When your puppy wrecks your apartment

Getting a puppy is one of the most exciting days in a dog lover’s life.
That soft fur, tiny paws and those big eyes. It’s so fun to watch them grow. Before you know it, that little clumsy ball of fur that is all grown up and your best friend. 

Before that can happen, there are a lot of growing pains you and your pup will have to go through. There will be a lot of frustrating days to accompany the happy moments. But, I’m here to tell you no matter how awful the experience, I promise you will look back and laugh at those gut wrenching moments of, “OH NO WHAT DID YOU DO?”

I know this because I lived it. 

Three years ago I brought home my pride and joy, Rory. At the time she was an 8 weeks old ball of cuteness. I imagined going to the store and having her pick out her favorite toy, instead she fell asleep in the cart. It was even cuter than I could have hoped for.

As the weeks past Rory grew into a confident loving dog who I trusted more and more. Her living space transitioned from only the small tiled portion of our home to the entire tiled portion of our home. Even while I was at work, I felt like I could trust her.
For a while I was right. She stayed in the gated area with her toys, food and water while I was away and didn’t have any accidents. I rushed home every day at lunch to spend as much time as I possibly could playing with her before I had to go back to the office.
About two weeks into our new routine I came home as usual ready to get my puppy time. I noticed immediately that she wasn't there to greet me at the door.

“Rory,” I called in a panic. Did she get out? Is she ok? A million thoughts raced through my mind and as I looked around I noticed a white powder on the floor. I followed the trail as it grew thicker. I turned the corner and saw her, covered in white dust licking the wall.

My mouth dropped open. This was a new apartment. What would my property manager say? How would I pay for the repairs?

Rory stopped licking the wall and rushed to greet me, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Apparently my sweet innocent pup had become tired of the confines to only a portion of our home and decided that she needed more room. Lacking thumbs to open the door she did the only logical thing she knew to do, dig. And then dig more. And then keep digging the wall until she escaped.

She sat and wagged her tail at me while I  continued to debate about what to do. Then I realized something, I had pet insurance! It was easy to call and ask about what next steps to take in filing my claim.  After a few phone calls to a few maintenance repair companies in town, the estimate to fix the wall came in at € 250.
After a quick bath and some sweeping we had the mess under control. Never had I ever thought that I would actually need to use the dog liability insurance I was encouraged to buy. I thought it was a step for the overly cautious people of the world like my landlord. When I signed my lease and agreed to get pet insurance I was angry to be throwing money away. Thankfully, it ended up saving me a lot because I only had to pay € 50 of € 250. Luckily Rory never dug another wall again, as for my shoes they weren’t as safe. Owning a dog is unpredictable. Life is unpredictable. Having a little piece of mind knowing that I had a company like Luko to help me get through the puppy stages made it all a little easier.