Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my dogs. Anyone who doesn’t know me probably knows this about me too. The highlights of returning home include seeing my dogs and seeing my family, in that order. So you can imagine my excitement when my parents and sister decided to come visit me and bring Biscuit and Honey, our two puggles, with them. Finally, I could show them where I spent the eight months of the year that I wasn’t home with them. My parents booked a hotel, but the dogs and my sister were going to stay with me. I was thrilled and my roommates, all dog lovers, couldn’t wait to have them over.
Since they weren’t registered pets, keeping them as quiet as possible was the first of many challenges. They whined when new friends came to play with them and barked at the more-than-occasional squirrel. My sister, Sydney, decided to sleep on an air mattress with Honey, and Biscuit splet in the bed with me. But since both dogs were in a strange environment, every small noise put them on high alert, and I knew their barking would definitely grab the attention of our RA, who happened to live next door.
For hours Sydney and I tried to get Biscuit and Honey to settle, until finally at 3:30 AM, the dogs fell asleep. After finally getting 30 minutes of sleep, I heard Sydney gasp loudly. I shot up in bed and asked her what was wrong. Honey had peed on her bed.
Honey, a 15 pound puggle, has the bladder the size of an elephant, and managed to pee on a fleece blanket, a comforter, a flat sheet, a mattress protector, and Biscuit (who had somehow ended up on the air mattress next to her). The air mattress itself, thank God, was dry.
While Sydney kept the dogs calm, I loaded up all the wet sheets and blankets and trudged down to the laundry room. After getting a curious glance from the security guard, I washed everything, and walked, like a zombie, back to my room.
I helped Sydney remake her bed and we finally climbed back under the covers, with our respective dogs, at 6:00 AM. Thirty minutes later, the alarm I set went off. I was supposed to meet my parents at Centennial Park for a walk before the morning humidity became unbearable.
I got dressed, shocked but grateful I hadn’t woken any of my roommates from the night’s events, and walked the dogs to meet my parents.
While Biscuit and Honey were a hit among my friends, and I finally lived out my fantasy of walking them around campus, I’ve decided that Biscuit and Honey’s first trip to Vanderbilt, will be their last. Still, I’m excited to see them at home again, when they’re back on their turf.