Nineteen Months: New Puppy! (Do not do this if you are immediately post-op!)
As I talked about in my last major post, we lost our 15 year old Standard Poodle Cate, basically to old age. She was my stalwart friend, and Mr. Shoes' one true doggie love. He was emotionally worse off than me, and I've been sighing and sad a lot, so we talked about not getting another dog.
So what happened? We have another dog.
A lovely red standard poodle 3 month old puppy. It was serendipity (more later for any who care about such things).
First things first:
Puppies and TKRs.
- People with a brand new TKR should NOT get a young pup. They are constantly in motion, and you will be too.
- Housebreaking a puppy is NOT a light activity. It is a strenuous activity for a new TKR. My knees are 19 months old and fully healed. Good thing!
- Puppies are forever underfoot until they learn to know better. Mobile tripping hazards! I almost stumbled over my pup several times already. My knees and leg muscles are up to a hop or two. New TKRs are not.
- Yesterday I spent a total of 12,000 steps outside standing/walking a puppy trying to get it to do its business in the yard and not my living room. She's starting to get the hang of it. This morning it only took her a half hour. I could not have done this on brand new knees. (Neither could I have done it on my pre-op knees!)
- New puppies are bad for resting and icing. They have to be "walked" or cleaned up after every few hours. Worse, you will have to get up out of your nest to go and get them to stop chewing things. They WILL go after your ice packs or tubes or machine cords. They have sharp little teeth.
- If the puppy is not small, a person with a TKR could -- make that WILL -- have trouble carrying it if it refuses to go where you want it to go.
Final word on new puppies and TKRs: If you are contemplating a puppy, get one BEFORE your TKR and housebreak it, etc. first. You will be happy you did. Otherwise, wait at least six months and, I would suggest, a year for that fully healed knee. Better for the puppy -- more consistent training because you won't be cutting corners to spare yourself pain or inconvenience -- and better for your knee's healing.
Now the serendipity (and a picture). Mr. Shoes' sister lost her two dogs this year and we lost our girl. They'd all kind of come into the family at the same time and got old together. Sister-in-law was as wrecked as Mr. Shoes and, well, it was clear at least one of them had to get a dog, and soon. The Big Italian Family does everything together, remember? So. "I can't get a dog. It would make you sad." "I'm already sad." "I'm sad, too. I wish I could get a dog." "Tell you what, I'll see about getting a dog too, so you will."
And that's how SIL adopted a rescue boy, and Mr. Shoes and I took up an offer from a breeder I had contacted about a puppy perhaps late next year. She had just decided to let go of a girl she had been thinking to hold back for herself. Would we be interested? Sometimes the right thing just falls into your lap. We already love her to pieces. Me? I'm training her to walk nicely on a leash for those long daily walks.
Here's a picture of Mr. Shoes and our girl, Penny Noelle.
Wishing everyone a most happy holiday! :tree lights: