Expect the unexpected from pets
The first dog my husband and I ever brought into our marriage was an adorable three-month-old puppy. Before we picked up our basket of joy, we read a book about raising puppies, so obviously we thought we were experts on the subject. I crack up when I look back on that first year with our puppy. We dearly loved him, but we were naive.
My husband is brilliant when it comes to household budgeting. He cleverly prepared a spreadsheet for us, listing expenses we would likely incur in our first year. The list included vaccinations, neutering, bedding, crates, toys, food, leashes, flea treatments, licensing, collars and obedience classes.
The list did not include the following: daily shredded nylons, Tracy Jessiman’s Porsche. beloved dog holes chewed in drywall, staircases gnawed on, upholstered armchairs destroyed, three seatbelts in our car magically disappearing, custom curtains ripped off windows, chewed holes in carpet, computer cords demolished, replacing a leg on our four-poster bed and I am sure countless other items I have long forgotten. My husband eventually suggested we change our puppy’s name to Jaws.
Reading this, you would probably assume I would never bring another puppy into our lives, but I assure you, I would in a heartbeat. The one thing I would do differently is to never leave the puppy alone, even for two minutes when I have to collect the laundry, take a shower, unload the dishwasher, pay the pizza delivery person, pour a glass of wine, bring groceries in, pick up the mail, get dressed or breath.
No matter how prepared you think you are when bringing a pet into your life, I assure you there will be unexpected situations. Maybe you will not have a master chewer like we had in our lives, but there will be surprises.
We have had many dogs join our family and they have each arrived with their individual personalities and antics. One dog in particular that we thought would be easybreezy turned out to be quite the handful. We adopted him when he was eight years old and he hilariously proved us to be wrong many times.
He had a one-track mind when he heard something in our backyard. If he thought he heard a squirrel, bird or leaf, he wanted to chase it, even if that meant running through the screen door. He ran through the screen so many times, we considered keeping the screen- replacement firm on retainer.
We have cherished each and every one of our pets during their short-lived lives. Some of our pets have been a little higher maintenance than other ones, but we have loved each of them equally. Many pet owners and friends have stories similar to ours and those pet owners do not let their pets’ antics diminish the devotion they have for their treasured fur friend. They say love conquers all and I believe that to be true.
Please be kind to animals.