'Tis the first season

WARNING: This post may be waaaaaay too much information for some of you, feel free to skip it.

Yesterday, I spent $64 on absorption items!! A doggy panty, human pads, doggy pads, & human pull-ups (with Snow White on them so I thought they were VERY appropriate). I just wasn't prepared for this! I mean, I knew it was coming & was hoping it would come sooner rather than later, but still...at 7am it kinda throws your whole day off!

Vivi is the first female dog ever in our house...and in both our lives for that matter. We don't know what to expect. We've never done this before. We knew her first heat cycle could come anytime between 6-12 months of age....she just turned 10 months last Thursday. I knew what to look for...swollen girly parts & while she was a little swollen, it wasn't anything that made me say..."oh yeah, it's coming." I've been mentally tracking when she's acted a little differently (like pulling away from the judges, eating blankets--yes that's plural--eating her kennel tray, finding odd corners of a room to lay in, weird things) & thought, well maybe she's coming in??

So when I went to feed her yesterday morning & saw that she had come in, at first I freaked a bit, but then I was like, "ok Jen, you can do this. You HAVE to do this." But I had NOTHING!! I had gotten her little girl panties a few weeks ago & tried them on (this was my only attempt of being prepared) & she HATED them. So I knew that wouldn't work....hence my shopping spree of All Things Absorption!

Lots of things we have to keep in mind for the next couple weeks (yep, that's right WEEKS)...Vivi cannot go to obedience class (school's rules) until she is out of heat, she can never be left unattended outside (which she isn't anyway) as male dogs can get a bit crazy if they smell a bitch in heat, which I've read they can smell one up to 3 miles away, (on Sandy's site , she shows a photo of a fence that a dog tried to get through), she can't wear the panties/pads/pull-ups 24/7 as her girly parts need to breathe & if covered they can trap bacteria & she can get an infection, she may have to be separated from Doc & Howie once she's in her "prime"...they're both neutured but apparently the smell is quite intoxicating for the boys...plus, if they try to get with Vivi, they may get "stuck"...no really, stuck. Oh & I'm sure I'm forgetting many other things I'll have to remember to do in the upcoming weeks, but I've gotten a lot of bulldogger friends that I can (& have) ask if I have questions.

My little bully girl is growing up...I'm guessing this first season will be an adventure that's for sure & then in 6 months, when she comes in again, we'll be all ready!!

Sorry if this was a bit TMI for you...but maybe it will help other new owners who haven't gone through a heat cycle either.

BTW....aren't you glad I didn't post photos this time!! LOL