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"FOR THE LOVE OF LABRADORS"
My goal with this blog is for you to enjoy your time here. Most of the posts talk about my experiences raising my two yellow Labrador Retrievers, some are just for fun, and others share the best dog related information and products I have found.

Use the tabs above for quick navigation. I have imbedded links for as much as possible so that you can find the resources easily from this blog. The links in the side bar are for websites that have been helpful to me. I hope that you find them useful for you and your canine "family member"

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Wasn't it just yesterday that they were puppies?

When I was a kid, I remember getting up in the morning and feeling as though the day would last forever – hours and hours in which to live a lifetime, yet still be home for tea. These days, or so it seems, all I need to do is blink and the day is gone.
© David J. Nightingale
used with permission
This quote comes from one of my favorite online photographer's blog Chromasia. It so captures how I've been feeling lately. Time seems to take on a life of it's own when you're young. On the good days it stretches out before you in the beautiful suspension of a long afternoon summer sun. That time of day when the sun seems to hover in the sky with an eternal soft warm glow. That's how the days have become again for me with our two wonderful dogs. Some of that "joy in fleeting moment" has become more real to me lately. With Spring showing her warm face this week and teasing us with promises of the summer days to come, I can hardly wait for those lovely long summer afternoons that will be here soon.

Life with my two dogs has settled into a comfortable pattern. This in no way means that we do not still have our challenges that surface, giving me fodder for this blog. I just have been relishing recently the place we have arrived at where they know enough of the basic rules that I can take them just about anywhere with me and there presence is in no way a burden or worry.

Just the other week when my sister invited me to spend the day with her and a friend I took the dogs along. The day was overcast and cool and I knew they'd be fine in the Pilot, as they treat it as an extra large crate. We spent the several hours enjoying a craft fair and then went to lunch. With a couple "potty breaks" and two nice fetch sessions when I arrived at my sisters and again before I headed home, the dogs were great.

There are many things that got us to this point, many of which I have shared throughout this blog. Although it seemed to stretch on for ever in the harder parts of puppy adolescence the reward now is "oh so very sweet". If you've found us in the mist of your own struggles, hang in there! Stay focused the reward is worth it, trust me!!

The dogs and their favorite extra-large mobile crate.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great place to be at! Yay for you and your two sweeties. :)

Anonymous said...

What sweet happy faces in their mobile crate. I love finding places to take my little pack now that they are "adults."

Puppies are adorable, but when you reach this stage with them it is so rewarding.

Teri said...

Love your site! We just got our babies. Male/female siblings and they are 11 weeks old. When yours were puppies, how much time did they spend together vs. apart? Everything I read says keep them apart as much as possible. We have them in different crates, feed them separately, and are doing basic training separately. Other than this, do they really need to go days without seeing each other? I read that they develop pack mentality and won't bond with us. I'm just not seeing this in them. They are so sweet and eager to please both together and apart. I would recommend labs to anyone!! Thanks for your help!

Teri said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
"Sunshine" said...

Hi Teri, got both your comments. Blogger seems to be having some gliches lately so I deleted the duplicate. I hope my next post answered some of your questions.