I have been a pet owner nearly all my life, but there are some things about pets that still have managed to surprise me. Of course, none of these things would keep me from having pets though!
#1 A Life of Covered or Leather Furniture
Cats and dogs shed. And then it sticks in your furniture. Their nails easily catch and scratch fabric. See that chair? It is a beautiful textured custom chosen fabric. I adore it. I paid way too much money for it. What the heck was I thinking?!?!?! The photo was taken the day that it arrived. It was then promptly covered up. It now lives in a padded chair cover and blankets so that the dogs will not damage it.
#2 Never Pee Alone
I am never alone. There is always a dog following me, so unless I sneak in and shut the door, I never pee alone. Even then, the dog stays right outside the door. Good thing I am not shy!
#3 Baths Happen More Often Than Planned
Dogs love the following: dirt, mud, goose poop, toad poop, rabbit poop, their own poop, skunk spray, puddles, mulch, sand, rotting leaves, and anything smelly or sticky. Mine can find the one little square of rotten decayed matter in the yard and manage to completely coat themselves in it. Something my dogs don’t love: Baths. So I get to bathe dirty, grumpy, and sort of uncooperative dogs rather often.
#4 Sleep is Overrated
When the dogs sleep with me, they take over the bed, pushing me into an uncomfortable corner. They also put out a ton of heat! That is fine in winter but not so great in summer. Then they wake up at 5am. Sometimes, Eve climbs onto the nightstand. When they don’t sleep with me, they still wake up at 5am.
#5 We Don’t Get Enough Time With Them
Our pets can’t be with us forever and how ever long we get is never long enough. I never knew the powerful difficulty of anticipatory grief until I had my first sick pet. It is hard to see them go, but yet so worth having our short time together.
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Never pee alone … yeah … or shower. But I haven’t had any of the other issues. My Montecristo is silly super “aristocratic” in his ways. walks around puddles and never damages furniture or shoes or anything. So bathing is a quarterly thing. Time … wish I had more time with him. I compensate by having him go to daycare. Sleep? He looooves a good sleep in I am the early bird! LOL
Am chuckling here but it is so true AND I would not change it for a minute.
Mr. N is not a morning dog so he is very happy to sleep in which suits me immensely. And he doesn’t shed either which is great!
Pup on the nightstand! I like it!
I absolutely agree that we never get enough time with our dogs. Through the years, I got over the messes … I developed a category of what I consider “clean dirt,” meaning anything that’s not dangerous isn’t something I let me bother. That includes fur, sand, mud … 😉
I so relate to #2. My pet posse consists of my 3 dogs and a rotating group of cats(depending on who is in the mood) and I’m so used to company in the bathroom that it feels weird to be alone in there.
Great post!
These are good! I can definitely relate to number 2 for sure. My dog is definitely my shadow.
Those are very very cute guys — they look like they have fun driving you crazy together 🙂
Oh god, the rabbit poop. I cannot keep these darn rabbits and deer out of my yard. I’m shocked the dogs don’t have parasites. Beau knows how to open doors so nowhere is safe from him unless he’s crated. Nothing more awkward than your dog trying to join you in the shower.
This made me chuckle. Aside from the baths, most of this can apply to cats as well. Especially the sleep part!
Hahaha mom is laughing her head off, finally someone took a picture of their pets when they were on the toilet! Well almost anyway. Never peeing alone, watching Taffy eat poo, or me rolling in poo are some of her “favorites.” But most of all, she just wants to see her furniture without covers on it once in awhile. Love Dolly
Ah memories. So true! Furniture ruined. Bathroom meows at the door, check! Too short time with them? Preach! One thing I’m glad I didn’t have to worry about too frequently is the bathing. Even despite that, I can’t wait to do it all over again.
All are very true, but the last statement really hit me hard. Our fur children can really require a lot of time and effort, but their unconditional love is the best and there is never enough time with them.
I can relate to all of these issues, except the bath one (thank goodness! lol). When we moved into our first house a couple of years ago, we bought a really nice, big, cream colored sectional couch. Of course the cats decided that the corners were scratching posts. Thankfully Petsmart carries this anti-scratch double-sided tape stuff that you can put on anything to keep cats from scratching. It’s worked like a charm! But there are pulls and stuff on the couch. Oh well… a small price to pay to share our lives with these wonderful babies!
All so true LOL. Kilo sheds all over the white couches and last week shredded a cushion as I was away at BlogPaws and he felt neglected. He is like a velcro dog and is always following in the house. Luckily he usually sleeps in his crate and does not wake up too early. He hates baths. But he is totally adorable.
I foolishly bought an inexpensive sectional sofa and I have to keep it covered with quilts. My antique sofa was reupholstered before I bought it and while it shows the dog hair, it is durable. I inherited a couple of leather club chairs, but they aren’t strong enough to stand up to toenails. If I ever have to choose between furniture and dogs, dogs will win every time!
Not enough time with them – that’s my only regret whether referring to hours in the day or years.
I can relate to many of the things you mentioned. I relate to the last one the most. Although I’ve loved pets all my life, I held off getting a pet because I knew how hard it would be to lose them. Yes, it was extremely tough, but all the good times, friendship and companionship they brought was definitely worth it. They taught me so much, and I will be forever grateful to them!
Many of these resonates deeply with me. Had a good laugh reading it, especially the bathing part!