Puppy Madness

You might remember that we added another dog to our family - a yellow labrador retriever. While she is unbelievably cute, Brienne is also a holy terror. I haven't had a solid night's sleep in over a month. 

Brienne at 8 weeks (?) - meeting her for the first time.

Since bringing her home, we've worked on potty training - nearly there, not barging through the door - mastered, sitting on command - pretty solid, only chewing what is appropriate - good girl, and fetching the morning paper - nailed it!

My husband takes her out into the foothills every afternoon with our more mature lab, Tobias, so they can play and burn off her puppy power and his need to stretch his adult legs.

Tobias, 4 years old, and Brienne of Tarth - 10 weeks

It has been a number of years since we've raised a puppy; we've forgotten how exhausting it can be. All the doors in the house stay closed so that we can see her at all times. Dog toys, of which she has at least 15, are strewn across the floor like so much carnage.

While we are especially grateful for those quiet moments when she's napping, we are equally distressed by them because we know she's only powering up for the next round.  

The worst of puppyhood is the sleepless nights. On a good night, she gets me up twice. Last night was a real doozy; she had me leaping out of bed to let her out no less than four times. To her credit, she did potty each time, but that's not going to make it any easier to explain to my colleagues and students today why I feel the need to lie down and take a nap.

Brienne, today at 14 weeks, and the long suffering Tobias (he keeps asking if we'll send her back).

We haven't been to our cabin since bringing Brienne home because there was so much snow, and she wasn't house broken. It's been so warm the last week or two that we think most of the snow is probably gone by now, and Brienne is now nearly potty trained. We've decided to head up for the weekend.

And truthfully, after all the riding I did last weekend, a few days away with the dogs and my husband sounds kind of nice. I just hope she'll let me sleep a little longer!

Have a great weekend, and I'll see you all on Monday.