1 Month With Henry

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Bedding// Velvet Initial Pillow

Bed// Gold Frames

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It's been exactly one month since I've had Henry. I can't believe it's been a month and yet I can't imagine my life without him.

I thought I'd do an update, one, so I can look back on it and remember this time, but also to let you all know about having a new dog if you are considering it yourself! This is a long post, so keep scrolling! 

Responsibility

I knew he would be a lot of responsibility, but it's been surprisingly less than I thought. I really thought taking him out would be such a chore (especially in an apartment and many floors up), but it hasn't been annoying at all... even with the freezing cold temps. I enjoy it and he's so cute getting up in the morning and getting excited to go outside! The one thing that is annoying is that he hates the cold (don't we all), so taking him on a long walk in 0 degrees is a no-go. Last week, when it was warm, we went on the longest walk ever, and it seemed like he had so much fun. I can't wait until it warms up a bit and we can do that daily.

I will say the only thing that is annoying is that he sheds. I have to vacuum every 2 days (sometimes every day). It's annoying but feels so good afterward. It's a vicious cycle, but well worth it. 

Home

Henry has finally figured out his 'home', aka my apartment. It was hard at first because I was taking him everywhere with me over the holidays. From my parents to my grammies, to my aunts, etc. it was hard for me to establish a routine with him. Now that the holidays have quieted down, he's already in a great routine and loves my apartment. He doesn't like when other people come to visit for the first few minutes, but I am trying to teach him it's ok. He is slowly but surely learning. He is, however, great at going to anyone else's home. He loves hanging out at my parent's house, hanging at Grammie's, and visiting Stuart (my cousin's dog). 

I also love that I don't have to crate him. He's fine being in my apartment/my parent's house while I'm gone. He mostly just lays around or plays with his toys and he's really great at not getting into anything he shouldn't/doesn't chew on anything he shouldn't. When I'm gone, I leave my Echo on for him with soft jazz, ha! I love that he gets SO excited when I get home. It's the best welcome ever. 

People

I'm not fully sure of his past, but he's afraid of noises and people at first. He's just overall skittish and timid. It seems like he might have been on his own in the wild for a bit of time. He's already gotten a TON better with both of these things, but we are still working on it. He eventually warms up to people after just a few minutes. On Christmas Eve we have sooo many people at my parent's for a huge party and he had absolutely no issue with anyone, so that was great. 

I left Henry with my parent's for 5 days while in Arizona and they said he was great! He is now best friends with my parents and is obsessed with my mom. Whenever I bring him to my parent's he gets so excited to see her... it's adorable. 

Other Dogs

Henry gets along with other dogs really well for the most part. Mac and Henry are best friends. They love hanging out together at my parent's. We think Henry is keeping Mac 'young', ha! However, if a dog is wild/super high energy wanting to play every second and jumping all over the place, Henry is not a fan. Before I adopted him, he lived with 6 other dogs, so he's well socialized, but he needs to be more patient with puppy energy. 

Temperament 

The way Henry's foster mom described him was 'velcro' and it's literally the only appropriate word to use. Henry is at my side 24/7. Even when I'm trying to take photos/Instagrams, he is right there- it's not me trying to get him in the shot! With outfit photos, I have to try and get him away from me just to get a few shots without him. 

When I'm sitting at my desk, he is literally laying on my feet. When I'm in the living room on the couch, he is cuddled up right next to me (he has to be touching me). When I go to bed, he sleeps right up against me. It's beyond cute. He's so loving and so kind, he makes my heart melt. 

He's really motivated by food, and I've been able to teach him to sit and lay down. Now we are working on 'paw'. He's very smart and seems to learn things very quickly. Mac loved tug of war, but Henry isn't into that. He LOVES to chew on toys and toys that squeak and also loves to play fetch. 

My Thoughts

Henry is by far one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life. I wholeheartedly recommend adopting a sweet boy or girl! He fills me with joy, happiness, and love. I can only hope he feels the same. 

I've noticed Henry/having a dog, in general, is making me a little more relaxed. Like if my apartment isn't vacuumed perfectly each day, I let it roll off my shoulders. 

Another thing I've noticed is that Henry has brought out 'maternal' behavior in me. I actually didn't notice this myself. One of my friends mentioned it to me and now I definitely agree. I have never had a very strong maternal desire. I've also never had much interaction with kids (no one in my family has children, I'm the oldest, so I'm just never around kids at all). I noticed I'm protective over him and care for him as if he was my own child (which sounds ridiculous, but if you have a pet, I feel you might understand what I mean by that). So, I love that this is giving me a taste of caring for someone else. I'm glad I find joy in caring for him, too... it doesn't feel like a chore or annoyance at all!!

Pajamas
I wanted to quickly let you all know about these pajamas.  I love RRR pajamas, and I was intrigued by these because they are 'jersey' material. I was thinking they might be similar to my favorite, Lake pajamas.  And, I was right. They're SO comfortable. The jersey material is so soft. They are roomy but also flattering. I loved the bright print becuase while you can definitely wear them in the winter, they make you happy with the beautiful colors!