Well it’s now been two weeks since Silas, our Labrador puppy, was welcomed into our home. The word “whirlwind” is the best way I can describe bringing a new dog into a house with 6 other animals. I do believe our brains are wired to forget stress that will eventually yield to joy, so we are able to keep on trucking!

As a family, we have had many dogs, so intellectually I knew what I’d signed up for. But nothing can prepare us for multiple sleepless nights and the physicality needed to chase a puppy. Add to that, the last time we had a puppy we lived on a farm. I surely underestimated how helpful it was to A. have some land and B. have children living at home!

The biggest challenge has been his energy level and desire to play with Zara and Chloe. Dogs love other dogs - they are pack animals. So, Silas wants his pack to love him. However, these two old ladies have no desire to roughhouse. Mercifully, we have neighbors with very sweet dogs who walk by every morning and form a little socially distanced play group. Silas loves his two girlfriends Ruthie and Quinn, and playing with them for 1/2 hour at 7 am is the only way I get morning chores done; he passes out when they leave.

We’ve had other Labradors and I have to say that for me, nothing is like the connection I form with a dog that I am able to raise from a tiny pup. Labs want to please and focus on their owners, and their love of life is infectious. Silas is going to be a huge dog, so each day we chip away at our 30 day training plan - I have to say he’s A plus student, but what a commitment. Well behaved dogs are a result of many hours, weeks, months of consistent training and focus. I love that he gets excited for his “school work” and the rewards are boundless. Ask me how proud I am when he gets it right!

But boy am I TIRED. It’s been a while since I’ve had this foggy feeling - probably the last time was when we had three girls under the age of four, and a farm. Now the days are full of house-breaking, training, learning every little thing because his whole world is new and it’s up to me to teach him the rules. There are no bad dogs - just dogs who did not have a fair beginning. Silas is lucky to have love from the start. But Zara and Chloe were not so fortunate and we deal with the residual emotion of their beginnings every day. I know those struggles played a huge role in my desire for a puppy. And 2020 of course. I mean, what else was there to look forward to?

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I cannot wait to sit down at night. But I’d also be lying if I didn’t say that what I love more is knowing that every time I come home, on the other side of the door are a bunch of creatures who live for my return.