It’s never easy losing your furry best friend. My dog lived for 13 years and passed away a little over a year ago. But this past summer, my family decided that we were ready to give another pup the good life and welcome them into our home.
Enter Rafferty: the craziest, fluffiest, most hyperactive tornado on paws you’ve ever seen. Raff came into our lives from the Beebe Humane Society in Arkansas at four months old. Who knew that adopting a puppy would basically end up being boot camp for going back to school? Here’s how my dog whipped me into shape for my second year of college.
1. No more skipping meals
Raff was kept on a pretty strict three-meals-a-day routine at very certain times to make sure he wouldn’t be hungry throughout the day. Since Raff’s food bowl is in the kitchen, I ended up just eating my meals right around the same time as I fed him. At UMass, I had the tendency to either skip meals completely or eat at pretty weird times, like 9 or 10 p.m. (…or midnight). Now that I’m back at school, I’m so used to a scheduled feeding time for my dog that I force myself to leave my room and grab a bite before going on with my day.
2. Waking up at the crack of dawn (literally)
Puppies need to pee. A lot. Like once every two to three hours. Taking Raff outside to do his business meant adjusting my body to waking up at 5 a.m. and not going to bed until 1 a.m. everyday. Getting up for my 9 a.m. class this semester is a breeze. Thanks for having a tiny bladder, buddy.
3. Patience. So much patience.
Everyone knows it’s no walk in the park teaching a puppy not to eat your shoes — or your hair, for that matter. I exhibited so much patience not yelling at Raff’s tiny face when he munched on my earbuds and that sense of calm and reason has luckily transferred over to Amherst. Between school, work and trying to maintain a social life, lord knows the last thing I need is to get mad over the little things.
4. Saving Money
After getting Raff I now notice how much cute puppy stuff is lying around Target and T.J. Maxx. From collars to toys, I wanted to spend every dollar I had — or that my mom had — on puppy supplies, but nevertheless, I managed to avoid wasting money. I’m still saving at school and resist the temptation to buy that overpriced (but damn good) milkshake from Blue Wall.
5. Prioritizing Work
My pup is an attention magnet and it’s really hard not to give into his charm. He’s a cuddlebug for sure, but when I was desperately on the job hunt and filling out applications, I had to give him the cold shoulder until I was finished.
It’s too bad he isn’t with me at UMass. I could really use some puppy-lovin’ as a reward for getting work done.
Images/GIFs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 , other images courtesy of the author.