Life Lessons From My New Dog

This is Skyla, also known as Cutest Puppy on Earth.

Chris and I adopted Skyla from the local humane society last week. She’s a 10-month-old boxer. Even though we’ve only had her for a week, she’s already taught me some valuable lessons.

You can overcome a bad past. At some point in her short life, Skyla’s right back leg was broken. The bone healed funny, and now she has a wobbly walk. We don’t know if her leg was broken by a bad owner, an animal, or an accident. Her injured leg doesn’t hurt, and she doesn’t act like she has a disability. She is very friendly and trusts people immediately.

Finish what you start. Skyla has already accumulated an assortment of doggie toys. She especially like tennis balls, but not for playing fetch. She’ll use her super strong teeth to pull off the outer layer of felt, then she’ll puncture the rubber and pry the ball apart until its insides are scattered across the floor. It might take her a while, but she doesn’t stop until that tennis ball is good and dead.

Take a nap. It’s tiring being a puppy! Skyla’s to-do list is a mile long—sniff the bushes, bark at the ducks, frolic in the leaves, eat all the dog treats, lay in the sun, destroy another toy, and jump on the bed. She recharges by taking frequent naps, usually on the couch.

Give love as much as possible. Skyla is always ready for cuddles. She likes to burrow into my side and breathe in my scent. She follows us from room to room just to be near us. And she gives sloppy puppy kisses freely.

Fart loudly and often. Umm…I don’t exactly follow this one. I tend to avoid letting one rip while in polite company, but Skyla often likes to fill a lull in the conversation with a stinky toot. I guess the lesson is to be yourself and forget about what other people think.

We love Skyla so much, and we’re so happy to have a new addition to our family.

What have your pets taught you?

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12 Comments

  1. Lyosha Gont on September 10, 2012 at 11:41 pm

    I love ‘in case you missed it’ fo sweet list. Animals are teaching us so much even if we do not analize it



    • Sage Grayson on September 11, 2012 at 10:34 am

      Thanks, Lyosha! Skyla teaches me something new every day. 🙂



  2. Megan Gann on December 29, 2011 at 8:39 pm

    What a gorgeous pup! She looks ridiculously happy – and so do you guys!



  3. Colorissue on December 21, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    Oh that is so wonderful…I love love boxers. She is so so cute! btw I love your name! My little girls name is Sage! 🙂

    xoxo
    Aarean



  4. Cara on December 20, 2011 at 12:35 pm

    Skyla is so cute, and I think rescues tend to make the sweetest pups! Right about now I’d like to join her in the napping department!

    We are pet-less at the moment, too little space but my dog growing up was always excited to get outside and run, and I try to remember that on cold/rainy days when sitting on the couch sounds better 🙂



  5. Shybiker on December 19, 2011 at 3:45 pm

    Kudos to you for rescuing Skyla. That’s really admirable. All of my animals were rescues, too. I wish you the best with her.

    I’m so upset that I see you’ve returned to blogging and I didn’t know about it. Even though I follow you on Google, your posts haven’t been showing up in my reader so I just assumed you were still away. I have to figure out what’s wrong because you are the one blogger whose posts I *never* want to miss!



    • Sage on December 20, 2011 at 11:52 am

      I’m sorry! I feel so guilty that people can’t find me anymore. 🙁 I’m on WordPress now, so my Google followers aren’t linked to my feed anymore. I’ll try to fix this on my end too.



  6. xvavaveganx on December 19, 2011 at 10:32 am

    OMG what a little cutieface! She’s a beautiful pup, I love boxers 🙂 Glad I found you again, just realized you move on the internet as well as in real life 🙂 Glad to see you are doing well!



  7. H&K Style Journey on December 19, 2011 at 11:51 am

    Wait a minute! You haven’t been showing up on our blogroll so we didn’t even know you were back! Just headed over here to email you. Guess we will be doing some catching up 🙂 Skylar is adorable!!!!!!



    • Sage on December 20, 2011 at 11:50 am

      Sorry! I know, people are having trouble finding me. I bought the domain name, then I switched to WordPress, and my feed got messed up. Serves me right for making changes! 🙁



  8. Meg Vetsch on December 19, 2011 at 8:29 am

    Skylar is so so cute. And I totally agree – pets can teach you SO much!



  9. Molly on December 19, 2011 at 3:37 am

    Oh my goodness is she ever so cute!! <3 What a great post to introduce her, too. My animals have certainly taught me a lot, including to just be myself and to enjoy the simple things in life.

    She sounds like a wonderful addition to your family. Such a beauty!