Field Notes with Caitlin Rounds: Life with a new puppy
The born-and-bred Austinite on ethical breeding, building a strong partnership, and seeing the world through puppy dog eyes.
There’s a new man in Austin. He doesn’t ghost (though he slightly resembles one), won’t steal your food (he’s better trained than that), stands a few feet shorter than the next gentleman, but will nevertheless manage to steal every heart in the room.
His name is Porter, a five month old Great Pyrenees, and his mother Caitlin Rounds is absolutely smitten. After contemplating, researching, delaying, and convincing her partner some two years later, the Austin-raised creative is finally a new dog mom — and learning the true stakes of raising a good canine son.
Ahead of Porter’s half-year birthday and Maev’s newest Raw Food launch (which stars the duo in their breakout moment this spring), we spoke with Caitlin about rediscovering life with a new puppy.
We simply must start here: How did you come up with Porter?
Like the beer. My partner and I, our thing is to go to different breweries and try new beers. We live for the winter season when everyone's brewing dark beers, and we knew that Pyrs end up looking quite majestic. So Porter.
Take me to the moment you and your partner agreed to get a dog.
I'd been asking him if we could get a dog for probably a year — but he was adamant that we needed to get the timing right. Then we finally moved in together and felt stable in our careers. I knew I wanted to get a dog before my birthday in April, so I started seriously bringing it up. I did all of the budget planning. I made a PowerPoint presentation. This is gonna be the vet care; how much the food's gonna cost; the timing of his shots. And then he agreed that February would be the right time.
Wanting a Great Pyrenees is so specific. Were you looking for certain traits?
Getting a dog that loves what we love was so important. My partner and I both like to hang out at home, chill, go to a park over going out. Quiet activities. Everyone knows I'm extremely introverted, and Pyrenees are traditionally livestock guardian dogs — low-maintenance, low exercise, a little more lazy. So we knew Porter would fit in.
I would expect literally nothing less from you, but y’all really did your prep.
Because he's a living breathing being. I don't even really like to call him a pet. So I take him, his care, his needs as seriously as I would any human being. You know, just to make sure he gets to live the longest and fullest life possible.
You ultimately chose to get Porter from a breeder. How did you get there?
The biggest reason was that we really, really wanted to raise our dog from essentially zero years old. Pyrs are known for their tendency to regress in their training during adolescence, so the ability to personally train and set expectations with our puppy early was important. And also, honestly, to extend our time with him as much as we could.
How did you go about choosing a breeder?
The man we adopted from is actually a hog farmer by trade. He just happens to have dogs that aren’t neutered or spayed, so puppies happen. I did my due diligence: He was a good person, we felt good knowing that he supplies human-grade food to restaurants we know, we met Porter’s grandparents and parents, cleared all his health checks at the vet immediately. But still, I didn’t realize just how complicated ethical breeding is.
Is it one of those things where you can only know so much without experience?
A little bit, yes. But I do really, really get it now — why ethical breeding is so important. It’s part of how we keep dogs out of shelters. I could go on and on and on about the argument for adopting or shopping, but ultimately it’s about doing the research and finding your happy medium.
Tell me about the first time you laid eyes on Porter. What was it like going to pick him up?
I wanted to cry. Almost the entire time, I wanted to cry. The anticipation was too much. I remember feeling like a little kid waiting for Christmas, but I was also so anxious that something would go wrong.
The day of, we had a morning pickup time at his farm in Bastrop, Texas. As soon as we pulled up, two of the breeders’ Great Pyrs came to greet our car — it was Porter's mom and grandma.
The farmer was holding Porter and he just looked like a little cloud. He was adorable. I remember thinking, what if he doesn't like me? What if he doesn't take to me?
But pretty much as soon as I walked up and grabbed him, we connected. He didn’t have to stick by me — he wasn’t on a leash. But he just kept laying at my feet and showing me his belly. The farmer said of all the people who’d come to see Porter, he’d never had that reaction with anyone else.
Oh, that's so sweet.
Yeah. The moment I saw him I was like, this is my soul dog. I held him the whole way home. Since day one, I think I’ve spent the majority of every day with him.
I know you love your routines. How has Porter integrated into the life you’d already built?
Honestly, my life revolves around him, but that was almost entirely intentional. I understood that prior to getting him. But regardless of that, it was pretty seamless. We’re both early risers. Both cuddlers. Both huge believers in naps. He plays while I work. And I’m lucky to live in a dog-friendly city, so he goes everywhere with me.
How did you cultivate that close of a bond so early on?
I worked really hard to build a healthy relationship with him. One of the biggest tips I got was to work in partnership and let him be a part of what I’m doing, not try to dominate him. I wanted him to like me and love me as much as I love him.
How did that come out in training?
During the time he was working with a trainer, I used to tether him to me at nearly all times so he couldn't form any bad habits or get into any trouble. Pyrs are big dogs, and I didn’t ever want him to do anything to or scare anyone. It taught him boundaries — what’s okay, what’s not, what I expect from him. But it also showed him the love and care he can expect from me.
That’s such a human way to look at things.
It works for us. Even when we have a frustrating moment, I try to remember that everything that he does is on me at the end of the day. I'm responsible for him.
Look at you. You're a mom.
Dude. It's hard.
You're not only a first time dog owner, but you also recently moved in with a partner for the first time too. How does that work?
Just like me and Porter, nobody is superior. Monday or Sunday through Wednesday, Garrett will have him for the bulk of the day. And then the rest of the week, I'll handle him while Garrett's at work. We try to walk together if the day allows for it, we both bathe him. We obviously split everything cost wise, unless it's something that I just wanted to buy him.
How has Porter changed your worldview?
He's inspired me to see the world a little differently.
How so?
He's pushed me. Everything's new to a puppy, and dogs have a really interesting way of exploring the world. Sometimes it just reminds me to slow down, you know?
What’s the latest thing Porter’s discovered?
He recently saw flowers for the first time. That was interesting to show him, let him smell them, and you know, take a minute.
