Puppy Love

Puppy Love - June 30, 2022 - Benny the Miniature Schnauzer

Introducing Benjamin Bratt – Benny

What can I say? I bought a puppy and fell deep into puppy love. Never, ever thought I would have a puppy love relationship at this stage of my life.

We had said goodbye to our 13-year-old golden retriever and said no more dogs. Can’t do it. Can’t say goodbye to another dog when they leave us. At this time, we had our daughter’s dog, Maci living with us. And that was going to be the end of our dog relationships. No more grieving for 2 years when we say goodbye to them. But time always has a way of healing. And 2 years later my daughter suggests “mom, you should get a puppy”. I’m like I don’t think so. And as the evening passes with another glass of wine, next thing I know I am on board to getting a puppy.

What do I want? I had the breed figured out already. Within 4 days we were driving to Edmonton and picking up an 8-week-old puppy. I wanted a miniature schnauzer. There were none to be found in Saskatchewan at that time. Next thing I know I am an owner of a brand-new tiny puppy.

Where am I going with this? Well, have you thought about a puppy? Do you know what it involves? I am going to discuss with you today some of the things you should think about before running out and buying that puppy. #1 Rule - never, ever go look at a puppy. Guaranteed you are coming home with one. 

And I love my Benny with all my heart. It is going to be a very, very sad day when he leaves me. He is only one year old, and I already have tears thinking about his parting day in the future. So, take heed, they warm your heart, they give you comfort, you cuddle them and hold them just like a child. You never want them to leave. Buyer beware – when they do leave you, you will grieve.

But what I wanted to discuss is what is involved when you make that decision to get a puppy. Did you know that over 900,000 Canadians bought pets during the pandemic? I knew people were getting pets, but not that many. No wonder I can’t get into a puppy day care class. Too many dogs. And now as the pandemic is ending and people are going back to the work force your local SPCA has pets that need to be adopted again. During the pandemic, the majority of dogs and cats were getting adopted. People discovered how much work a dog is and have returned them to the SPCA. Sad!

Our little Benny wasn’t a rescue dog, but he came from the city and was in a very confined area. It was a major purchase for my daughter and I. Things just went wrong when we went to pick him up. I ended up pretty much having an anxiety attack. We had to leave to get money after we saw him, and we were like, do we just walk away and leave our deposit behind ($500), or do we take him and get the heck away from here as fast as we can. We decided we needed to take this little dog we had come to purchase and get out of “Dodge” as the famous cowboy Marshal Dillon from Gunsmoke would say. And that is what we did.

We were totally unprepared. Never thought about what we needed to bring a puppy home. In the good old days, you didn’t crate train a dog. Put them in a box in the basement with an alarm clock and hope for the best. Times have changed. You bring these dogs totally into your life and your home. We had a 7-hour drive ahead of us. First thing we did was stop at a pet store. Bought a crate, some food, some toys and headed back to SK. I’m pretty sure our little Benny knew he had been rescued and was heading for greener pastures.

He slept on the floor by my daughter’s feet or between us, laying on the middle console - content. It was late by the time we got home. My daughter was prepared to wake up at 3 am and take him out to the bathroom. But nope he was fine. Slept until 6 am before he even moved. I am thinking, we may have lucked out. We have had other puppies over the years, and they can wake up 2-3 times a night, cry and whimper; which means no sleep for the keeper of the dog. The drive home had been a big day for Benny, and I thought maybe this was just a one-night event. Every night continued the same. He kept sleeping through the night. I have totally lucked out. Did not think about having to get up in the middle of the night to take a dog to the bathroom when I decided to purchase a puppy. I had not put a lot of thought into what would be involved when you get an 8-week-old puppy. 

Didn’t think about what to do during the day when I went to work, the daughter and the husband. He is too little to leave outside all day long or in a crate. I live a half hour from work so going home at lunch hour isn’t an option. Thank goodness for neighbours who love dogs and didn’t mind having a sleepy puppy keep them company.

And the potty training. I will say this getting a puppy in the spring, summer or fall makes it a lot easier to train them to go outside vs the winter months. I was very diligent in the house training. There would be no puppy pee pads in my house. When he woke up, I took him outside to the “forest” as I called it. I took him to the bushes to do his business and it has been so worth it. I picked up very little “poop” this spring. Most of the bathroom duties were done in the bushes somewhere on the acreage. The older he gets the further he goes away from the house. There were very few accidents in the house, and he has a fabulous 12–14-hour bladder. Once you can trust them to let you know when they need to go out, it is awesome.

Next on the list was to get him to a veterinary for his booster shots. Trying to get a vet appointment in one week, pretty much impossible around Prince Albert. I would have preferred to stay local, but Benny needs a vet – off to Saskatoon where we could get in within the week and keep his shots up to date. And when you talk about vets – do you plan to neuter or spay your dog? Allow another $500 or $600 in your budget for that. And there can be unexpected events that happen with your dog that will send you to the vet. Puppy insurance might be a really good idea. Doing a little quick research an insurance plan is going to run around a minimum of $30 - $50 per month. Not exactly cheap, but if you end up with a sickly dog it could very well be worth it.

Another item to think about is grooming. How often do you need to take him to get bathed and clipped? Depending on the breed will depend on the cost here. Plan to spend a minimum of $100 every couple of months to keep that puppy looking pretty and clean.

Puppy obedience classes are something all owners should consider taking. They make you a better dog owner and your dog a better pet. But, with so many people owning dogs it is a lot harder to get into a dog class than it used to be. And there are lots of resources to help you train them, you just have to do it. That is the hard part. Most of the time there are no bad dogs, just bad owners.

How does your yard and garden make out with a new puppy? They can dig and destroy items within seconds. That beautiful flower bed you just finished could be in ruins by the next day. And you have to catch them doing something they shouldn’t or don’t waste your breath disciplining them as they will have no idea why you are mad at them. And always have treats in your pocket to reward them for the good things they do. Even looking at you cute deserves a treat.

Do you have favorite shoes or slippers in the house? You might want to put them out of reach too. They seem to know what they should not chew and go for it. One of our dogs destroyed a favorite pair of Italian slip-on leather shoes years ago. That was a sore spot for a long time with that dog. How about the toilet roll? I have never had a dog go crazy with pulling it away, but I have seen videos of it, and they can go a long way with that toilet roll. It is a great toy. However, I kept treats in all parts of the house when we first got Benny. Fortunately, when he found the first tug of the toilet roll, I was there, and I had a treat to give him vs pulling on the toilet roll; SCORE he never pulled at it again.

Planting the garden was interesting this year with Benny. He did manage to run away with one tomato plant while it was waiting to be transplanted. And he stole one potato out of a hole while it was waiting to be covered with dirt. Overall, it was a pretty good planting day with both dogs. And I have been pleasantly surprised that Benny is leaving my flowers alone. I thought they would be an interesting item for him to eat or pull out of the ground.

A valuable resource we used was “The Puppy Training Handbook” by Kaelin Munkewitz. Easy to read and lots of valuable information. She is also on Facebook, YouTube, etc. Reading it before you get your pet, especially for first time owners, is a great place to start. It covers way more about dog ownership than I have in this blog.

Why did I decide to get another puppy / dog? The main reason was for the companionship a dog gives me. We are unsure how old Maci is as she was a rescue dog. We think she is around 11 now. I had her DNA done a year ago and they told she was 2. So, they weren’t much help as far as getting ready for end of life with her. My dogs enjoy being everywhere I am. From going for a walk, working in the yard, watching tv and finally going to bed. They are never far away, especially Benny. He is a puppy full of fun and love and just wants to be outside and play. He is the most comical dog we have owned. When you look at him, he just makes you smile. He is a true “character.” He is self-entertaining, which makes it fun to just watch him run and play while I enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day on my veranda. He has a favorite toy “monkey,” and that little monkey is never far away. Monkey goes for daily trips with Benny around the yard every day. Up and down the stairs in the house. Out in the field, over to the fire pit. Someone he manages to always get him back to the house.

Purchasing a dog is a big decision and it is a 13–18-year decision. Dogs are only small for a truly short period of time. Make sure you are ready for the commitment before bringing this fur ball into your home is all I can recommend. And if you decide to purchase a dog– enjoy him or her. They are truly man and woman’s best friend.

Last but not least, here is one of my favourite songs for summer. Summertime (When I’m With You) by The Mavericks from 2015. Turn it up loud, dance and sing! That’s what I do. 

Have a great Happy Canada Day! Stay safe and enjoy the long weekend!