—nadineilanas —ramire37 —hannahbennett3 —squishyyak —elizabethg20 It’s taken three years of consistency, a lot of love and trust, cuddles and training, and learning that progress looks different for every dog to get to where we are today. When I finally let go of my idea of how I thought he ‘should’ be progressing and just started loving and focusing on the things he IS great at, we started working more as a team and really made strides in his reactivity. Now I focus on ways I can set him up for little successes to keep building on his training. I can proudly say he can walk past other dogs on leashes within about 4 feet with little to no reaction. I love Nash and the work we’ve put in to get here so much. He is our goofy cuddle bug, and we wouldn’t trade him for the world." —jordantojo —rachel_s_g_1210 —lauraw4671f5ac2 —goniamiksch Murphy is a train wreck. Constant drool, hair everywhere, his big face slobbers water all over the floor. I knew when BIL got him that it wasn’t going to work out; he’s not a bad guy but we all know divorce leads to dating, and puppies don’t do well left to their own devices. Murphy would come over to visit often and stay the night or weekend when BIL was out of town for whatever reason. I told my husband his brother was going to leave the dog with us within a year. I was wrong. He lasted 18 months before he had to move eight hours away for work. ‘What about Murphy?’ I asked. ‘Well, if you guys don’t want him I’ll just dump him at the pound or something.’ Absolutely not. So Murphy moved in with us full time. That was Easter 2021. Labor Day weekend 2022 my husband said to me, “Murphy has really changed you.” I asked what he meant and he said, ‘We have 20 people coming in an hour, and you’re totally calm, relaxing, and not stressed.’ Reader, this Labor Day weekend marks 19 years we’ve been together. And it’s the first time my husband has NOT seen me stressed out to be hosting. The thing is, with all the drool and hair and boogers that glue themselves to the wall (and everything else), suddenly a little dust doesn’t seem so big. This big, dumb, dump truck of a dog has a heart of gold, and he’s taught me that good enough is good enough. Especially if it means you get to enjoy more time with the ones you love. I’ll always be grateful that I got the dog I didn’t want. ❤️" —c4d302375f —katelinaverkamp —ironspider88 —d4979c4387 —gabbychamp —amandal493b7ea41 —chaoticemmes And of course, losing a dog, most of all if it is from a disease or anything similar, makes us learn that they don’t have the possibility to speak out when something happens. They are unable to complain, and I think my whole comment just shows how a dog is a responsibility and not just a game. And as such, we should check if we are able to put our hearts, our minds, and our will to it." —beluotrera2
