What I wish I knew before…
There has been this beautiful post circulating around social media about what a mother wishes she would have been warned of before she had her baby. It got me thinking about what I wish I knew before Dustin and I decided to bring Rosie girl into our lives. Now, I’m not in anyway saying that bringing a puppy into our home is the same as someone who gives birth to their first child; I haven’t had a baby so I can’t even compare. I do know, however, that I had no clue what I was getting myself into when I convinced Dustin that we were ready for a puppy.
I wish I knew that bringing a puppy home after it spent 10 weeks with her mom and litter-mates and expecting her to be okay being left alone was a terrible assumption.
I wish I knew that separation anxiety is an actual thing and it takes consistency and patience and a couple of products to help a puppy be okay being by herself.
I wish I knew how much exercise I was going to be doing while trying to tucker her out so she would sleep through the night.
I wish I knew how happy I would be to run errands because I had a little fluff-ball who wanted to ride in the car with me.
I wish I knew how much food to feed her, what kind of food to feed her and to not even bother buying the expensive plush toys from Petsmart because they would end up shredded to bits in a matter of hours.
I wish I knew how much love I would feel for a dog and how protected I feel when I’m home alone because she is always alert. I wish I knew that she would become my best girl, my secret keeper and partner in crime.
I wish I knew how much good she would do for my marriage. Dustin and I learned to work together and to communicate effectively while taking care of her and training her. We learned how to sacrifice material things so that we could provide for her. We learned how to lean on each other when one of us was feeling discouraged at how naughty or disobedient she was being.
I wish I knew I would never feel lonely again when Dustin was working late or stuck on campus or on business trips because I had someone to keep me company.
I wish I knew how much she would help with my anxiety and health. Rosie can tell when my anxiety is high and will make sure she is near me and helps me calm down.
I wish I knew how much she would make me laugh with her silly personality, like her obsession with mouses on keyboards and the hand from the wii remote.
I wish I knew how much love she would have for me-that no matter how mad I got at her for chewing up my socks or peeing in the hall, she would still be completely and totally devoted to me. Rosie shows me unconditional love and that makes me a better human being, because I want to be the kind of person who is worthy of that kind of love.
I wish I knew what my life was going to be like, but at the same time, maybe I don’t. I’ve loved discovering it along the way.
