I’ve recently gotten a lot of questions on my page about Bendel saying how cute she is and inquiring about the breed. I found myself discouraging people from getting her specific breed or even a dog in general. I wanted to write a post about my struggles with owning a dog in my twenties, especially a very difficult breed.
Dog moms seem to be taking over the world lately, and our generation is looking to buy a home not to start a family, but to have a yard for their dog. If you’re the kind of person that gets angry over the term “dog mom”, fair warning, you should probably stop reading this post now. I’m in no way saying that owning a dog is the same as raising a human child, but for the sake of this blog post let’s all collectively agree that It is not a simple task.
The day I picked up bendel was the most exciting day; I couldn’t wait for puppy kisses and cuddles. Immediately after I picked her up she threw up all over me *twice* and would not stop crying. I shortly realized I was way in over my head.
I want to say it’s been nothing but uphill since then, and that once you’re out of the puppy stage a magical rainbow appears and at the end is your perfectly behaved dog. Unfortunately that’s not the case.
With each new age comes new challenges and things that will make you regret taking on such responsibility. Having a dog in your twenties is hard. Your twenties are a time of independence and freedom and non stop experiences. When you have a pup, drinks right after working a 8-10 hour day are off the table because you have to go home and let your pup out. That spontaneous weekend away with all of your friends suddenly becomes a little more complicated. Now you have to find a sitter for your pup or use that extra trip money to pay for a daycare service. Oh and did I mention the guilt?! I feel so guilty making plans that don’t involve bendel when I know so much of my time is spent at work and not with her.
I have one of the most difficult breeds out there and Bendel requires a LOT of attention. I often schedule my entire week around Bendel’s exercise schedule, and turn down plans to spend time with her. If I don’t It seems like a demon possesses her body and my relatively well behaved dog is long lost in the sea of unspent energy.
Luckily for me I have a great support system of people who love me and my crazy dog, but I do have to make trade offs between going out and spending time with bendel. I have made some amazing friendships solely because of her. While most friends go out and grab drinks my friends and I meet up at the dog park.
Do I regret getting bendel? I wish I could without a doubt say absolutely not, but that’s just not the case. I love her with all my heart and I cannot imagine my life without her, but It has not been an easy road having her. Any decisions I make have to include her. Taking an exciting job offer somewhere and packing up my whole life isn’t something I can do so easily with her. I have to take into account dog parks near by and if I can afford a place with a yard for her to run.
I know some of you reading this will think “she’s just a dog she’ll be fine”, but she is so much more to me than that. The second I picked her up I knew that I would do anything to make sure she has the best life. I know when she’s old and gray I’ll look back at these crazy times of stress and self doubt and realize that the bond I have with bendel is one of the most special things in my life.
To all do the dog parents out there who have regrets, or are overwhelmed,just know that you’re not alone. To all of the non dog parents out there, maybe wait a while to jump into such a huge responsibility. Once you have them, they take up such an enormous place in your heart and there is absolutely no going back.
