I am not a patient person. So why I thought getting a puppy would be a good idea is beyond me.
I have wanted a little house dog for a long, long time. I keep reminding myself of that when I’m tired, and tired of cleaning up after her.
We’ve had our first family dog, Fia, for almost two weeks now. She’s a small, black Cockapoo. She’s playful, she’s cuddly, she’s beautiful. And she’s a LOT of work.
There are many things I didn’t think about when getting a dog, things I didn’t realize.
First of all, I didn’t realize it would take her forever to go to the bathroom. It seriously takes her forever. I can’t tell you how long she sniffs and wanders around the yard looking for a spot to relieve herself.
After having five kids, I can’t comprehend waiting that long to pee. I can’t even sneeze or jump on the trampoline without needing to go. So the fact that it takes her 15 minutes sometimes to pick the perfect spot just blows my mind.
Second, I didn’t realize she’d turn into a demon dog when we were playing with her. She is the sweetest puppy. She really is. But there were a couple times at first when she totally flipped.
It was puppy Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. She’d be sleeping soundly on my lap, then get restless and turn into a raging maniac.
Thank heavens my sister and her husband taught us a few tricks to put her in her place and tame her inner demon dog. I was scared of the cute little fluffy ball for a while.
Third, I didn’t realize having a puppy is so much like having a newborn baby. She’s always going to the bathroom. She needs help getting her food. And she cries. All. Night. Long. We finally put her kennel in the basement at night so we can try to get some sleep.
Fourth, I didn’t realize how hard it would be to keep her safe from my four and two-year-olds. They think she is their puppy plaything. They pick her up whenever they want. They feed her treats whenever they want. They swing her kennel around whenever they want. And they try to sit on her whenever they want. It has been exhausting keeping her safe from them.
Finally, I didn’t realize how much my kids would adore her. My oldest giggles like crazy when she wrestles with him. My eight-year-old loves teaching her tricks. My four-year-old loves to sit “criss cross applesause” with her in the middle of his legs. And my little baby girl who gets nervous around all other animals loves to let her lick her fingers and cries, “Fia, no,” every time we leave her home.
We have all fallen in love with her.
It has been an adjustment having a puppy, and will still be an adjustment for a long, long time, but I can already tell we are going to learn a lot from this little pup.
Maybe she’ll teach me a little patience along the way.
Boogers on the Wall 