We have a new addition to our little family – a puppy we named Baeley! We brought her home when she was turning 4 months old and it’s been a month since having her in our lives.

What is Baeley’s Breed?

Baeley is a Frug – French Bulldog + Pug. I’ve been asked a couple of times if we requested for this cross breed. We walked in the pet shop looking for a Frenchie but I was considering getting a Pug instead since Frenchies aren’t HDB approved. The shop happened to have only one Frenchie Pug puppy and they asked if we’d like to meet her. When she met us, she immediately crawled under my armpit and took a nap. I was sold then, lol. And she’s HDB approved too since she’s registered as a Pug Cross! I guess it was our fate since any baby Shine and me have will be mixed and she’s our first baby

Time and Patience

The biggest sacrifice you’d have to make when getting a puppy is your time. Shine wanted a dog for the longest time. As much as I wanted a dog, I was very worried about giving up our care-free schedule especially since we only just moved into our home for less than 5 months. Didn’t expect that I would be the one to be sold by Baeley as soon as I met her! No more sleeping in till afternoon. No more late nights out. My life is on schedule now because I have a baby waiting for me to feed her, take her to the toilet, walk her, play with her, clean her and tuck her in to sleep.

Training

Frenchies and Pugs are notoriously known to be very stubborn when it comes to training and Baeley is a mix of both! So we really had to be very patient especially with potty training! It took us 3 weeks of cleaning and wiping poop and pee off our rugs and floor until she finally learned to go to her potty-pen in the toilet on her own, yay! What a relief! As far as commands go, she’s now still learning the basics and has gotten the hang of ‘Sit’ and ‘Stay’.

Get Into a Routine

This one we learned was essential a week after bringing her back. After putting her on a daily routine, she became less anxious being in her crate and learned when her potty and feeding times were and as a result, she pooped less around the house too. Having her on a routine also meant we had to be more disciplined on our time management. We have to wake up at 8am now because the very first thing she does every morning is to yelp and dash to our faces to lick anyone who’s still sleeping! We never need an alarm clock again!

Grooming

Don’t be fooled by a Frug’s short coat; she sheds a lot. Black clothes and throws are covered in her short fawn fur and you’ve got to vacuum your floors every day. I try to brush Baeley every night, clean her ears once every 2 nights (she has big floppy ears) and Shine bathes her once every 10 days. On top of her daily grooming at home, we try to send her for professional grooming every month for a more thorough cleaning and pampering.

Vet Visits

I’ve been told that visits to the vet’s are very expensive (they cost much more than out visits to the doctor) and we’ve mentally and financially prepared ourselves for that. Besides her vaccines (she got all her vaccines before she came home) and sterilisation (soon, when she turns 6 months), we have to prepare for if and when she falls ill. So far in the month she’s been with us, she went to the vet once due to diarrhoea probably caused by her love of playing and biting dried leaves or her initial diet didn’t suit her. Since we got a brachycephalic dog, prone to a variety of health issues, we’re providing her with all the care she needs and hope that she’s as strong and healthy as she can be but vet visits are inevitable.

Socialise

We’re lucky that Baeley is good with people and other dogs and she loves children. We bring her out to parks/dog runs to mingle with other dogs and have invited friends and family over to our home (before the lockdown took place). We exposed her to everything and anything we can and she can even sleep and snore while I’m vacuuming. The one thing we know she’s really scared of is the doggie nail clipper.

The first month has been trying for us what with all the endless poop cleaning, biting and barking but along with that comes lots of wet kisses and the immense joy and pride she brings. We’re proud pawrents. Since having Baeley come into our family, it will never be complete without her. Here are some moments from her first month with us. Follow #baeleythefrug🌻 on Instagram for more updates from Mummy and Daddy.