I had an entirely different post planned for today, but our puppy Luke gave me a pleasant little surprise this morning. That inspired me to write a little bit more about him instead, and about the pros and cons of having a puppy.
I’ve been fighting a stomach bug all week…upset stomach/headache/chills/aches and overall tiredness. I started feeling it Tuesday afternoon, and went to bed about 5 that day. On Wednesday I still went to work, but I dragged all day. My hubby and I discussed me going home early, or going to bed as soon as I got home, and then we laughed. Right. With a puppy at home who has been cooped up in a small room all day that was not going to happen. So I toughed it out, and then went back to bed when my hubby got home from work two hours after me.
CON: It’s hard to be sick with a puppy in the house.
This morning I woke up feeling a bit better. The chills had finally passed, and my stomach felt some better. The headache still persisted, and I was in no rush to get out of bed. Before Luke I used to linger in bed for a half hour or so on the two days I work from home; watching the news, drinking coffee, and reading Facebook and email on my tablet. Since Luke joined our household, I haven’t been doing that so much. I’m usually refereeing puppy games, or getting up sooner to get him outside. My hubby took him out before he left for work, but he didn’t “do all his business”. I assumed I’d be up early again getting him outside. Much to my surprise he came up and lay down next to me. I had my tablet open, and was able to relax for a while petting him and catching up on Facebook for the first time in a while. What a nice treat it was to be able to stay in bed a while longer when I wasn’t feeling so great! PRO: He can be such a little angel sometimes!
Eventually, the natives did get restless!
Besides, it’s not a bad thing to be getting up earlier some days, so I really see that as a PRO. I get more done when I get up even just a few minutes earlier. I’ve even learned to be more flexible and adjust my schedule to get things done when he’s taking a nap.
The most difficult part about not feeling well was having to go outside in the frigid cold weather we’ve been having lately. I can usually suck it up and take the dogs out for 20-30 minutes and let them play a couple times per day. However, having the chills, I just couldn’t stand to be outside for more than 5-10 minutes these last couple of days. It was still 4 below zero when I ended up getting up this morning and taking the dogs out. Luke did all his business quickly this time and we got back inside.
PRO: Sometimes he surprises us with how good he is.
CON: Sometimes he has me pulling my hair out, and gritting my teeth with trying not to yell or swear when he just won’t listen to me! He’s discovered sticks are fun to chew on now, and when he gets doing that his ears shut off, and he won’t come in the house when I need him to.
The frigid spell (polar vortex) finally let up today and we’ve been outside a bit more, and I even took Kobi for a walk. It got me thinking about how much more fresh air both my hubby and I have been getting since Luke joined our family. We have a large fenced in yard but we still don’t let Luke out there unattended for more than a minute or two unless we can see him from the window. That means going outside A LOT more for us than we used to.
PRO: more fresh air for us, plus the yard is staying cleaner because we’re picking up after all the dogs far more often than we used to in the winter.
CON: Luke is really getting to enjoy being outside, and he wants to be out there more and more. Every time the big dogs go out, he wants to. That gives us less time to get other things done.
PRO: Luke is getting older and the housebreaking is going well. He hasn’t had an accident in the house for a week now, and he is starting to go to the door when he needs to go out.
CON: Luke is getting older now, and he’s getting BIG. He has doubled his weight since he came home, and he likes to show us how tall he is. Today he knocked this cup off the fridge where I had set it to fill with ice and water (luckily I hadn’t filled it yet).
PRO: He used that cup as a toy which kept him occupied for quite a while.
CON: He knows where all the TP is kept and we have to put that up higher than the holder to keep it away from him.
CON: My house is a disaster. I’m not going to try to tell you that I’m a wonderful housekeeper or anything. Don’t ever look too closely at my furniture or my floors, because they are not really clean, unless we have company coming. But you will almost never find clutter in my house….I cannot stand it. Here’s what my dining room looks like since Luke:
It’s driving me crazy. But with the winter we need all the hats, coats, gloves, and socks handy for going outside. PRO: Luke can pretty much reach all that stuff now….we keep moving it closer and closer to the center of the table, and he keeps taking it down. We’re going to have to find another place for it soon.
PRO: He makes us laugh so much with the things he gets into, and we are beyond thrilled with how he has gotten the two girls to play more. I need to videotape the “Bark-Offs” that they have. That’s what I call it when they just get barking at each other, and it is so funny when Sheba lets out her big dog bark and Luke jumps and goes running away like she scared the H—L out of him. It’s hysterical!
PRO: Both Sheba and Cricket are so much more active, and now when we play fetch we often have two balls going and Sheba is running a lot more….either bringing her own ball back (she would never do that before) or chasing Luke down trying to get one of the balls from him.
I think the PROS are starting to outweigh the CONS and obviously we wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world. He is enriching our lives in so many ways. He is starting to learn things and I know he will behave better in time. He’s definitely a keeper (not that he was going to be anything but that no matter what)!
We are joining 2 Brown Dawgs Blog and Heart Like a Dog for their Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop. Please visit them and others through the links below!
This list made me smile! It’s so perfect, and the pictures are precious… I seriously can not believe how big he’s gotten! I know I’m a few days behind on reading blogs, so I really hope you’re feeling better. It is NO FUN being super sick when it’s so cold and miserable out. Hope your darling herd has been taking good care of you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it all, Maggie. I know, we can’t believe how fast Luke is growing either.
I am feeling all better, thank you. Yes, it’s hard enough dragging myself out in the bitter cold, but add not feeling well to that, and it’s really no fun! But I survived, and everyone did take good care of me.
Thanks for joining Barks and Bytes Blog hop, we are so happy to have you on board.
I’m so jelly of you. You have a sweet little puppy who is learning and growing by leaps and bounds. The pros definitely outweigh the cons. Who would have thought a little puppy would make such a change for the other dogs? That’s totally awesome.
You’re welcome, and thank you for having the hop!
It is so much fun having Luke. Other than feeling just a tad overwhelmed sometimes, it’s really been all good. And yes, it has been especially good for the other dogs, which is one of the most important things!
The pros will always outweigh the cons, you know that 🙂 It’s so much fun to watch Luke growing up – he really is getting big – how much bigger will he get? And the benefit of getting the rest of the pack for active is great – you know Slimdoggy loves active pups!
Oh yes, I know that for sure! We can’t believe how fast Luke is growing….our vet predicted he would get up to 80-100 lbs and at the rate he’s going that might be possible. The only breed we know for sure in him is Lab so I imagine he’ll at least be as big as Sheba. We can’t wait to get Luke signed up for PetsMove too! 🙂
Puppies are fun, but such a challenge. Just like kids. The good thing is puppies grow up way faster. Torrey turned 3 in November so we are finally out of the adolescent phase.
At least the housebreaking seems to be going better than the last puppies….we thought we would NEVER get Cricket housebroken, but Luke seems to be catching on quickly in that department. I’m sure he’ll find plenty of other ways to challenge us though! 🙂
OK, so reading about Luke makes me think of taking care of my almost 2 year old baby! lol… I just absolutely CANNOT keep my bedroom clean and it is driving me insane. She doesn’t have her own room, so she shares ours. She gets in all of our clothes drawers and throws clothes everywhere, mixing them with the dirty laundry basket… and that’s just the beginning! Ok, vent over, I won’t go into the full details! Not puppy related, but similar! Luke is such a cute guy, and you’re right he’s getting pretty big!
LOL….when our 2 year old grandson came to visit at Christmas time, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between him and Luke! So many things they did were similar…..I had to stop myself from saying everything because I was afraid his Mom would get upset if I kept comparing him to my dogs! 🙂
Great post! We have enjoyed Diesel and I think the pros have outweighed the cons! He is awesome most of the time! He loves to chew sticks also but brings them inside with him. I am constantly picking up sticks. Luke is getting so big! It amazes how they grow up so fast!
I know, it really is amazing how fast they grow. In a way, it’s a good thing, but in another way I hate it that he’s growing up so fast! LOL
One of our past dogs used to bring sticks in the house too. Luke hasn’t made it that far with them (yet) but he did bring in a big hunk of bark the other night!
Great post and yes the pros outweigh the cons. I’m glad your feeling better and hope the bug stays away.
Thank you on both things! I hope I got my one winter illness out of the way. Knock wood!
I am laughing at your list, because much of it is exactly how I felt when I had puppies!
Well, at least I know Luke is typical, anyway! 🙂
Dang it, he’s cute! Puppies and their little Fritos paws are too adorable! Still, I’ll probably rescue a little older dog when it’s time. Which will be soon. Housebreaking … *sigh* but puppies are so cute. And your pros are so convincing. And Luke’s cute face and belly …
You might miss the puppy cuteness, but older dogs are cute too. And you’ll also miss out on the pulling out of your hair! 🙂
I think the Pro’s are definitely outweighing the cons. How could they not with a cutie like Luke. 🙂 I can sympathize with being sick. I came down with something on Tuesday as well. Chills and stuffed head, but no tummy issues. I blamed my Dad (also my boss), because he was back briefly from Florida last week and he was sick. Now several of us at the office are sick too…lol. He is better and back south and we are freezing and sick!
Darn, I also meant to thank you for joining the Barks and Bytes hop. 🙂 See still suffering effects…
Oh, that was the worse thing when I wasn’t feeling well….my brain just didn’t want to function!
You are so right. He’s such a lovable little cutie too.
Oh no, whenever our bosses go away on a trip at work they come back and bring some crazy illness with them! Then they don’t stay away from the store and they infect all of us! Your lucky Dad…..I’d much rather be warm and sick than freezing and sick too! 🙂
A puppy belly is the one “pro” that outweighs any number of cons. That pic of him belly up on the bed is just too cute. I can’t resist a spotted, fat little puppy belly!
Hope you are feeling all better!
Oh, I know, I know!! I love his belly!! Luke lays on his back all the time too…he is too funny.
I am feeling better, thank you!
Did my comment go through. I got sort of gobbled up…
Yes, it did!! 🙂
So much of your post sounds JUST like my house!!
There are always pros and con’s with our beloved pets, but the pros outweigh the con’s thankfully!
The love they give and the happiness they bring us is enough that when we feel like pulling our hair out because they won’t listen We know it will will pass lol!
But I feel ya! Trust me!
((Husky hugz frum da pack))
“Love is being owned by a husky”
I thought when I read your post today that your house did look as active as mine! And you’re right, even with the older dogs (and cats) there are always pros and cons. But the happiness and love makes it worth it.
Luke will be going to obedience school when he’s older….right now I’d say he listens about 50% of the time, with just everyday training at home. 🙂
I keep thinking that a puppy would liven things up around here with my four well-behaved and dignified dogs. But I just go on the internet to see how other people are coping with all the demands and mischief that a puppy brings. I think I would rather read about them than actually experience all that again.
I had actually said that too. I let my hubby talk me into getting a puppy. But our younger beagle is so bossy, we thought a puppy would accept that better. So far so good.
Sorry that you were sick, Jan… 🙁 My email is finally back after being “deleted” by Comcast for 10 days (fyi). I can’t believe how big Luke is getting, and that I haven’t met him yet. I guess I didn’t need the flu anyway, but I want to come visit SOON!!!!! 🙂
I kept trying to email you and finally gave up, and was going to text you to see if it was back yet! I hope you will come meet Luke soon too!! We are here the next two weekends!
I hope you feel better real soon, just like having a baby, we are not allowed to be ill LOL xxxxx
Mollie and Alfie
Ha, you are so right! Thanks, I do feel better today but not as good as I was hoping I would!
Pros do outweigh the cons but sometimes Mom just wishes Bailie would be an adult and she wouldn’t need to constantly be thinking about her. We wouldn’t trade her for the world and really it only took a few weeks for her to fit right into our routine. Next step will be not having to go outside right after getting up in the morning but that is still a ways off.
I understand how your Mom feels, and before Luke I was often heard saying (or wrote) that I wouldn’t trade in my senior dogs for a puppy for all the world. But sometimes the girls are the ones that frustrate me….I get Luke to settle down and they keep having to go in or out and get him going! I probably would have more cons if I didn’t have my hubby to help too…he really does a lot when he’s home (including the early morning rising).