This isn't really a story about how to properly or responsibly adopt a dog, but it's the story of how we got Fox in our lives! He's a six pound chihuahua-and-something-else-mix. His favorite activity is sleeping. His favorite color is sleeping. And his favorite food is being asleep.

Three years ago, I twirled into a friend's art gallery to do ... something? Idk maybe I was shopping for expensive fine art but most likely I was picking up a check for some photography work or visiting my friend who worked there. I saw his small little body with big eyes staring at me from under a chair and then the next thing I know ~~I fell into a full gay panic and my heart literally exploded~~ I was texting Matt to see how he'd feel about fostering a dog. Turns out the little guy had just been rescued out of a kill shelter and was in need of a permanent home. We HAD a permanent home (this was well before we sold everything and renovated a camper to live in for a few months of travel). So, like, perfect fit. No one really knew anything about his past except that he was around three years old and seemingly well behaved.

It was 2015, Obama was president so there was still joy in the world, and if Rachel Ray could still have a TV show after 20 years of consistently solely saying "EVOO" on camera and asking the live studio audience if she should add more wine to that red sauce (because it's been a long week!), I could have a puppy, damn it.

The first few days were rough, and oscillated between us cuddling with Fox, us panicking over whether or not we're fit to be dog dads, and Fox panicking over whether or not we were fit to be dog dads. At night we'd try to get him to hang out with us in bed or on the sofa and he'd stick to a corner of the room, just kind of staring at us like: "Jesus Christ, take me back to the kill shelter."

But something changed around day three. He got more comfortable being around us and sitting on our laps, and though at night he'd still retreat to a bed in the closet, in the mornings we'd wake up to him curled up at the foot of our bed. Which, by the way, is an excellent thing to wake up to.

I noticed by day four, the friend we'd fostered him through hadn't reached out - and then I kinda realized that she had realized something about us that we hadn't realized. If it had been four days with not a word from us, well, it was probably a forever home situation.

And it was. So we took him to the vet to get some paperwork made official, got tests for all the things you got tests for, and for like a couple hundred bucks later we had the cutest most joyful furry son who was all healthy and happy to be home. And every single day we just talk about how obsessed with him we are, because dogs are magic.

What We're Using - all products or similar products mentioned are linked!

1.) We are very pro-harness, and not into traditional collars. The harness allows you to have greater control over your little dog friend without hurting their neck. Fox does have a bad habit of "pulling" when he gets walked, so it's been particularly good for him as we can stop him from pulling without choking him out.

2.) Get the dog a dog/cat cave oh my god. These little shelters give a full cocoon effect and seem to be really good for him given he's got a bit of anxiety at times. The only ones we have really seen are for small dogs (and can be used for cats), but if you find one for large breeds let us know!

3.) Good food and treats are so so so important. I know this is probably old news to a lot of you veteran dog owners, but so many dog food brands are full of, like, literal junk. You know those horrifying goo candy treats that they always had stocked up in the Blockbuster checkout line circa 2004? The dog equivalent of that is basically 60% of all dog foods on the market. We have used Merrick since basically day 1 and have been floored at how consistently amazing the ingredients are in all of their products, as well as how Fox's health and weight have been. Like most dog food brands, they've got quite a few options for flavors and also make different formulas for different sizes of dog.

To be honest, we lucked out with Fox. He's relatively quiet, he doesn't make a mess in the house all that much, and really his only desires in life are to eat, sleep, and get scratched. We'd encourage anyone out there looking for a new little pet friend to consider fostering or adoption -- there are so many dogs and cats out there that need a good home, and you can always give it a test period to see if your home is the right home before you adopt.

Check out the video we did on adopting Fox below! Are you subscribed to our YouTube? If not, do it?

xoxo Matt & Beau

Fox: Our Doggy Adoption Story