First Meeting and Coming Home
We picked up our puppy from the breeder, and life with him at our home has finally begun.
The first time we met, he got scared and ran away, but today, when the breeder handed him over, he snuggled right into my husband’s arms.
I wondered if he had gotten bigger in the last two weeks, but not really. He’s still as tiny and adorable as ever, and it warms my heart.
The car ride was… chaotic. He panicked as if he were being kidnapped and cried his heart out for about five minutes.
But after that, he calmed down and rode quietly. He did throw up twice along the way, and we had to quickly clean it up as he tried to lick it. The first time was a little, but the second time was quite a lot. Still, he seemed to be in good spirits in his crate, which was a relief.
How Things Were at Home
We arrived home around 2 PM.
Maybe because he didn’t understand the situation yet, he settled down surprisingly quietly in his cage without much fuss or crying.
At first, there was a bit of distance, but within 30 minutes, he was climbing onto my lap. He was already in full relaxation mode.
As we were getting things organized, it was suddenly 4 PM. We decided to watch over him from upstairs for a bit.
I think I heard him whimpering at first, but he wasn’t barking loudly, which was a relief.
And to my surprise, he used his toilet pad successfully from the very first time! I was so impressed, thinking, “What a smart boy!”
Around 6 PM, when I went downstairs to prepare dinner, he greeted me full of energy.
It took a while to soften his food, and I regret not preparing it earlier.
For our dinner, we had bibimbap. I wondered if we should have chosen something less fragrant, but we wanted him to get used to the everyday sounds and smells of our home, so we intentionally didn’t worry about it.
It was his first home-cooked meal, and he must have been hungry because he gobbled it all up in a flash.
In the evening, my husband played with him, and he was already rolling over to show his belly on his very first day. He’s getting used to people so fast (lol).
Maybe he seems shy at first but is actually a very lonely little guy?
The Ordeal of the Night
Around 8 PM, his second toilet trip (poop) was also a success.
I reminded myself to stay calm and follow the advice we were given: “ignore him even if he cries.”
When I went to the supermarket for a bit, he apparently whimpered, but it was still at a level I could find cute. When I got home, he was calm and not overly excited, so I was pleasantly surprised. I thought, “This is easier than I expected, what a good boy,” and felt a sense of relief about our future together.
However, the real trial was yet to come.
After taking a bath, my husband and I did some desk work until about 11 PM.
Then, my husband said he was hungry, so we went downstairs. My mistake was letting the puppy out of his cage to play for a bit at that time.
I thought he was a quiet dog and that it would be fine. I let my guard down.
After about 10 minutes of playing, we put him back in his cage, and then came the concert of crying.
I think he cried non-stop for 30 minutes to an hour.
Watching him on the pet camera, my heart was filled with anxiety, just like a new mother, thinking, “What if we’re bothering the neighbors?” It was an indescribable feeling.
Still, I knew I absolutely couldn’t go downstairs, so I hardened my heart and went to bed.
Thoughts After the First Day
He was so active all day, I found myself thinking, “Huh? Don’t puppies sleep more than this?”
At first, I was optimistic and thought it would be easy, but I was sorely mistaken.
But it makes sense, doesn’t it? He was suddenly brought to a strange place to start a new life. It will probably take time to establish a routine.
That said, the fact that he hasn’t had a single toilet accident is truly wonderful.
He peed about four times today in total.
Tomorrow, I want to weigh him.
I also need to start the training for putting my fingers in his mouth, but we were just too overwhelmed for that today.
I wonder if our new wake-up time will be 6:30 AM from now on. Here’s to our new life with a puppy, we’ll do our best.