LIFE: 12 things I’ve learnt about owning a dog

For those of you who read my blog regularly will know that Vee has a little black lab called Robbie, so when we got together I didn’t just take on a new relationship, but a dog too. I’ve never owned a dog before so it’s been a learning curve for me, but we bonded quickly and now I can’t imagine being without him. Here’s 12 things I’ve learnt about keeping a dog:

  1. Having a dog is almost as much responsibility as having a child. My life now revolves around his schedule of feeding times and walks, he also wakes us up in the night as much as a child would too. He can’t be left too long on his own and we have to find dog friendly places to take him and to socialise.
  2. Be prepared to share your bed – being pushed off the bed or having the quilt stolen in the middle of the night is a regular occurrence in our household, he loves to starfish in the middle of us despite having his own bed. He will often wake me up having a doggy dream about chasing rabbits and be wiggling all over the place!
  3. Pack hand sanitiser, poo bags and tissues – dog walker essentials.
  4. Close the shower cubicle when you are washing him – because the second you turn your back he’ll run off into the house covered in bubbles and dive bomb onto the clean bed sheets. I speak from experience.
  5. He helps me to blog and has his own Instagram account – he will cuddle into me on the sofa and loves watching the screen as I tap away.
  6. Don’t feed him strawberries – enough said.
  7. Be prepared to apologise to people in the park when he steals their food – Labradors think with their stomachs. When he see’s an unsuspecting member of the public about to chow down on a massive slice of pizza in the park, he thinks it’s appropriate to snatch it clean out of their hands, gobble it down in one go and stomp over their picnic. Oops.
  8. Get used to wanting to share your food as you can’t help but give in to his puppy dog eyes.
  9. Accept that there are three people in your relationship (this point needs no more explanation!)
  10. Don’t watch any TV programs with animals in – because he will go mad at the TV. He’s not fond of anything from other dogs to cartoon caterpillars so my TV watching is often limited.
  11. You’ll always have a cuddle when you feel sad – He’s very good at knowing when you’ve had a hard day and will greet you with a big cuddle and sit down and listen intently whilst you tell him all of your troubles.
  12. Be prepared for him to become your best friend and to receive the biggest helping of unconditional love, fun and loyalty. Having a dog is fun, but it’s tough too. It’s a responsibility—one that you should prepare yourself for.

If you’ve never had a dog before, you may want to read up on how to take care of one from puppy to senior. Reading informative articles on how to take care of dogs will help you know what to expect and make you a more responsible pet parent.

He’s a doggy blogger in the making! 
Do you have a dog? What would be your tip for me as a new dog owner?

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