Trying Something New: What Getting a Puppy Taught Me About Patience

Getting a puppy has been… a lot.

And if I’m being honest, we didn’t just get a dog for the sake of getting a dog. We made a very intentional decision to bring one into our home.

After losing Lizzie… and with the boys grown and out of the house… our home felt different. Quieter. Emptier in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it.

I missed the energy. The routine. The feeling of something (or someone) being there.

I wanted our home to feel like a home again.

So we said yes to Ruby.

And now here we are… in the messy middle of it.

The accidents. The constant watching. The pulling things out of her mouth that should absolutely not be in there. The moments where you think you’re making progress… and then the next day feels like you’re right back where you started.

It’s very much a one step forward, two steps back… then two steps forward, one step back kind of rhythm.

It's been 16 years since I trained a dog, but getting a new puppy has reminded me just how much patience and consistency this really takes.

It reminds me a lot of raising kids. The same themes show up… staying calm when you want to lose it, repeating yourself over and over, trusting that what you’re doing is working even when you can’t fully see it yet.

There’s no shortcut. There’s no hack.

It’s just showing up… again and again… even on the days it feels like nothing is sticking.

And that’s what I’m working on right now… being more patient, less reactive, and reminding myself why we made this decision in the first place.

Because even in the chaos… she’s already bringing that feeling back.

And little by little… our home is starting to feel like a home again.