"I'm going to get a dog! I've always wanted a canine companion, and I'm sure I can put in the work to raise one!"

These were the words of a fool who foolishly believed for a second that he knew what to expect when offered the chance to raise a newborn pup. However, there's a little more to this than simply being unprepared for the challenges of dog parenting. This fool had something to prove; a vendatta against himself that he needed to set straight.

The Good Ol' Puppy Blues

What my rather poetic opening is trying to say is that taking on the responsibilites of being a first-time puppy owner is an incredible amount of work. I had heard my entire life how much work it was. "You have to feed them, play with them, take them for walks, and clean up after them!" The anthem of parents to dog-loving children everywhere. But to actually experience it firsthand is a completely different beast...and I've barely dipped my toes in parenting a puppy!

A shattered social life.

The disintegration of all free-time.

Enormous extra charges to your bank account every month.

Poop stains EVERYWHERE.

I found myself breaking into tears several nights during the first three weeks -- completely sure that I had made a terrible mistake. I'm not cut out for this. I thought to myself. She would be happier with another owner, a different puppy parent, a different family.

This deep regret was only made worse by my already injured self-confidence.

This was when a deep night of researching and several Reddit posts revealed my feelings were not all that uncommon -- in fact, they were pretty par the course. I was experiencing Puppy Blues - a condition in which a new puppy owner feels regret and doubts the decision to get a new puppy. [1]

Now that my enemy had a name, and I understand why I felt the way I did -- I shook off thoughts of messaging the breeder to ask to return her. I shook off my doubts that I could raise her properly. Don't get me wrong; I still broke down in the evenings for a while. However, I held on to hope--the light at the end of tunnel--that this regret would go away.

Spoiler alert: it did.

One Step at a Time

If you're thinking seriously about adopting a puppy for the first time, please allow me to offer some advice: you will mess up. But that's okay!

You'll have accidents on the carpet. She'll chew your carpet, furniture, arms, feet. You'll spend more than you thought you would.

But when that puppy has bonded with you, and you find yourself in tears (and in pain from the biting), she'll come over to you and just lick the spots where she bit you.

Citations

[1] "Puppy Blues: Dealing with the Regret". Happyoodles. https://happyoodles.com/2021/01/the-puppy-blues-dealing-with-regret/