Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Puppy Love

So we've had Daisy for a few months now, and in that short time she's grown SO much! I've never had the pleasure of having a puppy from 8 weeks old, so tiny baby Daisy was definitely an unforgettable experience. She was so small you'd worry about losing her around the house, had to be carried everywhere because she couldn't climb up stairs etc, and it was a nightmare trying to get a harness to fit for longer than 2 weeks as she grew!

It wasn't all fun and games though. We'be had quite a few little accidents, lost 34652 hours of sleep as she cried through the night, sacrificed one pair of UGG boots, a laptop charger, 3 pairs of unworn shoes, a handbag strap and much more!

I guess what i'm trying to say is that I count myself as incredibly patient and loving towards animals, but at times having a puppy was hard work. You have to be consistent with training, discipline and literally have eyes in the back of your head! Too many people are seduced by the ideal of a cute puppy, but those poor creatures are quickly dumped when they grow/eat too much/cost too much or stop being an easily controlled lap dog.

We also had problems introducing her to Miffy. Admittedly Miffy and Ollie took a couple of weeks to get used to each other and bond, but having another feisty fenale in the house was not Miffy's idea of fun.

Whether Daisy set a paw in Miffy's personal space or even just entered the room, she would be met with a classic Miffy look of disgust! After all poor Miffy had been through in her early life, losing companion Ollie and now having to deal with a rambunctious puppy at the age of 7, I sometimes wondered if they'd ever be friends.

Through (lots of) patience, determination and encouragement, Miffy and Daisy now snuggle together, eat together, play with each other and have the odd bark-off with each other.

I miss my little Ollie every single day, but without losing him we never would have had Daisy! So it's a very bittersweet feeling. Now I look at Miffy and even though she's now a senior dog, she has a little companion who keeps her young. Prone to diva behaviour, Miffy has to learn to share with Daisy, and I definitely think having a quieter big sister calms Daisy down.

Has anybody else got a puppy recently and had a similar experience?









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