Hi, my name is Shelby and I got a quarantine puppy. I am one of the probably millions who got a puppy during quarantine, but honestly, this is the perfect time to take on something like a puppy.
Whether your decision-making is because of the extra time you’re spending at home, needing something fuzzy for when you’re sad, or wanting some excitement in this trying time, all reasons to get a quarantine puppy are valid.
My puppy is named Indy (short for Indigo). She is 6-months-old and is an Aussie Doodle breed. She came from a barn where she had little-to-no human interaction in central Pennsylvania. My boyfriend, Alex, and I decided to get Indy back in June. We told his mom and she started looking in Pennsylvania where we are from, started visiting and sending us info and photos, and started getting her home ready to take care of our baby until we moved.
We got Indy in late June, Alex’s mom and sibling went to pick her up. They visited multiple families with multiple puppies and picked her for us. I was at the beach for a weekend when they picked her up so I got on FaceTime and met her that night. When I got back, I went to visit her the next day. Meeting her was so special and she was already learning so much, being two very smart breeds, she learns super quick.
A few weeks passed (3 to be exact) and it came time to move to Brooklyn. Alex and our roommate (Alex’s best friend Evan) were moving from their Upper East Side apartment in a moving truck and one car, while I was moving from PA with Alex’s parents and Indy. We packed up their little car with Indy and hit the road. Thankfully, Indy is an incredible little traveler and is super quiet, sleepy, and nice during long (or any) car rides. We finally hit Brooklyn and we were showing her out the window to her new home, telling her that she’d be a city dog in no time.
Moving in was a lot of boxes, a month of not being fully “at home” and probably a lot on little Indy, but she did it all like a champ. We got moved in, started taking her on walks, and introduced her to her new local dog park, which is now her favorite place on planet earth. We began teaching her tricks, how to use the “butler bells” to tell us she needs to go out, and how to behave herself in general. Being such a smart collaboration of breeds, she picked up everything super quickly and has only had a handful of accidents inside.
We’ve now been here for about 2.5 months and she has learned to use her bells to ask to go out, made multiple best friends at the dog park, and learned a ton of tricks. Her tricks include; roll over, paw, other paw, sit, lie down, stay, leave it, spin, stand, sit pretty, dance, come, and many more. She is an incredibly intelligent puppy.
As far as the money side, puppies are never cheap. They require toys, a bed, a crate, a bed for in the crate, blankets, treats, food, dishes, clothes (if you choose), harness, leash, collar, tags, etc.. It’s personal, what you decide to buy if your pet is spoiled, and Indy is. Then there are the vet bills and grooming if your pup needs that. It can be a lot, but come on they’re so cute, they’re worth it. And, you can do it for cheap if you get doggie hand-me-downs, things for cheap or secondhand, and good but less expensive vet care.
We take Indy to the park twice a day, every day, morning and evening. Not only has she made a ton of friends there, but we have met some great people there too. Indy’s best friend, Mochi, is 7-months to her 6-months and is a westie. They met early on, are about the same age, and are the cutest ever together.
There is still time to get a quarantine puppy, but please try to adopt if you can and have fun with it; learning about them, yourself, and those around you along the way.