Milo’s first barkday and the first time furmom journey

I didn’t share it on my blog, but I got a dog last August. He was only 2.5 months then. I’ve always wanted to get a dog, but with school or work in the way, it wasn’t the best decision to have one since I’ll just be out most of the day.

Now, in 2020, I resigned in March and was supposed to start in another company when the lockdown struck. Unfortunately, after months of waiting due to the lockdown, my supposedly new employer changed the terms of my employment and it didn’t make sense for me to continue the move (a different story altogether). Fortunately, I was able to find freelancing gigs and was later on offered a full-time role in one of them in June; a full-time role, with a permanent work from home setup. Just the dream, especially in a time when going out is extremely scary.

We used to have a dog, a Japanese Spitz-Labrador mix, but only for a short time and I was still very little then so I’d like to think that this is still first time journey. I also had to buy all of the pet care things since I didn’t have any at all, and I’m glad that online shopping is so easy.

Everyday Milo would fill my IG stories, so later on I decided to make him his own account called @milothepotatobeagle on Instagram. He was always a ray of sunshine.

I knew owning a dog requires a lot of time and effort. But it wasn’t until he was with us, waking me up at 4am during the first few months, seeing him wagging his tail and all excited was always something I looked forward to.

I would admit there were days that I thought of letting him go due to the sheer amount of effort needed to take care of a dog, but I’m glad I didn’t, because I couldn’t imagine my life without him anymore.

Some of the things I learned as a first time dog parent:

• Train early! This is one of the most heard of guideline from many dog owners, and I can’t agree more. Basic commands such as Sit, No, and Quiet were some of the first ones we taught. Sometimes he’s still very playful and challenges commands, but generally he follows them willingly.
• Potty train early! Practice with pee pads and a potty spray if you can’t take him out like me who live in an apartment. We even bought pee pad holders so he can’t chew them. Unfortunately for us, as he grew older, the pee pad holder won’t work anymore as he learned how to open them and would end up scattering paper everywhere. We weren’t able to consistently control his biting habits, so we have yet to correct where he should pee. He’s able to hold his pee when we go out for hours at a time so that’s a good thing though.
• It will be expensive. During his first few months, completing his vaccinations were at least 300 pesos at a time, and some of them cost even more than that. They also need regular booster shots as they grow older. Buying toys, food, vitamins, and so on also add up. Milo destroys his toys frequently regardless if it’s a cheap or an expensive one. One time, I was very worried that he was vomiting and having diarrhea that I decided to go for a blood test, that alone was already 1,400 pesos. So please be ready to spend.
• You need to allot time. You have work, friends, family, hobbies. They only have you. Play with them, go on walks, spend quiet time, just be with them.
• Beware of the puppy eyes! It’s true! And you have to keep in mind they will do this especially at times you know they can’t have any of that Korean Fried Chicken, or that Adobo.
• Short hair doesn’t mean they won’t shed. I only learned this when I had Milo. I thought that if they have shorter hair, it means they won’t shed as much. I was wrong. Milo sheds A LOT, especially now in the hot weather. There are breeds that don’t shed much (including some with long fur), but in this case, beagles aren’t one of them.
• They will grow up so fast!! Even though Milo is on the slimmer side of the beagles (he only weighs 11kg when the normal is 12-14kg) he gained kilos upon kilos of weight with only months apart. I can’t imagine how much more larger breeds would grow! And how fast time flies!

I love him so much. And today, this kiddo turned one! We celebrated with some of his favorite activities— a run outdoors and some fetch and tug of war, and of course with some goodies from Make and Bake for Pets!

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Compared to his regular dog food + veggie meal, this definitely is something different! He doesn’t like the icing from the cake that much though. Overall he’s a happy boi. 13/10 Milo-approved!