By Alexandria Webb
On Tuesday, March 31, my fiancé, Shane, and I welcomed one of the biggest blessings into our lives. Little did we know the challenges of raising a puppy and the parenting that comes with it.
Bentley, our golden retriever puppy, came to us from an Amish family in Vermontville, Michigan. Originally, we were not sure if we would be able to afford a puppy, as we had some abrupt financial difficulties. We made the decision to get taken off a wait list for another golden puppy.
Yet, Shane’s mother found Bentley for a cheaper price and was willing to help out with the costs, but he had to be picked up that day. That heat-of-the-moment decision was the start of our adventure.
There are a multitude of things we were not prepared for and tons of lessons learned from Bentley. A big thing was patience. I recall early Easter morning, when I took Bentley out for a bathroom break. I stood outside in the drizzly and chilly weather for 30 minutes, trying to prevent Bentley from eating rocks. He was too busy exploring to go to the bathroom, and I finally gave up and let him inside.
As soon as I did, he bolted in and peed right in front of me. I took a deep breath and grabbed the cleaner. While cleaning, Bentley thought this would be the perfect opportunity to poop behind the couch, wagging his tail and bringing me a toy to play with. I held back my sleep-deprived tears and took a breath as I realized he was still learning the ropes.
That same night, he refused to fall back asleep and wanted to play the entire time. I continued to encourage him to go outside, sometimes waiting an hour for him to go to the bathroom, yet he would escape my gaze for two seconds inside the house, peeing and pooping everywhere.
Shane awoke to me crying as Bentley had finally fallen asleep. I was so upset because I was sleep-deprived and trying my best to potty train Bentley with zero results. Shane just gave me a hug before he left for work, reassuring me that it takes time and patience, and that we were in this together.
Another thing Bentley has taught me is how to communicate and teach him. I have found that Bentley loves food; he’s food-motivated even after being fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So what I started doing was using short phrases and rewarding him for his good behavior.
For example, I will say, “potty outside,” and take him outside. Once he does his business, I pull out a treat and praise him with pets, along with a high-pitched, “Good boy!” Shane took to this method and taught him how to sit by giving him treats. Over time, Bentley realized these words had meaning and tasty rewards.
Now, after two months of training, he has learned to get our attention by pawing us or running to the door to be let out. He sits on command even if there isn’t a treat. He has also learned the word “no,” as we taught him not to jump up on people,try to bite us, or run in the road. This was reinforced by some firm pats on the butt to let him know what he was doing was not okay.
There are also times that I have been humbled and learned from mistakes. Bentley was in the car for a little too long, resulting in him puking all over me before covering a Grand Rapids Community College baseball game. Embarrassed and covered in puke, I got so mad. I had some strong choice words with Shane, because I thought he had fed him right before the long drive.
That same day, Bentley was so excited to get pets from a group of girls that he piddled all over them. A stream of pee followed him as he jumped from one girl’s lap to another. I had to get an old work shirt from my car to help clean them up. I felt so awful.
Although I was embarrassed by the puke and pee situation, I realized that it would make a hilarious story in the future. I also realized I shouldn’t have gotten so mad over a situation that could not have been controlled.
I never truly understood how someone could love an animal so much, but now I do, especially when it comes to their safety. Bentley was 10 weeks old when we first introduced him to other dogs; his experience was overall positive, and he was super sweet to every dog he met.
Shane’s parents have a bigger and more hyper dog, who was intimidated by Bentley at first and would keep his distance as Bentley bounced around without a care in the world. I noticed this behavior and kept an eye on the other dog. Bentley peed inside the house, which seemed to bother the dog. Then, as Bentley went past him to get some water, the dog lunged at him.
I didn’t even think about it before I stepped in between the dog and Bentley, ready to fully throttle this dog to protect Bentley. Thankfully, he was restrained, and Bentley was only spooked for a second.
In that moment, I knew there was nothing that I wouldn’t do to protect Bentley, and I knew what he meant to me. Now two months into having him, I am so grateful for every lesson and adventure he has taken us on.
