Last weekend at game night my friends informed me that it was time to set the record straight.
You see, Franklin has been a Lively now for almost four months and in the beginning he was quite a handful.
To say the least.
It’s hard, looking back, to really understand how that the little five pound white fluff ball was able to wreak so much havoc over our lives those first few months.
He just looks so cute and innocent in his pictures. It’s hard to imagine his nipping, growling, potty training (or lack thereof), and chewing.
And though I didn’t spare you the difficulties of puppy rearing here on the blog, I haven’t shared his improvements. As my friend Steve said, it’s time to save Franklin’s reputation.
Sometime between four and five months old, Franklin calmed down considerably. As his teething passed and he got more socialization in puppy class and doggie day care, he got better and better.
I’m sure it is partly maturity and the lack of painful teething but either way – he’s sweetened up quite a bit and really grown to become an awesome part of our little family.
And I’ll be honest – he’s quite the daddy’s boy.
When Mr. Lively comes home, Franklin rushes to the door and starts jumping back and forth in the same place. He waves his paws in the air as if to say, “Get outta town! You’re back and it’s gonna be awesome!”
It’s pretty much my favorite thing about him. That, and how his eyes close in ecstasy when I rub his ears.
He’s also learned to sleep near me during workdays or “work with me” as he is right now (shown in the photo above). “Working” for him involves sitting on my chair and chewing a bully stick.
Though I’d like to say that he’s a breeze to work with, that would still be untrue. I do continue to deeply enjoy the two days a week that he goes to doggie day care just as much as he does.
Since he’s never knows when he’s going to day care, he patiently sits near the door after breakfast each morning wishing, hoping that Dad is gonna drive him to day care so he can play with his friends.
All in all, he’s really getting into our work from home groove quite well. I’m especially thankful that we have our patio as he gets older. Whenever he feels like going outside to “check in on things” I can let him out on the patio to people watch.
But perhaps more than anything, I am loving how he has turned us into a little family. Though I’m sure Mr. Lively and I would be just fine without Franklin, it’s been great to bond as a trio. We share responsibilities, have our own unique bonds with Franklin, and take “family walks.”
So though I may have painted the initial puppy picture as difficult, I can now say with certainty, it is not easy at first but things do get better (just like so many of you shared with me as well).
It is possible to have a puppy and remain effective working from home… most of the time.
