As much as I love Christmas, I have to admit that it's not as fun as what it was when I was a child. Like don't get me wrong, it's still really fun, and I do wish it was December all year round, but you know when you were little, there was something quite exciting and magical about Christmas wasn't there? TBH as soon as I realised Santa wasn't real (I'm not even going to admit how old I was when I found this out, as it's a little embarrassing haha!) Christmas lost it's magic a little.
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I think there's something about our generation, that feels like we need to be busy all of the time. We're in the era of the girl boss, and hustling, which is great and inspiring, but is our constant need to be out hitting goals and constantly working, having an effect on both our physical and mental health?
We’ve had Frank in our lives now for almost four years, and let me just tell you, that those four years have definitely been a learning curve for both myself and Henry. Having a dog, is 100 times harder than I ever imagined it would be, but also 100 times more rewarding, than I ever imagined it would be too.
To celebrate National Pet Month, I’m working with Tesco Bank to bring awareness to the month, which promotes responsible pet ownership, and how to make people aware of the mutual benefits of living with pets, as well as many more amazing things. National Pet Month is in fact a registered charity, and it runs from 1st April- 1st May, and during the whole month you can get involved yourself by raising money for your favourite UK pet charity, or even just raising awareness about being a responsible pet owner.
But now let’s get back to Frank. Over the past four years, I’ve had lots of emails, comments, and tweets about having a dog. I’ve been asked about my tips and advice, and with this month being National Pet Month, I thought ‘what better time to post about Frank than now?’
So here are six things that I have learnt since having a dog, I’ve thrown in some tips that we’ve learnt along the way as well!
Puppies are hard work.
I used to think that puppies were like these cute little creatures, that would just sit on your knee and cuddle all day. Don’t get me wrong, puppies are probably the cutest thing in the whole wide world, but let me just tell you, puppies are hard work. Really hard work. The reality set in about ten minutes down the road with Frank, he was howling like a monkey and I genuinely thought he was possessed. I was like ‘Henry what do I do?’ and he was like ‘I don’t know!’ Those first few nights, Frank cried and I cried, however, we got through it.
Frank was full of energy and nothing seemed to wear out our little ball of fluff. He was too young to take on proper walks so we found ourselves struggling with a crazy puppy. However, we did find that playing fetch in the garden worked wonders, and now if I were to do it again, I’d take him to puppy classes and perhaps buy things for the garden such as agility equipment like a tunnel, that he could have played with. I would have also bought a few more hard toys, as he may not of eaten so many of my shoes then!!
My essentials for having a puppy are; puppy pads, a blanket/material that smells of their litter/mum (doesn’t that just break your heart though?) a cuddly toy, a crate (I know these are controversial but we got a pretty big one, that Frank loved sleeping in as a pup, he then gradually got used to sleeping alone but the crate was a huge help) toys and patience!
You will wish your dog could go to the loo like a human.
Picking up dog mess is part and parcel of having a dog. It’s not a nice job, but you have to do it. Frank loves to go in front of an audience, and always picks a busy street/ in front of loads of people to do his *ahem* business. But I guess this is to get me back for all of the pictures, I constantly take of him. My advice? Buy puppy pads (these will clear up any accidents super easily) and 2. never buy super cheap/thin poo bags, you will regret it. Take it from me.
Dogs need walking a lot.
Okay so I know this probably sounds a bit naive, but I didn’t realise how much dogs need walking. I used to think that dogs just needed a quick walk round the block, however, you really need to make sure your dog gets a nice long walk every day. I take Frank on a 4km walk every day, and then we take him on a shorter walk in the evening. You have to walk them no matter what the weather is like, or how you feel; rain, wind, snow, you gotta do it. You will need to invest in a good coat, wellies and a good harness for your dog (just in case they’re a bit of an eager beaver like Frank and try to take you on a walk!)
Getting into a sleeping routine is hard.
When we got Frank as a puppy, he was like a little baby. He cried most of the night, and would wake up at the crack of dawn. I remember thinking to myself ‘if this is what having kids is like, I’m out.’
Anyways, I’m glad to report that Frank is now settled into a routine, thanks to us buying him a super cosy bed (tbh I’d sleep in it) and making sure he has his own space. You may be tempted to have them in with you, *we do this sometimes, but regret it at 4am when Frank has 3/4 of the bed and we’re hovering over the edge! * We trained frank to get into his bed, and would give him a treat every time, so he associated his bed with a nice thing. Thankfully this has worked and all of us now get a good nights sleep.
But I kinda just imagined that dogs would just sleep absolutely fine, but oh no, it takes time, patience and lots of tears (and that was just me!) You’ve got to make sure they feel safe, and happy and then you’ll be getting back to a good nights sleep in no time!
They probably won’t be a fan of having their photo taken.
Frank is not a fan of having his photo taken, let me tell you. Usually I try to get a photo, and he’ll either run off or he’ll sit and then bark at me till I stop (diva.) Treats and holding a tennis ball up to the camera are your best friends, when it comes to taking photos of your dog. Also when you get a dog, be prepared for 90% of your camera roll to just be pictures of your pup.
They are amazing.
Okay so I have to admit that I wasn’t really a dog person before we got Frank. Don’t get me wrong, I loved puppies but I wasn’t aware of how amazing dogs are. Frank is so much more than our pet, he’s a part of the family and a part of us. We’re Corrie, Henry and Frank, we come as a three. Working from home all day, means that myself and Frank spend a lot of time together, and although he’s a dog, and he can’t talk, he’s really good company. I have no idea what I’d do without him, and I never realised how intelligent, loyal and amazing dogs were till I got one. I would 100% recommend getting a dog, but do remember how much hard work they are. This is something I didn’t really think about, and although, I wouldn't change Frank for the world, sometimes I wish I’d thought more about the responsibility it would be.
Having a dog is hard work, and a huge responsibility but it’s worth it. The feeling of coming home and your dog running to greet you, beats all those times you had to walk them in the rain, or they ate your fave shoes.
My priority as Frank’s owner is that he’s happy, healthy and safe. I think it’s important for all of us to ensure we do this, for all of our pets.
I could go on all day about the things I’ve learnt since having Frank, but for now I’ll stop (and try to not get too crazy soppy dog lady!)
Like I mentioned, I am working with Tesco Bank on this post for National Pet Month and here you can see how you can get involved with the charity over the next month.
You can also see below, my video that I (and Frank) did for the campaign, and it’s a reality vs expectations of having a dog! I hope you like it :)
If you have a dog, or in fact any pet, what is one thing you have learnt, since getting them?
*This is a sponsored post, however, my opinions are 100% honest as always. You can read more in my disclaimer here.*
Do you ever sometimes think to yourself 'it surely cannot just be me who feels this way?'
But most of the time, you feel like it IS just you because how do you know if anyone else does feel that way, when no really speaks about it?
I feel there should be a guidebook given out to all teenagers entitled 'What To Expect In Your Twenties.' Though maybe I've just had a million pound idea and now someone will nab that, okay well you can't because it's my idea and this is written proof okay? Anyway, I think if there was a book which was full of what to expect, then life would probably be a lot easier and maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't walk around feeling so lost all the time and constantly looking for a more grown up adult to help me with life stuff. Maybe.
In this book would be a chapter called 'Weird Stuff To Expect' because weird stuff does happen as you get older, you suddenly change and this realisation hit me last night when I was eating dinner at Henry's Dad's house. We were having chicken casserole which had mushrooms in and usually I will put the mushrooms to the side, cause gross, but last night, I was like 'lets try this' and then I was like 'they're not that bad' and I ate them all. So weird. I then realised that night, that when you get older you suddenly start to do weird stuff like this and well I thought I'd write a post, cause one: it might make you feel less weird and two: if you're a teen, you can read this and prepare yourself for your weird twenties.
1. You Now Eat Stuff You Used To Hate:
Vegetables, salad, olives, wine? Pass them all over to me. I'm quite the fan of broccoli these days, when I was younger I used to detest the stuff and even my dad calling them 'little trees' couldn't make me eat them. You suddenly find yourself liking these foods and wondering why you made such a fuss when you were younger. However, I don't think I will ever get on board with ; beetroot, sprouts, green beans, peas or fish.
2. Your Christmas List Is Boring:
I used to make my Christmas list by taking a felt tip pen and circling all the toys I wanted in the Argos catalogue and then handing it over to my parents who would then laugh. These days, I'm dreaming about Santa bringing me new pillows for the bed, perhaps some new towels, and one or ten scented candles. (I
3. You Notice Weird Stuff:
Ever since we bought a house, I've started to notice stuff that I never would have batted an eyelid at before. Front doors, windows, garages, ooh is there room to extend that house? Wtf? I keep looking at houses for front door inspiration and my main goal in life is to have a pastel coloured front door. Why do I care so much about front doors? Who am I?
4. You Can Never Get Too Much Sleep:
I am always tired. Everyone I know is always tired. You go away on a two week beach holiday and still come back TIRED. Being an adult is constantly being tired, if you're young right now, nap and sleep as much as you can. You will not believe the joy that an afternoon nap will bring you as an adult.
5. You Will Say Stuff That Your Parents Say:
Let's be honest, how many times growing up did you roll your eyes at your parents when they said: 'you'll catch a cold wearing that!' 'You need a proper coat!' 'You won't be able to walk in those shoes' 'who left this door open? Were you raised in a barn?' 'Who left this light on? Do you think I'm made of money?' I could go on, but you will find yourself saying this kinda thing all. the. time. God knows what it'll be like when I have kids.
6. Nothing Excites You More Than A New Kitchen Tool:
Cooking is no longer just about boiling the kettle for pasta, or super noodles. No no as you get older you find yourself counting a garlic press as one of your most used items, apple corers are the bomb.com, literally anything like this amazes you. Walking round Lakeland is like an adults Toys R Us.
7. Your TV Habits Change:
I cannot deal with cartoons or some teen dramas anymore (so much angst) but as you get older you will love nothing more than a good documentary, a drama or wait for it Great British Bake Off. Yes GBBO will be the highlight of your week (though isn't it everyone's?) You'll also say every now and then 'ah they don't make films/TV programmes like they used to' whilst starting another episode of Friends.
8. People Start To Purposely Have Children:
I mean this is possibly the weirdest thing of all, when you realise people your age are deliberately having children. Planned children. You sometimes feel weird for not having a kid. My Facebook time line always blows my mind, here's me getting excited over my garlic press whilst the girl from my French class has just popped out her third kid.
So there are a few light hearted things that make me laugh when I realise I am definitely getting older, I have to say I do enjoy my new hobbies, I mean I haven't started going to garden centres on a Sunday or listening to Radio 2 just yet, but I am enjoying these cosy nights in with a candle.
Tell me something weird you've started to do as you've gotten older...
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