For what felt like forever, I kept asking Kris for a puppy. I absolutely love dogs and knew having one would make our lives ten times happier.
However, I’m not always the most realistic person. Lucky for me, Kris kept me grounded and reminded me of the importance of finding a dog that we can actually take care of.
Although I initially wanted a big dog, our small apartment is not the best fit for a large breed.
When Kris brought up looking at Cavalier King Charles Spaniels I was surprised. I knew nothing about the breed except that Katrina from Tone It Up had a Cavalier named Winston and he’s adorable.
I went on a search to find the perfect Cavalier to add to our little family. Soon, I learned that Cavaliers are difficult to find, because they’re small dogs that can’t be bred too often.
But, one day, I found Cavalier Corral and saw a picture of our future pup. I immediately fell in love with Ollie and told Kris we had to get him.
The only problem was that Ollie was in Ohio. That didn’t stop us, though. So off to Ohio we went!
Once we got Ollie, things changed very quickly for us.
A first-time dog owner reality check
I was convinced that once we got Ollie things would be so easy! We’d have a cute pup as part of our family and things would be all fine and dandy. Right? Wrong!
1. Losing sleep
The first three nights with Ollie were awful. We wanted him to get used to his crate and sleeping on his own, but poor thing just wanted to sleep on our bed.
He cried non-stop for hours and hours. I honestly didn’t know what sleep was for three days.
I’m sure moms reading this are laughing because I was struggling with three nights of no sleep with a dog. I honestly cannot imagine going longer than that without sleep.
After three nights of barely sleeping (earplugs included), Ollie finally got used to his crate and I got my sleep!
I will admit, though, those days were stressful! I was irritable, anxious, barely eating, and constantly crying. But we made it through!
2. Forget about your personal bubble
If you’ve ever been around a Cavalier (or most dogs to be honest) you’ll know personal space is no longer a thing.
Ollie is 100% a lap dog and loves to be by our side. I can’t sit on the couch without him laying on my lap or right next to me.
Although it makes getting stuff done a bit more complicated, I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Ollie has quickly become my best friend and we go together almost everywhere. I say almost only because it’s frowned upon to take your dog everywhere (can we do something about that, businesses out there?).
3. Loyalty and love take on a whole new meaning
I cannot imagine a love more pure than a dog’s. No matter what, Ollie is always next to us and does not leave us out of sight.
There’s no better feeling than coming home and seeing how excited he gets when he sees us.
I truly believe dogs have the purest souls and are as loyal as it gets.
Since getting Ollie, my anxiety has been so much better and he makes me feel so loved. Plus, he keeps me active with daily walks and lots of play time.
Although the first week or so with Ollie wasn’t easy, just seeing his face and cuddling him reminded me why we got him.
I don’t think being a dog-owner is an easy task, and I was very wrong to believe so.
To be honest, though, I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.
If you’re a dog-owner or thinking about becoming one, let me know in the comments below what else you’d like to learn about our experience with Ollie!
I feel/felt the EXACT same way with our dog. I thought it was going to be easy-peasy after getting her….but BOY was I wrong. Like you said, I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. My fiancé and I actually want to get a second pup. We love dogs so much and would like for our girl to have a friend. Would you and your husband get a second dog?
Oh my gosh I am dying for a second dog!!! We’re waiting until we get a house and have enough room for them to run around but it’s definitely our plan!
Thank you for sharing! I’m so happy I saw tour blog post because, big surprise, I’m looking into getting a King Charles Spaniel pup too! 🙈 I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you chose Ollie specifically, crate training, potty training, and unexpected puppy expenses! It would be a big help. Thank you!
I actually knew NOTHING about Cavaliers, it was my husband who suggested them. We found him on a breeder’s FB page in Ohio and I fell in love with him. I read tons of reviews to make sure it was a reputable breeder and asked them to send us videos and pictures and I just fell more and more in love after seeing him. For crate training, we had a divider so it was a smaller crate (if they get too much space they will try to potty in there) and we fed him in his crate and gave him treats so he would associate it with rewards. He had no issue with his crate except when it came time for bed (he really just wanted to sleep in our bed). As for potty training, we took him out every hour and as soon as he peed or pooped we gave him a treat so he learned that was the place to go. When he peed or pooped I also said “pee” or “poop” and Idk if it did the trick or what but now when I take him out all I need to do is say those words and voila! Unexpected puppy expenses I’d say all the medical bills (shots, medicine to prevent fleas, heartworm, etc) and lots of exams when we first got him to make sure he was healthy. Cavaliers tend to struggle with heart and hip conditions. I knew we were going to pay for all that, I just didn’t know how costly it could be. They’re honestly super easy to train dogs so I spent every afternoon teaching him treats and reinforcing the ones he had learned and he does so well!
Thanks for all the info. This will definitely help!