Black Children White Parents

A Chocolate Dog Tale:  A memoir of infertility, adoption, rivers and a bread loving dog

By Erich P. Ditschman

A Chocolate Dog Tale is a story about life happening in the face of adversity and how laughter is a curative tonic for when life kicks you in the butt.  As high school sweethearts, Andria and I get married after college and plan to have a baby between Andria’s first and second year of law school.  The plan fails miserably and is a harbinger of a ten year struggle with infertility and failed adoptions.  But, while our world seems like a protracted battle, Andria’s grandpa introduces us to a Chocolate Labrador Retriever puppy we name Amos, who rescues us from the desperation of infertility.  In addition to finding our life filled with the antics of our bread loving dog, the memoir follows Andria and I as we undertake adventures including backpacking, boating, skiing and canoeing that never go as planned as we endeavor to live a meaningful life in the face of losing control.  We discover the possibility of adoption which brings us face to face with difficult choices and introspection regarding the midwest working class bigotry embedded in our families and questions our ability to raise a child of color.  It chronicles our pursuit of an open adoption plan, wrought with detours and pain, as we expose ourselves to birthmothers in an effort to be chosen to adopt their baby.  The memoir is rooted in the places that we live, their history and their natural features.  Rivers play a grounding role in providing a backdrop to where everyday life happens as we struggle to become parents.