My first Dog

Bruno. His name is Bruno. Bruno is a Mini Schnauzer.

I never thought we would ever welcome a puppy into our home. But now here he is. I didn’t have dogs when I was growing up, so this is my first experience with any pet.

My daughter has been pressuring us for about a year to do this. Her siblings are leaving the house one by one, and she told us that she couldn’t bear the thought of being alone.

Our other children had all asked us for a dog many times while they were growing up. We never gave in to any of their pleas.  But this seemed different. Lalli even put together a Power Point presentation explaining why she should have a dog.

I admit my emotions got the best of me, and it really seemed like the right time to do this.

We worried about a dog pooping in our house. We worried about a dog chewing up our belongings.  We worried about a dog changing our lives and limiting how much traveling we could do in the future.

Yes, there were moments that tried our patience. He wanted to bite us all the time, and those puppy teeth are sharp as razors. And yes, he did require constant supervision. We learned that we couldn’t just take the family out to dinner anymore. We went and got hamburgers a few times and at them at the park. Traveling in the future will require finding someone to watch the dog.

But it was really an amazing experience. We had studied all about what to do when you have a new puppy, and we did it all by the book. There were very few accidents in the house.  We took him out about ever y two hours, and right after he eats or wakes up from a nap. Lots of fun toys and playtime have kept him from getting bored and into trouble.

We’ve learned that frequent walks and consistent discipline are very important. He’s a smart little dog, and he seems to understand what we want from him.

I’ve got to tell you, I love that little creature. Bruno has brought a lot of love to our home. He has made a difference in our children’s lives and in my life too. There’s just something about having a dog get all excited to see me when I get home. And there’s nothing like that moment in the evening when we all sit down to watch a show and Bruno wants to curl up in my lap and sleep.

I guess I’m a dog owner now.