Stanley- 8 Months

I can't believe Stanley is 8 months.

Actually, more remarkable is that I've kept him alive 6 of those months. Maybe, just maybe I am a big kid some of the time.

Since I don't have a kid to do "monthly updates" on; I figured I'll treat Stanley as such and humor you with some puppy statistics

Nicknames: Stan, Doodle, Doodlebug, Stanman, booboobear, Monkey, Monkmonk, wombat, puppup, 

Weight: 51 lbs (done with the unscientific practice of holding him and subtracting weights)

Food: Fromm's Puppy is the everyday. But someone lives for treats and gets an assortment of Blue Buffalo treats, CharleeBears, Chicken Jerkey, bully steaks, and other assortments. 

Favorite Toys: It rotates. Lately, he loves his "sven" (yes a Frozen toy), stuffed sausage link rope toy, Nylabone, "ugly puppy", and tennis balls

Favorite Activities: Weekend visits to dog parks, going to training, sleeping, eating, picking up sticks, biting the leash, chasing a tennis ball.

Biggest Changes: Getting too big to do things like hid under the couch. Forgetting his manners from puppy school and being a bad jumper

Best Dog Moments: Being decently well behaved when friends came to visit. Has started waiting for me to wake him up in the mornings, vs the other way around.

Bad Dog Moments: Ha! This is an easy category to write about in length! Maybe the jumping on the bed and peeing (WTF!), or biting the leash and playing tug like a maniac. Jumping on strangers and trying to love them just a bit too much.

Best Dog Friends: Edgar, Corduroy, Denali, Cava, Prudence, and coco.

Fly Catcher

Stanley needs bit more practice catching flies, perhaps he needs Mr. Miyagi as a mentor.

I Need to Whine.

Cue soundtrack for this post

I. am. exhausted.

Stanley had his neutering done last week, and I've had to adjust his sleep arrangements since he couldn't turn around in his kennel with his huge plastic #coneofshame on. So me and him have been bunking up in my office. Between him wanting the cone off, wanting in bed with me, and his bowel issues (their not pretty)- I'm not getting much sleep. He has also been barking, and biting at his leash, picking up every single thing on the ground on walks- basically being a delinquent puppy. All things he wasn't, or hasn't been doing- and I am at my whits end dealing with his puppyness and round the clock care this week.

I'm also just spent with work. Work is hard right now. Mentally trying. Testing my anxiety levels. Trying my confidence and knowledge. I had to make a pretty big personal decision based on work stuff- which I hate. I hate saying that my work comes before really import personal things- but this one had to be done. I'm stressed now. It wasn't the decision I wanted to make, and now I am locked in to a different timeline than I wanted for something personal, which just makes me sad and anxious.

Then there is the family stuff. Yesterday was big- my mom underwent a surgery to hopefully better heal and assist with more normal mobility in her arm. Deep down I trusted the Dr., I was confident she'd be ok, but all this medical stuff- it's scary and stressful (I'm not even the patient!) and I was struggling with the fact that I wasn't there to be with my family. Luckily, it sounds like everything went well and we are now just praying for a speedy recovery and an outcome much better than the previous procedure.

And last night- phewy! Last night. I wanted quiet. I wanted to watch a chick flick, or listen to a pandora station, sip some wine and try to work on my never-ending cross-stitch that is strangely therapeutic for me. Instead, the dog was barking, I was irritated with the lack of light in the apartment, I was sad about not being with my mom and dad, and I was just done.

I lost my ish.

And I am still not in a good mood today. I'm feeling alone in my anxiety, overwhelmed by the feelings of "not being able to handle it", and keenly aware of how much I wish I had the support network I miss so dearly.

I know that these feelings will pass. I'll figure out Stanley's tummy issues, and he'll eventually be able to sleep in his crate again. I know I'll be home soon enough. I know this really hard project at work will eventually end. I know my anxiety will lessen and I'll be less irritable and angry and low light and too much barking when I just want a insanely quiet evening. It will all pass- I just hope I don't combust in the process.

5 Not-So-Obvious Items to Buy When you Get A New Puppy

Stanley brings a lot of dirt and smells to the household. None of it really truly offensive (except those few times he has started to stink like a salmon), but certainly makes for a lot more clean-up and washing of the hands that previously needed. A few items that have made life a lot more manageable with a new child puppy around are worth every penny!

1) Baby Wipes

Nope not for wiping bums (although occasionally you need to wipe a puppy bottom) but for your hands after class, walks, a few hours in the park. Between getting things out of their mouths, the treats that smell like baconcheesemeatsalmonstuff. and picking up their "potties", having wipes in your bag, in the car, at home, etc. make it all a bit more manageable and don't leave you looking for a sink when there likely isn't to be one around. The Target Up & Up brand is affordable and does the job just fine.


2) Kongs- Many of them!

I can't believe that until Stanley we never bought a Kong for one of our dogs. Maybe we did and they just weren't interested in it, but these have been a total necessity with Stanley. We started off with the small size, and now have a few smalls and a medium. It helps to have many since they are bit challenging to clean and take time to "stuff" so having a few during the week really help.   


3) Peanut Butter

Just buy stock in Jif now. Seriously. Or go to Costco and don't second guess the package that has two HUGE tubs of it. We use this for just about everything! Primarily we stuff kongs with it, freeze them with a bit of kibble mixed in and it can keep the pup entertained for at least 20 minutes. We also smear it on our hands and let him lick it off while trying to brush him, since he HATES being brushed! I also have this toy for Stanley, and after many uses I got smart and realized I could fill each compartment with some PB, freeze it and it lasts even longer than a kong if I need some peace and quiet.

4) Target Pee Pads

Don't buy the expensive pee pads made specifically for potty training. First, they are CRAZY expensive. Second, most are scented to entice your puppy to pee on them rather than the rest of your floor. Which is great if you are paper training your little furmuff, but I didn't want Stanley to think going inside under any circumstances was ok. Enter the Up & Up brand of pee pads that are not scented and way way way cheaper. The first weeks of Stanley's life, these were an absolute must! Now we have a bunch left over, but I line his crate pad and bed with them just in case since he is still a tad unreliable about his bladder control.

5) Swiffer Wet Pads

While I am married tot the steam mop concept and am sure I will never live without one ever again, turning it on, making sure you have a decently clean fabric pad and water in the tank can be a bit time consuming. When your puppy just released Lake Michigan on your floors, you need something a bit faster. Luckily, I kept the gold ol' swiffer and pulling out a wet pad to quickly sop up the mess before little paws can step in it and track it everywhere else has been huge. I steam mop later to just disinfect a bit more and get the chemical residue off the floor that I am not a fan of, but the quick clean-up is essential when a bounding, energy-filled pup.

Becoming a (dog)Mom

I know I have been absent around these parts most of this year. Not to fall into the DC cliche of "I'm Busy! I'm Important!" rabbit hole- but I have felt busy, not important, so you could say busily unimportant.

Regardless, when I was home earlier this year I got in my mind that I should start dog shopping. With my new personal deadline for leaving DC set in stone (I've even alerted my boss! So its official!), I figured I should find a furpanion to really kick-start my new beginning once I drive west and leave DC in the dust.

Some initial research led me to seeing some poodle puppies. And boy where they cuuuttteee! I was having a hard enough time possibly picking between a brown/tan boy and a black/brown girl. However, I've always loved solid colored poodles- so deep down; I wasn't sure either of those were "my pup". Then over dinner one night, my family and I were discussing my dog shopping and my dad mentioned that the couple who they got their wonderful dog, Kimber, from had just had another litter of puppies. Withing 20 minutes we went from eating dinner to driving over to go see the pups.

They were beyond adorable. All but two had already found forever homes and there was a little mellow boy and a very rambunctious little girl. The girl pup, temporarily named Miracle, was from a little where she was the only survivor and also had a star shaped white patch of fur on her head. I really did love her, but her mom was an awful sheader and Miracle also showed some signs of being very high energy and dispelling fur like it was her job. While I really adored her that little boy pup seemed to stick in my head.

The first picture of my pup- before I even knew he would be mine

The next day I left to drive up to Sun Valley to spend Easter Weekend with Nicole and my favorite little people. On the drive back to Boise on Easter evening my mom called and told me that the breeders had let her know that they really want me to take one of the dogs ( I secretly think they wanted me to pick Miracle), and they would give me a discount on the dog. By the time I got back to Boise the decision had been made and I called them to let them know I "wanted the little boy". Cue the disbelief and rearrangement of flights so I could be in Idaho a bit longer to pick him up and get him settled with my parents. I got to go visit him once in between my initial meeting and the "pick-up date".

Playing on the deck with his siblings

The first time he was officially "mine"

Hanging out with grandpa on the visit before he went  home with me

Cuddles and love with a sibling

"Puppy" came home with me on April 15th and quickly settled into his new life with a "big sister' as he was going to stay with my parents for about a week while I went back to DC quickly before going to San Diego for my best friends wedding. I remember being totally shocked when we went over, handed over a check, and then walked out clutching this tiny 8 lbs dog that I held in the backseat of my parents car for the drive home. He did really well with being taken away from his family, and did so great his first evening in new surroundings.

Quickly settled in and took a nap once we got him home

Playing with his half-sister Kimber

settling into his new "bed"

My dad had  gone out of his way to help me set up their crates so we had two places to keep the little guy, and even helped with the potty breaks that were around the clock. 

Even at just a few weeks old he looked like a fox. 

Since I extended my trip a bit, I worked from my parents kitchen mainly (so I could keep him on an easy to clean floor) and he slept at my feet most of the day.

Kimber was gracious to let him play with her toys and they both would play until they were tuckered out.

The few days after I picked him up before I headed back to DC were spent making sure I had stocked up on all the critical items, coordinating having everything ready for him back in DC, and acclimating him to the travel bag that he would fly in. Luckily, we had decided to go up to Sun Valley for my niece's birthday and it was a great excuse to make him ride in the bag for a few hours. 

Even as a little tiny guy, he was almost too big for the bag from the get go. It was a stroke of good luck that the timing worked out and he fit and tolerated for his voyage back East. 

Hanging out with his Aunt Nicole

Being loved on by his cousin Wyatt

Stanley is clearly my dog as he loved Sun Valley and wore himself out being the cutest dog at the park and everywhere we went. My sister and nephew loved him (Ava- not so much). 

One of my favorite photos of him

It was hard leaving him to go celebrate Sara's wedding, but it was so nice to know he was in the most loving care with my parents watching over him. 

There is so much more to tell, like the flight back, the around the clock potty breaks in a city, picking a puppy school, picking all the things a puppy needs, and falling in love every day with the sweetest dog I could have possibly imagined. I'm so thankful to have found my pup- as he makes everyday brighter and makes me so excited and confident in making more decisions that are about me. It's a lot of work, but being a dog mom is one of the favorite things I've taken on.