Welcome Home, Furry Friend!
Do you remember your anticipations, fears, and questions before your very first furry friend joined your family?
The day finally arrived. Our 11-week old furry friend was flying to us from Arkansas. The thought of a young puppy flying solo in the cargo was frightening to me. I wished him a safe journey to us, his new home.
The Introduction
What was the first moment like when you greeted your new friend?
I will always remember walking into the cargo building anxiously. We could hear barks coming from the delivery warehouse. Was that our puppy? Or was that coming from another dog awaiting its new home?
My husband and I turned in our papers to the person at the desk. Minutes later, a crate was brought out of the warehouse and placed in front of us. This was the moment I had been waiting for for weeks!
Would he take to us instantly? How would he act at first? I was eager to see how this puppy would react after a rough day in cargo.
The moment he came to the window of his crate, I saw friendly eyes looking back at us. Our new friend looked at me. As he pretended to start eating from his kibble bowl he looked up curiously at my husband.
I was fearful he would be scared of us. I thought he may start barking at us. He didn’t. After a few seconds of the three of us staring at each other, I thought to myself, “He’s perfect.”
Note: In hindsight, I now wish we flew to Arkansas and back home to pick up our new puppy. If you can avoid flying your furry friend on a cargo flight, please do it! Conditions such as temperature and safety are not always stable in cargo. Our breeder now requires their puppies to be picked up rather than them flying across the country. Not only is the journey all day, typically with layovers, but the puppy is not guaranteed to receive short walks as some airlines say they will do. The baby pup will arrive with their legs and paws stained with no other choice but to go to the bathroom in their crate. Picking up your new puppy yourself and flying with them in the cabin will allow your furball to have a MUCH more pleasant and safer trip.
The First Night
During our pup’s first night with us, my guess was he was feeling scared, alone, vulnerable and missing his family. How did he end up here? Where were mom, dad, and siblings? Why wasn’t he at home? Who were these new people and why were they keeping him in a new and unfamiliar room?
Our furball barked and barked for hours into the night. Did we make a mistake? He didn’t seem happy in his new home. One reason dogs bark non-stop is they feel left behind. “Mom! Dad! I’m here! Don’t forget about me!”
We read about what to do the first night. We tried crating him in our bedroom with a light blanket draped over the crate. We then moved him to a restroom. Nothing worked.
We waited out his barking. Poor pup.
You will want to soothe and comfort your baby in his distress. However, the beginning will probably still feel traumatic. Perhaps even for you, too.
Your puppy has lost his home and family in one day. Naturally, he will need to grieve his losses.
A Peaceful Night’s Sleep
The next day we took our little furball to his first veterinary appointment. He slept the entire time. It was a bit hilarious. As the doctor checked his heartbeat and temperature, he laid on his side fast asleep.
It wasn’t until our furry friend’s third night with us that we slept peacefully. By night three, he somehow became comfortable enough in his environment to calmly rest in his crate through the night. It was quite a relief for us and happened much sooner than I thought it would!
“Manny” Blessings!
The first time we shared the name of our puppy with my mom she replied, “Manny? Like Manny blessings?” We all laughed. It’s true though! Bringing home a new puppy fills your life with blessings you’ve never experienced before.
Congratulations on taking the first step! It’s time for your adventures as a new family to begin!
Now, we are ready to move past day one!
Training will be of the utmost importance for this new adventure! Not only for your puppy but especially for you. The first step is to be teachable and ready to learn. Just as you’d like your puppy to be trainable, it is vital you are trainable, too. The more effectively you train yourself, the better off your puppy will be.
Read on as we explore some other areas such as parenting, food, health, hygiene, and socialization!
