Those of you, who know me, are aware that over the past 6 months, we experienced
family strife at the loss of both of our beloved fur babies. Having 4 children who absolutely live for their dogs, it was
emotionally heartbreaking to say the least.
My husband and I
debated for a couple of weeks as to whether or not we jump right back in to puppy ownership or do we have a cooling off period,
to let the kids emotions come back down to earth. At the end of the day, after so much consultation with family and friends,
we decided that if the right situation presented itself, we would address it at that time.
Well, me being me, that didn't last very long. As each day past, I felt a sense of emptiness.
I realized quite quickly that it was not going to go away until we had another dog in our home. Having someone follow your
every move, whether it be a quick trip to the bathroom, the laundry room, the kitchen or even the kids' school and then all
of a sudden its gone was way too much for this girl to bear.
I
began looking on line for our newest member of the family. My criteria was quite simple actually. It had to be small, cute
and hypoallergenic.
We came across a breeder who had a litter
of Shih Tzu pups ready to go to their forever homes. My husband and I told the girls we were going to the grocery store,
so we didn't give them false hope just in case it didn't work out.
Again, me being me, I had already gone to the bank to get the money, you know, just in case. LOL. We brought her
home that day, as in my mind the bond was almost instantaneous. I fell instantly in love with her cute little yelp and her
beautiful green eyes.
When we brought her home, she was 8 weeks old and weighed
in at a whopping 2 lbs. As I write this, I realize that she is in fact 4 months old today. Our little fluff ball has fit
in quite nicely. That emptiness I was feeling has subsided and all is right with the world.
I was approached recently by Purina to work with them on their Purina Pet
People Ambassador Program. By no means am I pet expert, but with the help of the folks at Purina, I am sure to learn a lot
and will hopefully be able to answer any questions or concerns that wannabe pet owners have as I will be living it too. I
want to make the life of my Paisley a very happy and healthy one.
Let me start with some very simple tips for new puppy owners that I have
already taken to heart.
-Consistency in training (everyone on
the same page)
-Positive reassurance (rewarding of good
behavior)
-Setting up your puppy for success and not
failure (for example, this lady loves her shoes and purses, be sure to remove them from tiny little puppy teeth)
-Plenty of exercise (to avoid puppy mischief)
-Crate training (it has given her a place of her own and she goes in willingly)
Lastly, we would like to toss in a contest to kick off our relationship
with Purina. Valued at $75, the prize will include a $25 Visa GC as well as a variety of Purina products.
To enter the contest, participants must tell us of their puppies' funniest moments.
Those of you who are pet owners know that puppies can and will be little devils at times. None are perfect. I look forward
to reading some very hilarious posts and will share them in future articles.
Until next time, hug your pet, after all they are family.
