The One Who Taught Me Unconditional Love

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If you've read this blog long, you know that I love dogs, especially my dog. If you know me personally, you know that I am passionate about rescuing and will always choose to rescue any dogs we have in the future. That's because the one and only dog that I've ever owned as an adult is a rescue, and she has completely changed my life. In fact, I have learned more from her than I have from most people. 

Parker and I found Jenny through a rescue organization called God's Little Creatures Rescue in February of 2011. By many people's standards, she was nothing special. She wasn't a purebred. She wasn't any breed, really. She was just a mutt. A medium-sized brown dog. She was six months old, and we had no idea what her first six months had looked like. Had she been abused? Had she been abandoned? Did she ever belong to anyone? So many unanswered questions, but we instantly fell in love with her, and suddenly the answers to those questions no longer mattered. We signed the papers, wrote the check, and Jenny was a stray no more. 

Jenny took to us immediately. She was so obedient from the start and a true joy to train. She was eager to please and just wanted our affection. She didn't mind treats every once in a while either. ;)

The vet did an x-ray at one of her early appointments and found a BB from a BB gun lodged in her hip. I couldn't believe it! This poor, innocent dog had been shot at some point in her first six months of life. She had every reason to be scared and untrusting of people, yet she loved us from the start. I've learned so much about unconditional love from Jenny, and I honestly think I will be a better parent for it in the future. 

Today, I am excited to share with you all that PEDIGREE® has partnered with Sam's Club to give back to dogs in need, dogs just like Jenny before she became ours. When a PEDIGREE® product is purchased at Sam's Club, the PEDIGREE® brand will donate a bowl of food to a dog in need. I chose the 55 lb bag of PEDIGREE® Adult Complete Nutrition Dog Food. I love knowing when I use it to fill Jenny's bowl, another dog out there in need will be getting a full bowl too. 

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"A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his."- Marley & Me 

3 Tips For A Well Trained Dog

I've had this post idea floating around in my head for a while now and finally decided to sit down and write it out! When we adopted Jenny 5 years ago, we were really looking forward to training her. She was six months old and basically a blank slate- she needed to learn everything. We've invested a lot of time into the Jen pup and are so proud of how far she's come. She isn't perfect, but she's well mannered and listens to the commands we give her, which is really all we ask of our dog. Today, I'm going to share our top 3 tips for a well trained dog!

1. Decide what "well trained" means to you

Everyone's definition of a well trained dog is different. Maybe it's that they get along with other dogs. Maybe it's that they know their basic commands like "sit" and "stay". Maybe it's that they walk off leash without running away. Decide what it means to you. For us, we wanted to develop a really strong "sit". Wherever Jenny is, we can yell "SIT", and she typically sits regardless of what she's doing. She stays in her "sit" until we tell her "okay", releasing her to get up. We also wanted Jenny to be able to walk around off leash and come when called. Her knowledge of "wait" (our version of "stay") was also something we emphasized. We never taught her to roll over, play dead, or speak because those weren't important to us. Decide what's important to you and work on those specific skills. 

2. Be consistent

This is the best advice we have ever been given about dog training. Everyone in the house has to be on the same page. Parker and I are equally tough on Jenny and both expect the exact same behavior from her. If one family member is strict but the other is lenient, it will quickly undo most of the training you are working towards. Dogs are smart and realize what they can get away with. 

3. Use a different voice for "happy" and "upset"

If Jenny does something she isn't supposed to, we both lower our voices to a quick, deep tone. This lets her know she is in trouble. If we are praising her, we use a higher-pitched voice with a lot of inflection. This lets her know she did something good. As much as we like to think it, dogs don't speak English. They rely on our voice inflection. If you use a happy voice to say "Don't do that!", you might as well have just said "I am so glad you did that. Do it again!". Switch up your voice so your pup knows when they are being praised and when they are in trouble. 

What are some of your favorite tips for dog training?

DIY Paw Print Sign Tutorial

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BeyondSnacks #CollectiveBias

If you know me or have read this blog for any length of time, you know that I love my dog! Like, I really love my dog. She is my child and best girlfriend, and she brings so much joy into our lives. She gives McKayla Maroney a run for her money with her unimpressed demeanor and likes to hunt any furry things she can get her paws on. She loves playing with other dogs, hunting, and us (probably in that order), and we can't imagine our lives without her!

Here's the little beauty making sure we capture her best pupper angle.

When we moved to the new house, I knew I wanted to create a little sign to go above her water bowl. I had an idea of what I wanted and knew a basic color scheme I wanted to stay within so that it would match our house, but other than that, I pretty much winged it. For once, winging it has paid off. I absolutely love how it turned out! I took an imprint of her little paw, which was one of the better ideas I've had if I do say so myself. You know you're an obsessed dog mom when you think your pup's paw print is the cutest thing ever. I thought I would share a little step by step tutorial for any other furball-obsessed friends out there, so here we go!

First, gather your supplies. You will need a picture frame, a piece of scrapbook paper, white card stock, sticker letters to spell your pup's name, burlap, a foam brush, Crayola washable paint, and baby wipes. A quick trip to your local craft store, and you will be good to go. 

I removed the glass on my frame, but that's completely up to you. I liked the look without the glass and wasn't really worried about protecting my sign, but feel free to add the glass at the end if your little heart so desires. 

First, cut your scrapbook paper to fit your picture frame and place it inside your frame. 

Next, cut out the shape of a bone in your burlap. I Googled "dog bone clipart", printed out the shape, and traced that onto my burlap, but if you can freehand and still come out with a halfway decent end product, then by all means. I rolled clear tape on the back of the bone and stuck that to the paper.

Now, add your sticker letters to your bone and spell your dog's name. Be mindful of how long or short the name is when selecting your stickers. 

And now for the fun part. Or, I should say, the "fun for me" part. Jenny was not impressed, but what else is new? Cut out a square of white card stock and set aside. With your foam brush, brush the washable paint over the pad of your dog's paw until the paw is well covered. Gently press the paw to your card stock, remove, and wipe thoroughly with the baby wipes until the paint is completely gone. 

Obviously, Jenny is not a fan of arts and crafts. I would call up Grumpy Cat and see if he wanted a canine counterpart if Jenny wouldn't try to eat Grumpy Cat the minute she saw him. 

Tape your card stock paw print onto your frame, and you are done! Step back and admire your creation. 

Since Jenny was such a trooper, I rewarded her with a new yummy treat I snatched up at Target. I picked up a bag of Purina Beyond White Meat Chicken Cutlets Natural Dog Snacks and am so glad I did! I am a big label reader when it comes to my dog and avoid giving her "junk food" as much as I can, so these treats sold me when I saw they were grain free with no corn, wheat, or soy, and chicken is the first ingredient.

These natural dog snacks are also crafted in small batches in Arkansas with no poultry by-product meal. To me, that just screams quality. I think Jenny could tell a difference too, because as soon as she smelled them, she went nuts. She needed that treat in her mouth pronto, and I obliged.

If you find yourself roaming the aisles or Target, stop in the pet aisle and pick up a bag of these treats for your furbaby. Make sure you remember the Target Cartwheel URL offer: 10% off Purina Beyond Dog Snacks, available 10/4-10/31. And as a snippet of advice from me to you, if you have not yet downloaded the Target Cartwheel app, please do it now. It's free savings on the stuff you were already going to buy anyway. It's a no-brainer, yall.

Have you made any fun pet-related crafts recently? Any go-to dog treats? Do tell!

Moments In Time

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Lately, I've been really trying to enjoy the simple moments. I feel like so often I am planning the next step, trying to get to the next thing, wanting to fast forward this moment in exchange for the next one. I think this new stop-and-smell-the-roses mantra has a lot to do with the fact that we have yet again come to the end of a chapter. Parker has officially completed all of his training, meaning we are now a part of a new squadron, and the word "deployment" is constantly being thrown around. 
We are house hunting, which is beyond exciting, but we also know it means we are about to say goodbye to another house that became our home. I want to hit the pause button and really enjoy the moments we have left here. Once those moments pass, we can't get them back. I remember telling my dad when we first got Darla and I was having trouble adjusting that everything would go back to normal this summer when she leaves and life would be exactly as it was before we got her. His response stuck out to me. He told me that no, it would not in fact go back to the way things were. We can never get the moments of yesterday back, and we shouldn't live trying to do so. He was exactly right. Darla is going home soon, but life isn't going to be like it was a year ago. A year ago Taylor Grace was not yet conceived, and a world of joy and pain had yet to be experienced. A year ago we didn't know how much we would absolutely adore Darla and be heartbroken to give her up. Life has changed, and that's a good thing. It means life has happened. 
We've been taking it easy and just really trying to enjoy each day for what it is: a gift. Our favorite thing to do as of late is to go outside in the evening and hang out with the pups. Parker will grab his golf club and putt around, I'll whip up a snack for us to munch on, and we will have a nice evening together. It's the simple things in life. The other night, I grabbed some Kool-Aid Easy Mix from Walmart after attending a demo and sampling the grape flavor and made some Fiesta Tortilla Roll-Ups. A yummy drink, a little appetizer, and beautiful weather. Is there anything better? It was perfect.

Mom, please put me down. I need to go smell things. 

Our little hunter, always looking for the squirrels and the felines. 

My golf addict.

I just have to talk about the Kool-Aid Easy Mix for a second because it had been years since I had Kool-Aid, and I forgot how yummy it is! It tasted like childhood and was the perfect beverage for our evening. I got greedy at the store and ended up purchasing Cherry, Grape, and Tropical Punch flavors, but we decided on Cherry for this particular evening. The Kool-Aid Easy Mix was super simple and convenient to make, and you just add water. Boom. Done. Since the roll-ups paired so well with the Kool-Aid and were so simple to make, I thought I'd share the recipe with you down below!

Fiesta Tortilla Roll-Ups Ingredients: 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened 1 cup sour cream 1 cup chunky salsa 1 oz package of dry ranch dressing mix 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded 10 (10 in) flour tortillas
Directions: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Spread mixture evenly onto a tortilla and roll the tortilla up. Chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. When you are ready to serve, slice into 3/4 inch slices. Enjoy!

So yall, I challenge you to really live in today. It's easier said than done with our minds going a million miles an hour thinking and planning for the future, but there is so much beauty in today. Grab some Kool-Aid, grab your loved ones, and enjoy the here and now. 

Favorite Activities With The Furballs

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If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know we are pretty obsessed with the furballs in our lives. Jenny and Darla have our hearts, and now that the weather has finally warmed up, I feel like we are getting to enjoy them so much more. They are both southern pups at heart and will lay out in the sun for hours if you let them. They love being outside and active, and we love coming up with fun activities to do together as a family. 

I thought I would share some of our favorite Springtime activities to do with our dogs. Sure these things can be enjoyed sans your furry ones, but they just make the experience richer. 
Go boating
Get to the nearest marina, rent a boat, and enjoy a beautiful day with your pup. We took Jenny boating in Pensacola and had the best time! Once we got over the fear that she would jump out and drown (a very real fear that never really subsided until we were back on land), we had a great afternoon cruising through the water. Jenny isn't the biggest fan of swimming, but she loved the big boat and even dabbled in a bit of driving.

  Go on a hike
This is something we love to do with Jenny. Darla is a little small for hikes, and her baby legs will get tired pretty quickly, but Jenny will hike all day. It's just a nice change of scenery and a good little work-out for the humans while being a blast for the pups, so it's a win-win. 

Go to the beach
If you live near a beach, take your pups! They love galavanting through the ocean and rolling around in the sand. Get ready for the mother of all baths when you return home, though. 

Change up your normal walking route
We are big into walks in this house. The pups know when it's time for their walk each day and nothing gets them more excited. I try to change up the route to keep them guessing and provide them with a plethora of new smells to enjoy. It all smells the same to me, but apparently they just have to sniff each and every patch of grass before we can move on. These are the faces of pups who appreciate a nice stroll every now and then...

Have a backyard pupper picnic
Since they love the sunshine so much, sometimes I like to bring a big blanket out there with a few treats and just enjoy the afternoon with them. Darla will snuggle with me on the blanket as long as I sit there, and Jenny will take on the role of protecting us from certain danger in the form of squirrels and small birds.

We are big into treats in our house. I brought along a new product I found at Walmart, Nudges® Sizzlers and Grillers, because I thought they would be perfect for an outdoor picnic. The Nudges® brand is all about rewarding the unconditional love our pups give us with a brand I know I can trust. Call me a helicopter dog mom, but the first thing I do when I buy new treats is make sure real meat is the first ingredient. I don't want to feed them a bunch of junk, and their health is really important to me. Nudges® Sizzlers and Grillers both have meat as the primary ingredients, and our girls absolutely loved the chicken, steak, chicken bacon, and beef & cheese varieties. We give treats because we want our dogs to know we love them and are proud of them. We expect good behavior and for them to carry out the training we have taught them, and this is how we reward that.

To create your own pupper picnic, head on over to Walmart and look for this aisle:

What are your favorite outdoor activities with your furballs? Do you have a favorite treat for your pup?