Watching a puppy grow is an inspiring and even a faith-enriching experience. To see their personalities emerge, their intelligence and compassion, is awesome. Our newest golden retriever, Gracie, is surely a gift from God, and I want to experience every moment of her puppyhood. But that doesn’t mean raising a puppy is always a blessing, let me tell you.
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Exhibit one is the photo at right. And mind you, this is the second TV remote Gracie has masticated. Add to the list: phone chargers, pens, windowsills, chair legs, credit cards, boots, scarves, gloves, socks, belts, underwear, a shower curtain. I’ll stop right there but the list goes on.
It is all done in the greatest of innocence so how can I yell at her? I simply remove the object from her mouth, provided it is still reasonably intact, and give her one of her toys to munch on. Five minutes later she’s trotting upstairs with a pair of sunglasses in her jaws.
Retrievers are mouthy dogs so it is only natural that they sample the world with their mouths. Still I pray for the day when Gracie grows out of this phase, as I know from experience she eventually will. In the meantime I say another prayer too:
Lord, I know our puppy is a gift from you, but could you maybe find her better things to chew?
I’d love to hear what illicit items your dogs have chomped on. Post below and include a picture if you have one.
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