Our Top 10 Must-Haves for Our Puppies
We learned so much with our first pup Potato that has come in handy in raising, Ringo, our newest guy. We love the puppy phase and don’t mind the potty training. That said, Jackson and I made this quick list for you of our favorite products that we regularly use with our dogs.
1. Slip Rope Leash
This slip leash is perfect for puppies who are wiggly on walks. We started early with Tato and followed suit with Ringo. We dislike harnesses because they allow the dog to keep pulling without any signal that they are doing so, whereas the slip rope gently lets them know.
2. Himalayan Yak Chews
Our friend Katherine turned us on to these yak cheese chews and they’re amazing! Your dog’s breath will smell like smoked gouda and they’ll be occupied chompin’ on this for hours.
3. Poop Bags with Carrier Clips
This pack of lavender scented poop bags will last you forever (we’ve had ours for 3 years and are still going strong) and even comes with a convenient carrier case you can clip onto the loop end of your leash so you’re never without a baggie.
4. The Classic Kong
The Kong is a classic for a good reason: it’s durable and will provide your pup hours of entertainment. Fill it with peanut butter and pop in a few blueberries then stick the whole thing in the freezer for a bit before giving it to your pup as a popsicle.
5. A Comfy, Neutral Bed
This darling bed is available from Italic in several colors. We like to keep our stuff neutral, so we’d go for either the cream or blue. We have a similar one from then last year.
6. Serious Clippers
We now groom our doodle boys at home. We had enough issues bringing Potato to groomers where he’d come back with a serious gash or a horrible style. Now we use these Andis clippers to do the heavy duty shearing of his coat in the summer before we trim up with a scissor set.
7. Folding Pen
We didn’t go the doggie gate route because we prefer that our dogs don’t have the run of the house when they’re little. We love this folding pen and use it to make a space for Ringo to be in while we’re in the living room or we use it to block of the exit on the back porch.
8. Plush Toys
With our guys, plush toys don’t last too long, but they love them so much and they come in the cutest styles so I buy them occasionally. When I do, I prefer not to pay more than $6 for one and Chewy is my best bet. How cute are these!
9. Puzzle Bowl
Our Ringo guy uses this slow feeding bowl every day (otherwise he scarfs his food down too fast and gets the hiccups which are very cute but probably don’t feel fantastic for him).
10. MudBuster
Cleaning muddy puppy paws is a breeze with this handy tool. You add a little water, stick their paw inside, twist it a bit, and then dry the much cleaner paw upon removal. This is a game-changer for the winter time here.
Bonus: Nature’s Miracle
When you can’t get there in time or your pup surprises you with a puddle of pee, Nature’s Miracle is your best friend. Get the big refill bottle in addition to the spray bottle.
Hope your puppy journey goes splendidly!
xo,
em
Meet Ringo!
Sir Ringo Lemon Jefferson Reimers joined our family on June 7th, 2022. He started out as just a little beeb. When we sent these first photos to family and friends, they thought we were getting a guinea pig.
Jackson got to name Potato (if you haven’t heard that story, do ask; it’s pretty hilarious). So I got to name GoGo.
Ringo is named after the Beatles drummer, of course. You’ve likely heard it said that Ringo Starr was the "worst drummer in the Beatles. I prefer a take I recently read that describes Ringo was the exact right drummer for the Beatles: nothing too complicated, killer at four on the floor, a team player.
His middle namesake is Blind Lemon Jefferson, an early American blues and gospel singer who started as a humble street musician and, through plain ol’ hard work and persistence, got signed to Paramount records and rose to fame in the 1920s. Jefferson also refers to Jefferson Street in Nashville, the historic Black music district that was the true original Music Row and is home to my favorite museum, Jefferson Street Sound Museum.
He is a good boi who already knows his name and also responds to GoGo, Go-ee, Ringo Bingo, and Dingus.
Here’s how he rode in the car on the way home. Yup.
Immediately snuggled in. It turns out that the car is pretty much the only place he is this chill.
He is mostly a squirmy boy with lots of energy, which is great since he has a pal to play with constantly in Potato.
Potato took two weeks to warm up to Ringo. The internet said to give them two months. I was impatient after about two days. We followed all the suggested protocols of introducing them on neutral territory and making sure they have their own stuff and separate time with each of us as well as time all together.
How am I supposed to get anything done with this level of cuteness haunting my house?
Our dear friend Alec Myszka came over to take some professional photos of Ringo (the one at the top and the one below are both from Alec). GoGo seems to love the camera. He is officially the biggest ham of our household and misses zero opportunities to cool himself by sitting on a floor vent or bark at his own toys just to entertain us.
Potato and Ringo are now nicely getting along. Though Ringo does still pull at Po’s tail to get him to play (part of being a herding pup), he does treat him like a big brother. Potato is so sweet and always demonstrates the correct response when I tell Ringo to “go potty” or “go to place” (his crate) by doing it first to show Ringo. Tato even takes naps at the same time as Ringo (who has truly worn our 3-year-old pup out with all the playing).
Ringo is king of the side eye. Again, the ultimate HAM.
This new pup has gotten some snuggles from friends and family. In particular, he likes accompanying Jackson in pretty much everything he does. Jackson’s truest happy place is probably playing a video game on the Nintendo Switch with GoGo in his lap and Tato by his feet. What a life!
xo
em
Cute Doods
Ain’t got nothing to say here. It’s just that I quit social media and I still needed a place to show off this super cute photo of my boo and our pup. If you’re looking for me online, I’ll be here, without the advertizing and the commodification of my attention (or yours!).
em
Portrait Of A Good Boy
Just some beautiful photographs of my dog with his commissioned portrait
My sister commissioned a portrait of Potato for Jackson’s gift a while back and the artist, Emily Elizabeth Miller, did a fantastic job. Camille’s one request was for a photograph of Tato with his likeness. Wish. Freaking. Granted.
Anyone else have a pet portrait or is it just me….
xo
em
Potato Turns Two
Potato is my doggo. He’s more than that, though.
I feel like everyone who has a dog that they love dearly knows what I’m talking about. Tato is also a blanket, a doorbell, a teddy bear, and a vacuum. Tato is a good friend. And today, he turns two-years-old.
Living with Potato reminds me of some of the better aspects that life has to offer. He is relentlessly hopeful. He is always eager to exercise and be outdoors. He is content to eat the same thing every day. He prefers to snuggle but also knows when to take alone time. He is fascinated by the smallest things.
Before we had Potato, I would read Mary Oliver’s poetry on dogs and wonder how someone could have such profound realizations—let alone find the words for them—from watching a dog?
Now I get it. I GET IT. I have learned so much from Potato’s way of being in the world and from my way of responding to him. I’ve learned about unconditional love and how hard I am on myself for things that are inevitably flawed and human. I have grown confident in knowing another being’s needs: I know what each little bark or squeak means, when he’s hungry or needs to go out, what he wants before he tells me. While there are many, many differences between pets and children, raising Potato has given me new courage for my hope to someday become a parent.
To celebrate a dog’s birthday is very much not about the dog. DUH. It is about recognizing what he brings to our little family and expressing our appreciation and noting our growth. I mean, are we going to make him a cake? DUH. But unlikely he’ll remember yesterday was any different. Which is exactly why I love him so, so much.
Now, I’ll leave us with a *small* selection of some of my favorite Po-tographs.
xo
em
GOTCHA DAY
TATER TOT
PO AND FRIENDS
Goodbye, wallpaper. Hello, paint!
When wallpaper is too expensive but you still want a pop of color and pattern in a space, painting is the way to go.