When we brought my dog, Stitch, home for my birthday in June of 2020, we were convinced that our family was complete. He was the easiest puppy I have ever trained. He’s incredibly smart, motivated by praise, and excited to try new things. We learned early on with puppy training just how quickly he catches on to new tasks when he figured out how to use his doorbell in a day and a half. Since that point, he was almost 100% housebroken. He was 4 months old. He’s been such a joyful addition to our family. Heck, we even got the inspiration for a business, Am Happ Box, from him!
As fate would have it, Stitch’s fur mom and dad had another litter of pups. This time, Tutu Cute Doodles was offering guardianship opportunities for the girls they wanted to include in their breeding program. This means that the guardian is the pup’s “furever” home, but the breeder retains rights to breed her for up to a set number of agreed upon litters. So, I made a teeny, tiny mistake…I started to want one. We already had 4 dogs, what’s one more?? And Stitch was starting to drive our smaller pups crazy with his rambunctious, annoying little brother syndrome. Another puppy for him to play with might just fit the bill!
Now that I had convinced myself (who am I kidding, that took no convincing), I had to convince my family. My husband was initially on board until I opened my big mouth and spit out some logic. 5 dogs, 3 large ones, more puppy training, more chaos, more dog hair in the pool, and a pregnant female at times. But my husband is the most loving man on earth and eventually gave in. It also helps that I strategically made him vow to love me even when I ask for another dog as part of our wedding vows.
We soon got the news that Stitch’s sister would be home for the holidays! On December 23, 2020 we brought her home, and our family grew by one little Lilo. We were so excited to begin this new adventure! It’s been a comedic drama, for sure, and one that I plan to share along the way!
