensely. I make myself go out for walks but it feels all wrong without him. I’m not in a position to get another dog just yet due to living circumstances but I just try and tell myself he/she will be worth the wait when I do.
I loved every word of this...I lost my beloved Lucy last July and knew I had to give myself time to grieve but every day I missed the steady presence of a dog in my life. This past January I hit pet finder hard and found my little cheweenie Billie, sitting by my side as I write this now. Life is not complete for me without the perfect company of a dog, the only other being I want to live with for the rest of my life!
I loved this post. I love dogs and dog stories and I love my rescue dog Ready who has lived with us on our small sailboat for almost 12 years. Good for you, Leo, and good for you, Jami.
I think Sid would have liked him! And he's already got that side-eye look dialed in! Though that first travel day felt like falling in an abyss, you climbed out and straight to him. AWWW! May he be your longtime muse.
OMG Jami. I love this story so much. You can play any pivotal moment in your life both ways. Get rejected by an agent? Is it a sign that you should give up? NEVER. It's a sign to work twice as hard to get the next agent. Your story, of course, resulted in the furriest, cutest most lovable dog ever. So happy for you!!!!
I am not a dog person. There, I said it. But I *do* love a love story, an origin story, and people finding joy in the lives. (And I have 2 cats for whom I would pretty much walk on fire, so there's that). I really really like other people's dogs. I'm a great dog auntie. This story will, I hope, go in your book? It's a story of how stories find us and then what we can do with those words. love to you & leo
also, it's worth following the poet Tishani Doshi on instagram b/c she's a brilliant poet (and a really really nice person) but her travels are all: and here is the dog I met in Italy, and here are the dogs in Oslo, and here are the dogs in Cochi....
A lovely story & an adorable pup! Someday, I, a stranger, will tell you the story of my adorable dog who became handicapped 7 years into our life together, who learned to use a dog wheelchair, and who became known as The Mayor of Court Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. He died January 21 this year, and I know part of me will never recover.
I lost my dog Abby unexpectedly two and a half months after my dad died of cancer in 2019. It about broke me in half. Two weeks after Abby passed, my husband and I adopted two young littermates who came into a local rescue together. I couldn’t handle the silence and was drowning in grief. Two puppies was a horrible decision, and yet they saved me that summer. Every morning when I wake up and see their warm brown eyes peering back at me, I’m so grateful they’re here, even though their origin story - their first six months with us even - was a complete shit show. Sometimes beginnings are messy as hell.
It makes me so happy you got a dog. And I also love Isaac’s advice which then goes back to your saying - go with your gut. I’m just happy you and your dog are together and you’re no longer dogless.
I don't even understand how someone is a person without a dog, let alone a writer. Seems totally related to writing if you ask me! And Leo is adorable. <3
Love this. I did the (first?) 1,000 Words in 2020, and wrote all about my intensely beloved dog, whom I lost that January in the same 24-hour span that my mom died (and five days after my father-in-law died, and a month and a half before our best orange cat). I'll always be grateful that I had the motivation and discipline to get down those words while my loved ones, and that pain, was still so fresh in my mind.
Three and a half years later, I'm still dogless—and I feel it acutely. My late dog was an amazing friend, and I still miss her every single day. But we've somehow made it up to five needy cats, and my job is wearing me down in massive chunks, and my husband had a cancer recurrence this year... so maybe it's not the right time. But I also know, as those of us with the best dogs do, that when the right one comes along it'll be kismet. Leo is beautiful and soulful! May you have many, many happy years together.
Thank you for sharing this Lisa!
Oh goodness. I too have been dogless since just before Thanksgiving. I have spent time with friends that have dogs, and I have to wonder sometimes if I'm more interested in hanging out with their dog or them. Maybe it's both. For the last week, I have been walking a dog for a friend that had surgery and won't be able to walk her dog for a few weeks. That has helped my doglessness somewhat. I spent almost two decades with my various dogs on walks around town, twice a day without fail. Having a dog to walk with again has been nice, even if it's not my dog. I also have a lot of fall travel coming up, which gives me pause when I think about getting a dog. I remind myself of this even as I look at dogs online and think about what life would be like with a dog by my side again. Sometimes it gives me panic at the thought of the responsibility again, and sometimes it makes me feel excited at the idea. We will see what the future holds. Congratulations on your new friend! Thank you for sharing.
Wonderful. He looks adorable. My dog died earlier this year and I still miss him immensely. I make myself go out for walks but it feels all wrong without him. I’m not in a position to get another dog just yet due to living circumstances but I just try and tell myself he/she will be worth the wait when I do.
Loved this. Your story and the photo of Leo made my day. Thank you.
I loved every word of this...I lost my beloved Lucy last July and knew I had to give myself time to grieve but every day I missed the steady presence of a dog in my life. This past January I hit pet finder hard and found my little cheweenie Billie, sitting by my side as I write this now. Life is not complete for me without the perfect company of a dog, the only other being I want to live with for the rest of my life!
Billie!! That's so sweet!
I think it is a story about writing after all. Give Leo a big hug from me, please! And one for yourself, too
I loved this post. I love dogs and dog stories and I love my rescue dog Ready who has lived with us on our small sailboat for almost 12 years. Good for you, Leo, and good for you, Jami.
If one could hug a newsletter, I would hug this one.
Aw! Thanks!
I think Sid would have liked him! And he's already got that side-eye look dialed in! Though that first travel day felt like falling in an abyss, you climbed out and straight to him. AWWW! May he be your longtime muse.
Welcome Leo! I love this story. My dog, Tater, is my all day companion and the source of all good things.