Oh my dog! It’s been intense. Little Yumi hasn’t been in the family for very long but she’s turned our lives upside down already. It’s clear that the learning curves are steep on all sides. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
Dogs prompt overthinking – There’s a whole new world of things to worry about: are we playing to much? is it the right kind of play? what am I teaching her? I didn’t play this much with the kids, have I let them down? What will we play next? And repeat…
The dog hasn’t read the books – She didn’t realise she was supposed to be crying all night. Instead she was fast asleep until 7.30 apart from one quick pee trip. I, on the other hand, spent much of the night with my ears wide open worrying about things.
Finally, something for the kids – Boy Three says Yumi is ‘better than an X-Box’. The feeling appears to be mutual, as he is her favourite toy.
There are many reasons concrete floors are great – And the latest is that it’s really very easy to clean up.
Who knew the dog owner market was so bit? – OK probably most of you who currently have a dog. But, as it’s been a few years since I was adult in charge of canine, things have clearly changed. Probably bigger, shoutier and more confusing than the ‘things you need for your baby market’, but it’s been a while since I was in that demographic too.
There’s yet another new normal – But this one involves dog treats on the dressing table and poo bags in my pockets.
And there’s yet another set of things to worry about – When’s the right time? How much is too much? What’s she trying to tell me?
The meaning of Yumi – abundant beauty in Japanese.
Patterdale Terriers feel like the boys of the dog world – often when people learned I have three sons, they would say things like ‘poor you, how do you manage?’ and ‘isn’t it mad/chaotic/messy all the time?’. The things I hear about these dogs are similar, I’m working on the basis that the boys turned out OK.
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