Just a boy and his dog

Luke Walsh has earned himself a lapful of love in Ripiano, a Newfoundland puppy.

Luke Walsh may be only nine years old, but he has already learned some pretty big life lessons.

When he was six, he decided he wanted a dog. And not just any dog! His parents told him he needed to prove he’d be able to take care of a smaller pet for a while so he got a guinea pig and took “pretty good” care of it.

And a year to the day after the guinea pig arrived, Luke asked his dad about the dog again.

“I remember asking him what kind of a dog he wanted, and he had decided on a Newfoundland,” says his dad, Joe. “I said, ‘You’re going to be paying for that yourself,’ and I figured that I’d probably heard the last of it.”

But he hadn’t. Although he was only 7 years old, Luke realized that the small change he got for doing his chores at home wouldn’t add up to the $2,000-plus that a Newfoundland pup would cost. He’d done his research. And he had a plan.

He mowed lawns, shoveled sidewalks, and washed windows around the neighborhood, “for a lot of people,” he says. And the money in the bank started adding up.

It was far from instant gratification, of course. It took two full years (plus 29 extra days) for Luke to come up with the money and find just the right puppy he wanted. In the meanwhile, he was kept company by a hissing cockroach, a “gift” from Joe’s brother.

But, at last, he found her. Her name is Ripiano, and she’s a 12-week old black Newfoundland pup. What Luke says he loves best about her so far is “how fluffy she is,” and how big she’s going to be–about 200 pounds. When he was smaller, he fantasized about being able to ride on her, but he knows that’s not going to happen, even though it’s evident she will soon be bigger than he is!

He says that what he’s learned through this experience is that, “things don’t just come to you instantly. You have to earn it.” He had patience and saved his money and he got exactly what he wanted.

Joe says one of his proudest moments with the whole venture was hearing Luke tell a friend, “If you work hard, you can get anything you want.”

Even if it’s a dog that’s going to outgrow your lap really soon.

In a calmer moment, Luke reflects on the two-year process it took for him to earn money to buy his puppy.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.