Introducing Bagley Rose, a Pandemic Puppy
My husband and I had been contemplating getting another Great Dane for about two years before we finally made up our minds. We found a breeder who was having a litter and on January 14, 2020 our beautiful girl, Bagley Rose was born. Cliff and I were over the moon with excitement to be bringing another four-legged bundle of love into our home. Like so many people last year my family was not prepared for what was about to happen.
In February of 2020, Washington State reported the first cases of Covid-19. My excitement quickly turned to anxiety for many reasons. On top of concern for the safety of my loved ones and myself I worried that travel restrictions would prohibit us from bring Bagley home. I am so fortunate that Cliff and I were able to pick Bagley up on March 14, the day before our governor announced the statewide shutdown. Getting her home was the first hurdle, but the pandemic put many more in our path, and the paths other new pet owners.
Early socialization is important for any puppy. Due to the nature of the pandemic, it was difficult to socialize Bagley with people and other dogs. The Covid lockdown made it impossible for us to get Bagley into puppy classes. With so much uncertainty surrounding Covid socializing Bagley with dogs and people on our walks through the neighborhood was not an option. Put yourself in the paws of a puppy. You can’t get close to anyone but your parent, you can’t sniff people or even see their face, and most troubling of all everyone is on edge and fearful of getting to close to other people. Pets can sense the state of things through the level of anxiety of their parents, and it was clear to us that Bagley was growing anxious too. It’s well known that puppies who don’t socialize are at a higher risk of developing anxiety or aggression towards other people.
Fortunately, Bagley was not alone, she had my Sweet Lilly to play and cuddle with. And the bond that Bagley and Lilly have developed is quite strong. Bagley has turned out to be the sweetest, cuddliest dog I’ve ever had. Bringing her into my life right at the outset of the lockdown was an amazing blessing. She’s a sweet girl who loves to bounce around and hop like a bunny, just as much as she loves to curl up right on top of her favorite people. I’ll forever be grateful for my little pandemic puppy Bagley Rose, she helped me and my family make the best of an extremely difficult time.
Guaranteed Drools of Delight from the very first Bite!
