How My Life Has Changed With A Dog

My fiancé and I recently adopted a dog (today is our 4 week pup-aversary!), and there have definitely been some changes in our lives because of this lovely new addition. We have been looking for the better part of a year and a half, and finally found one that met all of my (many, strange) requirements. I have not ever really been a dog person, but Jacob, my fiancé, has harbored a dream to have such a pet since he was little. Last year we fulfilled my lifelong dream of getting bunnies (🐰🐰!!) and so I knew it was only fair to fulfill his as well. Her name is Melba, she’s a german shepherd/mastiff/mutt, and she’s about a year and a half old!

I have obviously grown to love this sweetie in a very short time, but that’s not to say that being a puppy parent doesn’t come without its challenges. Thus far these are the biggest ways our lives have changed since adopting Melba:

Steps! I have hit my 10,000 step goal pretty much every day since getting Melba, compared to ~75% of the time before. She likes at least two lengthy walks during the day, and more if we’re willing, so we’ve been starting the day earlier (another change!) and making sure she gets some energy out.
Planning! The adage of “there’s never a good time to have a kid” can probably be applied to pets, too. We got Melba even though we had a few big trips coming up. We’ve already had to secure dog sitters for two weekends away (thank you Bryan! and thank you Stella!). I was already used to having to arrange care for our bunnies if we were gone, but that only requires having their water bowl refilled for short trips and giving them more hay for longer ones. A dog is a whole other story; Melba requires a lot more attention and forethought when it comes to our work schedules and vacations.
Budget! Puppies are not cheap. We’ve had to acquire a fair amount of new gear for our lady, and some of it has been trial and error (luckily we have lots of friends with dogs so when Melba didn’t like a certain kind of bone we easily gifted it away).

Vacuuming! So. Much. Vacuuming. One of the dog requirements that I had really hoped for and did not achieve was a hypo-allergenic dog, or at least one that was a breed known not to shed a lot… not the case with Melba. I’ve vacuumed our house more in the last month than the last six months combined. (Pro tip: we have this big vacuum for the weekly cleans and this one for spot cleans in between!)
Having a new friend! Beyond all else, she is so sweet and such a loving puppy. It’s very fun to come home to such excitement every day, and both Jacob and I could not be happier!