Diamondbacks vs Mariners — 5/29/26
Adopting a dog in Seattle is not easy. You must prepare for ghosting. Every reference you leave will be called, every photo of your house scrutinized. Nadia took on all of the work contacting rescues, looking for dogs who would be a good fit, running through interview processes that have given past job searches a run for their money. I often relied on her to take the admin work for these types of things, but for finding a new dog to become a part of our family, I was particularly ambivalent. Splinter, who had been with us for almost 15 years, left a hole in our family when he left us; I wasn’t so sure what to do with it.
When Nadia’s search finally narrowed on a cute, sweet, cuddly terrier mix, I didn’t stand a chance. We started brainstorming names for him: Panko, Pippin, Karleson, Ian Curtis, Snuffkin. We crossed off Ian Curtis early although I couldn’t help but laugh at the prospect of running through Seward Park yelling, “Ian Curtis! Ian Curtis, where are you?! Ian Curtis, come back!!” Leo really liked Snuffy, which was also very close to Snuffkin. So, Snuffkin “Snuffy” Panko. Snuffy for short.
When we found out we were bringing him into our home, our family filled with excitement and optimism. Then there was radio silence from the rescue for a couple weeks. I was almost starting to wonder if he was coming at all. Then we received an update. Snuffy would be on a flight from Mexico, with a few other foster dogs.
Leo and I had planned to go to T-Mobile Park that night to watch the M’s play against the D-backs. But the pickup time for Snuffy (working name, still holding out for Panko) was basically during the game. As our plans evolved around the evening, Leo and Nina were invited to a movie night at a friend’s house. I considered staying back with them while Nadia picked up the dog, but the kids were too excited. They insisted that they leave their friends early and come along.
I checked the score and runner positions periodically as we waited impatiently at the airport for the dog to get through customs. Sitting on the bay of the oversized luggage gate, Leo and I watched a couple highlights right before Snuffy arrived. Crawford hit his first career two-homer game. I wondered what the customs process was like for dogs. And how this PNW dog rescue made connections with a foster in Mexico.
Leo looked around, wondering from which direction the dogs would arrive. “Probably from this window behind us,” I guessed. We could hear the occasional clatter of a small vehicle driving by behind it. “The shutters will lift, and a bunch of dogs will come leaping through,” I joked.
Leo paused a moment to picture the bizarre image I just gave him. “You’re joking!” he laughed. About a minute later, the shutter did raise, but instead of dogs leaping through, a man was carefully placing crates and lowering them down the shallow incline of the window. Each dog looked a little anxious and a little puzzled. Soon we saw Snuffy. Leo and Nina shrieked with excitement; Nadia and I held them back as the rescue volunteers started cutting zip ties and opening the crates one by one to each beaming family.
Snuffy and the kids were immediately enchanted with one another. He gave them kisses as they approached with an intense carefulness. Nina and Leo argued over who could hold the leash. I slowly started to realize we were going to have to train Snuffy and the kids. “For now, let’s have just Mom and Dad hold the leash … until he’s used to the whole family.” The kids groaned.
The foster who had cared for the dogs and flew with them from Mexico checked in on how we were doing. Snuffy nuzzled her and placed his paw on her as they shared a sweet embrace. Leo asked if she had a picture of him on her phone; I thought he was trying to ask if he was on her lockscreen. I explained that she cared for a lot of special dogs in addition to Snuffy. On our way out of the airport, Snuffy and another adopted dog sniffed each other and lingered a bit, as if to say goodbye. I tried to imagine a possibility where they might run into each other again—maybe we lived on the same side of town. I almost wanted to ask.
Snuffy needed a bit of encouragement getting into our car. I ultimately lifted him in the footwell under Nina’s feet. He spent the ride kissing the outstretched hands of our squealing children. At home, I took care of the chores while Nadia put the kids to bed. We still had baby gates from when Nina was little, so I could contain Snuffy in the living room while I did the dishes and listened to the game. Snuffy devoured his meal in Splinter’s old doggy dish while Crawford continued his great game, saving a run in the 10th with a diving catch while playing in front of second base, locking eyes with the runner on third, continuing to make the play at first, holding the run. Randy Arozarena would later hit a walk-off into the gap in right-center field. I hadn’t yet seen a walk-off in person. But this tradeoff for Snuffy seemed worth it tonight.
Snuffy diverted his attention between me and the game. Everything was new to him. I wondered how much baseball he experienced in his old home. He had this puzzled look when he raised one ear, where it seemed he was experiencing his own version of absurdity on par with us waiting for him to finish customs.
Later, Nadia and I tried to see if Snuffy could get comfortable with us on the couch while we watched highlights from the game. Julio was very busy in the outfield, rushing to field a couple balls hit to Raley and Arozarena. A couple series back in Minnesota, Julio had a heated discussion with Randy over a fly ball hit between them. Julio basically snapped back with something like: Look, I don’t know where you will be half the time; I don’t know if you even know where you’ll be half the time. So I’m just going to go get everything.
Snuffy was in a new ballpark, playing with a bunch of strangers. He sniffed around the baseboards, almost nosing an ant trap. I leaped off the couch and grabbed it. As I walked around the house looking for more hazards, Snuffy followed my heels with curiosity. I wondered how we would grow and play together, how he would settle into our home.
Final: Mariners 7, Diamondbacks 6
Seats: Oversized luggage bay
Memory: Customs for dogs, Splinter’s puppy days, how to belong