It seems, to me at least, that most Northwestern students keep personal blogs to vent about journalism or dish on Greek life. Imagine my surprise, then, when a friend forwarded me a link to a Northwestern student’s Tumblr not about nerdy student publication rivalries or who hooked up with who — but rather, about a puppy. Danny Fleishman runs Bringing Up Buster, a Tumblr focused on his “first-time foray into pet raising” with 14-week-old Buster, a miniature Goldendoodle puppy. The SESP senior sat down with me to discuss why he started the blog, why he drove all the way to Michigan to get Buster last month, and what advice he’d give soon-to-be dog-owner Barack Obama.
When did you decide to get a dog? What prompted this?
I decided to get one, sort of in my head, at the end of last year. I knew I would be graduating early, taking one class in the winter and living in an apartment that allowed pets. If there was any time in my life to get a dog, then would be the time to do it.
Why did you choose a Goldendoodle?
Normally, I’m a pretty big advocate of getting dogs from shelters; I used to work in an animal shelter and I love them. But in this case, I’m living in a small apartment, I’m raising it by myself and I have limited time before I start working. I really needed a dog that I knew would be a good dog for this setting, that wouldn’t have the risk of having come from a bad situation or have a lot of behavioral issues. So I did a little research and learned that a Goldendoodle, especially a mini one, is a really good dog for this situation. They are supposed to be very smart and easy to train, and they don’t shed much, so there’s less of a mess to clean up. It just seemed like a perfect fit for a one-bedroom apartment in Evanston.
Where did you get Buster and how much did he cost?
It was more expensive than I would have liked. I did a lot of research on different breeders and I found one I was comfortable with — one that happened to be six hours away in Michigan, but it was worth it to me. I definitely wanted to get him from someone I could trust, not from one of those backyard breeders just selling dogs for money who doesn’t really care about where they are going.
Tell me about your first meeting with Buster?
It was crazy. The breeder has a house on a farm, and there were puppies everywhere. This litter had six puppies, I think, and I got to choose between the five males. So I basically got to keep taking them out and playing with them, trying to figure out which one I had the most connection with. We were there for three hours because I couldn’t decide.
How did you finally choose Buster?
I played with all of them, and he was really fun to play with: He loved toys and things like that, but he also would pay attention to me and come up to me. The others were more interested in running around and being crazy. I mean, they were all puppies, but he was giving me the most attention.
Buster busts loose from Daniel Fleishman on Vimeo.
Why did you name him Buster?
I don’t know. I was thinking of names for months and months, and that was one of the first ones I came up with. After more brainstorming I decided that’s my first instinct: I liked it. People always think it’s an Arrested Development reference, but it is not because my dog has both hands.
How do your friends feel about Buster?
They love him. My friends have it better than I do: They get all the perks of having a friend with a puppy, like, they can play with him when they want and it’s cute. But I’m the only one that has to deal with cleaning up after him, training him and feeding him, things like that. So, my friends are pretty happy. But they’ve been great. If I didn’t have them living in the building with me…like right now, I’m at Dance Marathon office hours [as the DM Advertising Co-Chair], and one of them fed Buster and walked him for me while I’m here.
Why did you decide to blog about raising Buster?
Mostly because my parents are helping support me while I’m raising the dog, and they keep asking me to send pictures [of Buster]. I decided, you know what, I’m just going to start a Web site; you guys can check it all the time and it will keep you updated on what’s going on with him. They like it. The other reason is personal: I like documenting things. It’s cool, even now, I go back and see that Buster’s getting bigger, I have pictures of him when he was a puppy and I first got him. I’m writing down all the different training I’m doing with him, to sort of keep track of it all. Why not have a record of that if I can?
What are some of the challenges of raising a puppy at Northwestern?
The odd hours. Basically, I sucked it up. For the first three weeks I woke up every morning at 4 a.m. to walk him, and again at 7 a.m. to feed him breakfast. I just had to do it. After a few weeks, Buster learned to hold it a little better, so I now can walk him before bed, and then he sleeps until breakfast. It’s hard, but it’s a living creature that you have to take care of — you can’t not do it. He needs me to do it. I have to keep coordinating my schedule in ways to either do things around Buster’s schedule or find someone I can trust to do it for me. But it’s been worth it; I’m just so happy playing with him in my apartment.
What is Buster’s biggest accomplishment thus far?
He’s a genius. He has accomplished many things. I taught him how to stay yesterday, and he did really well with it. I’ll probably post a video of it soon. I’ve been taking him to Puppy Play & Train classes at this place in Evanston called Unleashed. You work on basic obedience, and he’s been great at that. He does really basic agility stuff like running through tunnels and jumping through hoops. And he’s already learned sit, stay and down. He picks things up really quickly.
What does Buster still need to master?
He’s a puppy, so he’s teething, but his way of exploring is putting everything in his mouth. When I take him for a walk, he wants to eat every leaf and all the dirt, and pick up sticks. I’m trying to teach him what’s appropriate to chew and what’s not. He’s still working on that one, but it’s cute, though I hope he’ll grow out of it.
What advice would you give Northwestern students considering getting a puppy of their own?
Make sure you have time to commit to it. All the stars sort of aligned for me because I have the time, but I almost got one last quarter and if I had I wouldn’t have been able to do it: I had four classes, I had [executive planning for] Dance Marathon, so I wouldn’t have been able to do it. It’s a nice idea in your head, but when you get the dog the reality hits you really fast. Read and do research about it. A lot of people think it’s fun to get a dog and it will be the dog that you want it to be, but that’s not the case. I can’t tell you how many hours I devoted to trying to housebreak him and do really basic impulse control things. The reality is always harder than the idea, so mentally prepare yourself for that and do a little research. I read like 30 books, and I still watch all the TV shows and read Web sites all the time. It’s a big commitment, you just have to be ready. I don’t regret it at all.
President Obama is considering getting a Goldendoodle puppy. What advice would you give him?
I heard he wanted to get it because his daughters are allergic to dogs, but not all Goldendoodles are hypoallergenic. Like, Buster sheds, not much, but he still sheds. Otherwise, they are perfect dogs. I don’t know what else you could say about them. He should do his research about breeders, but they are great dogs. Golden retrievers and Poodles are two awesome breeds, to combine them into one ultimate dog.
