Nicky - Dog Mum to Fu

Best Friends come in all breed.

Nicky is a mum to Fu and two boys and is based in Sydney, Australia. Despite of her hands full as a mom and her work as a Life Coach, she got English Staffordshire Bull Terrier because she knows how important it is and lovely to raise a dog and kids together. She and her husband, whom she calls Thor, because he loves Marvel movies, feel that dogs are a reason to spend time together outdoors and they are also an amazing companion for children when they need some unconditional love.

Nicky also had a Burmese kitten at the age of 14. But it turned out that she is very allergic to cats. Since then she had a family dog, another bull terrier called Mochi who she unfortunately had to give to another family when they moved interstate.

I have never met Nicky in person, we are each others Instagram followers. What I liked the best in her is her Insta description:

Stay at home mum, Mum of boys, and Recovering Perfectionist.

A Quote by Nicky on her Instagram

Other than this, it is continuous positive approach towards being better each day as a Life coach, as a Mother and as a Wife. Her simple quotes will make you think, 'Oh life could be so simple and easy too." She coaches many but specialized in coaching expat moms in Australia.

Me: Hey Nicky! So how has it been raising gorgeous boys and English Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Nicky: Being a dog mum is vastly less complicated than being a mum of two boys but also surprisingly similar I have to admit that I am learning a lot about parenting a dog that I can apply to my kiddos.

A loud laugh on both the sides.

Firstly our dog slept through and held his bladder through the night after just a few months (phew). The dog mostly listens to commands and the dog can’t negotiate! I can leave the dog at home by itself for periods of time. I don’t have to bath the dog every day, in fact he hates water so he rarely has a bath and he can get pretty grubby.

But my kids are also easier in some respects. For example my babies didn’t have razor sharp teeth and they didn’t enjoy biting ankles, shoes and table legs for the first 6 months of their life.

Me: But why of all the breeds you chose Bull Terrier?

Nicky: The journey of raising our English Staffordshire Bull Terrier has been challenging for me. I love Fu but it was my husband’s choice to get this breed of dog. Staffy’s are wonderful human companions, they are loyal and extremely loving but they are also rambunctious and easily get separation anxiety.

So in order to have a Staffy that doesn’t pull on the lead, jump up on people and chew everything in site you need to spend a lot of time and energy with them. Luckily, dog training is something I truly enjoy and I spend time training him every day.

There is still lots for me to teach him as he just turned one and he is still in puppy mode. I just had to remove a slipper from his mouth several times!

Fu with his friend for life.

Me: Before our readers get confused, Staffy is a short form of Staffordshire and you will read it many a times in this blog.

Nicky: Thanks for mentioning it. I did not even realize when I started using it. So Fu is now a huge part of our life, we enjoy being outdoors with him, teaching him new tricks and snuggling with him daily. I am considering doing competition agility with him because he is so agile and fun to train.

Me: Great! I know through your posts that Sundays are your dog training day along with kids.

Nicky: Yes. Sunday's early hours are for Fu's training.

Me: As Staffy's are considered to be in the Pitt bull family. How did you manage to get Fu?

Nicky: We got Fu from a show breeder who specializes in having dogs with lovely natures. Cheeky but extremely gentle. We would have liked to rescue a dog, but we decided it was more important that we had a dog who had a nature that would be suitable for children.

We didn’t want to take the risk that the dog could have had a bad experience and might be aggressive.

Me: Totally! With kids around you have to make an intelligent choice. You have to give them an experience not fear. So who gave the name Fu and what does this mean? Is it the first two letters of the famous word?

Nicky: No No. We all thought the name Fu sounded cute, like a Fu Lion. Those Chinese stone statues of lions that are said to protect houses. My husband came up with the name and we all agreed. It took me a while until I spelled his name out loud. My husband thought it was hilarious and I have to apologize EVERY time I say F.U.

Me: Oh I got it! Share a beautiful story or a memory with Fu.

Nicky: Many. Can't choose one. But to mention one, here it goes. My youngest son who is 5 has a very beautiful relationship with the dog. He is a dog whisperer. The dog is his loyal companion and comfort when he is feeling down. Despite being the youngest, the dog can look deep into his eyes and be peaceful and calm. My son can lie next to the dog, or sit nose to nose with the dog.

This is an incredible as no one else in the family is able to do this. If I lie anywhere near Fu he will leap all over me. Maybe Fu also knows that my youngest son needs him most as he is prone to feeling afraid.

Me: Wow that is beautiful! Raising a dog and a kid can be so amazing if both are trained properly.

Nicky: Yes. Parenting is important.

Me: So what has been the most challenging part of being a dog mum?

Nicky: I find his rambunctious staffy nature very challenging. Trying to manage him to stay calm especially with two young boys in the house is very challenging.

Me: How do you manage boys and Fu together?

Nicky: The boys take responsibility for the dog. They enjoy feeding him, taking him to the park and throwing him a ball and even training him. They do however also sometimes treat him roughly. Luckily one of the traits of a Staffy is to be extremely resilient and patient. We know that Fu would never purposefully hurt a person, but we don’t tolerate violence and there have been times when the boys have been banned from touching the dog.

During the very early puppy stages, when Fu’s way of communicating was to bite (with very sharp teeth), my boys were scared of him. We couldn’t have visitors and the boys had to stop playing with Fu for a couple of weeks. Generally the kids love the dog and vice versa.

We talk a lot about the psychology of “the pack” and my eldest son is evidently Fu’s playmate and we are helping him to promote himself higher so the dog doesn’t leap on him in order to play.

Me: Great. Pretty sorted. For me as a dog mum, I find Mushroom's hair most difficult thing to deal. How do you deal with that.

Nicky: We are currently living in a very small space ( a granny flat that is 50m²) so there is not much space for him to leave hair. He only really stays in the living room which we are constantly vacuum cleaning.

Me: OK! Share your thoughts on the famous old saying "Dog is man's best friend."

Nicky: A dog will always love us unconditionally. It is a very special bond to have a family dog. They offer affection, company, love and lots of entertainment. Fu is also teaching us all many new things!

One of the Sundays

Thank you Nicky for being part of the blog series, Dogmothers. It was great knowing you more as a dog mum.

Happy Reading!