Transferring energies

I love being a new pet mommy! I really do!
Right now, though, Mr. Z. is currently dealing with separation anxiety having been shuttled to so many homes throughout his adoption process.  The poor guy.  He throws up every single time I leave the house, whether it's in his crate or in the bathroom, and regardless of whether I leave for 20 minutes or for 3 hours.

But still, I adore having a dog and being a pet-owner.  We take 2 walks a day, 30 minutes each time, in the morning and at night.  I've gotten him tons of toys and treats and try to play with him as much as I can during the day when I am working at home sometimes.

My life does revolve around him right now.  We are signed up for beginning doggy classes for the next 6 Saturdays, and I rush home everyday to check on how he is doing with his separation anxiety.  I fuss over making his treats tempting and motivating, and I try to train him to respond to basic cues.

Raising Mr. Z. is very time-consuming, but it's also very worth it.  I feel his unconditional love, his happiness to see me everyday, and honestly, we already have more in common than I did with the ex.
Mr. Z. and I eat at the same time, sleep at the same time, and we like to watch the same TV shows.  OK, fine, I control all of those things, but still, we have a good ol' time together.

I have to check-in with myself sometimes to make sure that I'm not transferring my boyfriend energy into the dog, though.  In-between work, school, and taking care of a new dog, I don't have much time for myself, nor much time to really sit and have a moment to focus on me.  So, I have to be really careful not to jump into parenthood like I have done with relationships.  Because my tendency has always been to compromise compromise compromise.  And eventually that just means sacrifice.  I inevitably fall out of my social activities with friends, fall out of my routine in general, and in the relationship as well, I lose my voice, and finally, my identity.  So, I have to be careful and watch out for myself in THIS relationship as well.