We got a puppy…

Last week we decided to go to a puppy meet and greet at a nearby park. We didn’t really have any intention of meeting a puppy that day but we had been looking for months and decided we’d just go and see how the kids interacted with the dogs and how the dogs interacted with the kids.

Well, of course, in God’s timing - we met a sweet puppy named Wrinkles. He’s a hound, but we’re not sure what kind. Great with the kids, calm, but had some energy to play and just seemed like a good fit with our family. So, we asked the adoption agency what the next steps were and they asked us to come back THAT NIGHT and pick him up. That was scary for me - I wasn’t really ‘ready’ to get a dog with everything we have going on right now but he seemed like a good fit for our family.

So, the next day we went to pick him up. He had a tough first night, pooped in the house and peed and whined and cried because he wasn’t used to us or his new home. That repeated for a few days until he started to get a little more comfortable with us and the kids and his new home. He started to calm down and things seemed to be getting easier.

Except the past few nights he’s been up whining and crying and the only way he calms down is if he’s near us or if we go downstairs to lay on the couch and be with him!

We obviously, cannot be getting up in the middle of the night with the dog when we already have the kids to get up after. We need our sleep too! So now, we’re toying with the idea of putting him in our room or upstairs hallway in his crate (because he’s not potty trained and I really don’t want him pooping or peeing on our new carpet upstairs). I’m probably going to lose and he’s probably going to win because we all need sleep. But, my main concern is the wet dog smell. That really bothers my allergies and his dog bed really stinks.

He’s in his crate anywhere from 6-8 hours during the day while we’re at work, so I’m wondering if we should get him a second dog bed that I can rotate and wash every few days so my allergies don’t get bothered and so his crate doesn’t smell!

Either way - he has been a great addition to our family. He is very good with the kids. He is very calm. I have never been a ‘dog’ person but he is so sweet and calm and makes it easy to love him! Even though there is definitely an added stress of having a dog on top of the kiddos it is still rewarding and especially sweet to see them interact together!

I think the most stressful parts right now are that he cannot be left alone with the kids - I have to constantly check on them and him when I’m cooking dinner and I cannot tame him or my 1 year old daughter! But they interact very well together. Also, always being cautious of if he is going to have an accident in the house which is tough because I cannot leave my kids in the house alone to take him out so it’s a whole process to get him and the kids out so he can go to the potty!

We are all learning and adjusting and overall I think it will be great to have him as part of our family, and for the kids to grow up with a dog!

You can follow along with our fun on my Instagram and if you have any words of wisdom or tips please let me know!