Introducing Puppy + Baby

One of the (many) things keeping me busy over the past few months has been our new puppy! Husby and I had a moment just following Christmas where we caught our breath and took a collective sigh of relief. In that moment it was clear we could add one more thing to our plate. And, somehow that something became our new addition, my and Lil’ O’s first pet ever, our new puppy Knute (pronounced kah-NEWT).

Now, just to be clear, if you’re eager for balance and streamlining activities, combining puppy and baby is not a good idea. Oblivious to all the work that a puppy, or even a dog for that matter, requires, I was eager for the addition. I’ve never had a pet. Nope, not even a fish. And, by getting the puppy now, Lil’ O would grow up with it. And, at least in theory, the pup would be fully trained before Babe #2 (this is a hypothetical babe, not an announcement). It all sounds lovely and would complete our happy little family. Well, we do adore Knute, but he is certainly a lot of work. Especially in that first month when he wouldn’t sleep through the night and wasn’t yet potty trained. It really is like having another baby! Except feeding is a lot easier. And it was a lot easier to be stern. And he got the whole potty training thing faster. Goodness, we haven’t even started that process yet with Lil’ O! So, easier than a baby, but still soooo much work.

The good news is that Lil’ O and Knute get along quite well. They don’t really know how to play with one another yet, so we often have to separate them, but they so clearly want to play with one another. It’s adorable! And, after a few months and clearly establishing our dominance as alpha, we’ve mostly fallen into the groove of being pet owners. Husby has done a wonderful job of training Knute and he is a very sweet dog.

For those who are wondering, we got Knute from a lab rescue group in town. We don’t know what his mix is exactly, but suspect some combo of lab with pit and/or boxer. There could be more in there, but there’s no real way to tell. Regardless, we think he’s a cutie!