I have wanted a dog for such a long time, but I kept telling myself that I didn’t have the time. Then, one of my friends told me that once you get a dog, you MAKE the time, and your life is so much fuller. MAN, was she right! Everyone, meet my little bundle of joy, Luna! She is a three-month shelter puppy that I suspect maybe has some dachshund and some pit bull, but I’m really not sure. I’ve been saying that she’s like a Tamagotchi in the blobby, post-egg phase- you’re really not sure what she’s going to turn in to!
Seeing as she’s a puppy, we’re still working on potty training and biting, but I think she’s making some progress. I’m crate training her, which has been an absolute god-send. I honestly don’t know how people potty-trained dogs before crates! She sleeps in her crate in the living room, and she sleeps all through the night. I think she’s only woken me up in the middle of the night to go out three times, which is so lucky.
The day after I got her, I noticed she was making weird hacking noises. I took her to the vet and he diagnosed her with kennel cough, a very common and contagious virus that makes dogs cough. It usually resolves itself, but since it’s so contagious, she had to be kept away from other dogs for three weeks. I have to admit, as a new puppy owner who had never even heard of kennel cough, I was terrified. Confession: I went to CVS to buy her a humidifier because I was so worried ?. Her symptoms cleared up after a few (long) days, and now she’s totally fine! We’re also working through some possible allergies, but other than that, she’s a healthy, wiggly, hyper puppy.
Some of her favorite things to do are: chase her tail, play with plastic bottles, lick (and bite) people, chew on clothes, chase leaves, jump on things like chairs and survey her surroundings, play fetch, and pester my parents’ dog Casey. I’m looking forward to learning more about her, and getting past the chewing stage. She’s adorable.
Do you have any tips for a first-time puppy owner?
