Our Furry Newborn / Toddler Puppy – the Truth and Need for One

We welcomed a new member to our family a week ago. We purchased a four-month old puppy, a Siberian Husky, from a local pet store two days after Thanksgiving.

Meet Tiberius or “Ty”

The first two nights were like bringing home a typical newborn. My husband and I received no sleep. We gave each other looks that could be interpreted as, “Oh shit! Did we make a mistake?” The fur baby was crying (or howling I should say!) There was accident after accident…pee, poop, a combination of the two, vomit and more.

Yes, a new puppy around the house is definitely like bringing a newborn home . Except no diapers were involved and no change of clothes. But there were baths at midnight and crate cleaning at 2:30 a.m.

Oh gosh, what did we do?

We added a puppy to the family, that’s what! Our kids begged us for a dog. Our previous canine died two and a half years ago and we thought, “Okay, we’re ready now.” My husband and I both had the itch, the vibe and the inclination to finally go for it last weekend.

But like any parents out there, fur babies or not, are you ever truly ready? Do you know what you’re getting into?

Hell no! We can prepare and pretend. But in reality, we romanticize the situation. We think about the cuddling, snuggling, laughter and more.

Yet most of the time it’s cleaning up after another creature or fussing him for chewing up that phone charger. Or wondering why he likes the taste of a soiled panty liner. (Oh yes, I’m not making that up! All kinds of treasure can be found when one digs in the bathroom trash!)

We push aside the jumping on our new work clothes. We shrug off how we trip over him three times while cooking. He’s a wandering, curious and stubborn fur toddler.

We haven’t put up our Christmas tree yet. I’m not sure if we should this year!? I can only imagine what kinds of ornaments and holiday décor can survive his active thrusts, teeth and jumps?

I keep thinking of Marley, Marmaduke and other famous, destructive dogs. What other canines am I missing?

Ty looks at me with his beautiful blue eyes and stupid tongue hanging out. He bumps into things and miscalculates corners. I watch him and think, “That poor dumb fella. He’s really more like Odie than Lassie.”

Why do we do it? Why do we put ourselves through it? Another pet or another kid for that matter? I mean, dang, things had just gotten easier for us!

My girls are 4 and 9 years old. They are so independent and fun. The hands-on, constant nurturing is nearly done. I can say, “Go put your clothing on. Brush your teeth.” I tell them. And they do it. They listen. They are trained.  It’s Magical.

Now here I am with this furry tornado whizzing around on four legs, running into the screen door.  In reality, he is more disaster-prone than magical.

But here I sit laughing. Typing and laughing (and thankful he’s taking a nap right now so I can even write this…).  I’m a bit more tired than usual but still feeling happy. I’m not yet regretting the overall decision to have him aboard the Fernandez family. Although I have short moments of WTF every now and then!

So back to that nagging question… Why do we do it? Why are WE doing it?

The truth is that our hearts wanted another family member, a furry one in this case. The fact is that all four of us did at the same time. Finally we all became in’sync with the idea of having another pet around.

But it’s not easy and I won’t try to sugar coat it.  This is hard and messy (and sometimes smelly).

Ty is adding a mix of life and love into our routine. He is bringing forth some adventure into the mundane day and night schedules we keep.

So wish us luck! Wish us patience.  Send us good vibes that we’ll have another good night’s sleep since in the last two nights, we finally had rest. Pray that the emergency midnight baths and poop in the dark are limited (or at least few and far between).

Send us your best furry wishes.  Send us chew toys and the ability to remember that loving and nurturing another creature (fur baby) is what we can do and should do right now. This is our current destiny.  This is our gift to our girls and even to each other, a chance to see what we are all made of, how we can bond and grow as a team.

Or maybe we should have just bought a plant or a pet rock?? I don’t know.  I’ll keep you posted…