This post is sponsored by Spot Shot® Instant Carpet Stain Remover, all opinions and cute puppy stories are my own.
Today I have a post about something that I have wanted to share with you all for well, almost a year now. If you follow us on Instagram {where you’ll mostly find me, Christy handles our Facebook page} then you may have already seen bits of our story about our silver lab, Lucy and the 10 little puppies she had last spring.
{“Mother and daughter watching the world go by….” one of our most “liked” IG posts of all times}
Just to catch you up if you missed this fun, last year in April we found ourselves with ten little silver Lab puppies–nine girls and one boy. This was definitely a planned event in our home. My husband cherishes his four-legged sidekick, Lucy and had been determined to continue her bloodline and add one of her offspring to our family. She’s smart, sweet, docile and a great family dog, as well as a great hunter, which was his main criteria being the outdoorsman that he is. I want to jump right in with a disclaimer because I know many people are passionate {as Christy is} about rescuing animals. Everyone has a different experience; as much as I deeply love the idea, we had a very scary experience with a rescue dog who sadly, was unsafe around our small children so that isn’t a path we would embark on again. I should also mention that our dog garnered enough attention {for her mellow disposition, unique coloring and hunting prowess} prior to her breeding that we had homes lined up for the puppies ahead of time, so we didn’t feel like we were adding any unwanted animals into the world :). Now, we did get three more dogs than we were told to expect {#oops on the vet’s part!} but those also went to wonderful homes and all are happy and healthy.
Having puppies was truly a great adventure, and while it was a one-time thing for us as we don’t plan to breed either dog again, I am certain it will rank high on the list of experiences my children will always remember. Not only were we the most popular house in the neighborhood {because, well puppies!} our kids got to learn so much about nature, baby animals and the innateness of mothering from watching Lucy’s interaction with her babies. From the minute they were born, when they were the size of a bar of soap, our first-time mama knew just what to do with them. It was a fascinating to witness, she could tell which ones needed to eat next by their smell, simply amazing.
Puppies are also quite a bit of work {especially the cleanup part 🙂 } so our children got a great lesson in being responsible for living things, they all did a great job pitching in. Just to make you smile, here is a short video of our little girls {and guy} right before they went to their new homes–please don’t mind the mess! I so miss their little faces popping over the barrier to see anyone who had come to see them, and those little noises they made were just the cutest.
A bit of a size change for Lily from the top pic, right? They grow fast! While they are mother and daughter, they have very different personalities. While Lucy {the mama} is mellow and sweet, Lily is peppy and silly. We’re sure she will mature out of some of this, as it is, after all, inherent behavior to the puppy stage, but she provides us endless entertainment. She’s always looking for a good time, she’s alert and interested in everything around her and doesn’t want to miss a thing. My husband believes she may actually be a little smarter than her mama, but she’s got such a goofy way about her that she keeps us all entertained. Our dogs are definitely extra work, and if I had to be honest, two dogs were never high on my ‘want or need’ list up until they actually joined our family. Now I couldn’t imagine life without them!
The biggest challenge having two {large} dogs has presented is in keeping things around here clean. In rooms like our kitchen that has tile floors, a quick sweep is all we need to keep things tidy as fortunately, this breed of dogs doesn’t shed very much. Our carpets have been a totally different story. Our dogs track in mud, dirt and have an innate ability to find a rogue candy wrapper hidden in the depths of a trash can, all of which leads to all sorts of interesting carpet stains. Let’s not even talk about house breaking a puppy, as anyone who has done it knows that process is not always fun. The worst of that stage is thankfully over, but another trait of labs is that they will pretty much eat anything, food or not food. That leads to some pretty upset stomachs #enoughsaid, so I don’t believe that messy stage will ever end.
To combat the worst of their mess I keep a quick-clean kit in our upstairs bathroom, as our upstairs is mostly carpeted so it takes the brunt of the stains. I recently discovered Spot Shot® Pet Instant Carpet Stain & Odor Eliminator, which works so well {and it is non-toxic, also very important to me} and it is simple to use. I just spray it on the carpet stain, then let it sit for five minutes then blot well with a rag. Almost everything comes right up. I have used Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover for years on all our carpets, it makes quick work of all those *fun* things that come from our furry friends. Here is the before and after!
A few carpet stains is a small price to pay for all the joy these two dogs bring our family. It is great to have a product that helps keep things looking neat and helps keep me sane among all the chaos. Stay tuned, if we have a puppy party it’s sure to be an event worth reading about!
Find out where to buy Spot Shot and get $1 off your next purchase HERE.
XO,
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