Which Dog Would You Want by Your Side During the Zombie Apocalypse?
- Carrie Maria
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
Every once in a while, work gives you one of those moments that reminds you exactly why you love what you do.
Recently, we gathered a bunch of our Minders for pizza at our community garden. Because our team spends their days out in the field caring for dogs, we don't get many opportunities to all be in the same place. Sure, they see each other in passing, but getting together takes effort.
I decided to ask the Minders: "In the zombie apocalypse, which dog would you want by your side?"
The answers came almost instantly.
Every Dog Has a Superpower
One Minder picked a dog because they were incredibly fast. Another chose a dog that already looked a little zombie-like. Maybe the zombies would mistake them for one of their own. Lindsay, the co-founder of The Monster Minders, wanted the biggest cuddle bug on his schedule because, let's be honest, surviving the apocalypse is going to require a little emotional support.
What I loved most was that nobody had to think very hard. After spending hundreds, sometimes thousands, of walks with these dogs, every Minder already knew exactly who they'd choose and why.
The Two Dogs I'd Choose
My answer came immediately. Back in 2005, when Lindsay and I started The Monster Minders, two of our first group of clients were a pair of wonderful Bostons named Spike and Buster. Their human is still part of the Monster Minders family today, even though both Spike and Buster have since crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
Buster was deaf. Almost every time we'd arrive for a walk, Buster would be asleep somewhere in the house, usually burrowed under a blanket. Spike would hear us at the door, race over to find him, and jump right on his head until he woke up. It was their routine as if Spike had to say, "Wake up! Wake up! They're here for walks! BUSTER WAKE UP!"
It honestly never got old and made us laugh daily. So if I'm preparing for the zombie apocalypse, I'm taking both of them. Spike would make sure we never slept through danger whie we were hiding out in abandoned buildings, and Buster... well, he'd probably still be sleeping until Spike sounded the alarm. But he was really good at finding the MOST comfy spots, so he'd be a good snuggle buddy.
We Don't Just Know Dogs. We Know These Dogs.
That's what this little exercise reminded me of. Professional dog walkers don't just learn names.
We learn personalities.
We know who is brave and who is cautious. We know who would investigate every strange noise and who would rather hide behind our legs. We know who is determined enough to pull us through anything and who would be happiest reminding us to stop and enjoy the moment.
Those little quirks become stories that our team tells each other. It's one of my favorite parts of getting everyone together. The conversation always circles back to the dogs because, honestly, that's the common thread connecting all of us. (And we usually end up talking about poop. The poop stories are real.)
We Take the Work Seriously. Ourselves? Not Always.
One of the things I'm proudest of is the balance we've found over the last twenty years. The work we do is important. Our clients trust us with dogs they love like family. That responsibility is something we'll never take lightly. At the same time, we think work should be joyful.
Sometimes that means celebrating Minderversaries. Sometimes it means sharing pizza in the community garden. And sometimes it means debating which dog would be the ultimate apocalypse survival companion.
If nothing else, we learned one thing from this conversation. Our Minders have given this topic a surprising amount of thought and all of them would pick pups for different reasons. We'd have a well-rounded crew during the end times.
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