u/thepocono

first real hike post neuter. leashed him since we were heading back to the parking lot but we first passed these monsters coming and i wanted to make sure i got a picture on the way out

he finally got neutered this morning after us having to put it off and reschedule it much longer than we would have liked. i was expecting him to be groggy for the rest of the day at least but he was only a little loopy for the first couple hours after picking him up. expected postop instructions are no walks, no jumping and intense playing, etc.

pets have always been allowed on furniture in my house so hes used to jumping on the couch, bed, whatever he wants since he likes to be close to us. he loves roughhousing both with us and his toys, he is very violent and dramatic when he plays. we hike and go to sniffspots two to three times a week and he gets long walks in our neighborhood the other days.

im not sure how to keep him from getting bored and antsy like this. if i dont do the regular exercise we do with him, i can only imagine he is going to be bouncing off the walls. puzzle toys and thinking games only do so much (and the cone probably gets in the way), he really needs physical activity.

i know its such a simple routine surgery, but im still worried about him potentially hurting himself and prolonging his recovery. especially since he already seems very much back to his usual self. how do i keep him occupied and make sure he doesnt go nuts?

hes very well behaved when he sleeps in bed with us however the moment he notices any movement that indicates we are waking up he gets super excited and immediately goes to lick us which isnt always the most pleasant awakening

swipe for before photo. we cannot stop laughing at him

not sure if its the most accurate flair but i tried. also not a picture of our exact unit, but close enough, shows the flooring/cabinets/lighting/etc we are working with. unfortunately not allowed to paint the walls but ill take white over grey.

we are moving later this summer so have a little while to think on it. for a long time now we were already planning on replacing a lot of our current furniture when we move like our gross monstrously huge sectional, cheap broken bookshelves, etc. and i know it takes time to find pieces you like vs getting everything at once but im hopeful we can actually have a nice cohesive aesthetic this time instead of whatever random clashing items that just get the job done.

color is very important to me. i absolutely hate grey monochrome marble open concept kind of interior design, i do not want my home to feel like a cold ugly luxury hospital. what we are working with isnt perfect but its still much better than a lot of other rental options so im trying to be hopeful. im not really sure where to start though. ive been going through different ideas in my head, it just feels like im not going to be able to pull any of it off successfully.

ive recently been considering maybe going for primary colors (likely including green and not just red/blue/yellow as its often treated like one anyway) though im worried about how easy it is for that to look childish and goofy if you dont do it right. also not always the easiest colors to find furniture in. i dont know if i have the skill to properly curate the kind of vibe im picturing lol.

im not fully against more earthy tones like muted oranges, greens, etc however i do tend to prefer more vibrant and bold choices. the dream living room has always been pink and brown/cream and ive been going back and forth on whether its worth it to try and attempt creating it here. my biggest concern with that is i feel like i would not be happy with how it looks unless the walls were pink because without that it all seems to fall flat. plus we are also stuck with an open concept living room/kitchen vs them being separate spaces and that kind of messes up the pink vision as well.

im open to pretty much any suggestions at all. i like all sorts of different styles, im not committed to anything specific. victorian homes are just as cool to me as art deco, etc. i really do not know much about interior design unfortunately. i would like to finally properly decorate my space, i always say i want to but everywhere ive lived we dont really do it for one reason or another, and it has got to change.

thanks in advance 👍