What It's Like To Finally Be A Big Dog


It's good to be a puppy. Especially when you're finally one year old and you've gotten permission to be off leash during the day. Somehow Cooper has gotten big enough and old enough to be free to run just like his big brother. Not quite sure when that happened.


Both boys have to be on leash when it's dark and first thing in the morning, but the rest of the day they're able to go all over the 10 acres of land around the house that Danny mows. It's so much fun to watch them finally run together, explore together, and sniff absolutely everything together. And Cooper doesn't dislocate my shoulder pulling on the leash. Added bonus.


Diesel has always been the best eater, not a bit of hesitation ever. When Parker was very sick, we started mixing his kibble with canned food so the gravy would soften it for him. And, of course, Diesel got the same treatment. He and Cooper still do, and it's fun to watch them sit and drool while we fix their meals that way.


When we first adopted Cooper, we could tell that he'd had to fight for food in the shelter. He would scarf his food down and then try to eat Diesel's, too. We had to stand between them while they ate and distract Cooper when he was done, just so he'd know that was poor manners. Now that he's a big dog and feels safe, he patiently waits until Diesel finishes his meal and then helps lick the bowl clean.


Diesel is the calmest, sweetest, most loving dog ever. He has a gentle demeanor - unless you're a delivery truck driver and surprise him - and loves nothing more than cuddles on the couch and belly rubs. The eyes say it all: my love is here to stay.


Then there's this one. He has puppy energy 23/7 and bounces off the walls, the furniture, our legs, and his brother. Constantly. He rearranges the furniture every day, particularly the dog beds, and hates it when you put his toys away in the toy box. He'll immediately do inventory to make sure nothing's missing, then pull it all back out. And I just apologize profusely and let him do it.


Cooper is taking full advantage of being a year-old puppy. But how do you look at that adorable face and not fall a little more in love? As I look at this picture, I just think about how amazing our home has been since we adopted him and he became such an important part of our family. And I think about how that stuffed dog no longer has any stuffing in it, just a hollow shell of a dog. Puppies...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet...
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee...
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit...
Read more