Our family recently adopted a puppy.

Her name is Suzanne and we are smitten.

I mean...seriously. Those eyes though.

We’ve been looking for a new furry friend for several months, following the death of our previous dog, Morris, in April. He was a constant companion to each and all of us, especially our daughter during times of anxiety, and my spouse when he relocated to Vancouver Island while the rest of us stayed back in Saskatchewan to sell our farm and finish out the school year, and me as I explored forests and beaches after our family was reunited on the island.

Our preference and past practice has been to adopt older dogs — at least teenagers, preferably adults. Puppies bring a certain level of….chaos with them, and we are a quiet, somewhat orderly household. 

However, with super-high demand for dogs during the pandemic, especially where we live, we jumped at the chance to adopt a dog whose siblings would also be going to homes of our friends nearby — folks with whom we used to walk Morris , and continued to show up at the dog park over the past many months without him, just to spend time with other dog people (our friends) and their dogs.

These littermates can grow up together and take on the role of “the littles” of our dog group, which is kinda neat. 

With Suzanne’s arrival, my spouse and I have been thrust back into newborn-dom: sleepless nights; learning to interpret the squeaks and whimpers, the facial expressions and postures; thinking we’ve puppy-proofed and finding out what we’ve missed; responding (urgently!) to basic needs — sustenance, toileting, safety; implementing training and positive discipline with {attempted} consistency…and second-guessing, re-configuring, adapting moment by moment. 

We haven’t been “new parents” for 10 years, and I’m revisiting the memories and relearning the lessons — good and bad — that being a sleep-deprived, somewhat frantic fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants new parent evokes. 

And I’m noticing there’s wisdom that’s applicable to all aspects of my life — parenting (an older child), relationships, business and self-care — in this experience. 

So, beginning February 1, I’m sharing 10 Days of Puppy Wisdom (with bonus cute puppy pictures!), one lesson a day, via email.  

Because:

1. Everyone’s heart melts when they see a puppy. (If not, there’s something...off about you. Please get that checked out.)

2. Looking at cute puppy pictures is a lovely distraction from this pandemic sitch-ee-ay-shon. And we could all use some healthy distraction right about now.

3. There’s good learning that’s applicable to the rest of our lives (even if we don’t and never will have a new puppy in our home). Learning happens best through stories of real people’s experiences. And stories featuring puppies are delightful! 

If you’re already receiving my newsletters, you’ll get these 10 nuggets of wisdom emerging from stories of new puppy-ness starting February 1. 

If not, or if there’s someone you know who could use some cute distraction + wisdom, please share this with them so they can sign up too.