Had to say goodbye after 14.5 years together just about a month ago. I’m heartbroken, devastated, etc. just overall sad and missing him.
His name was Doodle but I called him Judy (you know how pet names evolve, haha).
My husband says it’s too expensive (he’s right, we’re on one income), and I know the fold isn’t loved by all and it is considered somewhat heavy… but for some reason I picked that one and am having a hard time changing my mind.
We have a family member offering to purchase a stroller or system but we don’t want to ask them to spend more than $1000-1100ish.
- We’re both on the taller side (he is 6’3” and I am 5’9”)
- I would like something that has an easy push and smoother ride which is what attracted me to the fox 5.
- something that won’t take up my entire trunk (I drive a small SUV, it’s a 2025 BMW x1)
- something that I can get in and out of the car independently/without a struggle
- I plan on taking baby for walks often, we have sidewalks and paved roads but I feel like they’re not great so I’m worried about the ride for baby and the push.
- I would like to take baby to the park for nature walks too
- we probably won’t be traveling a ton after bay comes, but will take road trips and stuff to our cabin and to visit family
- ideally newborn safe/compatible (we can buy a bassinet or whatever attachment separately to keep stroller under budget)
- parent facing would be nice
I’m sure there are other more important details so feel free to point out any criteria besides the above I should be considering that I’m not.
I think I’ve learned there is no ‘one and done’ stroller, it’s either compact and light but bumpy or it’s smooth but bulky…. But I am a FTM and have decision paralysis. Every time hubs and I try and discuss we argue so he says I just need to pick one and let him know what that is so we can move on, which is fair since I’m the one stuck on the fox 5 and am being stubborn
It’s okay if no one reads this or acknowledges this post, it’s long and I don’t know really why I’m writing or sharing all of it abyways… it’s therapeutic I suppose.
On December 2, 2011 I got in my little Jetta and drove two hours to a random farm to meet a dog I found on eBay, I was young and didn’t know a thing about backyard breeders or puppy farms or adoption, etc., I just knew I wanted a Goldendoodle.
When I got there they had two puppies, a white male and a grey female that they had been calling Cinder. The owners encouraged me to consider Cinder because she had a good temperament and the white male was, “kind of odd,” according to them. But as soon as I saw him, I knew immediately that I was going home with the fluffy white dog. I left and drove to a convenience store and took $500 out of janky ATM ($250 twice, cause there was a limit on the ATM) and went back to the farm, paid, got my boy and put him in a laundry basket with a little bed strapped into the front seat of the Jetta and made the journey home. He was not a fan of the drive, he whined, I tried to comfort him as best I could while driving, but I guess he hated cars even then… or maybe that’s WHY he hated cars.
They told me he was 9 weeks old when I took him home, and I believed them… but when I got home my parents thought I was nuts and they definitely lied to me because he was HUGE for a 9 week old puppy. Little did we know that he was just a massive boy, I’m pretty sure he really was just 9 weeks, he grew to be over 100lbs, which I did not see coming haha.
I tried to pick out the perfect name, we cycled through several the first few months. Toby, Hank, Troxler, Hendrix, a few others. In between all the name changes his nickname was Doodle, and before I knew it that was his name. I told people his full name was Hendrix Doodle McFluff (obviously he was adopted, we don’t have the same last name), and over the next 14 years his name evolved, as all pet names do. He became Dooble, Doobie, Doob, Judy, Jujy, Juj. He was Big Hen, Bubba Smalls, 4-eyes, snuggle fluff, Jujenheim, tiny Juj, Best Boy, etc.
No matter what his name was, he was my boy. For 14+ years, age 21 to 35, he was my sidekick. He smelled bad more often than not, he hated water, hated the car, was moody and had a ton of attitude, he’d growl if you hugged him too long, he would beg for human food no matter how much dog food was in his bowl, he destroyed and ripped the stuffing out and removed the eyes of every toy he had (except the tiny rabbit), he would find paper products and shred them (recycling hated to see him coming), he loved stealing sticks of butter off the counter when we’d visit my mom, he demanded pets and nudged you with his giant wet nose when you were watching tv or reading a book, he panted always, he made a ton of noise at night dreaming or snorting or ‘tap dancing’, he always hated getting brushed, hated when I attempted to groom him myself, hated the bath, hated all bodies of water, did not like the car but loved going places, he would make SO MUCH NOISE drinking water!
But he was always my partner. He would put his head on my lap when I was sad even though he wasn’t a cuddler, he would bring me stuff when I got home from work as a greeting (shoes, toys, pillows, whatever he could grab nearby), he never ate/destroyed anything of value even during his puppy years (except my retainers) only recycling and toys, he was the easiest, chillest puppy and I swear was already potty trained already at 9 weeks old. He would bury is face in your legs as a greeting or when he was sleepy, he would lean into you with his body and look up and back at you with the kindest eyes which felt like his way of giving you a hug, he would hide behind me or between my legs if he was ever in trouble because he knew he was never in trouble in my eyes, he only barked if there was a squirrel in a tree, he lived for human food, our walks and going on smell adventures, he loved observing cappuccinos (cats), and naptime, he would curl up into the tiniest ball a 100lb dog could, or he would totally miss his bed and lay in the weirdest position half on and half off but 100% comfy, he loved using pillows, he looked best with a Mohawk, he was good at fetch but only on his terms, he was an adventurous guy and loved exploring but never getting too far, he wanted to be everyone’s buddy even if they weren’t interested, but he was always always always my best friend.
I miss his stinky wet face and the click clack of his toe nails that were somehow always too long despite consistent pawdicures , I miss his nose nudges and seeing him in a deep sleep, I miss giving him human food for dinner, I miss picking him up from a groom and telling him how beautiful he looked, I miss his oversized ears and pound puppy eyes (90s kid!), I miss off leash walks and seeing people get excited to say hi to him because almost everyone we met recognized he was a special guy, i miss going to the dog park and hearing people describe him (striking, regal, majestic, etc), i miss how he just knew the crust to my pizza belonged to him, i miss how even towards the end when he knew it was treat time his eyes would light up and ears would perk up and he would have that puppy look about him, I miss our coffee dates, i even miss comforting him through ear infections and tummy aches, I miss him.
It’s now been four weeks without his big wet nose nudges,
intense stare downs and silent demands, watching him find a pillow to nap on, seeing him curl into a tiny ball for such a big guy, our routine (morning greeting, fresh water, potty break, saying goodbye to dad, back to bed until 8, breakfast walk, nap until lunch, snuggles, dinner time & treats, after dinner walk, bedtime), without his leans or letting him bury his face in my legs, his tail wags, without telling him how much I love him, and that he’s such a good Juj, without any chin scritches, without trying to surprise him when we get home and seeing how happy he is to see me/us. Four weeks without my best friend. Four weeks closer to meeting baby boy without you.
I love/d this guy more than I know how to put into words, and saying goodbye has been the hardest hurdle I’ve navigated in my life so far. I guess I’m lucky to have made it this far without feeling a heartbreak of this magnitude, and lucky to have had such a bond with him that allows me to feel this way, but boy does it hurt without him. I am so grateful for the time we had but would trade anything for another lifetime with my best boy. Even just one more day.
There is and will only ever be one Doodle for me, one Jujy. I’ll miss him forever and love him for always. I know this was for the best, and he’s pain free, full of energy, eating steaks and salmon for breakfast lunch and dinner, running around with other dogs and trying to make friends with cats over the rainbow bridge, and for that I’m grateful. I hope we’re reunited someday, but in the meantime I’ll be heartbroken and missing him.