My first dog - meet ZaZu the Boerboel!
Before him, I've only ever had cats!
Earlier this year, we got our first family dog, but my first EVER dog. I have considered myself a cat person, through and through. I’ve had cats from the time I was around 7 until I was 30 (love you forever China, Simba, and Nala!) My husband is for sure a dog person and thought it would be a great idea to get a family dog. Enter ZaZu!
What type of dog is ZaZu?
ZaZu is a Boerboel, or a South African Mastiff! My husband did extensive research on the type of dog that would be the best fit for our family, and we decided on this breed because of their fierce protection of their family, and gentleness and tolerance with little children.
Fun fact: Boerboels are working dogs that were bred in South Africa to protect families and farms from intruders and wildlife, such as baboons or lions!
How is everyone adjusting to ZaZu?
I can tell that ZaZu cares for us. It’s nice to see his little tail wagging when he greets us.
The boys love to play with ZaZu in a way that they wouldn’t be able to play with cats. I got lucky with my cats - they were very active and playful, but we all know some cats can be aloof or antisocial, haha. When one of the boys are crying, ZaZu is immediately trying to figure out what’s wrong.
My husband loves him. He really loves dogs, so it’s really nice to see his face light up whenever he is playing with ZaZu. He also trained ZaZu! ZaZu loves to show off the skills he’s learned, and even the boys love to tell him “sit!”
Of course cats use the litter box and dogs have to be walked, but my husband trained ZaZu pretty fast in this area, so it’s not an issue! He knows to ring a bell when he needs to go potty.
How am I adjusting as someone that only had cats and never had dogs before?
I’ll be honest - it take a lot of getting used to! Since I’ve grown up with cats, I feel like I kind of “know” what they are thinking and what they need. I am still trying to figure all of this out with ZaZu.
ZaZu is also huge!!! He is only 7 months and already over 90 pounds! So playing with him feels different than playing with cats. When he jumps up, I still flinch at times because of the sheer size of him haha. I am helping with training him and trying to get into his mind lol. I do know when he is excited to see me. I think he can tell I’m the mom in the house as well :-) It’s nice to be greeted by him when I’m drinking my morning coffee. I love to see how excited he gets over things like his toys, treats, and bubbles!
All in all, he’s such a cute and happy dog (my favorite feature is his ears!) He’s still an excitable puppy and a great addition to our family.
Dog lovers out there, I would absolutely love more tips/resources on bonding with dogs, knowing what dogs need, if they are happy etc.
If you want to see more of ZaZu, check out his tiktok (@Zazu_theboerboel) and instagram (@zazutheboerboel)! You might see a familiar face! :-)