Fred

Most of you will have seen Fred. Fred is basically my child...Okay, so he's actually a Poochon, which is a Bichon Frise mixed with a Miniature Poodle! I get a lot of questions about his breed, nature and general training, so thought I'd answer as much as I can on here!

How We Ended Up With A Puppy

So; we'd actually been on four of our local dogs homes 'waiting lists' for over a year. We were pretty much set on adopting a dog, as there are SO many that need a home. The only stipulation we had was that it suited our lifestyle. We didn't mind about age or breed, as long as we could give them a good place to live. Turns out, adopting a dog is not so easy. There are so many that need gardens (we have a yard), can't be with children, can't have visiting children, and some that need a lot of medical attention and money spending on them (if we were rich, we'd adopt them all). After 14 months, we decided to look for a puppy. I'd actually seen Penny the Poochon on Sinead's Instagram and thought she looked adorable. After a bit of research we knew it was the breed for us!

Breed

Poochons or Bichpoos as they're sometimes known, are pretty damn cute. Fred's mum and dad are pedigree and if you're thinking of getting a puppy it's important to know the family tree. We looked for a reputable breeder, made sure we saw his mum and also had copies of all his injections and vets trips. With so many people buying from puppy farms, it's so important you do your research and avoid people that are causing harm to pups. Poochons are kind natured, very loyal and great lap dogs. They don't malt (important with the new house!) and only need a short walk a day. We did look at Cockapoos, but they were too energetic and needed A LOT of exercise. Unfortunately, with our jobs, and the fact we're not really outdoorsy people, we didn't think it would be a match. That's the most important thing; make sure the dog fits you. If you love running, cycling or being outside every weekend, then choose a breed that loves exercise. Fred will happily have his little walk and then sleep the rest of the day. They are super intelligent, and don't bark too much (thank god!).

Life With Fred 

Life has changed completely now we have a dog-child. Okay, so parents reading this will LOL, as I have literally no idea how hard it is to have an actual child...but honestly it's very different. Luckily, I work from home most of the time, so I'm with him. Toilet training is very time consuming and tiring, especially in winter. We have to take him out every half an hour to see if he needs to go. Despite this, he still has the odd accident (new house down the drain) and needs constant watching (only whilst he's a pup!). We can't just pop out any more, as we've not yet trained him to be completely alone, and we have to take a bag of his stuff wherever we go. But despite turning our lives upside down, he's brought love and happiness we didn't knew existed (yes a dog, not a child) and we absolutely LOVE being dog parents! If you have any questions at all, please feel free to email! I think I covered everything people had asked, but I know there will be lots more!