When we first got the puppies they were so cute and itty-bitty...but now they're frankly getting to be a BIG hassle. I really hate to say that as I'm an animal lover but Honey and I had talked for a couple of years now about not being tempted into getting any new pets. We did really good until last month when a friend of ours offered one of their puppies for free.
Some background:
Mr. Smarty Pants has wanted a puppy for quite some time now and has been very specific about what kind he wants. When he was 2 years old he had a pretty bad fall and I got him a stuffed chocolate lab toy as a comfort gift after leaving the ER. He named him Brownie and it has been his favorite "buddy" ever since. He's always said that someday he wants a real "Brownie". We had two(very old I might add) Pomeranians, rented a house with no backyard, and we knew we would be having more babies in the future and felt it wouldn't be a good idea to get a puppy any time soon. I also thought he should be older and more responsible before taking on a pet of his own.
Ok, so fast forward to the present. We have our own home(our first) which we moved into a little over 2 years ago, both poms have passed away, the babies are now toddlers and we're being offered a chocolate lab for free by a friend. How could we say no?
What was NOT given much thought to in this decision:
Cost. Training. Mr. Smarty Pants is really not an outdoorsy-type and has other "issues"(I'll save that for another post) that might make taking care of a dog not a good idea right now. Puppies pee in the house!!! This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine! The Poms lived for 16 & 18 years and peed all the time in our rental houses, especially as they got older. I cut baby diapers for the dogs to wear. Seriously! Guess who always had to clean any messes? Ummm yah, that would be me! Sooooo, I'm taking care of a house that frankly is too big for just little ole me to keep up with, twin toddlers entering the "Terrible Two's" stage, a hyper 6 1/2 year old with behavioral issues, and now I'm supposed to take care of, train, feed, clean up after, give attention to, a puppy! On top of that when we go to see these "conspiracies against otherwise sane adults"...um...I mean puppies, we end up getting 2!! What?? Honestly, I have NO idea how that happened. I think my brain got left behind at the house. I really do love animals, especially baby animals. *violin strings in the background* Besides, if you place any type of temptation in front of me...let's just say the results are usually predictable. My family is completely no help to me whatsoever in these matters. Normally they encourage bad behavior. I don't buy soda, cookies, cake, ice cream, etc, when I do the grocery shopping. Honey inevitably brings something "bad" into the house when he does the shopping and if it's in the house I'm completely and utterly defenseless. *sigh*
Soooo Honey drags me and all three kiddos out to see these adorable "temptations" and then everybody gangs up on me. "Awwww, these two are sooo cute together" (We're told the smallest ones, brother and sister, are the runts of the group and bonded with each other as the others picked on them.) "I don't think they should be parted"..."Aww couldn't we get them both?" so I say(drumroll please), "OK!"
Brain? Braaaaiiin?? Where are you??????
I'll admit at first everything went great and Mr. Smarty Pants loved playing with the puppies. They were adorable and cuddled up with us and were quiet and SMALL. Now, they're getting big, chewing on everything, barking and whining all the time and Mr. Smarty Pants has lost pretty much all interest in playing with them, let alone taking care of them. It doesn't help that the girls are kind of scared of them. Especially Sugar since there was a little biting incident the first day we brought them home.
I have no time to train them or give them much attention and of course no one else is training them or taking care of them. Our backyard is wayyyy too small for 2 large untrained dogs, who like to pee on the cement patio instead of the grass, oh and in the house too if we let them in(why do I always get the pee dogs??) and now the girls can't play outside because the puppies jump up and knock them over and generally terrorize them. These dogs are not even full grown yet. I'm afraid for my patio furniture. Did I mention that they are big on chewing things?
So in the spirit of nostalgia I thought I would post some pics of the puppies the first day we got them.
I know I'll eventually look back on all of this and laugh and the puppies will probably turn out to be exceptionally good dogs but right now?...I'm kinda losin my mind! :oP
Have a great weekend!
6 comments:
OH! Love this post..we are debating back and forth about getting a new pup (lost our doggie a year ago) Major debates with hubby and the kids & I are ganging up on him!! Enjoy the puppy licks and chewing on your favorite shoes!
Thanks for stopping by my bloggy, I'll be back to peek around, it's lovely here!~xo
Oh lord. You poor thing. My parents have a 1-year-old chocolate lab who's still got the puppy spirit in him, so I can't even imagine taking care of two of them -- AND your children!
The only advice I can give is to take them on as many walks and give them as much exercise as possible. I'm sure that's very hard to fit into all of your very busy schedules, but energetic puppies need lots and lots and LOTS of exercise! If they don't get it, that's when they start getting bored and chewing on everything.
If you're not able to walk them, maybe you could hire a pet sitter to take them on a long walk once a day, or maybe there are some kids in the neighborhood who you could bribe pretty cheaply to do so? It's worth it. They're such amazing and loving dogs if they're given proper attention.
GOOD LUCK!!!! And hang in there!!
Been here done this those pics could be my babies. Except they got really big really fast and even chewed the molding off the corner of the house. Good luck girl you are going to need it.
Let me get this straight: you have two lab puppies? Honey, this is just the beginning!
We adopted our lab when she was 1 from a family that had little ones and couldn't handle them. You have GOT to find a trainer to help you with this. They are the BEST dogs in the world, but the first 18 months, they are toddlers. And energetic ones at that.
They need to be worn out everyday - get them lots of toys so they chew on those, not other things. Find a trainer! This was so important for us, and I spent a fortune, but it was so worth it.
Our Candy is now 8, and is the best dog in the whole world. She still gets feisty, but a sweeter or more gentle soul, you'll never find...
Thanks for all the advice, insight and empathy. LOL! :oP
This last weekend Honey and Mr. Smarty Pants got collars and leashes and actually walked the dogs! I was so impressed.
I do feel better now getting that off my chest and with the nice weather the past few days we've actually gone outside to play with them more. I know they're going to be great companions. They really are beautiful and sweet dogs. :o)
I have a German Shepherd puppy - the best things I've founds so far are - carrots for teething - they're great for the dog's coat and wonderful to chew on...and see if you have a dog park near you - its a great way to socialize them and wear them out!
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