Life's Little Surprises

We got a dog about a month ago.

Because that’s what people do when they’ve been married for a few months. It’s the inciting incident for children, I’m sure. If we can manage to take care of a puppy, surely we can handle a kid. Right? Right….?!?!?!

I love our puppy. 

I also want to punch him in the face at least 30% of the time.

meet Zeus at 6 weeks

Sometimes I fear it speaks to my character. What kind of person professes love for the cutest, fluffiest little creature and then two seconds later wants to throw him across the room when his little puppy teeth sink into my face?

Maybe I’m not alone in my bipolar emotions for our dog. Maybe they’re natural. Maybe they’re expected.

Maybe the frustration that ensues when I command him to come and he looks at me, blinks and runs the opposite direction doesn’t have to mean that I’m the worst human alive. Although…I can swear he’s smirking at me the whole time. And then, three seconds later, he’s melting my heart with those crazy puppy dog eyes.

The thing is—we want him to be a good dog. And while he’s a beautiful, playful and truly smart puppy… we know that if we don’t train him while he’s young, he’s going to be a giant terror.

Because not only did we get a dog a month ago…

We got a giant breed dog: a Great Pyrenees. His paws are already bigger than my face. In the four weeks we’ve had him, he’s doubled in weight. I can’t even begin to imagine the cumulative amount of hair that will soon be shedding from all of our bodies.

It’s kind of made marriage more awesome, though. Now we have this little thing that we are teaching together, raising up together, supporting together, and making memories with. We get proud of him and can’t wait for the other to see him do this new awesome trick or when he barks to be let out to go potty (that’s a big deal). We laugh a lot. Cuddle a lot. Discipline a lot. We’ve yelled more in the last four weeks than we have in our entire relationship. Just at the dog, of course.

meet Zeus at 10 weeks

I know a lot of people might say that dogs are a huge commitment and that they change everything… and yes. Both of these things are true. BUT, it’s been fully worth it. It’s caused us to have to communicate more and get on the same page about how we want to decide to do things as we teach this little pup to become a gentle giant.

We’re better for it.

We have something that’s ours.

Something we feel incredibly blessed by.

Something we are invested in together.

Something that reminds us even more of our selfishness and our own need for grace and discipline as we figure out what it means to grow deeper in our own journey of longing to be more like Christ.

Perhaps it is the inciting incident.

Only time will tell.

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