Meet Hugo and Diablo. Diablo is sweet, agile and extremely independent. Hugo is loving, full of joy and very protective of me. I truly love them. They bring me so much love and happiness but life as a dog mom with these two energetic dogs under the age of three can be exhausting, frustrating, sometimes causing thoughts of leaving them at the dog park.
I'm writing this post because I'm sick of seeing dog moms on Instagram and other blogs I follow, posting adorable pictures of their four legged friends, pretending that life as a dog mom is simply sunshine and roses.
The reality is, it's constant work, it takes determination and all kinds of patience.
When we got our first dog Diablo, training him was a walk in the park. He was well adjusted and social. Then, we had the bright idea that he needed a friend so when the time was right we started searching for the perfect puppy to add to our family. I found Hugo online, he was 8 weeks old and when I saw his picture, felt an instant connection. We jumped into the car and went to see him. When I saw the situation this 4 pound puppy was living in, I picked him up and he was mine. I won't get into the details of his living conditions, but let's just say, I was afraid and couldn't stand the thought of leaving him there. On the drive home I could instantly tell that he was the perfect fit to our family.
As Hugo started to get older, we noticed he starting barking at other dogs on the street and growling at friends when they came into our house. I knew this wasn't ideal so I started reading dog books and watching hours of Cesar Millan. All to learn that Hugo feels like he's the pack leader and it's his responsibly to protect our family, causing him great anxiety and aggression.
I took this as I am a horrible dog mother, I'm not doing my job and I've failed. It's extremely embarrassing when he has a mental breakdown on the street, people look at me like I've raised a monster and truth is, when he's freaking out on another dog, pulling on his leash, causing a huge scene he looks like a little monster. I've tried every training method in the world - I walk him everyday and am constantly asserting myself as the pack leader.
So far, we haven't had much luck, it's a constant struggle but at the end of the day, he's mine, I love him and I'm committed to helping him be the dog I know he can be.
I think it's important for people to be open and honest about the struggles they go through. Whether your a mother, a wife, a girlfriend or a dog mom. By sharing our struggles it lets other women know they're not alone. Nobody's life is perfect, we're all humans trying to do our best each day and the reality is, life is sometimes hard to deal with and sometimes we feel like we're failing and that's okay.
