Furry Relationships

There comes a point in your life when, at a whopping 23 years old, you realise you are getting old. It happens at about the time when you enjoy a night in just as much as a night out. When you know as much about home wares as handbags and you’re more worried about your mortgage than your make up. It happens when you use the sentence “it was never like that when I was that age”. It comes when you and your partner decide to become parents. Puppy parents!

Cameron and I have had a fur baby for quite a few years now but in the past couple of years many of our friends have also chosen (or been chosen by) their own little fluff balls. A few weeks ago while catching up with friends we found ourselves discussing our furry little ones over tapis – from the ins and outs of particular puppy grooming tools to the way our men interact with their pooches. This made me realise two things A) I no longer talk about boys and parties with my girl friends which subsequently prompted my feelings of impending old age and B) While bringing these little creatures into our home is often a gesture of commitment and the first step in ‘playing house’, for Cameron and I, at least, our black and white baby has also offered a lot to our relationship and taught us some simple lessons about each other.

Having moved away from home for university Cameron and I longed to have a pet which was completely impractical at college. It was still pretty impractical when we moved into our first rental property that was strictly no pets. Somehow though with a little sneaking home between lectures (or sometimes even taking puppy to them!) and a lot of wiggly shaped, blanket covered, objects being couriered in and out of our unit Perra became part of our lives. Infact by the time someone actually decided to report us to the landlord Perra was so much part of our lives that finding a new place was the only option. To this day she has moved with us from place to place and state to state. Travelling in over-packed cars and living in little places. Although we may not be as dog crazy as some (I mean at this stage we have no plans for Perra to make an appearance at our wedding and flat-out refuse to ‘dress’ our dog or shower her in doggy bling!) anybody who knows us well will tell you the dog is pretty darned spoilt. But hey as my dad would say “You can’t spoil something that is good for nothing”. Indeed Perra is a pretty important part of our lives! Below are 10 reasons why I think a dog is a good addition to any relationship!

1. Negotiation skills – who gets those lovely jobs like poop pick-ups and getting up in the night when the dog insists she needs to go. Cameron would probably say it would more correctly be termed delegation skills because he seems to get lumped with these jobs more often than not (oooops!)

2. The social networker! It is amazing how many people see a dog as an open invite to chat! Perra is such a smoocher and never misses an opportunity for a pat. Cam and I have often joked we could hire her out as a ‘wing-dog’! She has proved a great tool for getting to know people in our slightly dog crazy suburb where doggy birthday parties are not unusual at the local dog park. Although our less than delicate dogue can prove a little embarrassing when interacting with white fluffy fifi’s who, we are sure, she instinctively thinks are sheep, the social nature of fellow dog-owners was a nice way to settle into the neighbourhood – even if we could only tell you the names of the dogs and not the owners.

3. Enthusiasm – A dog’s enthusiasm is amazing! A trip in the car sometimes appears to be the most exciting thing in the world and I am pretty sure I don’t know anyone who gets as hyped up as Perra does over dinner every night. Perra loves nothing more than a trip to the beach or a run in the park and really, even when you’re having a crappy day, there is something about her appreciation for these things that just makes Cam and I both smile.

4. Practicing Parenting Skills – a dog quickly works out the softy and the disciplinarian AKA whose shoes she can get away chewing or which person its best guilt a second dinner out of. When Perra knows she has done something wrong she plays this super cute face until someone gives in – the trick is to not give in and let her play favourites!

5. A Common Love – from celebrating the milestones (lets face it sit, drop and stay are pretty big achievements in those first months!) to overcoming challenges such as fleas and phobias (namingly the bath), fur babies are a rewarding joint project and fantastic bonding experience. It amazes me how guys turn into total softies over puppies – Cameron has been know to have the dog tucked up in bed, babbling baby talk to her while scratching her tummy or on a recent coffee outing informed me the Perra always likes to have a baby (or rather puppy) cino!

6. Responsibility and Organisation – Tidying up and putting kitchen items away are a must when you have a somewhat food obsessed dog… leaving baked goods on the bench, the fridge slightly open or chocolate in the bottom cupboards will most likely lead to one almighty puppy binge – trust me we know this from experience. Similarly forgetting to feed the dog ends with Perra finding her own dinner – which can involve opening cupboards or climbing bench tops or both.

7. Fitness – Perra has proved to be the best personal trainer money could buy; you can guarantee when we aren’t in the mood for a walk or run she is and ‘that’ look wins out every time! 

8. Sharing – or at least someone else to blame for stealing the doona! For a dog that isn’t meant to sleep on the bed Perra seems to sneak on an awful lot, always managing to bunch the doona at the end of the bed so neither Cam or myself can pull it up. I guess we don’t blame each other anymore!

9. A Lot of laughs – Anyone with pets will tell you they are the biggest timewasters EVER. Perra is just so cute sometimes we both just sit back and laugh and all the crazy things she does. 

10. Unconditional Love – As much as Cameron and I love one another we don’t jump up and down and cry with joy every-time the other walks through the door (especially if they have only been to the letter box!) Let’s face it a dogs adoration and loyalty makes you feel pretty warm and fuzzy inside!