A New Puppy, a Lot of Grief + What Matters to Me Now

We got a puppy ♥️After unexpectedly losing Theo and then saying goodbye to Charlie just a few days later, life has felt really heavy around here. And somehow, in the middle of all that grief, we found Stanley.In this episode, I’m sharing a little about losing our boys, why getting another dog felt right for us, and what it’s been like bringing a nine-week-old puppy home when I haven’t raised a puppy in years — and now have a lot more experience as a dog trainer.I’m talking about the things I actually care about with Stanley right now, from crate training and potty training to recall, using his kibble throughout the day, exposing him to sounds and new environments, and trying to prevent some of the struggles I’ve seen in dogs over the years.And apparently knowing more about dog behavior has also turned me into a slightly insane, controlling puppy mom who watches to make sure Bobby says “go potty” at exactly the right moment. So there’s that.Mostly, this episode is about puppies, grief, overthinking everything, and how much joy one little dog can bring into a house that really needed some.