I’ve had my precious baby, which is his actual name, since October of 2015, and my life changed for the better. He is a loving, sweet Chihuahua with a lot of character, to say the least. But recently, another little furry child has come into my life. Leia, my boyfriend’s dog, was adopted on April 12, 2017, and again more happiness has been added into my life. A lot of people think having a dog and being a dog mom is easy and that anyone can do it. It’s one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. I got my first dog three months into my freshman year, and although it didn’t affect my GPA or any other aspect of my life, I almost went crazy.
The first couple of months are very exciting and absolutely full of cuteness. Your furry baby is so small and all they do is sleep, eat, and look cute. The dog is new and you are going through something new, too. All you want to do during this first month is stay in bed and sleep with them and literally just stare at your new, tiny, innocent pup.
Then they get really comfortable. They’re not potty-trained yet and you’ve been so focused on the angel that you’ve just let them pee on those potty pads. Now, they’re peeing all over your apartment and there are stains everywhere and you’ve gone through four tubes of Clorox wipes. The first month you have your new dog, you can’t bring yourself to discipline them, even when they destroyed your favorite, most expensive shoes. But after a month or two, you spot their pee and poop mess and are chasing them around with your half-bitten shoe.
Finally, the dog is potty-trained and you can go back to loving him unconditionally because your house can be spotless again and it doesn’t smell like a gas station bathroom. By now, you have a group of doggo moms you bond with, and your furry baby has furry besties and you can’t handle the cuteness. They’re hella active and will wake you up first thing in the morning with their toys in their mouth, like mom what is sleep? Play is life! A couple more things get chewed, some furniture, chargers, etc. Because they can have all of the toys they could ever want, but your laptop charger will always be more entertaining.
Then your dog isn’t a puppy anymore and is older and all he wants to do again is eat, poop, sleep, and get treats. And you finally get a moment to breathe. By this time you’re just happy they’re ready to be at the same energy level as you are, when you want to be active so do they, and when you want to stay in bed all day, they are your perfect companions and what even the potty?
My dog is almost two, now and he’s at his perfect stage in life. He loves to sleep and cuddle me while I sleep. If I want to go hiking, he is all up for it and can even run with me if I feel like it, but I never feel like it, if we’re being real. The only thing about baby that is a little annoying is that he hasn’t had great experiences with big dogs, so he growls at all of them. So every time we’re outside all you can hear is me screaming “Baby stop!!! I am so sorry!” But no pup is perfect, and I love him, even though he growls at Pit bulls.
The life of a dog mom is stressful, and it is HARD. It definitely is not for everyone, and only certain people actually have the patience, funds, and what it takes to take care of another living thing. So my biggest recommendation is don’t do it if you have even a bit of a doubt that you can’t do it, because it is heartbreaking when you can’t. But if you can afford a dog and can take care of one, DO IT! It is the most rewarding thing and you might not notice at first but it makes you so much more responsible and alert. You will always have a companion, through the good and the ruff patches (pun so intended), and your furry baby will always love you, no matter what.