18 months ago I lost my beautifull 12 half year old black lab Lucy, I spent the next year grieving and telling everyone I would never have another dog as my heart was broken.one year later I was lonely and needed a friend so I got a yellow lab called Bella. At first it was a novelty of having a puppy but after sleepless nights and her chewing and biting everything I thought I had made a mistake and didn't love her like Lucy. But 8 months on she is an absolute angel she is so different from Lucy but I now love her just the same.so many things she does reminds me of her. So don't dispare your little bundle of joy who keeps you up at night will bring you joy and pleasure for the rest of their lives. Enjoy every single moment.
Re: For all new puppy owners Yes, it is so true, we can love another pup just as much as the other one. They are all different, but they all worm their way into our hearts eventually . It's a good thing they are so cute as puppies, it's very difficult to raise one but oh so worth it in the end!
Re: For all new puppy owners It's 6 a.m. and I've just taken my 9 week old pup, Gibson out of his crate (I must have looked a bit like an escapee from a zombie film), staggered outside where he's immediately availed himself of the facilities, after a quiet and peaceful night. To avert my eyes from his efforts I looked up to the skies and remembered just how gorgeous the mornings can be in Scotland. The moon was sailing over the shoulder of Orion highlighting a few drifting clouds in silver. The air was crisp and clean and there wasn't a single sound (I admit I had great temptation to start whistling to wake the birds up). And I realised that some of the benefits of having a pup aren't just the cute little crocopoomachine bouncing round my feet but that connection it gives to your surroundings. They really do add to your life. Anyway, there you go. Too much time standing there thinking at daft o clock in the morning.
Re: For all new puppy owners Penny is my first dog as an adult (my dad gundog spaniels until I was 5) but I worked with dogs for 7 years until last year. Having seen and learned how to deal with the challenging behaviours of rescue dogs in kennels I thought myself well prepared to raise a puppy. I have to admit I was totally wrong! For a little while I thought we had made a mistake - she had urine infections as a puppy so wasn't fully housetrained until 7 months old, her biting drew blood and bruises every single time, she cried at night for hours for a week straight. Then there were the peaceful moments - afternoon naps with her curled up on my stomach (she still does it now fully grown!), 7am walks on a beautiful sunny morning.... I woke up one day and realised we were past the hard part and she is a beautiful companion I wouldn't trade for the world.
