Life Before Charlie (a quiet apartment)
Life before Charlie was pretty routine. We had a quiet house - Munchie was the only pet left of the 5 furry friends we had in our blended family when I moved to Vegas to marry Mike. I had gone through raising a pup to an old dog before, a couple of times, but Mike had never had that experience. Brandi was his first experience with Dog Ownership and he loved it. They had a real friendship, formed over the few years during which Brandi was still around.
When we talked about getting a dog, Mike was a bit reluctant. He thought Munchie, as an older cat, was a bit fragile, and he was worried he might get upset by a new addition to the family. On the flip side, we both thought we needed a bit of "excitement" in our lives. I have always had a "multi-pet" household, and had enjoyed the interaction of the animals and their individual personalities. Mike previously had two cats, so he was also used to dividing his time between pets.
Mike finally agreed. So, the day before we were going to go "look at pets," we went to the store. I kind of knew what we needed, by experience, and when I let it be known at work that we were "getting a dog," one of my good friends who had recently lost a pet, gave us some stuff she had at home. We inherited: a dog blankie, dog treat jar, a bag of assorted toys (with which her older dog had never played) and a dog dish. It was a wonderful beginning.
We picked up a big bag of dry dog food (for small dogs), a water dish (with rubber on the bottom so it wouldn't slide around), a doggie bed, a squeaky toy (destined to drive us nuts but well worth the cost), some dog treats and a "toy box" (rubber) to keep all the stuff contained. <Ha!>
Despite grumbles when Mike pulled out his wallet, he was excited, too. So we got everything home and attempted to explain to Munchie what was happening. He didn't particularly care, as long as he got his "ear rubbin's." Mike and I even talked about "territory" if Munchie freaked out when we brought the dog home, or if they didn't get along. We didn't put the stuff out, because we didn't want Munchie to get the idea that these were his new toys, or supplies. We didn't want that "resentment" built into a new situation.
We were ready, and when Charlie chose us, we knew we would have everything he needed to start him off right. Now all we had to do was bring him home, and let the fun begin!
(to be continued)
Life before Charlie was pretty routine. We had a quiet house - Munchie was the only pet left of the 5 furry friends we had in our blended family when I moved to Vegas to marry Mike. I had gone through raising a pup to an old dog before, a couple of times, but Mike had never had that experience. Brandi was his first experience with Dog Ownership and he loved it. They had a real friendship, formed over the few years during which Brandi was still around.
When we talked about getting a dog, Mike was a bit reluctant. He thought Munchie, as an older cat, was a bit fragile, and he was worried he might get upset by a new addition to the family. On the flip side, we both thought we needed a bit of "excitement" in our lives. I have always had a "multi-pet" household, and had enjoyed the interaction of the animals and their individual personalities. Mike previously had two cats, so he was also used to dividing his time between pets.
Mike finally agreed. So, the day before we were going to go "look at pets," we went to the store. I kind of knew what we needed, by experience, and when I let it be known at work that we were "getting a dog," one of my good friends who had recently lost a pet, gave us some stuff she had at home. We inherited: a dog blankie, dog treat jar, a bag of assorted toys (with which her older dog had never played) and a dog dish. It was a wonderful beginning.
We picked up a big bag of dry dog food (for small dogs), a water dish (with rubber on the bottom so it wouldn't slide around), a doggie bed, a squeaky toy (destined to drive us nuts but well worth the cost), some dog treats and a "toy box" (rubber) to keep all the stuff contained. <Ha!>
Despite grumbles when Mike pulled out his wallet, he was excited, too. So we got everything home and attempted to explain to Munchie what was happening. He didn't particularly care, as long as he got his "ear rubbin's." Mike and I even talked about "territory" if Munchie freaked out when we brought the dog home, or if they didn't get along. We didn't put the stuff out, because we didn't want Munchie to get the idea that these were his new toys, or supplies. We didn't want that "resentment" built into a new situation.
We were ready, and when Charlie chose us, we knew we would have everything he needed to start him off right. Now all we had to do was bring him home, and let the fun begin!
(to be continued)
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