We were expecting a new addition to our family May 1st. She came into our lives a few days earlier, joining our clan on April 29th. There are moments of peace. There are moments of pure agony (she bites). There are moments of reflecting that with the addition of a new family member, we are rediscovering who we are. Our impatience bubbles to the surface. We hold our breath and are scared that any slight accident can be fraught with unexpected challenges. Coffee is more than a morning perk; some days, it feels like there is never enough to keep up with her energy. The bundle of fluff we brought in our home is a big deal. She just doesn’t know it.

She joined our family to become my husband’s next service dog. His current dog, a Cane Corso, will retire later this year at the age of 7. We want to give him more time to play before he becomes incapable of playing due to old age. The original plan was to have him work for one more year. Instead, he kept dropping clues he was done being an employed body. He wasn’t excited to go to work anymore although he kind of likes it I think because it gives him time away from bites from the puppy. He’s also slowed down while working and if he’s not paying attention, then he’s not performing the tasks the way they need to be done.

Carving space in our budget and our lives again for a second dog meant sacrifices in other areas of our lives. We knew we would be forgoing an out-of-state vacation. Since she is a puppy and not a fully trained service dog, we kept our costs down but we still spent $3,000. Temperament, overall health, drive, and size mattered, so we worked to find the appropriate Belgian Malinois breeder. We loved our Belgian Malinois Sheperd mix puppy that was a companion for my husband’s service dog before his unexpected death in 2022 and the time we spent with him was a big reason why we decided to go with a Belgian Malinois for the next service dog. Training the puppy has been a full family project. Our daughter watches the puppy when we cannot during the day. (The joys of summer break.) My husband and I rotate nights staying in the living room with her while we’re potty training. If we could end up being back to sharing a bedroom again, that would be great. The couch isn’t uncomfortable, but my bed is certainly more cozy and there is less light that spills into the bedroom compared to our living room in the morning. Dinners are pretty simple. If we’re not making a big batch of rice to pair with either pre-cooked proteins or browning some ground hamburger, we’re often microwaving a few bags of veggies to prepare with reduced sodium Spam. This season isn’t about being lazy, but focusing on doing things in a thoughtful manner. We haven’t had any social outings with friends at restaurants yet while we work on proper socialization and potty training. On the upside, my husband and I are also drinking less alcohol. Neither one of us really craves a drink at night when we know we might be up at 10, 12, 2, and 4 in the morning. She’s creeping more towards being up around 10ish to use the bathroom and 4:45 wanting to start her day.

There will be more to share later on how she’s adjusting to family life. Right now, I am pretty exhausted. Last night was my turn to be up with her and I moved positions in my federal agency earlier this month. The move came with losing fully remote status and now that I commute again, I feel like I am on a hamster wheel right now. One day, I’ll be more settled. Right now, it’s all about taking things one day at a time. I call the puppy my little terrorist at times because she will bite the legs of our chairs, lick or bite the sofa, and will chomp down on your hands when you pick her up after she’s really tired. We are learning to have respect for each other. She’s biting less now this week and I look forward to us reducing the severity and frequency even further.

Stay tuned for more adventures.