"Can we get a puppy?"

Followed up again by myself saying "noooo, the landlord won't allow it!"

Anyway that was a few months ago, fast forward to new years day 2021 just after lunch and there we were picking up our beautiful new puppy Willow!

 

The process between sitting with my partner and looking at pictures of this little black ball of scruff and actually collecting this little smelly black ball of scruff seemed to take forever.

With restrictions on the puppies age before they travel and quarantine time mixed with excitement it felt like forever!

It did give us plenty of time however to collect all the supplies we thought we would need and time to puppy proof the flat! (I would just like to say when I say 'flat' I'm referring to a ground floor maisonette with a nice size enclosed garden).

 

Harris and Lucy have been absolutely wonderful at BSR, I will admit at first I was a little dubious about rescuing a pup from across seas. The thought did cross my mind "is it a scam!?" And "what if it's some back alley puppy farm!?" But the guys and girls at BSR are such a wonderful bunch! So many times we asked for pictures or short video clips and it was almost like they got Willow out for a walk just to get them for us! It looks like the pups are cared for as much as possible when they are in Bosnia with green open fields and a river out the back to play in (that explains the love of mud!) And lots of waggy tails in the videos. Harris and the team really do seem to love what they do and have a love for the animals they rescue until a forever home comes up Also the BSR Community is wonderful as well, having people to ask and talk to on Facebook is invaluable and if your new bundle of fur is from a rescue litter its great to be able to keep in contact and see how their brothers and sisters are doing, how much they weigh, any health problems do they all have 'zoomies' at the same time each evening etc. (And yes, Willow is just as mad as her sister Poppy at around 8-9pm) Bosnian strays rescue is a great community run by an amazing team who not only care and love helping animals in need but they also sell t-shirts and that's just brilliant for when you join a new club.

 

Supplies, I mean wow, if you type in "puppy ____" they have everything! But the essentials:

- Paper towels, puppy pads and accident catchers. We opted for 3 large washable puppy mats and 2 packets of disposable puppy pads witch have all lasted very well also a good 'anti pee spray' for after wiping up the mess to remove the odour and hopefuly help prevent further accidents.

There are many thoughts of toilet training, all of ours is based around positive reinforcement and if we catch willow squatting down a quick scoop up and carry to the garden on the grass. (you're going to need a lot more paper towel than you think, whatever you've got, double it!)

- Slip lead, everyone had the same one off Amazon for pickup day. Very green. Very entertaining. Very cool.

- Food! There's so many puppy diets, I'm afraid you'll have to do a little research and decide what's best for you, we feed a mixture of high quality kibble, tin food and cooked meals.

- Treats. This is the good stuff, buy many and buy a variety, cooked chicken is generally a good bet and I would take some roast chicken for the pup when pickup day comes round and have some chicken and rice made up for a couple of welcome home meals.

- Toys, puppy entertainment pieces, anything but my slippers! A mixture of soft and hard toys, squeekey, tuggie toys, mental toys like food puzzles to get puppies brain working and plenty of edible things like Kong chew toys and lickie mats. Top tip! Fill them with a natural yoghurt and treats, pop in the freezer overnight for a long lasting snack!

As a bonus tip Willow absolutely LOVES muddy puddles, muddy river banks and shallow streams and we invested in a Mud Daddy portable dog shower, invaluable for those dirty days out.

 

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