Purple and Paws The end of 2018 is mere days away. This is the time of year when I like to look back and reflect on the last twelve months and pick some goals I hope to achieve next year. Since this is my blog relating to my dog mom life, here are a few dog-related goals I’ve chosen to pursue in 2019.
Adopt Another Dog
I’ve been wanting to adopt another dog pretty much since I brought Socks home. But first I wanted to wait until Socks got settled in. And then housing and financial issues came up, both of which still apply today. I would like to be in my own place and making enough money to afford to have a second dog before I adopt again.
Keep Socks Healthy
Much as I hate to think about it, Socks is a senior dog now. When I adopted him, he was six (or eight; the people running the shelter weren’t sure). Now he is 10 (or 12), which means he’s fully hit old man status. I’ve noticed he’s a little slower getting up and he moves more carefully and hesitantly when going up and down the stairs. I intend to play close attention to his joints, bones, and any other issues he may have next year.
Go to the Dog Park
In the four years since I’ve adopted Socks, I have never taken him to a dog park. The idea of him being off-leash and roaming around a large area with other unleashed dogs scares me. Even though he’s generally friendly. Even though I know most other dogs are friendly as well when everyone is off their leash. But I want to get over this fear and plan to take him to at least one dog park next year.
Explore More Places
Socks loves going new places. He is absolutely fine in the car (he’s been to California and up to Northern Arizona several times) and I really should take advantage of that by taking him to new parks and vacation spots around Arizona (maybe in 2020 I’ll expand this one to spots around the Southwest).
So there you have them, my 2019 dog mom goals. I’d love to hear what your goals for the new year are!