There are many nontraditional ways to be a mother. A childless aunt mothers her nieces and nephews. A neighbor caring for a sick friend next door by dropping off a meal, counts as mothering as well. A woman raising a puppy can also be considered a mother of sorts.
Poppy Noor learned this first hand. Her dog Troy was not easy to raise, but prepared her for motherhood and made her a better human. He will always have a special place in her heart.
Poppy and her husband Louis adopted Troy in January 2021. The majority of the puppy parenting fell to her as Louis worked long hours as a chef. Troy was a beagle/shar-pei mix with boundless energy.
In those early days of puppyhood, Troy was not allowed outside because his immune system was not fully developed. Poppy would try her best to tire him out in their tiny Manhattan apartment. More than once, she regretted her decision to adopt him even though she fiercely loved him. Poppy and Louis were told by the shelter Troy would only get to be about 30 to 40 pounds, but that was also proving to be not true, further complicating things.
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Poppy recalls that Troy tried her patience on many occasions. He once stole the last piece of pizza from the fridge. She ended up chasing him with her slipper and locking him in his crate out of anger.
She immediately felt regret for her temper and took to Google to see if any lasting damage was done. She looked up “is threatening a puppy abusive” then “if you accidentally abuse your puppy, will he remember it for the rest of his life.” It was quite the rabbit hole.
As Troy grew up into doghood, things got easier. He also taught Poppy some valuable lessons. She became a better morning person to take him out first thing to do his business. She evaluated how she reacted to difficult situations, choosing to remain calm instead of giving in to anger.
In a word, Troy helped Poppy evolve. She learned nothing is permanent and that she can do difficult things with great love. Sounds like a wonderful lesson for a soon-to-be mother.
