the boy is mine

Tonight on my walk home with Harvey, a stranger accosted me and accused me of stealing my dog. He said he'd seen the dog before and that his mother knew the dog. Claimed that the way Harvey was jumping and barking at him was unique to him — as if Harvey was doing it out of some sort of familiarity. As if that issue isn't one of the main reasons I put him into puppy training! He jumps and barks at everyone! He's a puppy! He's a ball of friendly energy! Alright! Stopping. Deep breaths. 

I probably shouldn't be documenting this at all because it is just total insanity. It's just one of the many forms of nonsense I face being a lone woman on the streets of downtown Long Beach. But it got me thinking how much Harvey has grown and changed in the last 5 months. I got him when he was 13 weeks old and now he's about 8 months old. A lot of change happens in those months. It kind of feels like he's been here for much longer than 5 months. The little bitty baby dog is gone, replaced with a nearly 17 pound monster.

Also — has this dude never seen dog breeds? You'll find a lot of dogs within a breed who look a lot alike...Why does this bother me so much?!

Maybe it's quarantine related. I mean, I've been with this terror almost exclusively for 5 months straight. I'm the one who feeds, protects, and cuddles him. I'm the one who's cleaned pee and poo from nearly every part of this apartment, including my mattress at 3am. I'm the one who's gone up and down four flights of stairs multiple times a day so he can have a walk. I'm the one who's been bitten and scratched and pulled muscles trying to restrain him. I'm the one who's bathed him and clipped his hair. I'm the one who's dropped the money at the vet for shots, ear infections, neutering, and most recently, a UTI. How dare someone say he isn't mine. He is entirely mine. He is my everything. Saying he is not mine may very well be the craziest shit I've ever heard. The only thing that would possibly be crazier is if they said Gizmo wasn't mine. 

In summary, the boy is mine. And I've got 5 months of daily photo documentation in my phone if you need some fucking proof.