There are moments that parenting seems oddly familiar to walking a bulldog.

This is exactly what it feels like when you’re trying to get your kid to do something you know they are fully capable of doing, but they’re giving you the push back. Chops is no different.

Today marks two weeks since we brought Chops home to foster him and it’s been a whirlwind! My husband and I both agree that one of the biggest things this boy has going for him is that he is SUPER (like suuuper) sweet and affectionate. I mean seriously, he is a really good boy.

Here’s some quirks/things we’ve learned about him so far:

• Sleeps all night in his crate! I mean, that’s better than our girls.
• Doesn’t bark. In the two weeks we’ve had him home, he’s barked once.
• Did I mention he’s super sweet and affectionate?
• When he wants your attention he raises his left paw and will pat you with it (so adorable).
• When he sees us grab the leash for his walk he is like a torpedo bum rushing to get out the door first, then the minute he’s outside he pauses and looks around.
• He loves meeting people and other pets.
• When he’s been bad (getting on the couch when we aren’t looking) and you tell him “no!” He looks at you sheepishly.
• If he’s on the floor and he’s not listening and you say no or leave it, he’ll throw himself at your mercy and roll onto his back hoping that means you’ll instead shower him with a belly rub.
• He whines slightly when my husband practices his drums in the garage. This is by no means a reflection of my husband’s skills – he’s actually very good!
• We’ve been calling him Mr. Boy quite a bit haha.
• Okay the harness he wears is brilliant for bulldogs, it’s got a small metal loop to clip the leash onto. But it also has this handle right in the center. And on occasions where he won’t budge or let go of a pine cone, my husband has picked him up like a carry on luggage from the handle. What a sight! Haha!

So the first week having him home was a bit rough, more so for my husband who was home the first two days we had him, then he went to work and came back from a demanding work shift (his regular shift is 48 hours) and so was cranky from lack of rest and sleep.

I on the other hand felt very calm despite having all the new responsibility of walking him before the girls wake up, getting his meds and food ready, etc. All while also making sure I’m ready to go and the girls have their breakfast and lunches for school and are ready to go every morning for school too.

Long story short, I told my husband if we committed to fostering him for 8 weeks so he could heal in a warm and loving environment, then we needed to make sure to provide that warm and loving environment for him and do it with a good heart. Especially because he’s honest to goodness a really sweet boy. The girls have warmed up to him and he responds real well to them. He loves to follow us around the house and just hang out with us when we watch Jeopardy. The love coming home and opening his crate for him and giving him some belly rubs.

Sure he is a huge responsibility. There’s meds to give him each morning and night, he drinks water and splashes like Shamu all over the floor, he has a thing for pine cones so we have to be extra vigilant on his short walks.

And then of course there’s the knee surgery recovery. On his 7th day with us, the area where they stitched him up was a bit swollen and so we made an appointment for the vet to check him out. Turns out he got the area a bit infected, most likely due to licking the wound. We also were told it’s very likely he’s going to need knee surgery on the left leg once he is cleared and healed from the right leg surgery. Not what we were hoping to hear.

The rescue place, which is the same rescue we got our boy Biggie from in 2009, has been super helpful and supportive. Praying the next 6 weeks continue to go well and his leg heals and this sweet boy goes well into recovery. Will see what God has in store for us all.