The ‘ruff’ reality of dog ownership

30/01/2025

BLOG LINK:

https://theruffrealityofdogownership.co.uk/dog-a**l-glands/

🍀❤️

When I first got Clover, I had no idea how much time I would spend worrying about her bum, massaging her bum, looking at her bum and paying for the vet to look at her bum. Nobody told me about any of this. (Turns out when you google ‘benefits of getting a dog’, dealing with dog a**l glands doesn’t appear as a result- weird!). I also have to spend time wiping her bum, although that’s not related to dog a**l glands, that’s a whole other issue (don’t worry, I’ll do a post on it soon!).

Anyway, apparently it’s a very normal to have dog a**l gland issues. Essentially all dogs have a**l glands which naturally empty themselves when they ‘relieve’ themselves by going to the toilet. But sometimes, (or in Clovers case- often!) they don’t naturally empty themselves (the posh term is ‘express’)- and this can cause problems. “But how will I know if the glands aren’t expressing properly?!” I hear you cry. Well, let me assure you that there is no need to be concerned about that. Firstly, you’re dog will show obvious signs of agitation. There will be butt scooting across your nice clean carpets, and their bum sort of swells and looks a bit sore. Clover also tells me she’s uncomfortable by sitting down really quickly or turning suddenly to her butt end as if she’s just been bitten or stung. But if you haven’t noticed any of these signs then don’t worry… because you can’t miss the smell…

08/12/2024

Clover was hurt, angry and disappointed that she had to go out for a walk in the cold wind today. It was a good chance to test out her coat though and I think we can all agree she looks fantastic. ❤️🍀

08/11/2024

On Fridays, Clover pretends to be a slug. 7/10 right colour and good shape but I’m not totally convinced by it. 🐌

Happy Friday all. 🐾🍀

07/07/2024

I gave in and made a ‘ruff reality’ TikTok.

Give us a follow if you’re that way inclined. 🍀🐾

253 Followers, 86 Following, 850 Likes - Watch awesome short videos created by TheRuffReality_OfDogOwnership

01/06/2024

*LINK TO FULL BLOG POST IN COMMENTS. 🍀*

The ruff reality of dog mum guilt. ❤️

“Dog mum guilt started when Clover was a puppy. If I had to put her in her pen whilst I had a shower (you know, to stop her gnawing the whole house down in my absence)… guilt. If I had to pop to the shop and leave her for 20 minutes… guilt. If I had to go to the office… guilt. Even going out for dinner for a couple of hours having spent the entire day with her, given her my full attention and two very long walks… you guessed it. Guilt. It felt as though I was leaving a piece of me behind… it still does.”

https://theruffrealityofdogownership.co.uk/the-ruff-reality-of-dog-ownership/

05/05/2024

🍀HOW TO GET YOUR DOG TO TAKE FLEA AND WORMING TABLETS🍀

Once every three months, I pick up Clovers flea and worming treatment… and then we go into battle. Here’s what I’ve learned about the techniques we’ve tried so far…

https://theruffrealityofdogownership.co.uk/dog-flea-and-worming-treatment-my-ruff-reality/

21/04/2024

**DOG NAME IDEAS ❤️🐾**

“So, you’ve read my previous blog posts (all of them, I’m sure) and you’ve thought to yourself “yeah, I could get involved with all of that.” You’ve thought carefully about ‘how much do dogs cost’ and you’ve considered all of my ‘top tips before you get a dog.’ You’ve made your decision and it’s final, and for that I salute you. Dog ownership just might be for you. Perhaps you’ve decided on a breed (if not, head over to ‘which breed of dog is right for me?’) and maybe you’ve even put your deposit down. But now it’s time for possibly the biggest decision you’ll face… what should you name your new dog?”

CLICK BELOW TO CONTINUE READING 🐾

What should you name your new dog? Just like I was three years ago, you've found yourself googling 'dog name ideas.'

11/04/2024

🍀THROWBACK THURSDAY TO OUR FIRST EVER BLOG POST. 🍀

‘Nobody warned me about dog a**l glands.’

Link to full blog post below- enjoy! 💩

https://theruffrealityofdogownership.co.uk/dog-a**l-glands/

02/04/2024

🍀 the ‘ruff’ reality of getting your dog to take their flea and worming tablets. 🍀

“I never thought that my calendar would consist of things such as ‘order dog flea and worming tablets’ or ‘administer dog flea and worming tablets’ but here we are. Every three months. I order via the vet, I go and collect the treatment… and then Clover and I go into battle.”

https://theruffrealityofdogownership.co.uk/dog-flea-and-worming-treatment-my-ruff-reality/

25/03/2024

*THE ‘RUFF’ REALITY OF WINTER WALKS*

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CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO READ ON…

https://theruffrealityofdogownership.co.uk/winter-dog-walks-my-ruff-reality/

19/03/2024

*THE DOG OWNERSHIP TOPICS THAT NOBODY WARNS YOU ABOUT. * 🍀

“ I literally cannot tell you the amount of times during my three years of having Clover that I have stopped and thought ‘nobody told about this’ or ‘I hadn’t considered this when I bought Clover’, or ‘this is much harder than I thought it would be.’
Truthfully, I wish someone had warned me. I wish I had considered the bigger picture more and I wish I had been prepared for exactly what dog ownership would entail, and just how hard it would be.

I wouldn’t change Clover for the world. She is my best friend and I couldn’t love her anymore if I tried. If I could go back in time three years to before I got her, I would 100% buy her all over again… I’d just make sure I was more prepared. I’d probably find an insightful and honest blog written by a real life dog owner which would inform me and prepared me for all the dog ownership things that I need to know… and it would probably make me a better dog owner… maybe.”

CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE 😄🍀

An honest account of what my life has really been like since a got a dog. The highs, the lows and everything in between.

15/03/2024

* SIX THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU GET A DOG*

“I mean, there are far more things to consider, but these are the top six that I should probably have thought about slightly more before buying my floppy eared hound…”

CLICK BELOW TO READ BLOG 🍀❤️

Things I wish I had considered more before I got a dog.

09/03/2024

*WHICH BREED OF DOG IS RIGHT FOR ME?*

“3. Tip number three- Ask around! Do you know someone with a breed of dog you might be interested in getting? If so, ask them! Ask them what it is really like owning that particular breed. Ask if they really only malt twice a year like Google tells you, how much food they eat, and how many walks they need a day. As mentioned above, every dog is different but if you’ve researched properly and spoken to other dog owners, you’re probably going to begin to have a clearer idea of what is right for you.

Do bare in mind, however, that if someone you know has an immaculately well behaved dog, it doesn’t mean that your exact same breed will behave the same. Just because Polly down the road has an calm, loving, playful and obedient Golden Retriever, doesn’t mean your Golden Retriever will turn out the same. Polly may make it look easy but she has probably spent hours a day training her Golden Retriever, has probably taken it to classes (which she’ll tell you about constantly), and she probably has far more hours in the day to do so than you do. (Yes, we all wish we were Polly.)”

READ MORE ON OUR BLOG POST BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW!❤️🍀

Wondering which breed of dog you should get? "If you don't have the time to walk for miles every day then I'd probably avoid a Collie..."

02/03/2024

*SHOULD I GET A DOG?*

“ Take a look at the photo. That’s Clover less than an hour after I got her. You can see the attraction of buying her… or any puppy for that matter. A cute, perfect, innocent puppy… right? Wrong. No puppies are innocent, it’s just not in their nature. Don’t be fooled by the puppy dog eyes- that’s how they get you! They lure you into a false sense of security before reigning chaos over your household for years to come.

In order to answer whether or not you should get a dog, you need to honestly answer other questions first…”

Continue reading on our blog! ❤️ LINK BELOW and in comments :

https://theruffrealityofdogownership.co.uk/should-i-get-a-dog/

🍀🍀🍀❤️❤️❤️

26/02/2024

HOW MUCH DO DOGS COST? 🍀

“I’m nearly three years into this dog ownership malarkey and honestly- I cannot afford it. But there’s no going back now, and I’d do anything for the hound that doesn’t appreciate me, doesn’t contribute financially and doesn’t help around the house…so I make it work.

When I bought Clover there were so many additional dog related expenses that I hadn’t considered and unless you like the idea of sleep for dinner… I’d suggest that you consider them.”

Think you've got your finances in order and you're ready to get a dog? Think again. Here's the ruff reality of what I spend a year...

21/02/2024

MEET CLOVER 🍀🐾

“My whole world. My inspiration for this blog. My best friend, my therapy dog, my mental health stabilizer and the dog I have so deeply longed for my entire life.

Also the biggest pain in my arse, the reason I have no money, the reason I can’t have nice things and the cause of most of my stress.”

Click below to read more ❤️

Link also in comments. 🍀

https://theruffrealityofdogownership.co.uk/homepage-the-ruff-reality-of-dog-ownership/meet-clover/

Think you're ready to own a dog? Read my unfiltered, first hand account of the truth behind being a dog owner... and then decide!