getting a puppy changed my life
the highs, the lows of puppy motherhood
When Justin and I moved to Wisconsin, I desperately wanted a dog. It was never a possibility with space limitations in San Diego, so when we started house hunting I had high hopes for adding another furry friend to the family.
The journey for the house took longer than expected (ha, months longer…), but when we settled in, we started to explore local rescues. After a few weeks of looking, we hit pause. Between moving states, starting a new job, settling into a new home, you name it…throwing a dog into the mix felt a little too overwhelming.
And…then life happened. About three weeks after that decision was made, we stumbled on a golden retriever rescue fundraising outside of our local grocery store. Just like that…we started to reconsider our decision to wait and applied to adopt. A week or so later, I got an email packed with pups looking for homes. A six-month dog named Linnie caught my eye - she was a noted snuggle bug saved from a puppy mill who was recovering from malnourishment and a mite infection, which meant she was regrowing her fur.
In mid-November, Linnie (now Poppy!) made her way home with me while Justin traveled.
I don’t need to dissect every detail in a public forum, but those first weeks were hard (read: understatement of the year…). I conceptually knew puppy blues existed, but I didn’t quite process what they were until I was in the thick of them. Between Poppy’s initial fear of what felt like everything, the inability to even pee without her freaking out because I left the room, Walt (our cat) having a rough time, and the lack of sleeping through the night…I felt in over my head. I catastrophized to the nth degree thinking I’d never be able to leave again, I questioned whether I was really a dog person, and I felt depressed. It was all so confusing, and I couldn’t reckon with why I was crying and tired all the time.
Big shoutout to my friends and family who had patiently listened and gave advice during this time. Big shoutout to the fellow pup owner Redditors who helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. If you have a friend get a new puppy and they have puppy blues, be there for them!!
Anyhow, come Christmas/New Year’s time, something shifted. I was all in on Poppy. Things felt more manageable, and her personality began to come out (she was definitely following the 3-3-3 rescue rule).
Now, almost eight months later, I couldn’t imagine a life without Poppy. She’s changed my life in ways I didn’t know I needed.
Poppy has given me so much…
Patience: Training a puppy (including one that clearly had trauma we aren’t privy to) is challenging. It can be one step forward, three steps back. I’m a notoriously impatient person, but she’s forced me to slow down and celebrate any progress and to understand that good things take time. Plus, when she finally nails something, it’s SO satisfying. Is that how parents feel?
Getting outside: My piece of advice? Don’t get a puppy ahead of winter. Ha! Well, we did…And while I often did not want to take her out, I was always glad I did. She’s forced me to get outside everyday, and I cherish our morning walks together. It’s the best way to start the day.
Slowing down: Sometimes Poppy wants to solely go on a “sniff-fari” on her walks. While it can get annoying, it’s forced me to slow down. I’ve never noticed so much in our neighborhood or on trails when she’s taking her time.
Fun and play: Poppy is very silly. She’s a giant goofball who loves to play! I can be serious and reserved - and she brings out this goofy side of myself that I need to embrace more. It’s nice to have unstructured time to play. Adults don’t get enough of that.
Be happy: Poppy is just happy to be here. Everything is exciting and fun to her. She’s thrilled to walk, she’s thrilled to go in the backyard, she’s thrilled to get on the couch and nap. I admire her zest for life and know its contagious. I’ve felt a lot lighter. As we say here, Poppy lives her life out loud, and I hope I can too.
Love you, miss Poppy girl.
things I’ve loved lately
Bissell Little Green Machine: This only feels fitting to link in a post about pet ownership. This handy portable cleaner has been a huge help with cleaning our couches from the inevitable mess of pets/us. I feel like our white couch looks brand new after using it yesterday.
Formula 1 Drive to Survive: I randomly decided to start this Netflix sports series. I don’t normally love cars, reality TV, etc. But, this caught me quickly. I’m already deep in the second season and am scouting out going to an F1 race. It has me hooked!
Tom Lake: I love Ann Patchett, so I was thrilled when my best friend gifted me a signed copy of her latest novel for my birthday. I put off reading it because I knew I wanted to savor it. It was such a lovely slow burn about family and young love.
Ocean State Pepper Co. Narragansett Bay Seasoning: We recently went to Rhode Island to visit friends, and I snagged this local seasoning. I used it on pan-seared salmon this week (+ lemon) and it was 10/10, no notes. Super yummy and subtly spicy.
Gardening: I am by no means an expert, but I’ve been loving spending time planting new flowers, herbs, etc. in our yard. It’s been a fun adventure and how I’ve capped off the last few Fridays after work. It’s quite relaxing.
I relate to SO MUCH of this post! I have owned a dog before, but never a rescue and we've definitely had some behavior challenges with Ivy stemming from past trauma. But I love the fact that she makes me walk, the "sniff-aris," and the unconditional love.....it can be tough but we think it is worth it! (Although I am going to be embarking on a doggy training boot camp pretty soon to try and curb some of the behavior issues!) Glad you are enjoying puppy/Poppy motherhood!