It’s Throwback Thursday — when we post stories you may have missed — and it just so happens that this was one of mine! I have to say that reading this ripped yet another little piece of my heart out because our dog — the hero of the story — died in April. He was our “first child” and life really hasn’t been the same without him. He was a much better “person” than a lot of the humans I’ve met.
I can’t believe this happened almost eight years ago (dang time flying). My 6-month-old son, Newt, was finally able to hold up his huge head and ride in our BOB stroller (an all-terrain jogger with three big wheels and a shade that needed air holes because it could cover the whole kid). So one day, I’m in the garage with Newt and our 90-pound German Shepherd/Akita. We’re getting ready to go like we always do. I strap the baby into the stroller, turn to get the dog leash, and suddenly I hear the dog barking like crazy and freaking out. My dog hardly ever barks or freaks out. So I spin around to see. . . the baby and stroller rolling backward down the driveway! Because, as it turns out, garage floors are sloped.
The dog and I take off running after the stroller as it hits the bottom of the driveway, takes a small bounce, and. . . continues across the street! Crap, crap, crap! No cars, no cars, no cars. . . Finally the thing hits the curb on the other side and — bump — comes to a stop and falls backward. Newt was fine. I think he thought he was on some crazy carnival ride or in a backward dune buggy race.
So that’s how I learned to park strollers perpendicularly while on a slope. And it’s when it became clear that my dog was a much better mother than I was. I’d like to say that’s changed, but I don’t think it has. The other night, my son was sick, and it was the furry one who slept with him all night, not me. Good thing someone’s responsible around here.
Tammy Soong is a writer, wife, and mom from Reno, Nevada. She takes an absurd amount of pain medication, but not enough to have actually named her children "Newt" and "Elfie." She spends most days stressing out over clutter, writing stuff for this place, and working on podcasts with her gal pals, the Blogging Betties.
This is why I have to live somewhere flat. Good dog!
My husband did this with our toddlers in a double stroller on a giant hill at the zoo once… Some nice guy caught it at the bottom and ran it all back up to us as we frantically ran down the hill. Whoops. Your dog sounds like my Border Collie. Her name's Nikki but we call her "Nana" after the dog in Peter Pan, because she's so wonderful with the kids.
My recent post Driving With Dogs (Or, Why Dogs Should Always Wear Seat Belts)
This is funny only because I'm guilty of the same thing….only the stroller didn't go as far and we were in a park. My heart dropped to my toes nonetheless.
My recent post Albert Pujols (SmallUpdate)
Seriously. But like I ever thought you could get that much momentum on a garage floor.
Now THAT I wish I could've seen. The funny thing is that I've watched people sort of let go of their strollers for fun and chase them. I guess they always assume they won't tip over or they'll be fast enough.
And we would dress our dog as the big bad wolf from Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween. Put him in a white "night cap." Most people totally got it, but it a lot of them said, "Look! It's Nana!"
Ugh, isn't it awful? It's a completely freaky feeling while it's happening, like a bad dream. Then when it's over, you're just catching your breath. And then you just completely freak out about it later. At least that's what happened to me.