G and I have found ourselves welcoming a little bundle of joy and thankfully it’s not a result of me being pregnant and carrying a human life for nine months. No, no. Contrary to that nightmare, we’re excited that in about a month we’ll be welcoming a little English Bulldog puppy into our urban dwelling here in Santiago.

Everyone, say hello to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I mean, he’s pint-sized and I’m not exaggerating when I say that in several pictures I have with him, he makes my hands look like ginormous man-hands. It happens when you’re all of 28 days old, as he was in this pic above.

Chile is quite the dog lovers country. In fact, in that sense I truly equate Santiago with New York City, where everyone has a dog and most housing is dog-friendly because, truly, there is no other option than to accept the furry friends. (I say this because San Francisco was certainly not a dog lover’s city…not unless you owned your place.) The difference I see between Santiago and New York in this sense is that in NYC I see dogs as more personalized, where most dogs truly do ‘match’ their owners and where dogs are pretty much divas in their own right in some way, shape or form. In Santiago, well, that’s not so much the case.

Isabelle Allende wrote an exaggerated version of dogs in Chile in her memoir “My Invented Country.” She writes:

“In our house, as in every Chilean home, there were animals. Dogs are acquired in different ways: inherited, received as a gift, picked up after they’ve been run over but not killed, or because they followed a child home from school, after which there’s not a chance of throwing them out. This has always been the case and I hope it never changes. I don’t know a single normal Chilean who ever bought a dog; the only people who do that are the fanatics of the Kennel Club, but no one takes them seriously. Almost all the dogs in Chile are called Blackie, whatever their color, and cats bear the generic names of Puss or Kitty.”

Note that G and I are automatically not considered “normal Chileans” in Allende’s mind since we’re actually purchasing Obi-wan…Obviously it’s her memoir, her nostalgic view of what she remembers Chile to be like and of course that gives way to the almost ridiculous exaggeration describing dog acquisition as noted above. I do agree that most Chileans don’t buy their dogs and that yes, they are somehow “adopted” or become part of the family in a very seamless, more organic way than how Obi-wan Kenobi will come to us. And usually when this happens, the dogs aren’t 100% of a certain breed but rather, a mix of one breed with another. Though I do know that the opposite has become more and more true: one family who has a certain breed (more likely than not, a poodle) finds another family friend with the same breed (and opposite sex), mates them and wa-la!! – a litter is born! These are then either ‘sold’ or simply given away to friends and neighbors. Those are the two ways that Chileans typically welcome dogs into their home and as such, there has certainly been a deviation from what Isabel Allende remembers. I personally think that the first method is noble, generous and humane and that the second method is ever-so-slightly irresponsible. The whole notion of giving a dog as a gift to people who aren’t prepared to have a dog just blows my mind … but that’s six of one and half a dozen of another, as a friend’s grandmom would say.

G and I have met with the same question over and over again when we tell friends about Obi-wan. They (mostly the Chileans) ask “Why a Bulldog? They’re so ugly and weird looking.” Of course my initial thought – IN MY HEAD, mind you – is “and a poodle isn’t?” Oh and Chileans just HEART their poodles! I’ve always loved dogs but now that we’re actually getting one, I’ve taken to noticing other people’s dogs more and more. And what I’ve noticed, at least on the surface and quite superficially, is that Chileans love Poodles, Dachshunds and Maltese. In other words, Chileans are partial to little dogs. This makes sense given that there are so many apartment buildings in this city and how cruel would it be to have, say, a German Shepard or even a Labrador in an apartment? But I find the question “why a Bulldog” kind of ridiculous.

Unlike perhaps half of the dog-owning population in Chile (or more!), G and I have researched this breed extensively and we’ve determined that a bulldog makes complete and total sense for our lifestyle – both now and in the future. (Do you expect less from someone who puts most things in Power Point?) Bullies are perfect for apartments because they don’t require too much exercise (once a day for about 20 minutes), docile, friendly, good with kids and other pets, ridiculously loyal and hello – of all breeds, is one of the few with MINIMAL BARKING (G’s nightmare dog is a small one who “yaps”). Of course their snoring makes up for the fact that they rarely bark but, hey – we think that’s super cute! Obi-wan has been thought out and we truly believe he reflects us, our lifestyle and that he will be an integral part of our lives and who we are as a couple. We’re looking for a pet, a companion, a friend and a dog who’s “one of us.” Obi-wan fits the bill. We like that we can’t find a bulldog around every corner and we like the fact that Obi-wan is considered “different.” It already makes us love him more.

Bulldog puppies are cute – few people can argue that. But so are adult bulldogs! I mean look at this muffin excited about pool time (p.s. Bulldogs can’t really swim so all the pools have to have very shallow water.) He’s so excited, he’s snorting!! Hahaha!

If all goes according to plan, G and I can welcome Obi-wan by the third week of February … and yes, I already foresee boring you with silly posts about him – our apologies in advance but you’ve been warned. Until then, I’ll leave you with some Obi-wan cuteness to take with you …

(Obi’s on the right, with a brother or sister on the left)

Rawwwrrrrr!!

And finally …having a hear-to-heart