My new puppy idea is what I call Socialization Pods. I’ve invited a number of dog-loving places to be Socialization Centers (or Pods) for training our new puppy, Zinnia, when she comes.

I’ve already got a few takers – The Mansion, The Cambridge Dental Center, and Bishop Maginn High School.

Sue Silverstein, a friend and the art and theology teacher at the high school is a passionate dog lover. She loved Red and spent a lot of time with him at the school before he died.

She is taking the Socialization Pod idea seriously, and when I show up today, she showed me the pink bowl and blanket she got for the puppy. We talked about getting a crate or some confinement, but I imagine the puppy will be in the loving hands of Sue and her students.

I’m planning to bring Zinnia on my visits when I teach my Writing Workshop and when I come to write about the school. I’ll leave her in Sue’s classroom – there is no better dog socialization place than that in the world.

The Mansion aides love the idea, and so do the dental techs at my dentist. I want Zinnia to be a therapy dog, so socializing her with a lot of different kinds of people is critical as soon as she arrives. I’ll start slow and work up to it, but I want her to be used to people touching her and talking to her.

Sue is a riot, I told her I’ll get the dog micro-chipped right away in case she gets carried away and takes her home for additional socializing.