National Puppy Day 2020

Today is National Puppy Day. It's a day to celebrate puppies and all the joy and happiness they bring into our lives. 

Who doesn't like those little furballs of cuteness? I remember when my daughter who was 16 years old at the time brought home our "Koda". There had been much conversation in our household about adding a new addition to the family. My dad had recently passed away and we had relocated mom to live with us in the DFW, TX area because of her recent diagnosis of breast cancer (she learned this news the day before dad passed). Both my husband and I were working full-time jobs and my 16 yr. old was in High School - and now added to the equation was my mom and the thought of adding a 4-legged animal wasn't high on my priority list. 

Trying to navigate getting mom settled, getting into a new routine with her care, full-time work, home life and listening to my 16 yr. plead her case daily - was starting to wear me down a bit. (it wasn't the fact that all of these things were huge issues, but I drove almost 2 hours a day one way for my job - and to think about coming home to a yapping puppy, ate up shoes and pee pads throughout the house, and everything else under the sun pertaining to new puppies just didn't sound fun to me). But my daughter continued to plead her case. It went something like this: Mom and dad, can we get the puppy, please? It will be small, it's a Pomeranian and won't be very big. I'll take care of it before school, put it in a box while I'm at school and I'll take care of when I get home from school, PLEASE? 

A Pomeranian? hmmm, I remember those types of dogs from throwing newspapers back in the day and having to go to people's homes to collect the payment. One home I recall as if it was yesterday bred Pomeranian's and oh my...yappy, yappy, yappy. but yes, they were a ball of fur. They were kind of cute and maybe I could see us being a Pomeranian family! LOL, the conversation continued for a few days...

We finally gave in to our daughter's request for the new puppy. She brought him home and, in our minds, we weren't sure if he was indeed a Pomeranian. He didn't look like one...so we waited. 

Koda as a puppy

We continued to wait and wait and wait for this little guy to begin looking like a 'ball of fur" and we waited some more. He began filling out. We started seeing spots show up and we were hopeful that this small four-legged animal was going to become this yappy, ball of fur. 

Koda, a Pomeranian?

But, he never did. He began to change before our eyes and it was quite obvious to us now that he was "not" a Pomeranian as described to us by our daughter. Great - now what is he? We continued to nurture him, play with him, include him in our daily routines of life. My mom and Koda began bonding. Koda continued to grow. 

We bought him a red blanket, his own bed pillow, he had his own place to eat and he had his basket of toys. Small ones and ones that rolled. He liked playing with toys he could scoot around the floor and toss-up in the air. He continued to grow. Still not having any clue what type of furbaby we inherited, we loved him anyway. He was now integrated into our lives and into our family. How could we "not" love this little furbaby? 

those ears! 

As life moved full steam ahead in our family, Koda began to start becoming his own animal. He had a character like none I'd ever experienced before. I've raised a Miniature Doberman Pincher. We had a Dachshund growing up. Dad had a German Shepard and we had a Cocker Spaniel. I've also had dogs that dad called a Heinz 57 mix. In other words, I didn't have a clue what they consisted of! This had to be our Koda...

Mom and Koda after his surgery

Koda has brought great joy to our family life. It's been a few years since our 16-year-old brought him home. She is now married and has a family of her own now. She too has her own fur babies. Both are rescues. There is Axel and there is Kaiah. I call her Ms. Mischievous. 

Axel

Kaiah and Axel

Yes, those cute adorable furballs don't stay small for long. They eventually will grow up to become beautiful animals who sometimes will eat a person out of house and home! They bring great joy to our hearts and are known to be "Man's Best Friend". We play with them. We love them. We include them in our daily routines. We take them for walks. We play with them in the back yards. We take them on car rides, and we take them on vacation. 

Koda loves playing with balloons

I remember a funny story with Axel in mind when he was a puppy. My daughter had gone to work one day, and he found her make up in the bathroom. His rich, golden coat of fur now was black and dingy from him wanting to play in 'mommas' makeup bag! Oh my...the look on my face when I saw that picture! I think that was a lesson learned for both my daughter and her at the time fiancé'. Puppies will be puppies. Getting into anything and everything! Including the trash, if they can reach it! 

Axel in momma's make up! 

 According to dogtime. com - there are many ways to celebrate your puppies.

1. Make them a New Outfit. Yes, our fur babies love to be wrapped up in cute little fashionwear! Keep in mind though when you are choosing a new outfit for your fur baby, that it is comfortable, and they can move around in them. We usually get Koda a sweater of some kind through the winter months to help him stay warm. He isn't one for other things though, like the bandanas or things on his head. 

2. Go on a Nature Hike. Puppies and older dogs alike enjoy taking walks. However, it's easier to train them on a leash and collar when they are puppies than it is when they get older. Puppies love to smell the different things in the air and not only will going on a nature walk give you exercise, but it will also give your little bundle of love exercise too. Puppies can't walk very far though at a time. Be sure to bring a bottle of water and maybe an old blanket so they can rest a bit. You might want to also do the same for yourself. 

Koda loves his walks

3. Practice Playing in the Water. Not all puppies are ready to jump in the pool. Gradually introducing them to the water will bring hours of contentment as they grow, and you might even get a chuckle out of watching them frolic in the H2O. If you don't have a small pool, try letting them run through the water hose from time to time. Always keep an eye on your dogs near pools or bodies of water no matter how good of swimmers they are. Always practice safety first even for our fur babies! Create a fun, positive, safe experience for them. You will be glad you did. 

4. Have a Puppy Date. Introducing socialization to our pets is just as important as it is for our children. They too need the interaction. Again, be mindful of creating a fun, positive and safe experience for them when around other animals. 

5. Napping Together. Puppies like to sleep. Grown dogs like to sleep. Taking a nap together is a good way to create trust with one another and that's huge in the puppy bonding period. 

6. Sing with Your Pup: Introduce music to your puppy. Be sure the music isn't too loud where it will hurt their ears. Who knows, they may even join in with some howls and or barks. Our Koda LOVES to sing. Not only does he howl, but he will turn his head up towards the ceiling or the sky and howl as loud as has he can. When I say, 'choir is over' he stops. LOL. 

Koda and my daughter singing here

7. Set Up A Puppy Obstacle Course. Puppies aren't as agile as the older dogs. They are all over the place. (I recall when Kaiah was a pup, she was all legs - oh my...those legs would get her in some predicaments. Many were quite hilarious and others well, let's just say - she needed to have a growing spur sooner than later). Puppies can benefit from mental and physical stimulation. 

8. Have a Puppy Photo Shoot. Grab your cameras, grab your cell phones, and snap those cute adorable photos. Share them on social media and with your friends and family. You will want to capture their changes as they go from cute adorable furballs into full-grown animals. Puppies will change daily. Make sure you capture those memories! 

Koda loves the outdoors

Enjoy your fur babies and remember, they grow up to be grown animals. 

Full-grown Koda - no Pomeranian here!!! 

Scrapbook layout I created for Koda 

In closing, we learned that Koda is partly Jack Russell Terrier and Chihuahua - a far cry from a Pomeranian!!! LOL

Have a GREAT week everyone! 

Heart to Heart Soul Creations

H2hsc2020

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