My Mom’s got a lot of old school practical advice for problems, her favorite being, “breathe deep” for whatever fiasco you’re facing. If some sort of farm combine machine took off my arm, she’d tell me to “breathe deep.” And while I’m sure that might help somewhat in that situation, I tend to think “bigger [...]

I should have known something was wrong when I woke to the sound of the alarm clock instead of Hershey’s crying for a potty break and food. (Usually we end up turning off the alarm clock before it goes off, thanks to the pup.) So, I was kind of excited to wake to a buzzing [...]

Sometimes, I just don’t know what to do with this dog. She gets in all sorts of trouble if you’re aren’t constantly watching, and I’m at a loss what to do to keep her busy and quiet for a while if I need to, you know, not be paying 100% attention to her. Sure, she [...]

So, I should have known this potty training thing wasn’t going to happen in a straight line. Hershey is still making messes inside. We haven’t gone a day without one. I do think she’s letting us know when she needs to go out; but her signs are so subtle, that if you miss it, she [...]

I didn’t expect my puppy to be so crazy—even though people warned us that “labs are crazy.” Maybe crazy isn’t the best word. Enthusiastic? Over the top? Excited? Yeah, she’s all about being excited. All four of us in the family—me, my husband and my two children—have scratches and nicks and our hands and legs [...]

1. Why don’t you chew on the toys I bought for you? Come on, you’ve got a Gumby and a Mr. Bill that says “Oh, no!” when you squeeze him, but the kids pencils and crayons are more appealing? My paperbacks are more fun than a tennis ball? Some dogs have no toys at all, [...]

Hershey has really been growing fast; so many people have commented on it. She seems to get bigger every day. It’s all happening much sooner than I’d expected, which has left me hoping my little pup isn’t going to turn into a big moose. I really wanted a smaller lab, which is why we were [...]

“I’m starting to have second thoughts about this dog,” my son, Jack, informed me, as we cleaned up a big poop mound nestled in between his action figures on the floor. “This is gross. I didn’t know she’d be popping like this all the time.” “Can’t you just pretend it’s a landmine?” I joked. He [...]

It’s hard to believe we’ve had our little Hershey for two weeks already. I have not died from exhaustion as I earlier predicted on those first few howl-filled, sleepless nights. She has surprised me by taking to her crate quite well after all that initial fuss. (Not to say she never cries when she’s in [...]

What a day for our little Hershey. First, she gets taken away from her mama and brothers and sisters. She has to ride in the car in a carrier and come into a new home—with a cat! Then there’s the new collar to wear that doesn’t come off no matter how long she scratches at [...]

Who would have thought it would take a puppy to finally get my house organized? (Not that I haven’t tried before. But I’ve actually lost the get-organized books I’ve bought in the past, so that gives you an idea of the challenge ahead of me.) Now that we’re bringing a puppy home, I’m cleaning like [...]

So, after some more research (and an in-depth discussion with our neighbor on just how much hair she cleans up from her Golden Retriever,) I think we’re going to get a Labrador Retriever instead. My daughter’s a little crushed because she liked how pretty the Golden’s long fur is (and so do I.) In fact, [...]