If I’ve been MIA lately, it’s only because a 3-month old puppy, on top of a 13-month old human baby, has been keeping me busy.
I’ve wanted to get a puppy for the longest time (and when I say longest time — I had just gotten pregnant when the idea first crossed my mind). However, my husband convinced me to wait, and he was right to do so.
With a new baby on the way and all the stress and uncertainty that brings, we couldn’t have handled potty training, exercises, and walks with a baby dog, too.
But with the little one now more than a year old, and with spring right around the corner (we have a huge yard, perfect for a dog to run around), I started talking to my husband about it once more.
This time around, he agreed it would be a good idea. Just seeing my little one trying to play with the cat, giving him toys, wanting to interact, and my cat being interested for 5 whole minutes before disappearing into the night made me so sad.
And I knew that getting a puppy would be so beneficial for him. For one, their brains are pretty much the same at this point — it’s all sleep, eat, and play and play and play!
He’s not around other kids that much, and he’s a sensitive child as is, so other kids tend to steal his toys and push him around a bit. The only thing he can do is cry and come to me for hugs and protection.
But after just ten days with our puppy, he’s already been learning to stand his ground. At first, he would cry when the puppy jumped on him. Now, if he’s not interested, he just pushes him away and goes his separate way.
He’s bringing toys for the puppy and trying to break him free when he’s in the crate, and it’s the cutest thing! But he also fights back when the puppy wants to steal his toys.
He’s learning to leave the puppy alone when he’s asleep, and which toys are whose (I’m trying to teach this to the puppy as well). All of this will be immensely helpful once he gets a sibling.
Many people were against me doing this now, saying that I’ll just have another baby to take care of! Oh boy, have those people never had a human baby.
Yes, the first few days were challenging, especially in terms of me teaching the puppy to stay in the crate for 70% of the time when he’s inside (which, to be fair, is only a few hours a day, plus the night time sleep). But it’s really all about routine and consistency. Now, I just feed him three times a day, let him out a couple more times, and that’s it — the rest is just play and joy.
He’s a Labrador mix (and an adoptee, which I’m really proud and happy about) so he learns super-quickly.
Now, he’s fulfilling our lives. When we go out for a stroll, he’s running around, following us, and chasing after the ball. The little one loves throwing it for him! They play together in my toddler’s (still can’t get used to the fact he’s not a baby anymore) yard house, and it’s all been such a great experience.
Oh, and plus, being forced out in the sun at 6:30am ain’t half bad for me, either.