I have missed a few blogging days because of a puppy. He is all paws, ears, curls and is literally love on 4 legs. We drove for nearly 10 hours one way to bring him home and I was stifling the urge to panic whenever I thought about driving those hours home with a rambunctious young canine. But it proved to be the journey we needed as a family and this puppy is proving to be just the addition our family needed too.
People think we are just a smidge crazy to add a puppy into the mix. It really is #5under5! But we view it as an investment into our family. Shaka is bringing our family closer together as we all brought him home, are all training him and are all loving his puppy antics. He has been especially good for our 4-year old who needs projects and active playmates. Shaka is right there, ready to run and chase until they both can’t move anymore. I also love the idea of a 90-pound dog loving our kids and guarding our door.
There is no denying this puppy is a lot of work. He needs potty-training, etiquette lessons and routine so that he will sleep through the night. But these are familiar paths for me and I am noticing that I find puppy-training less intimidating as a mom of four than I did as a middle schooler training a dog for the first time. I also think being a puppy-mom is helping me be more patient and soft-spoken with my 4; I’m also taking notes on how Mochi interacts with him too. If he invades her space or annoys her she puts him in his place and moves on with her plans while he jumps back and waits for her approval. Maybe I could learn from this. I tend to overthink things too much.
I think it’s neat how God never stops finding creative ways to teach us new things. He is the best role model a parent could ask for. It makes me excited to see what other joys and lessons this furry family member is going to share with me in the years to come.
Have you ever learned something from your pets?
weeklythoughtexchange 
Helps to be so teachable!
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Shelby, the photo is a keeper. Sounds like Shaka is too! Your words give me hope that we, the Dibble family of four, can make this work. Someone recently told me there are always reasons to talk yourself out of having a dog. At this point, I agree. I am waiting for after my Fall travel and for a week when we don’t have car repair or a potential new frig to buy 😦
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The investment is so good. Just be sure to match your family’s personality with your puppy. That makes all the difference!
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Thank you Shelby!
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Thank you for sharing this with us. I’m sitting next to our 14-year-old once-upon-a-time-puppy, who is a sweet but ailing lifelong friend. You really are blessing your family through this adventure… everyone can benefit from increasing their capacity to love. What your children learn about life and love and sacrifice will help to shape them into caring individuals who will spread that influence into others’ lives as well. Be prepared, though, for the coming day on the other end of this heart-refining process… when each of you will have to let go. You will be so sad to say goodbye to this “family member” whose only purpose in life was to give and receive comfort and joy. Only you, Mom, need to keep it in the back of your mind… your children will experience it in their own personal ways … but I promise you it will add a bittersweet (more sweet than bitter) dimension to their lives and to your family’s understanding of eternal things and their relationships with their Heavenly Father.
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Nancy, thank you for this beautiful tribute! It brought tears to my eyes because we have an old dog too. She is almost 13 and was handraised from birth by me. She is such a special girl to me and I cannot imagine our family without her. This puppy is causing me to appreciate her all the more and I’m able to teach my kids about loyalty in the midst of loving more.
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That’s a brave move, friend. But it definitely sounds like a lot of fun having a dog. And of course the best example of a parent is our Lord Jesus Christ
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Yes, it’s definitely going to be an adventure but that’s where the most memories are made, right? 😉
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that’s right! Amen
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So fun! Thank you for sharing your puppy news and all the lessons God is teaching along the way through him. As Job rightly stated, animals can teach us much! Such a cute picture!
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I remember training our dog… so much work, but really worth it! Nevertheless, five under five? You are brave!! 😉💜
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