There were so many things that I couldn’t have imagined would come with puppy parenthood — long nights, unexpected “do we think he actually ate that?” accidents, and lately a big focus on both our puppy’s mental health and our own.

We got Chauncey last spring when we were already a few months into lockdown in New York City. Given his age (he’ll be 1-year-old on March 9th!) the only world he’s really known includes us being home all the time and having very limited contact with other humans or the outside environment. We didn’t realize just how much this small world setup would impact him until he got all his shots and was able to start going on walks in NYC. He hated it. We would have to drag him to make it as far as the corner and we’d both be frustrated and anxious that we would just turn back around and go home.

Our puppy struggles with anxiety. I struggle with a lot of puppy blues as a result.

Back in November is when we first had the “official” conversation with our puppy’s vet. Our biggest comment to her was honestly that we just wanted our pup to feel safer and more excited moving through life. Back then everything from a walk to a car ride felt like we were triggering his trembles and shakes. Leaving him alone hasn’t been an option for us since we got him and his stage-5 clinging makes it hard for us to work effectively at home. We knew that nothing would change over night, but we wanted to be on a better path.

Tomorrow (November 19th) is our 6 month anniversary with Chauncey as our third wheel, third roommate, third member of our little family. He is vivacious, hilarious, and a handful.

Looking back at the last 6 months, the word I would most use to describe this time in our lives would be “dynamic.” Any time we think that we have our handle on puppy parenthood there’s a new twist or mountain or behavior we have to help him unlearn or learn.

The draw for a puppy is the love you know that will unconditionally come with the little one. Chauncey is the cuddliest puppy that has ever been mine. I grew up with a Maltese who made it clear that she loved you, but who appreciated her personal space more than she wanted cuddles. Chauncey is the exact opposite. He wants to be on top of you all.the.time.