My first time carrying a dog in a sling

This little lady’s name is Sourie (I KNOW, how freaking cute is that!) and her mamma was an elderly lady who recently passed. She is being transported by family members to her new home at one of the grandchildren, who will take great care of her for the rest of her days. On her way there, she made a pit stop at our home for a couple of nights.

Poor little baby is so skittish, and considering the circumstances, feels so lost and confused right now.

I don’t usually allow myself to feel pity and other depressing human emotions when it comes to dogs because it’s very counter productive to helping them get out of their state of mind… BUT, Sourie really melted my heart.

Sourie’s safe heaven

She came with her little box (again, I would not normally think that’s “cute” but in her case it just adds to the her whole persona)…

So anyways, she has this precious box, which is her sanctuary. And boy, does she love that box. Can hardly coax her to come out of it.

As the hours passed yesterday, she became more and more worried about her new situation, and I think the darkness of the evening did not help.

I’m imagining she has no idea where she is and what’s going on, and I really started to feel bad for her.

My very first selfie attempt. Not easy!

I possibly didn’t start our new friendship off on the right foot by insisting on cutting her GIANT talons and cleaning her tear duct stains (or trying to) on the very first day. But honestly the nails were IMPRESSIVE, it had to be done. Sorry Sourie, love.

So long story short, this morning I decided that I will dust off the baby / dog sling and try it out for the first time.

My goal was to hold her close to my heartbeat and my sent so she can get to know me without me interacting or being overbearing (too much).

She took to the sling right away. I think she is used to being carried in one form or another. And within 2 minutes she stopped shaking and melted against my chest….. ahhhhh, I felt so motherly 😀

Why I’m writing this blog though, is to tell you about carrying dogs in a baby sling around the house.

It’s awkward… and it turns out, HEAVY. Those mammas out there with their toddlers strapped to their shoulder, bustling around making it look easy… I now think they must have a little Hulk in them.

A dog wants to put their nose in everything which is usually right where your hands will be. So pouring my cereal was an interesting challenge, and I gave up on doing the dishes.

Also, you can’t bend over or the cargo will flip or fall out. If you want to get your socks from the floor, you have to squat and then sit (and then good luck getting back up in the same manner). Basically it feels like you’re VERY pregnant. It’s adorable in its own way though 🙂

And did I mention the shoulder pain!? If you’re standing, it gets heavy fast. On the other hand, if you’re sitting on the computer and the dog’s bottom is resting on your lap, then it’s great.

But that brings me to another point. You can’t really type because of the giant (it feels like) bulge between you and the desk.

On the pro’s side however, we have:

Very warm and fuzzy, primal relationship building activity. And you get to feel like a real hero / protector.

Sourie seemed to really like it as well, and I’ll put her back in it just as soon as I finish typing, doing the dishes, and cleaning the house 😀

Overall a fun experience, but you can tell I’m a total nubbie slinger.

I’d love to hear from anyone with experience on the matter, since I can tell there are tricks to making this work.