Life can be pretty exciting with its ups, downs, and constant surprises. But, while my life has had its many twists and turns, it’s undeniable that it’s been more exciting ever since I became a furmom and I have 4 wonderful furballs to thank for this wild ride.
Being a fur parent means that I get a ton of love, smiles, laughs, and memorable moments in exchange for caring for my adorable dogs. It means having nighttime and morning cuddles with them, hugs and wet nose kisses when they know I need it, having someone to share my meals with, and having four crazy characters to keep me company every day.
Now, being a furmom isn’t all about getting furry, heartwarming hugs or love and protection from my dogs. It also means dealing with some pretty heavy obligations, as any mother around the world does. After all, caring for a furbaby involves a lot of time, effort, and patience, and these don’t always come easily on some days. But, as difficult as some challenges may be, they’re always incredibly rewarding, especially when you see how happy your pets are.
As a furparent, I’ve had to make many adjustments not only to my way of going about things but also my schedule and day to day routines. Before I had my dogs, all I had to worry about was my day to day activities and expenses. But, once I had my first furball, I had to think about shifting my finances, time, effort, and space to accommodate everything my furry loved one needed. It’s been a great teaching moment and is definitely a work in progress, but now all my dogs and I have to think about is living each day together and all the good and fun moments we’ll have during the day. So, with that, here’s what a day in a life of a furmom is like.
Mornings
As a working furmom, my mornings typically begin at 6 AM. I normally have an alarm set for 6 AM, but, as any furparent knows, who really needs an alarm clock when you have a pet? My dogs happen to think that they make better alarm clocks than my actual alarm, so they wake me up ten minutes earlier just to make sure that I’m ready to greet my alarm once it rings.
This typically means that it’s time for their morning potty break and breakfast - two things they make sure I never forget about. After they’ve done their business and are happily scarfing down their breakfast bowls, I can begin going about my morning routine, which is basically making sure I get ready for work.
I work from home, a fact my dogs are very happy about, and this allows me to be a little bit more relaxed when it comes to my schedule. But it also gets a little difficult when I have to begin working. By the time I have my coffee in my hand, my laptop’s pinging with emails, and my phone is already alive with countless group messages and alerts, all my dogs are up and about and already energeized enough to run around the house to use up their energy.
That usually means I hear them barking at the birds by the windows for a solid hour while I get to answering my emails, seeing them have “zoomies” before inevitably settling by my feet, or just feeling them plop back onto the bed and going back to sleep. This is all usually before or during any meetings I may have.
It took my pups a while before they got used to hearing strange voices on the screen or knowing when not to howl and bark at the odd sounds. But, once they got used to the idea that they (and their human) weren’t in danger, they began to relax and not care all together. These days, I can expect them to tilt their heads up to see who’s talking but, once they see that it’s just another virtual person, they go about doing their own business.
Noons
My furry ones go on doing their own thing, be it chewing on their chew toys, digging something they shouldn’t be digging, smelling the same corners they smelled the day before, or staring out at windows, until they realize it’s time for another snack!
It’s around this time that I too start hearing my tummy grumbling which means I’ve no choice but to stop working and start preparing something for us all to munch on. I normally don’t let my dogs eat too many times in a day (they’re already “chonky” enough as it is) so they don’t have lunch. But, if they insist on having something to eat, then they have a small treat while I quickly have my lunch. Before I rush back to work, I can trust that they’re already barking, howling, or whining at me as if to tell me to bring them out for their next potty break.
If I have a meeting, I have to excuse myself for a few minutes just to make sure that all the dogs have donetheir business and are comfortably settled back inside. But, normally, they know that the door is left open for them and they can take their time doing what they have to do in the yard.
The hyper little furballs get to do what they want to do until I finish work. They enjoy a bunch of activities which may range from a round of zoomies around the entire house, digging up lost toys from under the couch that they hid there the other day, begging for treats while staring at me from behind my laptop, or having another round of barks at the pesky squirrels running around on the telephone wires.
Nights
When the clock strikes 7, my dogs already know it’s the end of another work day for their furmom and this means that it’s time to have their favorite meal of the day - dinner! This is the time when I can already expect them to be waiting by the door as patiently as they can which means they try not to bark so much but hope that their puppy dog eyes are enough to make me work faster so they can get their food already.
If I take a little bit longer than expected, then I get the (warranted) loud barks, whines, and cries. If you weren’t a fur parent, you’d probably think I was starving or hurting them if you heard their pleas. Eventually, I give in and we all get to enjoy a good, hearty dinner together which is normally followed by dessert which is something we also sometimes share.
As I clean up after all this feasting, the pups enjoy lounging around the yard. This is usually the time they have their final potty break or the time they take to enjoy the cool temperature outside while listening to the different sounds around them which typically means they howl at passing bats, cock their head towards the sounds of crickets they can’t find, or bark aimlessly at the cars passing by.
I let them do this until it’s time to go back to my bedroom and start getting ready for bed. This is the perfect time for me to enjoy some me time and for them to enjoy the sights and smells around them before bedtime.
But alas, after a long day, they know that they have to come in, get cleaned up, and settle in for the night. This was a difficult task at first, especially since none of them like getting cleaned up back then. But, the more we did it, the easier it got for us all. My dogs all sleep in my room, and on occasion, they sleep on my bed as well. They’ve come to understand that, in order to sleep inside, they need to be clean and not be tracking dirt and debris inside the sleeping area. So, over time, they went from being fussy puppies to very well behaved and obedient dogs who get their favorite treat after being cleaned.
Winding down was definitely a process we all had to get used to. But over time, it went from being a tedious chore to a simple task included in our daily schedule.
Once everyone is good and ready, we all find our spot on the bed and have a good cuddle while I put on a movie or read before going to bed. They’ve gotten accustomed to my routine and I’ve learned to live with and love their quirky personalities - one dog likes to stick his rear end by my face so, even if I am on the receiving end of the stinky gasses, he can see around him and protect me at the same time. Another dog likes to sleep by the foot of the bed since he likes his space at the end of the day even if he’s the most clingy one out of all the pups; the other dog likes to sleep on the floor because that’s where it’s the coldest even if he normally hates the colder temperature, and the last one just likes to plop down wherever his heart leads him to and will most likely move around several times during the night. It’s an entire process but, they all know that once we settle down, the day is done and it’s time for a good night’s rest.
It’s at this time we all quiet down and shut our eyes and get ready for another hectic day together.
