We got a dog because my son was terrified of them; whenever we went out and he saw a dog, he would run to either my husband, his older brother or me to be picked up. He would cry, shout and show general distress at being near them.
My husband and I have always wanted a dog so we decided that the COVID lockdown was the perfect time to add this addition to our family (It seems that most other people we know also had this same idea). So after a long wait, the big day came to bring the puppy home. Lines were drawn, my son had staked his claim to the upstairs of our house and a baby gate was added to keep the puppy downstairs. It took the puppy all of 2 days to figures of how to bypass the gate to get to my son (he has since been the easiest target for stealing food from)! And over the next few weeks they formed a friendship.
My son liked taking Bailey for walks (that is our puppy’s name), but then he would get bored with holding her lead and he would just let go. Bailey loved this as she got to escape and run wild, while my husband would play a ‘fun’ game of catch the dog. My son soon learned that Bailey would be willing to take any food he didn’t want to eat. Bailey learned that if she took one of his toys, he would leave his food to go retrieve his toy and left his food open for her to help herself to. I’m not sure who was training who!
Bailey has helped him overcome his fear of dogs, and while he still doesn’t like it when they bark, he is much happier being around them. He has grown to love her and she is very much a part of his life. When we went away for a few days over the summer, Bailey had to board in an animal inn and my son really missed her. On the last day of our holiday, he asked to go and buy a present for Bailey and kept checking that we were going to pick her back up before going home.
So here are some things that I have learned about getting a puppy;
- As much as I had dreamed she would be like Nana from ‘Peter Pan’, alas she is not. Dogs are hard work and she is like having a 3rd child (I’ve been assured that by the time she is 3 years old, she will be the perfect dog)!
- Poetic license was used when describing her as ‘small’- 60lbs is NOT small!
- Dogs are smart but only when they want to be.
- Dogs will eat anything: face masks, Lego, birds, organic plant fertilizer, and coffee/tea is a preferred beverage. But they can be fussy over their own dog food!
- They are cunning. To the outside world she is the best dog, but little do they know the amount of time we have chased her around the house to get items off her that she is trying to chew, or the number of cushions she has attacked.
- The Christmas tree and Bailey are not a good mix. The decorations are slowly retreating up the tree away from her reach.
- As much training is needed for the human people in the house as for the dog.
- Would we do it again? YES! The joy I get from seeing both my sons interact with her is the best:
- ‘Bailey, you have to have your eyes cleaned before you have a treat!’
- ‘Bailey do you need a toy?’
- ‘Bailey, don’t eat my food!’
- ‘Bailey its story time’
- ‘Bailey, cookie monster is NOT a chew toy!’
- ‘Bailey, you need your hair washing’
The Pajama Gang 