So, at the end of the month, on the 31st to be exact, was our one-year adoptiversary. I see this as a much more momentous occasion than his birthday, because when he was born, he was not wanted. He had no home, and then he went into foster care. The good, spoiled life that this dog so richly deserves started on March 31 of last year.
In the past year, I've had the boundaries of my patience pushed by this dog a few times. But mostly, he's taught me more about myself and happiness and love than I ever expected. We taught him a few things too, but he's definitely the teacher in our role as dog and owner, whether it was intended that way or not. :)
So, these things are in no particular order, and some are about dogs generally, but most are about just Miles and me. This is also by no means a comprehensive list. Drum roll, please! The things I've learned about dogs in the past year:
1. I will never, ever have a nice car again as long as I own a dog. Ever. Oddly enough, that doesn't matter all that much to me anymore. It did at first, but now I just don't care.
2. Speaking of cars, no car is complete without dog toys and a portable water bowl. Also, just leave the nose marks on the window. They leave for maybe a day, but then they just come right back. It's best to just not fight it.
3. Also, the cut-off bottom of a water bottle doubles nicely as a little water bowl. But that doesn't mean that the dog shares this feeling.
4. Introduce a dog to another household pet slowly. Don't just bring them in the house, thinking they'll instantly get along. Especially when one of your cats is satan.
5. If you leave cat food out and you haven't taught your dog to wait, or to leave the cats alone, he WILL eat their food. Repeatedly.
6. There is only so big that a dog can get and stay tethered to the stationery bike while the cats are eating. That amount is approximately 25 pounds.
7. Puppies, baby puppies I mean, gain approximately four pounds a week in their third and fourth months of life if they are destined to be a medium-sized dog.
8. Puppies sleep pretty much constantly until they hit about five months old. Then it's impossible to stop them, so don't even try.
9. It is impossible to completely puppy-proof a house. Also, it's nearly impossible to keep your house clean when you have a puppy.
10. On a related note, don't leave your packages of toilet paper on the floor of the bathroom. Why? Because you'll finish cleaning and turn your back, only to turn back around and see that your toilet paper is in shreds all over your formerly clean floor.
11. Teach your dog "easy" and "leave it" as soon as humanly possible.
12. If you can take your puppy off leash in the first few weeks of ownership, that's great - but it won't stay that way. Generally that only happens because they can't run away from you very fast, being that they're about 10 pounds. Also, they're still in the honeymoon period, so they'll do anything to please you, including staying right by your side.
13. Puppy ears are the first things to stop growing on a dog, which is why so many puppies have floppy ears and then don't anymore.
14. Puppy yawns remain the funniest things I've ever seen/heard.
15. Your puppy is happy when you're happy. He's also sad when you're sad and upset when you're upset. Always try to be as happy to see your dog as they are to be your dog.
16. When you're sick, puppies are just about the most understanding creatures on the planet. Never have I been sick and been left alone by my cats, but even in the height of his adolescent antics, when I was sick, he found his own thing to do and loved me anyway even when I couldn't walk him.
17. Dogs need exercise or they will destroy things. Doggy day care is perhaps the best invention known to man for this purpose. Walks are good too, but doggy day care is awesome.
18. Guilt is a natural feeling when you leave your dog alone. In case you're wondering, no, it doesn't go away, and some days it's worse than others.
19. If a dog destroys things when you're not home, get him things for the sole purpose of destroying them and leave him lots of marrow bones. That should help with the separation anxiety, which is why it happens.
20. A dog will destroy things in the first 20 minutes you're gone, and that's it.
21. When you are trying to teach a dog not to bark, you are working against one of their most deeply ingrained instincts. Resist the urge to do inhumane surgery or get a bark collar.
22. Also, it's pretty much the funniest thing ever when you tell a dog "quiet" after barking, and they just bark quieter. This makes it much harder to train your dog to stop barking, because you're too busy laughing.
23. Neutering does nothing to calm down a dog. Absolutely nothing. It also does not alter their personality in any way. I am endlessly thankful for both of these things.
24. They call my dog "the tornado" at day care. Hilarious? Yes.
25. Dogs get tired much more easily during the summer. During the winter, when it's cold out and they don't have to work as hard to cool off, they more than make up for lost time.
26. The laser pointer is by far the best investment we've ever made in terms of entertaining our dog. This may or may not be because that's the only time that our satan cat will go anywhere near Miles, because she has an equal affinity for the laser pointer.
27. If the temperament of the cat is gentle, it takes approximately eight months for a cat to adjust to having a dog in the house.
28. If the temperament of the cat is satan, just give up. It will never happen.
29. Dogs have nothing but the best intentions and the desire to make you happy.
30. DOGS ARE BEDHOGS.
31. When your dog graduates from puppy kindergarten, so do you. Training is about training YOU, not necessarily training the dog. Be as proud of yourself as you are of them.
32. Training, in class or individually, is the best investment you can make in your dog.
33. Miles loves bellyrubs. He didn't learn this until we taught him "roll over".
34. Perhaps the funniest moment in dog ownership happened when I turned around and saw Miles sitting on the back of the couch with one of the cats.
35. Let your dog make you laugh, even if he's causing trouble (please note the difference between "trouble" and "harm").
36. Let your dog discover new things. The more they discover, the less afraid they are of normal things.
37. The Easy Walk is perhaps the best invention for walking a dog. Ever.
38. Puppy smiles are the best cure for any kind of negative feeling, ever.
39. Need to give your dog a Heartworm preventative tablet? Don't worry about mixing it in his food or hiding it in peanut butter. Pretend it's a treat. Easy peasy.
40. Peanut butter bones are a great way to occupy your dog for a long time. Also, when they lick their lips for a long time afterward, it's pretty darn funny.
41. It takes a dog one time to get out of a confined space to know that they can do it again (and they will). Examples? Jumping over baby gates. Playing with the latches on the crate.
42. Nothing beats coming home to a happy, excited dog at the end of a hard day. Absolutely nothing.
43. Nothing is cuter than watching your tiny puppy sleep on a human-sized pillow and not take up the whole thing.
44. Having a dog changes your entire routine...it may seem for the worse at times (like sunrise pee sessions when it's cold), but it's always for the better.
There are many, many more things. I'll probably edit and add to this list from time to time as I come up with them.
