Pupdate: Charlotte and Cody
Bouncy, entertaining and completely lovable, puppies can melt the hearts of even the most reluctant pet owners. However, owning a puppy is not easy. You will have ups and downs, and some experiences will be inevitable like house training, chewing disasters and extra holiday planning. Others will surprise you and may cost you monetarily and emotionally, just like Charlotte experienced with her adorable Labrador puppy Cody.
Charlotte and Cody
Cody is a 9 month old Labrador who has been a part of our family for 5 months. He is cheeky and utterly adorable - he has the most adorable big brown eyes....butter wouldn't melt! My favourite thing about Cody is his waggy tail when I first go downstairs in the morning, a greeting like that starts every day perfectly.
Having a dog is hard work and its expensive! He needs his walks and in the last two months he needed an operation of his leg. However, knowing that he will always be happy, loved and looked after is such a rewarding feeling.
It’s easy to buy a dog or be given a dog for free, but it’s very hard to give an animal (any animal) a forever home and I urge people to really think about it first. No more sporadic holidays or weekends away, or even a night away - you have to plan. When it’s cold and raining they still need a walk. When they chew or break something of value may it be monetary or sentimental, you can’t be nasty to them as they don’t mean any harm. You have to love them unconditionally and ensure they have a balanced diet to keep them healthy.
You have to clean up the mess if they are poorly. And you need to be able to afford to have a pet as vet bills are extremely expensive. My recent vet bill came to just over £2,000.00, he was insured of course but I still had an excess of £200.00 – without this he would have had major problems, so he had to have the surgery. He is now on the mend and has made a great recovery, but it was an upsetting and expensive experience. You have to accept that there will be good times and bad times and way up the risks.
Your dog will love you completely, show utter loyalty and greet you every morning like the best friend you haven’t seen in years – so please make sure you can give them the love and care they deserve.
