Every Dog Has Its Day!

We recently got a new puppy, Ginger.  She's so cute, cuddly, playful and fun!  The kids are in puppy heaven, chipping in to help feed her, take her outside and even scoop the poop!

It took us a while to decide whether or not to welcome another dog into our home.  We lost our dog, Napa, last November, after almost 13 years with her.  We wondered: Do we want to go through puppy training again? Who will take care of her when we're on vacation?  Our kids are finally old enough so that we can sleep in on the weekends, do we really want to be woken up by a puppy???

We finally came to the conclusion that, yes, we wanted another dog. We spent a lot of time talking about what kind to get and what to name him or her. Finally the big day arrived and we welcomed Ms. Ginger into our lives!  Everyone was so excited to have her!  She was so tiny!  

When I tucked my son in to bed that night, he asked me: "Mom, would Napa feel like we're trying to replace her?" I reassured him that Napa had had a wonderful life and would want us to welcome another dog and that if Napa were here, she'd be Ginger's big sister and they'd play together.  Then I remembered the photo book of Napa that I'd made a few years ago with all of her pictures beginning with when she was a puppy all the way through to her life as an older dog.  My son and I sat and went through the book and remembered his first dog.  When I tucked him back into bed he looked at me and said, "I miss Napa, but I'm really glad we have Ginger."  It really put him at ease to be able to look through the pictures and remember her - I was so glad I'd made that book.  

Consider making a book of your furry friends.  You and your kids will love flipping through the pages!  For ideas and inspiration, check out some of the layouts from the book I made for our first puppy love, Napa, at https://www.kpgbooks.com/napa.