A pandemic that many expected to quickly fade after a short period of disturbances in our lives has now lasted over two full years. This has meant mask wearing, isolation and so many more changes in our daily lives. For many individuals, it has also meant the addition of a new member to their family unit. My family recently joined this popular movement by adopting a beautiful female English yellow labrador retriever puppy over this past Thanksgiving break.
Now if some of you are sitting at home reading the title and first paragraph thinking how entitled and self-centered this author must be to not appreciate his situation, just wait. I fully acknowledge on a daily basis the cuteness and cuddliness of our wonderful little girl. She can be incredibly fun to play with and even more adorable when she is asleep. However, there is so so so much more to owning a puppy that constantly goes under the radar — that is what I plan to illuminate in this article.
First things first, for those of you that are unaware, puppies have baby teeth that happen to be razor sharp as well as painful for the puppies at times. This results in puppies constantly wanting to chew on things to relieve their pain from their teeth. Unfortunately for their human owners, the texture and consistency of human feet, fingers, arms, noses, ears and pretty much every other body part happens to be the absolutely perfect chew toy/pain reliever. This means ever being barefoot in your household is an automatic no and that you must constantly remain on your guard to defend against a potential sneak attack.
Secondly, puppies struggle to control their bowel movements and routinely mistake the living room carpet for the outdoors. This results in a joyous clean up process that is so frequently interrupted with your lovely friend’s interest in their own creation. Their fascination and pride in their creation sometimes resembles that of a middle aged man who has just completed a multiple magazine battle in the restroom to make more room for dessert.
Finally, as adorable and sweet as puppies truly are, they have the energy of someone harassing you on the Lawn to join their club and will continue to persist and engage with you until you finally submit and give in. This means any hope of productivity goes completely out the window the second your darling enters your home. There are ways to stop this from happening — adorable puppy playdates, exercising your pup in high intervals so they will fall asleep easier or the all time classic on just putting them in a crate until they calm down. There is also another alternative that was sadly vetoed in my household — new puppy hemp products proven to calm and relax your furry best friend. Some might argue it is frowned upon to drug your dog against their will, but once you have taken one too many fangs to the hand, I promise the alternative will seem enticing.
Now this article was not meant to discourage individuals from finally committing to add a new best friend to their lives because it is amazing and rewarding. Instead, I hope it serves as more accurate advertising for the commitment you will be making, allowing you to make a more educated and informed decision about the process.
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