Ups and Downs

What a day! Sometimes, I feel like my whole day is about keeping the peace – whether it’s between kids (my own), or dogs (my own), I just try to keep things even, calm and safe.

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House trained???

How do you know when your puppy is house trained? Chief hasn’t had an accident in the house for days, maybe even a week. But can I trust that?

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Chief and I are back!

can’t believe it’s been a month since all of this puppy stuff ended. The laundry room and garage that they took over, will forever be the puppy area.

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Adopt these 2 puppies!

I returned all of the shelter supplies today and discovered that there are 2 puppies still available for adoption!

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Only 2 Dogs

Wow, it’s been a restful few days. I’ve only had to deal with 2 dogs. Amazing! And just as time-consuming. Because now, I’m trying to acclimate Chief to our routine – house training, cat manners, playing with Charlie (our 3 year old dog), getting used to the crate.

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The Big Day

Once upon a time, all 11 puppies could curl up in my lap. Last night, it was only one, Chief. He’s ours.

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Our last moments with the pups

It’s Thursday night. My husband is working late. One son has been away on a class trip all week; due home tomorrow. The pups will get their surgery tomorrow and go to their forever homes on Saturday. They may stay at the shelter tomorrow night. This could be their last night with us.

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Our Limitations

I’m a pretty fortunate person to be in a position to foster these pups and help them grow up a little. I haven’t done it alone – the shelter staff are amazing, my neighbors and friends have come through for me in numerous ways, my boss is tolerant of my tardiness – but even so, it’s from a position of privilege that I’m able to ‘give’ for these animals.

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Catch-up time

I’ve been unusually quiet since it’s been unusually chaotic here. I can barely keep ahead of the pups latest tricks. Actually, I can’t. Yesterday, I went out to the car, realized I forgot my keys, came back into the house. As I grabbed the keys from the kitchen counter, I spotted something brown and furry in the corner. An escapee. What? How did that happen. As soon as the others heard me in the kitchen, they stormed the baby gate. 10 puppies rushed through the house.

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Last Times

If I had known last night was the last that Momster (Missy) would spend in our house, would I have done anything differently? Would I have given her an extra hug, fed her a dinner of steak and potatoes, covered her with my own comforter?

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