2 Months With a Puppy: What You Should Know

This post is like 80% for Type A people who want a puppy and 20% for normal people who want a puppy…hahaha. I am not surprised that getting Wex took me out of my comfort zone of routine and predictability. My morning and night routine look somewhat similar, but my time I’m able to do it in is cut in half with a puppy running around. And just yesterday, I went to Target to buy lightweight some shorts and a top that are specifically going to be for trips to the dog park in the summer heat. That being said, there are also tons of benefits that I want to touch on, especially for anyone dealing with anxiety, depression, chronic pain and illness, etc.

I just want to jump in today, and also drop in some pictures of our growing pup. At his last vet appointment mid-May, he weighed in at 22.6 pounds! Also, he got cleared this month to go out to the dog park, on walks outside of the apartment, etc. since he got all his shots 🙂

So…what you should know: 

ONE // Puppies are balls of energy. Even if the breed isn’t exactly super energetic like a Husky or an Australian Shepard, they’ll just have energy in general because they are puppies. Wex gets bursts of energy in the morning and right before bed. These are somewhat inconvenient times because they used to be “quiet time” for me: journals, meditating, preparing for the day or winding down.

How I’ve pivoted here is A) try to play with Wex first thing when he wakes up instead of trying to do my routine. Cam showers when he gets up and then when he is ready, he can take over playing with Wex so I can do journals and yoga and whatever else I need to in peace.

**And I’ll add here: NO idea how I would raise a puppy without help. I definitely recommend setting up some kind of help. If you don’t live with a partner or have a super nice roommate willing to pitch in, hire a dog walker or see if you can arrange for a family member to come take the puppy sometimes for some play time. Cam and I splitting the responsibility is SO helpful. One of us may be cooking food on the stove and the other can run Wex outside when he starts to squat on the floor to pee…you know what I mean? 😂

Also, B) This is a great lesson in being flexible!! Sometimes Wex has a crazy morning or I have an early appointment and I just don’t get to blow dry my hair or I don’t get to meditate and I just plan to do that stuff another time or go without. My day will not be severely impacted over smaller things like that and it’s a lesson in going with the flow.

TWO // Puppies can help you make friends! Thanks to Wex, Cam and I have made a few new friends! We obviously are standing outside our apartment with Wex several times a day, and people can’t resist how adorable he is. What started out as small talk with a few of our neighbors has turned into friendships. There’s a woman from my yoga class who I noticed lived in my apartment, but was too shy to ever say hi! Once our dogs met each other in the green space outside my apartment, we got to talking and now we are friendly! It’s nice to have a little more social interaction in my life – just an added joy of every day life.

THREE // Puppies show you who your real friends are 😂This sounds harsh, but let’s just say….there are people who will say “Oh I need to come over and see you since we haven’t hung out in a while! And meet your new puppy!” And then there are people who will say that and will actually come over and say hi. 😉 Just a thought!

FOUR // Puppies help you learn to ask for help. And prioritize! Prior to Wex, I was squeezing every last thing I could on my plate. There was one meeting in particular I was making for myself weekly that was just not filling up my soul and renewing my energy – but rather, zapping it and making me feel less than. I just kept going and going or just cancelling and feeling bad about bailing, and with Wex, I finally had the courage and the reasoning to say “This just isn’t working out for me right now and I’ll revisit in a bit when I have more time on my hands!”

I’ve also had to lean on other people for help – something I am terrible at. Asking my boss if I can come in early in order to take some time during the day to sneak away to let out Wex when no one else is able to. Or kindly asking my sister. Or telling Cam when I am overwhelmed and need 30 minutes to do yoga by myself. It’s hard and I’m still learning how to do so without crying or sounding whiny haha.

FIVE // Puppies make coming home SOOOO much better. I don’t know if some of you suffer from this issue, but I’m an introvert who likes to stay home, but I don’t necessarily want to be alone. I can definitely tolerate it, and even crave it, at certain points. But after a 2-hour long solo Youtube videos binge, I can get really blue to just continue my alone time with no interaction. I also suffer with bouts of depression that just are a side effect of having anxiety and other health issues, and this really only shows up when I am alone too often.

Fridays used to be a problem for me because I work from home. I’m alone all day – I had to start making sure I got out of the house at least once and went to a coffee shop or Barnes and Noble so that I didn’t get that black cloud over me from the lack of interaction (and sunlight.)

But now, with Wex, Fridays we get to hang out together most of the day and I really look forward to it. And just generally coming home from work or from errands and seeing Wex’s happy little wiggly butt when I let him out of his kennel…it’s such a warm and fuzzy feeling 🙂

Those are my takeaways and lessons from 2 months with Wex! He’ll be 4 months old in a couple of weeks and I’m just so glad he’s growing up with us. ❤️

Do you have a pet? If so – what are they like and what have you learned since having them?!

X,

Cristina