One thing that has taken up a good bit of my time during quarantine is Amos our Golden Doodle. When we first started talking about getting a dog, we wanted a mini Golden Doodle, but then when Amos (not a mini) became available and the quarantine had just begun, we decided this would be a really good time to get a puppy, so we went for it! He has been one of the best things that could have come out of this situation! We’ve all fallen in love with him. I’m not sure if I’ve said that our daughter Rebecca has been home for about 6 weeks now, so she has also been able to get to know Amos and I’ve loved being able to spend time with both of them! He is the best puppy…when we got him, he was mostly trained and has had very few accidents. He is so good natured and loves everyone he meets. Rebecca and I take him for long walks almost every day and he’s able to walk so much further now than when we first got him! He’s probably doubled in size but I will know for sure on Friday when he goes to the vet.

I’ve lived with dogs for most of my life, but I’ve never had a dog that I considered “mine”. Even though everyone in our family loves him, he still feels like my dog. He follows me around everywhere I go and he sleeps with us every night. He’s such a bed hog. This morning, I woke up and he had his head on my neck roll….he had half the bed and we had the other half.

We’ve fallen into somewhat of a night time routine since quarantine started. Most evenings, I cook dinner…we have takeout occasionally and then we settle in to watch something on Netflix. After, we all go up to bed and Amos knows exactly what to do. He’s not quite big enough to jump on the bed, so he puts his floppy paws on the bed and waits for me to lift him up. After that, he settles in and goes to sleep. He is totally rotten, but so good!

Amos is so gentle with Graham and Hudson, our grandsons. He does get a little excited when they start running around and has put a couple of holes in shirts trying to catch them, but they are learning to be calmer around him and I know he will be such a positive part of their lives.

We’ve been working on teaching Amos tricks…he knows how to sit and shake and just this weekend, he learned lay down. He’ll be getting some formal training soon, but for now he’s doing so well and he’s very smart.

I’m not sure if Doodles all have sensitive stomachs, but Amos has been banned from any people food because nothing good ever comes of it. The day we had this picnic, he ate (stole) way too much people food (including strawberries) and had a tummy ache. He eats dog food mixed with eggs, ground chicken or turkey, ground lamb and vegetables. I make a different concoction of meats and veggies with no seasoning and add it to his dog food throughout the week.

Amos has fit right into our family from the very beginning! He loves to snuggle on the sofa with us!

One thing I do know is that Amos doesn’t have quite enough self control to be on the same picnic blanket as the food at any picnic. This time of the year, especially given that we can’t go very many places yet, it’s so nice to take dinner outside in the form of a picnic, but next time…I’ll take a table to set it up on.

Aside from the fact that dogs can bring so much love into your life, there are so many other benefits to having a dog. Having a canine friend is linked to lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol and therefore fewer heart attacks. Walking your dog is a good form of exercise and can help you to loose weight. Dogs can improve your social life…I’ve already met people in my neighborhood that I wouldn’t have met as a result of walking Amos. Spending just a few minutes with a pet can lower anxiety and blood pressure and help prevent depression. All in all, I’d say that for us, getting Amos was one of the best decisions we could have made…and he’s only chewed up 2 shoes…but we’re working on that because he is just a puppy!

I’d love to know about your dog! Have you gotten a new puppy recently, or do you have a dog that has been part of your family for years?