Puppy Love

Cement pad, dog kennel, fenced in yard, dog crate, food bowls, chew toys, dog food, dog treats, collar, leash, brush, cable, pooper-scooper, nail clippers, tick collar, dog house, dog bed, PUPPY=more money than I'd like to admit.

3 boys and their dog=priceless

Ginger came home to us 2 days ago, and our lives will never be the same! We are cuddling her, running around with her, teaching her, and loving her to pieces. She's soooo cute! I'm so glad we have this new puppy at the beginning of summer. I'm learning how helpful the boys really are! In fact, when Braylen goes to camp in a couple of weeks, I will really miss his help with Ginger. He takes her to her "potty spot." He plays with her. He walks her. He keeps an eye on her. Kaleb, bless his heart, comes in the house and asks where Ginger is. Nevermind the fact that she's asleep on the garage step and he had to walk OVER her when he came in the door. :) Aaron's an easy target for a playful puppy, so he spends most of his time running away from her while I teach her not to nip at him or jump on him. I tried a new technique to correct that problem today, and feel really good about it. Success is such a great thing for this novice puppy mommy!

Raising an outdoor dog is new to me, so I'm reading all that I can while getting creative with how we do things. At night we put Ginger in her crate in the garage, and I turn my baby monitor on so I can hear her if she yelps. It took me a while to find my baby monitor, but I'm so glad I still have it! So far I've only needed to take her outside to do her business once during the night. Yay! And she loves her crate. Another big plus. I've realized that raising this puppy really is similar to raising a baby. (I think having 3 babies of my own gives me the right to say that.) :) She needs constant supervision, consistentcy, attention, love, vaccinations, potty training, etc. I call her my canine baby.

Ginger had her first jeep ride today!

On a different note, Braylen ran in another track meet this past Saturday. He did so well, and it's fun to see him improve his times. I just love watching him run. Kaleb started t-ball last week. This is Aaron's last summer as a spectator, since he'll be old enough for t-ball next summer. That's hard to believe! But for now, Braylen and Aaron and I will enjoy watching Kaleb play. I'm sure we'll bring Ginger along as well. Summer may not be here on the calendar yet, but it's here in our family!