What Shall We Call Her? Dad's New Pup

It feels nice to write my first post in this community. I never imagined that I would write about a pet of mine or my parent's.

On Monday, my dad got a new dog. This is the very first time he has gotten a pet for himself. We have not come up with a name for the dog yet, but hopefully we will soon.

The puppy is still very young. I didn't ask my dad how old it was. However, I like that the dog is active and loves to play.

The first day my dad brought the dog home, we thought about what kind of food would be best for it and how we could keep it clean to ensure that it had no ticks or lice on its body.

From what I heard, those ticks suck blood, so one needs to try all they can to prevent things like that on the dog's skin.

I heard my dad telling my mom that he was told to rub a certain kind of powder on the dog's body, as it prevents things like lice, ticks, and the like. However, for some reason, he has not gotten the powder.

The first food my dad gave the dog was milk. He also mixed the milk with a little portion of OGI, also known as pap (it is a fermented cereal porridge from West Africa, typically made from maize).

The first day the puppy was brought to our house, one could see that it wasn't comfortable and was always looking for a way to escape and probably run back to its previous owner. The funny thing that happened that day was that, after my dad fed the dog with all he felt the dog would enjoy eating and then finished enjoying the meal, it started playing and stopped trying to escape.

I have seen myself googling questions like: Is it okay to use insecticides on a dog? What kind of soap is okay to use on a dog? Should disinfectants like Izal be used on a dog? How often should a dog have a bath? What kind of cream is good for a dog's skin? Why do dogs eat poop?

Those are questions I ask, and I always see different answers each time I check. So far, some have been useful, while others leave me feeling confused.

We have never trained a dog before and have never had one before. The one that my dad just got is a female dog.

I told my dad that it would be great if he could take good care of the dog.

Even though we don't have much experience with dogs, I think with some patience and effort, we can give this puppy a happy home.

The first few days will involve lots of trial and error as we figure out what food she likes, how often to bathe her, and where she feels most comfortable sleeping. Housetraining will also be an adventure!

I'm looking forward to watching her personality emerge as she gets more comfortable with us. Even in the first couple days, I've noticed she has quite an independent streak. She doesn't always come when called, preferring to sniff around instead. But she also seems to enjoy human affection once she has tired herself out.

Her little tail wags wildly when I pet her. It's cute how she lets out contented sighs, perhaps exhausted from her previous zipping around.

We still need to decide on the perfect name for her. I'm trying to think of something cute but also durable, as I have a feeling this energetic girl will get into her fair share of scrapes! So far there is nothing at the top of my list(Maybe you guys can suggest a good name for me).

My dad wants the name to signify how special it is for him to finally have a dog after all these years. So he is considering more sentimental names like "Lucky" or "Hope." We still haven't decided, though.

No matter what she's called, I know this pup will bring us years of joy and laughter. There will probably be frustrations too, when she chews up shoes or we have to give her yet another bath after she rolls in mud! or when she poops and pee where she isn't supposed to. But that's part of the package when you adopt an animal. We are committing to be there through the ups and downs.

I hope I can help out my dad by doing research on dog care and maybe even helping train her when I have time. I think having a pet will be enriching for the whole family. It's nice to have a furry friend happy to see you every day!

The next big milestone with her will be visits to the vet for check-ups and vaccinations. Got to keep this girl healthy so she can fully enjoy her new lease on life! I may even take her to a local dog park someday so she can play with other pups. But for now plenty of attention and snuggles from her new human family will be just what she needs.

This first dog experience is going to be full of learning and love. I can't wait to look back in a few years on all the memories we'll make. Our lives will certainly never be the same now that we have our energetic troublemaker keeping us on our toes! But she's worth all the ruckus.

_{All images are mine}