As those of you who follow us on Twitter already know, we have welcomed a new member into our family! We recently rescued a 6 month old Golden Retriever named Charlie! (Much more on Charlie and the experience of adopting a puppy coming soon…)
Getting ready for a puppy…
Harley first came to live with us at the age of 2, so I have never raised a dog from such a young age. I knew there would be additional supplies needed but my wife also warned me of adjustments that I must get used to with a puppy in the house. (What do you mean I can’t just leave my socks laying around the bedroom floor?!?)
Since this was a rescue adoption, Charlie was to arrive on very short notice. We had to bring our dog to meet him and then sleep on the decision overnight. As soon as we met Charlie our mind was made up. We did our best to puppy-proof the house and made a trip to the store that night to purchase a new crate, leash, bowls and other accessories. We refrained from picking up any new toys however, wanting to get to know his personality a bit more. After all, Harley has quite an extensive collection for him to sample from (As you can probably imagine having started a dog product review website). The following morning we informed the rescue group that we were still very excited for Charlie to come and live with us and we arranged to pick him up later that afternoon.
Bringing Charlie home…
Charlie is a sweet boy, and although he seems to be relatively calm for his age, he has the type of energy we are not accustomed to in this house! Harley, our 7 year old, is an EXTREMELY laid back dog. He will be more than happy with a couple of bones and a pile of stuffed animals (which he takes great care of). Charlie however is very much in the midst of the toy destruction phase that Harley outgrew long ago. As Charlie explored Harley’s toy bin, he could not resist the urge to destroy until nearly every toy was taken away one by one! (As evidenced by the toy graveyard pictured below!) After only a few hours in the house it was clear that we were short on the type of toys that a puppy wants or needs!
Lessons Learned
- Stuffed toys are a definite no-no
- He loves balls and will fetch endlessly (seriously)
- He does not have Harley’s strange aversion to rubber or plastic
Back to the pet store…
The following day we made a trip to the pet store to stock up on some toys more appropriate for a puppy. We always enjoy browsing through pet products but this was especially fun as Charlies tastes have given us a much broader selection to choose from. We came back with a pile of interesting new toys and are having a blast introducing them to him.
A selection of Charlies new toys
Ok, so we may have gone overboard – but its all in the name of research of course! Among these new toys include: West Paw Design’s Tizzi, Nylabone’s Puppy Chew Teething Rings, JW Pet Crackle Heads Ball and Planet Dog’s Orbee-Tuff Bone. Thus far Charlie has been diligent stepping into his new role as Jr. Product Tester at MyDogLikes. Needless to say, we will be reviewing all of our new dog toys and accessories, so stay tuned for a barrage of dog product reviews and more updates on Charlie!
Puppies are such a joy (and a lot of work)!