We’re 5 weeks in to having a puppy so I thought it was a good time to capture some of the highs and lows, and realities of dog-ownership.
When is the right time to get a dog?
My children are 10 and nearly 14. My nearly 14 year old son loves animals and has been asking for a dog as long as I can remember. He is definitely now old enough for the responsibility of having a dog; old enough to wake it for a walk, to play with it and care for it. He has a tendency (like most teenagers!) to spend a lot of time on his play station or phone, for me getting a puppy was a key way to reduce this.
My 10 year old daughter is a totally different kettle of fish. She is terrified of all animals; we’ve had 2 rescue rabbits for 6 years which she still hasn’t picked up despite them being very tame and loving! If we’re walking down the road and a dog is coming the other way she crosses the road to avoid it. I thought getting a puppy was a good way to help get her used to dogs and hopefully better with all animals.
For us this was the best time
What breed? And where to get a puppy from?
There are of course lots of puppies and dogs that need rescuing (and rescuing rabbits from the RSPCA in the past we have seen this first hand). However as first time dog owners we decided that getting a new puppy from a breeder and starting from scratch ourselves was best for our family.
Where will they go in the house?
We had decided to
What about going out?
We are lucky in the fact that I run Mumbler from home which means I am in a lot. My husband also works from home 2 days a week. I was prepared for staying in a lot, but hadnt quite realised how tying they are. We decided to crate our puppy – getting a crate that he can sleep in at night and go in during the day if I need to pop out and want to know he is safe and secure. I didn’t want him in it for long though
Sleep!
Allergies
