Long before Covid kicked off, we had always been dog people. When we moved back from Singapore with our adopted dog Reishii we had a complete nightmare and couldn’t find anywhere to rent that would also let us have a dog. So in the end, we were forced o arrange for him to go and live with my inlaws up in Grimsby. As it turned out despite our heartbreak, Reishii settled in so well there and has been living his best life ever since. While he has enriched my inlaws lives no end, all the while we pined for another dog. But we knew it would be a while until we would be ready to get a new puppy…out of respect for Reishii if nothing else!
Now seven years on – despite the dog frenzy that has been unfolding during the pandemic, we are excited to welcome our new puppy Millie to our family. While we had almost given up hope – both exploring the rescue route and the breeder route, we just never quite seemed to be in the right place at the right time. I decided to give it a big old rest until one day in a fit of furry friend craving, I made a last-ditch attempt email round to all the other breeders.
After about 20 emails saying no they didn’t have any litters planned or available, suddenly one appeared saying they just had a litter that hadn’t been publicised yet. I literally had to pinch myself! In a matter of days, we were hot-footing it over to our breeder to meet the litter.
I won’t lie to you – it was incredible being in the midst of 8 heart-melting and mewling puppies when we went to visit them. Although it was all too easy to get distracted by the first puppy that came to us, after about 10 minutes, Millie calmly and gently sidled up to us and won over our hearts with her cuddly ways in an instant. We knew exactly at that moment that she would be the one to come to our forever home, and we would be joining over half of UK population (and growing) that now owns a pet. Living in London, we are definitely in good company with other dog owners as the below from BEKO depicts:
Preparing for our new puppy
Although welcoming our new puppy has been overwhelmingly exciting, I am also under no illusion that it is also going to be VERY hard work. This is precisely why I plan to down tools for most of the summer holidays to focus on getting her settled in, toilet trained and trained up generally. And don’t get me started on the broken sleep which I am especially feeling anxious about (been there done that!).
We’ve been reading Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy from cover to cover, stocking up on all the puppy essentials, getting vet registered, vaccines booked, puppy classes organised and investing in a new pet vacuum. There has been quite a lot to do!
Did someone say mess?
Puppies are messy. Standard. According to BEKO who has published a survey of 2,000 UK pet owners and their pet habits, 87% of pet owners say their pet has a messy trait! Well no surprise there, and I am already bracing myself for weeks of cleaning up toileting accidents (responsible for 10% of pet mess) which are par for the course. Then there are the muddy floors (responsible for 19% of mess), food spillages (11%) and shedding hair everywhere (41%). But it’s all totally worth it right?
Top cleaning tip from Beko: Choose a vacuum cleaner with a range of attachments to clean up after your pet. The Mini Turbo brush on their PowerClean model is great for lifting pet hair from the sofa.
For now, the countdown to the 24th of July when we bring back our gorgeous Tibetan Terrier girl is on. You’ll probably be seeing a lot more of Millie over here as well as on our socials – follow us on Instagram to stay tuned!
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No surprise I live in the mostly cat region, we have an army of them around our neighbourhood! Thankfully they all seem to get on, most of the time!
Aw..welcome Millie! I wanted to get a puppy during the pandemic too. I bet this puppy will be a treasured part of your family. Super cute!
I prefer dogs over cats! And puppies are truly a stress buster for me! Congrats to the kids for having a new fam member to love! 😉
This morning I spoke to a client who is thinking of getting a puppy. She had some reservations so instead of adopting decided to go the fostering route.
raising a puppy is a bit challenging and quite a journey. Kinda hard at first but if you’ve done it right… everything will be perfect! hello and warm hugs Millie!
Awe! I’ve been considering getting a puppy. Congratulations! They definitely are a handful and a lot of work. But so worth it for the snuggles.
We are considering getting a dog but probably not a puppy. Your description of being in the midst of all the little puppies sounds like it would be fun and overwhelming! Good luck with the pup!
Getting a new puppy is definitely like raising another kid, good luck on that and hope you guys have tons of fun as well
Cute puppy! Enjoy your time with Millie!
We welcomed a puppy last year. Her name is Bella, a Shih Tzu. We adopted her when she was only two months old. Oh, and the mess she made! But now, she’s a year old and very affectionate. Toilet training was difficult, but thankfully, it did not take long before Bella learned about it.
Oh! It’s so cute! I would love have a pet like that!
Oh my gosh, what a cutie! Congrats on your new family member!
Gosh, how cute! If I didn’t travel so much I would definitely get a puppy!
Awww so fun! Congrats on your new puppy!
Oh my gosh, so cute! My parents just got a new puppy too. There is nothing better than puppy snuggles. Enjoy it!
My heart goes to Reishii. I hope she or he is forever happy with your inlaws. So, you are leaving Reishii permanently to them?
Yes he is so happy there with them and visa versa we couldn’t bare to uproot him again and we always love going to visit him.
One cute puppy! We too are dog people and it’s like having an additional member of the family. Although it’s a lot of work, but it’s always worth it!
They are so adorable and getting a new puppy can be quite the challenge. Hope you guys have tons of fun and new memories with this furbaby.
I love both dogs and cats…They can be such stress busters and good company!
Wow! Millie is so cute! I hope I can take care of some puppies too soon. Nice!
Awww what a cute puppy! How exciting ☺ x #fortheloveofblog
How cute!! Congratulations for the new addition to the family! I can’t wait for the time when I can have a puppy too…. xx #fortheloveofblog
Oh how exciting! I’m so happy for you all. Pets are amazing addition to the family. And I’m sure Millie will settle right in. I do find it disheartening that many places don’t allow pets to live with you! It really shouldn’t be that way!
#fortheloveofblog
Can’t wait to see your adventures with her. She is so cute. I miss having a pet soooo much. #fortheloveofblog