Brace yourself for cuteness overload, because Claire Monahan just adopted the most adorable puppy in the world that she’ll start neglecting the literal moment that bars re-open.
“His name is Panda and he is my son and the absolute love of my life,” says Claire of the Australian Shepherd mix she’ll be leaving alone for six hours a night from Thursday to Saturday once she has her night-life back. “I’m such a dog mom now.”
“I’m an extrovert and need external preoccupations for personal fulfillment, so as you can imagine lockdown has been really hard on me,” she adds. “But then I was like oh, my god, if I get a dog I’ll have someone to hang out with and something to do at home.”
And Claire and Panda sure have been staying busy! Claire’s famously long Instagram stories, once filled with boomerangs of clinking shot glasses and blurry bar bathroom mirror pics, are now an endless stream of her fluffy and photogenic canine friend.
“He’s the sweetest, and taking him for walks gets me out of the house which is so important for me these days,” says Claire, who hasn’t really thought about the fact that her dog will still be alive for many years after she goes back to work in her office and regains the ability to party. “He is my best friend.”
But while the pup and Claire make an inarguably cute pair, some are worried about the longevity of their relationship.
“I love Claire, but she’s just not the most responsible, and she’s definitely not a homebody,” says a friend, Nina Romero. “I know having a dog is appealing to her during the pandemic, but the pandemic is not forever, and Australian Shepherds live pretty long!”
“I really hope she proves me wrong,” Nina adds. “But part of me feels like once everything reopens Claire’s gonna be back to matcha mojitos and happy hour, and it’s gonna be like, where’s Panda?”
Claire, however, feels confident in her decision.
“Panda will always be my number one priority,” she says. “Of course I’ll go out a bit more after all this, but there’s, like, dog TV and stuff. He’ll probably be having more fun than me!”
Aw! We’re praying for you, Panda!
