(Friends 24×7 Kolkata) First day puppy parenting

Puppy’s first day at home is special and difficult for both the pup and pet parents. Here are experiences of some Kolkata new pet parents.
Ananya Samajpati
“When I brought Goldy (Labrador) home, I took her out of the crate, comforted and let her sleep on the floor near my bed with a blanket. When she whined, I told her in a soothing voice that it’s ok. I kept the house quiet and softly played a radio in the background. Gradually, she got used to the house.”
–Ananya Samajpati
Akash and Robin
“I brought home a two and a half months old English Cocker Spaniel and named her Robin. My first night with Robin wasn’t very pleasant really. As the lights went off, she seemed scared of the new environment and I assumed she had slept off. But in the middle of night a strange smell spread across my room and I got up only to realise that she had pooped. I floundered throughout the night, cleaned up the mess and fed her. A lot of patience was required to make her comfortable.”
–Akash Poddar
Dipu and Cleo
 
“Cleo was 31 days old when we brought him in. Our first dog, something we had been thinking of for years. We had no idea of how to handle our pup, what to feed him and how to take care. So, we relied on whatever puppy parenting tips we got from the kennel where we got him from. I would say, that our first night with the pup was rather quiet, emotion charged and peaceful. The little fellow just passed out on my wife and daughter’s lap. He took to us as if he had known us for a long time.  We fed him after we had dinner. Not wanting him on our bed the first night itself, my wife  made her bed on the floor so that he was not lonely. Cleo nestled near her feet and dozed off, and as the night progressed, he snuggled closer to her arms in deep slumber.  Dawn saw him licking at her  face and we let him out on the terrace to relieve himself. It was a night of bonding between us, not even indicative of all the action that would follow!”
–Dipu Datta
Asit (R) and Rocky
“Our family travels a lot, and so I have always been against having a dog. This Father’s Day, my kids brought home a black ball of fur. This black ball of fur, whom we named Rocky, jumped onto my lap and snuggled close and drifted off to sleep. All my objections and reasons vanished as I stroked my two-month-old GSD puppy. All through the evening my family and I huddled together to watching him sleep, we were expecting him to sleep through till the morning after his long journey. But when it was time for us to go to bed, our little boy woke up and started playing, that was the end of our sleep that day and for the next few weeks to come. Now my boy is five months old and he is our alarm clock, our mischievous toddler, our ant chaser, our welcome home hug, our bundle of glee and so much more I’d run out of words. Every day with him is grand, but the very first day he leaped into our lives is a day we will always cherish.”
–Asit Samuel
Anirban (R) and Chinni
“My experience with Chinni was very difficult in the early days and weeks. I study more though Puppy Parenting Book and Magazine as well as I already knew about the trials and tribulations with house training and crate-training. Puppies tend to piddle about every 10 to 20 minutes. You have to watch them like a hawk or they will end up using your house as their personal restroom. Chinni had some accidents here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. The agony came in the evening. Chinni did not take to the crate! She whined, howled and cried, and barked…probably made every noise she could possibly produce, but would not relax and go to sleep. She did sleep once in a while. During those first four weeks the most sleep I got was approximately six hours, broken up three or four times a night by whining, howling, barking…. I was a wreck and I thought Chinni would never get used to her crate. The only way I was able to get her to sleep was to talk to her for 5-10 minutes, telling him what a ‘Good Girl’ she was when she wasn’t crying.”
–Anirban Chowdhury
Aarav and Sheroo
“When Sheroo came first to my home, he was so playful and easily adjusted with his new place and we got many toys for him. He played with us till late night. Later, he easily slept in his bed with his soft toys. My son Aarav was very excited and an unforgettable moment for all of us.”
–Sweta Gupta
(With inputs from Animel Planet, a pet lifestyle store based in Salt Lake, Kolkata.)