Raya's First Time At The Beach with Puffles
The only thing better than having a dog is having two dogs. And the only thing better than taking a dog to the beach is taking two dogs to the beach. :)
We love the occasional off-season beach trip. We typically can’t get to all of our favorite mid-Atlantic beaches that we’ve accumulated over the years in a single summer, so cue an off-season trip to the one we missed the previous season. Off-season beach trips are especially great for dogs, as the beaches are usually quite deserted and distraction free, and dog regulations far more lax if even enforced at all. And let’s be honest, we actually go to the beach more for our dogs at this point than our teenaged children. Our kids used to love Virginia Beach, VA and still do, but now are more like “muh WiFi need to login” whereas the dogs are like “YEEEEEEEEHAAAAW!!!!” In defense of our children, having now two dogs has increased their beach enthusiasm by quite a bit, because it’s pure joy seeing two dogs blast around a beach and having the time of their lives together. You can’t help but bask in their joy and enthusiasm, and be a part of that with them. I’ve said this many times, but dogs are a gift from God to teach us humans what pure love and joy is supposed to be like.
Believe it or not, this was the first time we had both Puffles and Raya in a car at the same time together, so what better way to test it out than a 4 hour road trip? I folded down the split right rear seat of the third row of my Suburban and let Raya’s crate peek through, so that she could stay crated or come out into the back seat if she wanted to. We actually kept her crated the whole way down and she was fine. On the way back up, we gave the dogs the whole rear seat and allowed her out of her crate, and they shared the space together very nicely and didn’t fight even once! We were impressed, to say the least. They’ll both be great road-trippers together.
But enough of the logistics. We kept saying “we’re going to da BEACH!” to Puffles and he knew exactly what we meant. He could smell it as soon as we got there, and pulled hard for us to take him there right away. Raya was like, beach? Huh? What? She learned fast!
Doggy beach photography with Canon EOS R6 and RF 70-200mm f/4L IS lens.
So yeah, could you tell they had fun? :) They were both dead tired after blasting around the beach each day and slept very well at night. Poor Raya could barely even move for a final potty break one night, and had to be carried out. The weather was in the mid-50’s for most of our time there, which is just about perfect for these dogs to be able to blast around without getting overheated, which is actually another great reason for an off-season beach trip for dogs.
MOAR Photos
Fun fact. I took nearly 1,500 photos over the weekend, but only put 27 in the blog. If this wasn’t enough and you really need MOAR photos, click the link below to see an extended cut with triple the number of photos. I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of these two. Enjoy! :)
See More Doggy Pages Below
Crazy or Not? A Month With Two Dogs, Puffles and Raya
So a month with now two dogs. How did it go? Are we nuts? A lot of people we’ve talked to have said we’re crazy for getting another dog, but just remember there’s a fine line between genius and crazy! :)
Well, January 2023 was an interesting month in the Pake household to say the least, bringing another puppy home with less than 48 hours notice on January 4th. In case you missed it, we had just decided to get another puppy on January 2nd after getting back from our winter vacation. We had been thinking a late-Spring puppy and had previously checked in with our breeder, only to find out they had a completely adorable and absolutely perfect 10-week old female puppy available that was going to be part of their breeding program, that urgently needed to be re-homed for some reason. We picked her up that Wednesday, and the rest is history.
INTRODUCING RAYA THE MINI GOLDENDOODLE (BOODLES/JAX 10/22/22)
So here’s all of the craziness from the month, starting with the bad.
Here’s What I’m NOT Going To Remember About Bringing Home Another Puppy
First things first, talking to your breeder late on a Monday about an available puppy, and agreeing to pick her up less than 48 hours later was absolutely nuts. I mean, if you have a deposit down or you’re expecting a human child, you have some time to plan measured in months. This was hardly even days but rather hours. Let’s just say that Tuesday was absolutely frantic, tearing through the house looking for all sorts of puppy related things, and then making a bee-line to the local pet store which was cleaned out from the holidays for the rest. Fortunately, I was able to find everything that I absolutely needed prior to pickup between our basement and the local pet store, and the couple of things that could wait arrived a few days later in the mail! If there’s anything that was crazy about all of this, that was it. Not sure I want to do that again, but Raya has been worth it! :)
I’m already forgetting about a month of sleep deprivation. Even though my son was mostly responsible for getting her out in the wee hours of the morning if she needed to go, my “dad hearing” still kicked in listening for my kids to be listening for the dog. I never slept past 4am for most of the month, and turned into a sleep deprived zombie. She typically needed to wake up and get out for a bathroom break just before 6am, and only a few times before that in the 2am timeframe. This is actually really good for a puppy, but I don’t remember much of the rest of January due to the sleep deprivation and overall really light sleeping with the “dad hearing” thing.
I’m also already forgetting Raya’s excessively bad nipping habit when we got her. All puppies nip, but it was really bad and might have been handled in a way by her previous family that made things worse. She was probably just too excited to finally be in a forever home, but we had to give her the tough love treatment of depriving her of attention whenever she nipped, which was a lot. I think it was more painful for us than for her because she’s just so cute, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do and it was 80% better in about a week, and after a full month with us her bite inhibition is now excellent.
I’m also already forgetting about her pea-sized bladder and needing to go out every 30 minutes to an hour in the middle of winter. This is why you might want to think twice about a “Christmas puppy,” but these fully professionally bred GANA blue ribbon Goldendoodles are wicked smart, and we think she might have been playing us for treats when she realized she could get a snack every time she had to go even the slightest bit! Crate training is teaching her to hold it, and as of this writing she can finally go down for bed at 9pm and make it past 7am until she needs to go! Woohoo!!!
Another quickly forgotten issue were her doggy diva meltdowns about being fenced off and always trying to bust down our pet fencing no matter how well reinforced, a few times successfully. The cutest thing she did after we put some fencing up just trying to keep her out of the kitchen, was this very aghast princessy look of horror at once again being fenced and not willing to stand for it, backing up a bit while closing her little eyes and mouth as tightly as she could, and then trying to ram through the fence again! It was so cute I couldn’t help but laugh, and then just picked her up and held her as we put the fence away.
So pet fencing doesn’t work for her. Puffes was okay with it when he was a puppy, but all dogs are different! We figured out she’s much happier and far more calm just being crated temporarily if she needs to be, or if someone can run interference and have her practice her recall and lie down commands for treats, so that she’s not hovering right next to our feet in the kitchen and in danger of getting stepped on. Fair enough!
Accidents in the house? Very few. Discounting the first few times she peed in the house, always on the mat next to the door to our garage because we suspect her previous keepers might have been training her to go on a pee mat, I can definitely count her accidents on two hands with fingers to spare.
One of the last accidents she had, my wife was “watching” her and jokingly called her ugly. Less than a minute later, princess Raya pooped on her exercise mat in protest, and that I will remember! Dog’s don’t necessarily know words, but they know tone of voice and expression, and I have no doubt this was a protest pooping right on my wife’s mat. The funny thing was my wife was on her exercise bike and clipped in, so she couldn’t just jump off in an instant to stop her! I wasn’t there, but it was hilarious!
What I AM Going To Remember About Bringing Home Another Puppy
She’s just so cute and so precious! I mean, who doesn’t love a puppy?
Everybody loves a puppy! Who doesn’t want to hold one? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a puppy that wasn’t cute, but Raya has a cuteness factor of 11 with her adorable little girly face, little mitten paws, white haired nose and chest, and white tail tip. You can’t hold her or even look at her and not feel incredibly uplifted and overwhelmed with love. I think puppies, and dogs in general, are God’s gift to humans to help show us what true unconditional love and dedication looks like. Imagine a world where everybody treats you with the same love, affection, and dedication that your dog does. I think we all need more of that! Stressed about the sorry state of the world that we live in? Feeling down, demoralized, or depressed? Get a puppy! (Pro tip: You also won’t have time to be depressed about anything while you’re busy caring for one!)
We had to give Raya a bath because she had gotten stinky from rolling around in the yard. It was a bit cool in the house and I noticed she was shivering, and the poor baby was seemingly panicked and didn’t know what to do with herself, or to go curl up in her doggy bed or blanket to warm up. Aww, poor baby! I was more than happy to grab her blanket for her and wrap her up in it, and then hold her tightly for 15 minutes until she warmed up. Best feeling ever.
Seeing my kids bond with another puppy has been heartwarming also. When we got Puffles, my daughter had been begging us for a dog for two years, but quickly realized she was in over her head. And then my son never really wanted a dog at the time because he was afraid of them, so Puffles became “our dog”. Does that at all sound familiar with kids and dogs?
Anyhow, they’re older now and know full well what’s involved, and giving them another chance to bond with a puppy that loves and adores them has been great. I think both of my children will have pets of their own as adults. They know now that they’re a lot of work, but also a source of endless love and affection. Our kids are getting old enough now to know that a lot of humans are just plain crazy. No human can love you like a dog will, and it’s such a special feeling to have such an affectionate breed of dog that bonds so closely with their humans. You’ll never be alone or lacking for love with a dog!
From Only Doggy Child To Big Brother
What’s happened with Puffles has been the most amazing thing of all. The first few days were definitely awkward. There were more than a few angry barks, chasing her into corners and a bit of rough-housing, but he never hurt her and we stayed out of it as suggested! Most if not all of the initial hostility was done after the second full day, and he and Raya started bonding thereafter. Puffles quickly turned into a great big brother and started doing half of our work for us. He’s been great at disciplining Raya and showing her the ropes, scolding her and keeping her out of things she shouldn’t be into, and burning off tons of her energy for us after they started playing together in our yard on the third day we had her.
Letting them meet for the first time in the neutral territory of our yard definitely helped. Walking them together, treating them together while they sat or lied down also helped. Play time in the yard also really helped. I think Puffles was taking out some aggression in the yard at first, but quickly realized how much fun he was having with his new companion, and now they love to run and play in the yard together after getting back from every walk. A few puppy ice cream socials definitely helped also, but most of all just time! I’ve never heard of two goldendoodles co-habiting and not getting along. Puffles still likes his space and some alone time, but they’re getting along just fine in our home now, and have the best times together in our yard and now on road-trips.
Are They Fighting or Playing?
I’ve never seen Puffles having more fun than he has with now with his new baby sister. They love chasing and wrestling each other in the yard for an hour or more per day 10-15 minutes at a time. Puffles didn’t even really know how to play with dogs before and never had much interest in other dogs, but he loves playing with Raya and has a blast.
I grew up with a dog, but not two dogs, so this has all been new for me too. It’s tough to tell if dogs are fighting or playing if you’re not familiar, but managed to find this really helpful blog and chart below. There was really only one or two mildly hostile moments by Puffles the first time or two they played which I had to step in to referee, but after that it’s all been good natured fun and exercise for both of them!
From Puffles to “Buffles”
Puffles has gotten so BUFF from all of the exercise and play time that he wasn’t getting before, that we’re calling him “BUFFLES” now. He’s seriously transformed into one big hunk of muscle, and has probably gained a few pounds in muscle mass and a fair amount of girth too. We’re not kidding about this at all. We’ve all noticed the difference when we have to pick him up and carry him somewhere! He’s like one of those gym bros that has to walk with a wider stance or with their arms sticking out a bit, because their muscles are so big!
Raya was so energetic when we brought her home and when they first started playing, that she seemed to be getting the better of Puffles, and was able to out-play and out-maneuver him, and was shockingly quick. She caught him off-guard, but he quickly developed and doesn’t get taken advantage of nearly as much. It’s been hilarious seeing her “buzz his tower” and pulling moves straight out of Top Gun when she “hits the brakes and he flies right by”. LOL
It’s been a shocking physical transformation for Puffles, and underneath all of that fluff, Raya is a solid bit of muscle too! All of the physical activity and play is so great for both of them.
Verdict?
We’re all exhausted, but totally in love with our new addition to the family. Two dogs are great and just a natural thing, especially two of the same breed that will be similar in size to each other. Absolutely no regrets here. Crazy? Not at all. Just seeing how much fun Puffles is having that he never would have been having without Raya is reason enough for me. He deserves a furry companion to go through life with, and now he has one.
There’s also something really special about caring for a breeder’s litter pick as a Guardian family. In case you missed this little tidbit also, Raya isn’t actually our dog, she’s our breeder’s dog that we’re caring for (although she’ll eventually be ours fully). So Raya isn’t just cream of the crop, but cream of the cream, and hopefully the future mommy of a dozen or more other adorable little puppies that will bring so much joy and happiness to so many other families. It’s not about not having to shell out $4000 for one of these fully professionally bred and genetically tested out the wazoo dogs, although that’s nice too. It’s about being a part of the journey as “Raya’s family,” seeing her become a mommy, and hopefully bringing so much more joy into the world.
And the only thing better than one super loving dog excited to come greet you when you come home with their tail wagging furiously, are TWO dogs greeting you and two sets of wagging tails. Best feeling ever! :)
Puffles and Raya are a great pair, and we all couldn’t be happier.
Keep up with the latest on Puffles and Raya at their dedicated Doggos page below.
Happy 1st Birthday Puffles
Is it October 10th already? Yes it is! When we heard from Amy Lane at Fox Creek Farm that our puppy had been born on October 10th, we knew it was fate and that we were meant to have him, because October 10th (ten-ten) is also National Taiwan Day every year, and we’re a Taiwanese family.
Happy 1st Birthday to our amazing, adorable,
and beloved mini goldendoodle, Puffles!
Is it October 10th already? Yes it is! When we heard from Amy Lane at Fox Creek Farm that our puppy had been born on October 10th, we knew it was fate and that we were meant to have him, because October 10th (ten-ten) is also National Taiwan Day every year, and we’re a Taiwanese family. By the way, a “Puffle” is a tasty Asian egg waffle ice cream treat, which given his fluffy and “puffy” coat and birth on National Taiwan Day, all just made for the perfect name for him.
While I’m at it, here’s some recent photos of Puffles along with us on the 3 mile hike around Hawksbill Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. He did great and loved the hike!
It sure has been a lot of work becoming a dog family, but Puffles is the absolute perfect doggy in every way. He’s so unbelievably smart, playful, and energetic, yet still so cuddly and happy to roll over on his back for some belly rubs all the same. He has such a wonderful personality, and its such a blessing to have him in our lives. He’s made us all better humans, too.
We ended up celebrating his birthday a day early on the 9th, because our daughter Katie had a special school trip of a few days to go on starting on the 10th. I got him out to the park twice, once over lunch and then right after I got home from work and let him chase his favorite ball around off leash. He’s not very tall, so he always loves it when the grass has just been mowed, and always has the biggest smile on his face when I’m about to let him off leash to go run at maximum speed. We still remember when he was just a tiny little puppy and most of us could outrun him, but not anymore! He’s super fast now, and had such a great time at the park.
We spoiled him with a special doggy birthday cake from Okra & Molly, which he loved! After having two pieces of it and licking up the crumbs, he stood at attention looking at all of us and just looked so happy and content. We’re so glad he loves his family! He’s so worth it, and brings so much love and joy to all of us. What a special soul to have in our lives.
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY PUFFLES! :)
More about Puffles
SEE ALSO: Our Mini Goldendoodle, Puffles
Puffles Main Page: PUFFLES
Puffles Latest Photos: PUFFLES LATEST
Our Mini Goldendoodle, Puffles
After living in our crammed townhome for 10 years, we finally upgraded to a single family home with a nice sized yard last year, and got a dog to go along with it. It's been a pretty big transition for all of us to become "dog people" and we're still getting there, but Puffles has been awesome and the perfect dog for us. Puffles was born on October 10th, 2017, and we picked him up and brought him home on December 5th.
After living in our crammed townhome for 10 years, we finally upgraded to a single family home with a nice sized yard last year, and got a dog to go along with it. It's been a pretty big transition for all of us to become "dog people" and we're still getting there, but Puffles has been awesome and the perfect dog for us. Puffles was born on October 10th, 2017, and we picked him up and brought him home on December 5th.
Our son, William, actually has terrible dog allergies, so we specifically bought a multi-gen Goldendoodle from Fox Creek Farm in West Virginia. A Goldendoodle is a Golden Retriever and Poodle mix, and Fox Creek Farm breeds multi-gen Goldendoodles, which are 100% hypoallergenic. We went to check out the dogs in the Fall of 2017 and had William pet them, and then had him rub his face and eyes and he had no issues at all, so we felt safe buying a dog from them. You have to be careful with some goldendoodle breeders. F1 breeds (first crossing of a Golden Retriever and a Poodle) only have a 50/50 chance of being hypoallergenic, but F1b (bred back to a Poodle, so 75% poodle), or F2/F2b, or multigens like what Fox Creek Farm breeds, are all pretty safe for those with allergies. Puffles does not shed at all! You can get Goldendoodles in all sizes, but we went for a Mini (15-30 lbs) as we thought it'd be a good and manageable size for us, and it looks like Puffles is going to top out at right around 20 lbs.
Puffles is the perfect little doggy. He's exceptionally smart and can easily figure most things out on his own, and is very easy to train, and took to his crate very well. He's also very well behaved in that he doesn't get scared or have any anxiety, even when he's left at home for awhile. We just happened to start a major kitchen renovation (a complete gutting) in the spring after we got Puffles, and he was not even the least bit skittish or alarmed with all of the noise, and does just fine with vacuum cleaners too. He's also very cuddly and playful, and he has a great temperament and personality overall. It was definitely tough picking up a new dog in December, but we've all gotten to know him, he's all gotten to know us, and he's a great addition to our family.
I'm lucky enough to work about 5 minutes from home, so we never had to leave him in his crate for too long even when he was a puppy. He's never had an accident in his crate at all, and to date, we can probably count on our two hands the number of times he's had an accident in our house, and most all of the time it's because he wasn't managed properly by his humans (we don't count the times he pees on the floor a little because he's so excited to see us! LOL) Now that he's just about full-sized, we fence off a small area around his crate for him to play in so that he doesn't have to be stuck in his crate all day, and leave some classical music running on the TV and he does just fine. If I can't make it home to let him out over lunch or if I'm away on a business trip, Debbie's brother, who is disabled and lives with us full time, can let him out and take him for a walk too. So Puffles is pretty spoiled in that he never has to be crated or left in his fenced off area for more than about 3-4 hours at a time.
There's nothing cuter than this little fur ball coming at you at full speed! :)
I'll be completely honest. Debbie and I have had one too many crazy, neurotic, abusive, self-destructive, or otherwise toxic people in our lives, and I think we're just plain burned out from other human beings to the point that we've become almost totally anti-social, and hardly want anything to do with anyone else these days. It feels sad to even be saying anything like that, but if you know you know and you'll totally get it, and if you don't know, don't ask!! The simple and uncomplicated love of a dog has really been a breathe of fresh air for us, and we've all fallen in love with Puffles. Coming home from our day and seeing this little fur ball charge at us at full speed so that he can jump on us and give us all sloppy wet kisses while wagging his tail is the highlight of our day. He's such a sweet and perfect little dog. He's a blessing in our lives, and we're so glad he's ours because we really needed him. :)
Don't let all of the pictures of him with our daughter, Katie, fool you. He's totally a mama's boy!!!!!! He follows Debbie all around the house, and has to be close to her all the time. He can't get enough of her, despite the fact that she has zero responsibility for his care! Go figure!!! And smart boy!!! Lol! Of course Debbie secretly loves it, even if she's annoyed that he's constantly following her and stalking her at all times. She loves the attention too, and Puffles will never grow up or talk back to her either! He'll be her baby forever! LOL!
I needed to pick Puffles up a minute after this so that Debbie could get off of her hammock, and he actually growled at me! Doesn't want to leave his mama! LOL!
Although I do have a doggy Instagram setup for Puffles (@PrincePuffles), I just don't have the time, patience, or the energy for social media these days, so the very best place to keep up with Puffles is on his dedicated web pages! I have a main page that indexes all of his photo albums, and then a "Latest" page which is like a highlight reel. As his Latest page is now, you can see highlights from his entire first year with us from the time he was a little puppy until now. It's really cute. You can also navigate there from my home page menu at StevePake.com > Fun Stuff > Puffles. Be sure to check it out! :)
If you're a Goldendoodle owner and happen to be in the Washington, DC area, or better yet in Montgomery County, MD (we live in Rockville) and would like to get in touch or meet up for a doggy play date, you can get in touch with us at the button below. :)
