Today marks the one year anniversary of picking up our little fluff ball known as Lucy. On this day last year we drove over an hour out of town to pick her up from the breeder and she sat on my lap in a laundry basket on the way home. It was a truly exciting day for us and especially for me as Lucy is the first dog I’d ever owned.
Coming home from work has never been the same with an overjoyed puppy greeting you at the door before bringing a toy over to play. Having her come over and lay as close as possible to you on the sofa on a cool night is equally heartwarming. While there have of course been challenges over the past year (including but not limited to toilet training, teething, an ear and eye infection, a bout of fleas, a scary attack in a dog park, a couple of hair matts, all along with her general timid nature around strangers), she is so much a part of our lives now that I can’t imagine it any other way.
Above is a compilation of video and phone footage the boyfriend and I took over the past year, from Lucy’s very first day until just a few weeks ago. I also have a bunch of photos below because I’m a dog parent now and I can’t help but show off her cuteness ^_^.
Hello, I am wanting to get a JS and in my research I’m finding a lot of conflicting info on their barking habits. I live in an apartment & work a 10hr day, would this pose a problem & would a JS bark too much for an apartment complex?
Hi there!
I definitely know there are JS owners that live in apartments. It’s possible that a JS in an apartment may bark a lot during the day as barking can be caused by boredom, excitement, fear or anxiety. Lucy often barks when shes excited or warding off passing neighbours. You’d have to make sure that you’re willing to put in the time to ensure your dog doesn’t reach a stage where barking becomes a common behaviour. Tips I can offer are regularly taking them for walks to tire them out (a walk in the morning might mean they sleep through the day), providing them with fun toys to stimulate them during the day and also teaching them early on that barking inside the apartment isn’t acceptable behaviour. All of these could apply to any dog breed.
Hope that helps you with your decision 🙂