Meet Wally, our new pup

I’ve always been a dog person. Most people are surprised to know that pigs are my favorite animal, especially if they’ve been around me when I swoon over, cuddle with, and practically explode when I come in contact with nearly every cute dog in a five-mile radius. It’s hard to imagine that any other animal could top that kind of excitement.

I love dogs, as many people do. I’m a normal woman who has had these shaggy, excitable, loving pets in my life since I was a little girl, took a break since leaving off to college, and never want to go without them again.

And now, I won’t have to.

Meet Wally (Wallace for formal events and when he chews the carpet), the newest member of my family and the littlest love of my life.

About Wally

Wally is an F1B standard goldendoodle. He’s was born in Brighton, Colorado on April 13. He’ll likely grow up to be anywhere between 50-80 pounds, and will have a wavy and possibly curly coat of fur.

As of 6/8/20, he’s 11 pounds, eight weeks old, and is all-around a healthy dude. (So now, he’s nine, almost 10 weeks old!)

His personality

Wally is bright, smart, brave, and a ton of cuddly fun. So far he’s a total Mommy’s boy (it’s a bit weird giving myself this nickname) and he has this fun knack for following me along with a perky trot.

He adapts quickly and amazes us every day with his sweet and rambunctious spirit. We’re over the moon with his good nature.

Wally’s Life

Here are some fun fact about Wally’s life at home.

Where he sleeps

Wally is being crate trained and is currently snoozing in our room in his big ol’ wire crate. Once he’s able to fully make it through the night, we’ll move his cage into the living room for some space. (Note: can’t wait for this, lol!)

Chow time

Right now, Wally eats three times a day: 6:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. We give him Purina puppy brand, and use small training treats throughout the day to emphasize good behaviors.

Potty training

Progress report: we go outside about once an hour or so, where he’s skilled at going almost immediately for me. He’ll almost always follow me outside, though at night I simply carry him to his spot and have him on the leash. There have been very few accidents inside, which were all because we weren’t careful enough for him.

As far as night-time goes, he’s progressing! He goes outside at 10 p.m. right before bed, then we let him out around 1 a.m. (we started at 12:45, then 1 a.m., then 1:15 a.m., ect,) and he gets up at about 6 a.m. He’s doing great! He no longer cries in his crate, and we’re getting closer and closer to making it through the entire night.

Plus, he’s never had an accident inside his crate. What a good boy!

Favorite Toys

So far he’s a big fan of this lamb from Petco and this blue chew toy from Target. He also loves his plush bed (Amazon) and water bowl (Petco).

Likes

• Playing!
• Chewing
• Cuddles
• Chasing Mommy (me, lol) around the yard
• Weeds and tall grass

Dislikes

• Alone time without direct supervision
• His pen (see above)
• Car rides in his crate

Choosing Wally

Puppy ownership was my primary reason for wanting to buy a home. (My husband had more practical reasons, but this was the argument that brought me on board.) The rental market in my area has far more demand than supply, and nearly all the landlords don’t allow pets, even with options to pay more. It became clear that the only way I could get a dog was to own the building.

As soon as we went under contract for a home, I looked into all puppy options in my area. I’ve had several breeds on my radar for quite some time, especially in the doodle range. New home-ownership also includes a tighter budget, so there were restrictions when it came choosing (my dream designer dog, the bernedoodle, was out of question). And because of COVID-19, local shelters were out of stock (great news for those pups!). It came down to finding a puppy that fit our timing, needs as first-time owners (especially my husband, a novice dog person), and budget. We found Wally from a Colorado breeder and he fit everything perfectly, in a serendipitous way.

Note: if you can adopt from a shelter, that is of course a recommended course of action. Responsible breeding is okay too, though. There is always validity in choosing a pet that is right for your needs, especially if you are a first-time owner or have disability needs. The “adopt don’t shop” movement encourages shelter dog re-homing to both save dogs and prevent irresponsible puppy breeding from dog mills, farms, and mall-type pet stores.

Moving Forward

Chad and I are excited for the near future and taking the next steps with Wally. These include:

• full potty training
• learning the basics (sit, stay, come, his name, shake, etc.)
• puppy group classes for socialization
• introducing Wally to every type of human and animal possible
• a full set of vaccines so we can take him on walks
• a full night of sleep (lol)
• spoiling him with toys that challenge and excite him
• bringing him to work, whenever that’s possible

As usual, if you have any tips or tricks or advice to give, I’m all ears. And, if you’re interested, you can give Wally a follow on Instagram.