March 28, 2024

How an Introverted Ended Up Adopting a Brussels Griffon

As an introverted person, I find myself dealing with social interactions in a very particular way, at least in comparison to most people. Instead of parties or reunions with friends, I enjoy more 1-on-1 interactions. Instead of looking to socialize on a daily basis, my social battery runs out pretty early each week, thus, I only socialize from time to time whenever I feel like it. Rather than calling my friends, I prefer to chat with them instead. The list goes on and on…

Introverts are well known for being the kind of people who don’t actually reject social interactions per se, but the traditional way in which they are enjoyed. The reason is simple: we get exhausted whenever we have to deal with socialization, regardless of the way we do it. Like a battery, we get drained from being in contact with other people for long periods of time, especially when large groups of people are involved.

Although I don’t talk for all the introverts of the world, I can still say that we are more likely to enjoy socializing in our own way than having to bend our world and methods for the sake of others. This might be perceived as selfish at first, but there’s nothing selfish with trying to understand yourself and adapt your surroundings based on your needs and personality.

Being an Introvert During Quarantine

With the events that happened because of COVID-19 and the lockdowns all around the world, a lot of people might believe that we introverts didn’t get affected as much, when in fact, we suffered from it as much as other people.

Perhaps our social needs are not as strict as other people’s, but we still get lonely and enjoy going outside by ourselves just to reward ourselves for doing great at work, or to reduce our stress. For me, taking a walk and skating around the neighborhood are some of the things that help me remain calm and anxiety-free.

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Back in 2020, meeting with friends, family, or just going outside, was definitely harder than today. Nowadays, quarantine has eased up quite significantly, but there are still some restrictions we have to worry about, and this comes with its struggles.

One aspect a lot of people dealt with during lockdowns what mental health. Depression, anxiety, and loneliness are some of the things people struggled with. To deal with this, specialists recommended people to practice more exercise, meditate, read books, engage in gardening, and of course, adopting a pet.

During the first months of quarantine, I was struggling quite a lot to keep my mind in check. The fact that I couldn’t go outside and meet my family, which lived far away from my place, took a toll on my mental health. For that reason, I considered the idea of adopting a pet, a possible solution for my depression and loneliness.

The Beginning of My Journey

First of all, I checked https://www.wikihow.com/Adopt-a-Dog to get to know more about adoption processes. Thanks to the internet, getting to know more about shelters around my place and checking information about their dogs was definitely much easier than I initially expected.

I would dare to say that this is probably the most important aspect of any adoption process. Checking which shelters are nearby will provide you with more options regarding the breeds of dogs that are available for adoption, and the dogs’ own particular circumstances.

Believe it or not, choosing the right breed of dog is essential to enjoy your coexistence with your new companion. Some dogs require a lot of exercises while others might not. Large breeds of dogs require more space than smaller breeds, and some particular breeds do have special needs to take care of, so researching the breeds that are available for adoption is a very wise thing to do.

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When I was browsing the dogs available in the nearest shelter, I found myself staring at a male dog named Captain, a senior Brussels Griffon who was abandoned. The word “abandoned” resonated within me, so I decided to learn more about this specific breed.

Getting to Know More About the Brussels Griffon

First of all, I decided to check their personalities and physical needs. Brussels Griffons are well known for being quite lovely animals that can bond fairly easily with their owners but can also be very proud and assertive.

They are often considered lap dogs because they love to interact with their owners and be around them, and this is something I found adorable. As someone who wanted a pet to interact with, and as someone who absolutely loves dogs, this was definitely a plus.

However, there was one problem I had my doubts about: They required daily exercising, as shown in this breed care website. As someone who works from home and barely goes outside apart from buying groceries, taking my walks, and skating, this was a little idea to grasp my hands on.

That being said, considering that they only need from half an hour to an hour of daily exercise, I decided that it was not such a big problem. In the end, in all the months I’ve been living with Captain, ¡it hasn’t been a problem!

Because of their size, they don’t eat as much, but they do need to exercise to remain healthy and avoid getting overweight, so if you believe that you won’t be able to deal with this aspect of their care, you might want to reconsider.

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They also don’t require as much grooming and only need occasional baths, which was a plus for me. At the time, it seemed like Captain was the perfect option for me, so I rolled with it.

My Thoughts

As of now, I haven’t regretted my decision to adopt Captain a single bit. I can feel myself being happier and much calmer than before, and although things have gotten better, I can’t think of myself living in my apartment without my tiny companion.

Captain has its own traits as well. Even though he’s a senior dog, the guy enjoys playing around and still acts like a goofy character whenever I am around. He sleeps a lot though and exercising him requires a gentler approach because of his bones and muscles.

So far, my experience has been incredible, and I would definitely recommend adopting a Brussels Griffon, although Captain is definitely a unique kind of dog! Of course, if you are interested in more breeds suitable for introverts like us, check out this guide for more info.