Life as a Dog Dad: How Dogs Impact the Emotional Well-being of Their Dads
“Sawyer’s just the best little buddy. He means the world to me.” - Peter, Tom&Sawyer Co-Founder and Sawyer's Paw-rent
Our pets are a part of our family and everyone that has a dog, a cat, or any pet can understand that the bond between a pet and a paw-rent is one of the most fulfilling feelings! We are very lucky to be living in a time where our pets have become one of our family members that we take care of just like we would a human child. Similar to parenting a human child, caring for a fur baby also involves different parental roles and delights.
In this blog, we asked Peter, Sawyer’s Dad and Tom&Sawyer Co-Founder, some questions to better understand not only what it’s like to be a dog dad, but what it’s like to be Sawyer’s fur-dad!
What is your fondest moment or favourite memory of Sawyer to date?
As many paw-rents can relate, Peter said, “This keeps changing!” and that there are so many moments that he thinks about, often to bring a smile to his face when he’s travelling or away from Sawyer. There were 5 specific memories or moments that Peter shared with us that highlight different sides of Sawyer’s personality and the experiences they share.
First was, “How he greets people!”
Yes, you read that right, Sawyer has a contagious smile that brightens your day whenever he walks into a room! Peter said he loves, “how he just throws so much excitement, love and enthusiasm into when he greets me (and many others) with his smiling, excited head movements, and how his tail wagging makes his entire body shake with excitement. It just absolutely melts my heart every time I see it - it never gets old.”
Peter notes that when they were first training Sawyer to stay at home alone they would make such a big deal saying hi when they came back, “that over time he learned to do the same thing back to us - smiling, snorting, all excited!”
Playing is one of the major experiences that is shared between a pup and their paw-rent and is one of Peter’s favourite moments with Sawyer. Sawyer is a lucky pup that has many different toys to play with and loves going through all of them one by one (making sure they are all there!). Peter said, “While he likes playing with his toys on his own, his favourite (and mine) is when he gets a toy in his mouth (usually with a squeaker) and he lays on his side and holds the toy with his front paws while chewing it, when he tosses it away aggressively, waiting for me to put it back into his mouth and paws, only for him to toss it away again….this cycle will be repeated so many times, each time with him flicking the toy away with a power and straightening of his front legs! It’s hilarious to watch, and over time he gets more into it, squeaking the toy and making groaning sounds, and after a while he gets too amped up and starts getting agitated, groaning more and showing his teeth like he’s getting annoyed, but he doesn’t want you to stop.”
Peter also mentioned his love for Sawyer’s protective instincts as a 10 pound yorkie-poo and mentioned how, “he thinks he’s over 100lbs if he feels that he has to protect either me, Kristin or our home. We would so love to know what he is thinking!”
Even though he’s a pretty tiny pup, Sawyer has so much energy that one of their shared hobbies is going on long hikes! One of his favourite hiking spots is the Ganaraska that is an amazing outdoor wilderness space in Ontario with about 11,000 acres of woods and trails. Peter said, “Sawyer just loves hiking the trails here, all times of the year. Some days we will do the Orange loop that overall is about 12 km of hiking, which is a long way for a 10 lb yorkie-poo, but the entire time he pulls in excitement and with each hill climb he goes faster and is stronger….until he sees the parking lot and gets ready to get his treats and rest in his bed on the ride home!”
Most of our pets have a favourite word they learn to get excited by when they hear it like “walk”, “treat”, or “park”, but to Sawyer, everything said in a “cookie voice” will be considered a treat! Peter said, “I cannot do it very well, but Kristin can do a higher pitched cookie voice where basically Sawyer will do anything when that voice is used...like when he has to take a pill and with that voice he thinks it’s a candy!”
How does Sawyer make you feel?
We all know that having a pet in our lives makes us all feel soft and fuzzy inside and make us forget any troubles we might have experienced during the day the second we get back home and see them! Peter said that although Sawyer is a bundle of energy when he wants to play, he also loves to relax and cuddle. “He exudes a love and caring that just makes me feel so wonderful.”
Sawyer also knows how to match his fur-dad Peter’s energy, “The odd day when I don’t feel great and I’m resting in bed, he wants to be right by my side and stay with me. Other days when I’ve got lots of energy, he wants to go outside for walks, play in the backyard or throw around his toys with me” A dog is truly man’s best friend and as Peter also mentions, “He’s just the best little buddy. He means the world to me.”
Dogs, just like human children and adults alike, like routines. They know when they usually go for their walks, when they get food, and when they are tired and ready for bed. Peter mentioned how Sawyer is very routine-oriented and one of his favourite parts of their daily routine is when Sawyer starts to feel tired and is ready for bed! Peter said, “We go up to bed together, and he whacks with his paw at the sheets which is my signal to lift them so he can snuggle underneath them right up alongside me (always on my right side). After a while he gets a bit hot and needs to come out and rest with his head above the covers next to me.”
Our dogs can also help us maintain our own routines in times we may not even realise we are outside of our regular schedule. They will remind us it’s time to take a short break to go on a walk, or that it’s time for a post-dinner treat and that we may also feel snackish since they are definitely ‘so hungry’ even though they just had their dinner. Peter mentioned that as someone who never went to bed at a regular time or really looked forward to sleep, “Sawyer has created a routine where I cannot wait to get into bed and settle down for the night - and it’s almost exactly the same time every night when he is tired. I love that he has instilled a very healthy habit in me!”
What does being a dog dad mean to you?
Being a dog dad can mean many different things to different people and everyone has a unique bond with their pup that brings out different emotions. These relationships and emotions may also differ depending on the time our pups enter our lives. Peter mentioned how he grew up on a farm and has always been around dogs except for the time he was in university but that Sawyer is the smallest and “the first humanised dog” he’s ever had! Peter said, “Sawyer truly is one of the family in our house, in our travels and in our bed. This is the first time I’ve had this level of love for a dog - he truly is my little buddy.”
Peter and Sawyer have a great relationship. “I am so proud to be Sawyer’s dad.” Peter mentioned that even though Sawyer is particular with picking his dog friends, he loves to meet people and to introduce his human friends to Peter by bringing him over as if saying “Hey dad, meet my new friend!”
He also mentioned how having Sawyer has offered him a new perspective on pets and said, “Since getting Sawyer I truly understand the deep emotional connection you can have with a family dog or cat. While walking or driving I now notice every dog and cat around, and take a moment to admire how cute they are and how they interact with their humans.”
Peter also commented that a dog dad can take on many different forms of relationship. He shared, “I have friends who are amazing dog dads to larger hunting dogs who likely think I’m a little over the top giving Sawyer the best life I can. Heck, we started a pet food company just for Sawyer so he would have the healthiest food imaginable for him - and so we could do something to help all pet parents who feel the way about their family dog or cat as we do with Sawyer.”
After talking about Sawyer’s inclusion in most family activities, Peter had to mention Sawyer’s love for the summer which comes with “lots of walks in the warmth, seeing his ‘people’ friends, and he doesn’t have to wear the ridiculous number of jackets we have for him in the winter!”
But the one thing he is not able to join in on is…golfing. As mentioned earlier, Sawyer has many toys and loves to play but has developed a bit of an obsession with balls, including golf balls! Peter finished off the interview and explained by saying “He would really get over-stimulated to the point where we no longer have any balls around him, and have to dodge kids with balls when we are out walking.” Thus, he can no longer join them at the golf club….booo!
Peter and co-founder Kristin love Sawyer so much that they started Tom&Sawyer just for him (and named the business after Sawyer, too!). Check out Tom&Sawyer's healthy, gently-cooked meals that have helped Sawyer, and other dogs and cats across Canada, thrive.
