A few months ago, I found the book My Smart Puppy from a blog I read called The Dainty Squid. I knew Adam and I would be getting a dog not long after we were married because it was something we had spoken about.
Two weeks ago we brought a lil pup into our lives. Buying a house and going to Europe weren't exciting enough. ;) We decided to name him Jack because
1) I have loved that name for years and had often thought my son would be named Jack.
2) LOST the television show is a common love between Adam and me. The show's main character is named Jack.
3) Jack's name used to be JJ and if he had any recollection of that, keeping his name starting with the letter J will help us in training him.
A little more about Jack:
He is now 6 months old. We found him through a rescue agency here in Salt Lake. He is a Catahoula Leopard Dog. His coat is black, tan, gray, white and brown with tan eyes. He is responsive, intelligent, fun loving, affectionate, playful, curious, quiet, shy and selective about his friends. We have never heard him bark. He makes the sweetest sounds when he is sleeping. I know I will be obssessed when we have a baby and will love listening to him or her sleep. Jack is very friendly once he gets to know you. He loves to play with Hope (a female pit with three legs) and Maude (a female boxer) next door. They are stinkin cute to watch! I could do doggie play dates everyday. Jack is an extremely successful chewer. Great for him when he arrives at the toy's stuffing filled center but bad for our wallet when he have to throw them away. These are the two sides to having a puppy--frustrating but rewarding.
I've started reading the book My Smart Puppy and so far I have found it to be useful. I want to train Jack but I am also reading it to train myself as an owner. The biggest gem I found while reading was HAVE FUN. Many owners get stressed when training their puppy but this is a process in which owner and pup should have fun. That struck me because I like things to run as smoothly as possible. I took Jack out for what I think was our third walk/run on-leash and he was terrible! He wouldn't come because he wanted to smell every plant and he'd cross in front of me almost tripping me. I was frustrated and wondered if there was something I could have done better. After reading that part in the book about having fun after this experience, I knew I was being too uptight. Jack and I haven't had a bad walk since.
Like my ring being a symbol to appreciate what I have, Jack has allowed me to see life through a different lens. I get things done more swiftly with another life depending on me but I take the time to pause often. Life is meant to be enjoyed.
--Amy xoxo
