Hi all, it’s me Denie! I haven’t formally introduced myself yet but I’m a new writer for Ripley & Rue. Today I’m writing to you all to tell you about some of the lessons I’ve learned from being a new dog mom! I only listed 4 lessons out of the 10000, but I thought I’d spare you the time and pick ones I thought I would want to hear as a new dog mom.
About six months ago, I had a wild hair and decided it was time to get my very own dog. My parents were unsure where this crazy idea was coming from but for some reason, I just felt like she was mine when we met. As I brought her home the next day I was quickly faced with my first lesson of being a dog mom.
1. You must have patience.
I’ve heard maaaany horror stories about the troubles of potty training and boy are they REAL. I lived on the 5th floor of an apartment building and taking Lucy out every 20 minutes (then cleaning up pee as soon as we got back up) while juggling studying & writing for finals was no easy feat. I’m telling you it was the longest two weeks of my liiiiife. There were tears shed but at the end of the day being patient with Lucy and reminding myself that she was in fact just a puppy was what kept me sane. (and my roommates, ily guys).
2. Nothing you own will ever be clean again.
Before Lucy, I was OCD clean with about everything in my life. My room was cleaned every day, my car was always empty, and everything had it’s place. After the battle of toys everywhere, pee dribbling from excitement (anyone else have an excited pee-er??), and my personal favorite, MUD everywhere, I knew that I would never win. After letting go of having to keep everything perfect, those little muddy paw marks on my white duvet got a LITTLE cuter and crawling into bed to find a wet chew toy was nothing less than expected.
3. Planning ahead is KEY.
I felt like I basically had this mom life under control until just a couple weeks ago. My friends were headed to the lake for Memorial Day and when they asked me to join I said of course in a heartbeat. It wasn’t until the day that we were leaving that I had a moment of panic and was like “WAIT, I can’t just go!! I have a dog?!”. Lucy was able to come with me in the long run but if my friend wouldn’t have been so generous to let me take her I wouldn’t have been able to go or would have had to pay for boarding. Every time you want to do something when you’re a dog mom, you must make plans for your doggo!
4. Treat others just as your dog would.
One of my favorite lessons I’ve learned from Lucy is to treat others the way Lucy treats everyone she meets. No matter where we go or who we see, Lucy gives people the same love she would give me. She doesn’t see their clothing, race, status, or assume their unfriendly from their first glance. (In some cases I wish she could read facial expressions a liiiiittle better. Not everyone is a dog lover as it turns out.) Especially in today’s world, it’s so easy to judge others just by our first visual impressions of them. Lucy has taught me that everyone deserves our love and kindness and a simple “hello” could be exactly what a stranger needed.
Every day I feel like I learn something new with Lucy, but one thing I always know at the end of each day is that I looooove being a dog mom and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m so excited to be a part of the Ripley & Rue community and I hope you guys enjoy hearing from Lucy and I more!
Until next time, Cheers XO
Denie & Lucy
