Newsflash! Introducing a very good boy... meet Rufus Barkley!!!

smurfco said:
a3254fb8533eedf82d54dbc61468783e.jpg



Gaaaaaahhhhhh
Click to expand...

when a noble beast of impeccable lineage still wants pets and skritches
 
Oh my God you guys, this dog. Lots of pictures and videos to come for sure, but right now we are just chilling out after meeting for the first time this afternoon now that I am back in CT. I love him soooo much already
 
I'll be honest with you guys, I had a pretty bad experience this morning. The dog is doing well, everything is fine with Rufus - it was me that had the problem. I have anxiety and OCD (racing thoughts, etc) for context.

So last night I put Rufus in his crate and went to bed. He whined for a few minutes and then fell asleep, as Steve (my friend who'd been watching him) told me he probably would. When I went to bed I felt happy and excited to have the new pup here. He woke me up at 5AM (not unexpectedly, Steve also mentioned that he would do that) and I took him out for a little walk and to pee... and when we got back up to my apartment I had a terrible anxiety / panic attack centering mainly around "what am I doing with this dog? I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know how to care for an animal, this is going to be a disaster".

My negative thoughts began to race and cascade, as they will with OCD, and all the "what if" questions started - what if I made a mistake adopting him? What if I grow to resent him? What if he resents me? Can dogs resent people? What if he's unhappy here? What if I give him the wrong food? What if he gets into some chemical or something? (I put child locks on all the cabinets so it's not likely, but still...) What if he slips his leash and gets hit by a car? What if, what if, what if? Silly things to think about I know, but once it starts it can be very hard to stop that mental parade.

I knew going in it would be a big responsibility but I guess this morning it just hit me, and for a while there I was in full blown panic mode. I have since calmed down considerably, and Rufus is happily sleeping at my feet now as I work. I'm pretty sure I made the right decision to get him and I'm pretty sure things will be fine, I just got really overwhelmed there for a minute. I've lived alone for a long time and never had a puppy before, so I guess it's a big adjustment. I'm kind of scared I am going to screw it up and this morning it just all sort of hit me at once. Working off of minimal sleep probably didn't help matters either.

Like I said I am feeling a lot better now. We went outside again for 20 minutes and he did some exploring of his new urban setting. I think Rufus is a little anxious too. I tried to keep him from noticing how freaked out I was this morning (who knows how well I did) but this is his third home in two weeks. I am keeping him to a good food and go-outside schedule and giving him lots of pats and kisses and I-love-yous and snuggles (he is a very snuggly pup) and he seems pretty well adjusted given the circumstances, but I can tell he's a bit confused as to what's going on. I guess we will have to help each other get through the first few weeks until our routines are more solidified.

I have an appointment with the vet on Wednesday to get his next round of shots and a microchip, and I'm sure I will have plenty of questions for them too.

Any tips or tricks from previous puppy owners are most appreciated - thanks for reading this nonsense!
 
First of all - I have two children (grown now). You can't even begin to know how many nights I woke in a cold sweat wondering how an impractical idiot like me could possibly raise responsible humans. Somehow, I doubt you'll have problems taking responsibility for a furry critter.

Second - Rufus = Red and Barkely ~ the People's Republic of Berkeley: You some sort of commie?!?!

tenor.gif
 
You are no longer Smurfco. You are now Rufus's caretaker. Welcome to the club. You will do fine. Your dog will never resent you. I find walks help to clear my mind and shed some of the worrying. Your dog will love them too.
 
In case it's helpful, I have some different flavors of brain disease, and definitely had those same moments of feeling overwhelmed and what-the-fuck-was-I-thinking over the first year of pooch ownership. It does get easier/less scary, and developing a good stable routine is super helpful for both you and the dog. It could easily take a good month for him to decompress and get used to the new normal, so don't be too freaked out if he seems unsettled for a bit (or if his personality seems to change a bit with time, that can be part of decompressing too
 
Here's my 2 cents about taking care of dogs. You actually have to try really hard to screw it up. It takes more work to be a bad caretaker than it does to be a good one.
Also, he will learn to know when something is wrong with you no matter how you may try to hide it. His reaction will be to help you. He won't be afraid, it will be his instinct to comfort you as you do to him.
You got this man. No doubt.
 
Thanks everyone. I am still kind of a mess but this helps. I wish I didn’t react to
Things the way I do. My brain “knows” it’s irrational but I still can’t seem to help it sometimes.
 
smurfco said:
I'll be honest with you guys, I had a pretty bad experience this morning. The dog is doing well, everything is fine with Rufus - it was me that had the problem. I have anxiety and OCD (racing thoughts, etc) for context.

So last night I put Rufus in his crate and went to bed. He whined for a few minutes and then fell asleep, as Steve (my friend who'd been watching him) told me he probably would. When I went to bed I felt happy and excited to have the new pup here. He woke me up at 5AM (not unexpectedly, Steve also mentioned that he would do that) and I took him out for a little walk and to pee... and when we got back up to my apartment I had a terrible anxiety / panic attack centering mainly around "what am I doing with this dog? I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know how to care for an animal, this is going to be a disaster".

My negative thoughts began to race and cascade, as they will with OCD, and all the "what if" questions started - what if I made a mistake adopting him? What if I grow to resent him? What if he resents me? Can dogs resent people? What if he's unhappy here? What if I give him the wrong food? What if he gets into some chemical or something? (I put child locks on all the cabinets so it's not likely, but still...) What if he slips his leash and gets hit by a car? What if, what if, what if? Silly things to think about I know, but once it starts it can be very hard to stop that mental parade.

I knew going in it would be a big responsibility but I guess this morning it just hit me, and for a while there I was in full blown panic mode. I have since calmed down considerably, and Rufus is happily sleeping at my feet now as I work. I'm pretty sure I made the right decision to get him and I'm pretty sure things will be fine, I just got really overwhelmed there for a minute. I've lived alone for a long time and never had a puppy before, so I guess it's a big adjustment. I'm kind of scared I am going to screw it up and this morning it just all sort of hit me at once. Working off of minimal sleep probably didn't help matters either.

Like I said I am feeling a lot better now. We went outside again for 20 minutes and he did some exploring of his new urban setting. I think Rufus is a little anxious too. I tried to keep him from noticing how freaked out I was this morning (who knows how well I did) but this is his third home in two weeks. I am keeping him to a good food and go-outside schedule and giving him lots of pats and kisses and I-love-yous and snuggles (he is a very snuggly pup) and he seems pretty well adjusted given the circumstances, but I can tell he's a bit confused as to what's going on. I guess we will have to help each other get through the first few weeks until our routines are more solidified.

I have an appointment with the vet on Wednesday to get his next round of shots and a microchip, and I'm sure I will have plenty of questions for them too.

Any tips or tricks from previous puppy owners are most appreciated - thanks for reading this nonsense!
Click to expand...
tips and tricks...

There is definitely a "honeymoon period"you both are getting used to each other and then one day it'll be "old hat" remember you are his gaurdianand he depends on you but in return he's your little buddy and you will soon go "how did I ever live without one"

There will be mishaps of course. Dogs kinda live in the moment. They do have memories but they are more in the present. If you make a mistake it's not the end of the world he wont hold it against you . try to get a routine because dogs absolutely love routine and don't besuprised if you are waking at 5 am everyday....i haven't lept past 4:15 am since I got Sonny october 2016 :wink:

Easier said then donce if you have OCD but don't overthink it. Just do the best you can for him and stick with it, don't give up and you'll be rewarded with a faithful companion who will never let you down.

When you go oout on walks just be in the present and enjoy the bonding, try to find some spots that are not overly stimulated (probably not easy in NYC) , perhaps go early in the morning. don't leave him unattended to go into a store ort anything....if you need to go to the store leave him at home. Dogs can learn to go 8 hours without a bathroom break no problem, again it's routine and they thrive on routine.

I think you made the right decuision . It's a great feeling taking care of a dog. I think he'll help you out. feel free to ask any questions. I've lived alone with dogs for almost thirty years. I'm not an expert but I've probably "been there, done that" so pm anytime if you want....hanfg in there and don't give up. It good times ahead :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top