A New Member of the Family

(Goblin is 4 years old)

At the weekend we did something exciting. We bought a puppy. 

The cat we've had for many years sadly died recently. I've always had cats but since I was a child I've always wanted a dog. Hublet and I had talked about it but its always seemed like quite a big  commitment and we've always concluded we shouldn't ..... until now. 

PUPPY! PUPPY! PUPPY! SHE'S SO FLUFFY I MIGHT DIE. 

Despite being uber excited about her cuteness, having a puppy is quite scary and we have done a ton of reading to make sure we don't screw this up. We researched the breeds for ages before deciding on a Newfoundland. This is a giant dog breed (as you can probably tell by how large she is at just 8 weeks old) but they are supposed to be excellent around children.

Having a puppy feels a bit like having a second child. We are having to get up about three times a night to take her to the toilet. And its not just a quick trip to the garden, there is the whole settling her down afterwards - it reminds me of night feeds. 

On top of this sleep deprivation Goblin is being rather Jekyll and Hyde about the new addition to our family. He is not amused about all these 'stupid rules' like leave the puppy alone when she is sleeping, leave the puppy alone when she is eating, don't strangle the puppy, don't hit the puppy, be gentle with the puppy - and the list goes on. He also feels we are giving her too much attention.

Puppies need to be vaccinated twice before they can go out for walks in public areas. So Goblin is stuck in the house (and garden). This is not making life easy. Goblin's excitement about having a new friend to play with, is wearing off when his friends come to call and he isn't allowed out to play because we can't leave the puppy. Once puppy is a bit more acclimatised we will be able to leave her for short periods so this should ease off (I hope).

In the mean time I decided we needed to get out and about so I have broken out our old bike trailer buggy. As long as Puppy isn't on the floor or meeting other dogs, she is OK to be outside. And Goblin loves being able to show kids in the park his puppy.

 Puppy does also sleep a lot - about 90% of the time. Which gives Goblin and us a lot of quality time.