Moose and Me
By Krista Clinton
Moving to Colorado opened up a whole new world to us; a world of puppies.
Our kids have begged us for a dog for a couple of years and when we saw how dog-friendly Colorado was we decided that we would finally give in. As luck would have it, a friend of mine had a purebred yellow lab to give away and we became brand new puppy parents to Moose.
Having a puppy, especially a yellow lab, is not all fun and games. They have a lot of energy. Moose was having a problem with jumping on the kids and biting. We know he is going to be a huge dog and we would rather fix the problems while he’s still little, so we enrolled him in puppy school.
We enrolled Moose at PetSmart and took an eight-week course with Paula as our trainer. The first thing I had to learn is that puppy training does not a perfect puppy make! Paula taught our family the tools and it was up to us to go home and really teach Moose. We almost gave up after week five but Paula reassured us about what we were doing and gave us some new tips on how to deal with the nipping and jumping. And while we don’t have the most well-behaved dog, we have a better understanding of how to detour the bad behaviors. Thanks Paula.
Every healthy dog needs a vet to keep him healthy. A friend recommended Horizon Veterinarian on Bridge Street and that’s where we have been going. Moose has had an exam and several shots so far. I love that they always call the next day to make sure that he handled the shots okay. He will be going in to get fixed at the end of January and I am very confident that he will receive the best care at Horizon.
We also had to find a babysitter for our Moose when we went out of town for a night. One of the places our vet recommended was Play, Stay and More and that’s where our Moose spent a night. I was very pleased with his care and no longer have to worry about what to do with my pup when we head out of town.
One of the things that we love to do with our dog is go to the dog park. Our neighbors, after seeing how much energy Moose had, suggested that we try the dog park behind the softball park on Bromley Lane. Moose loved it! And we loved that it tired him out. An added bonus is that we met some new friends for Moose and us.
Having a dog truly is hard work and a lot of responsibility. I don’t think I was prepared for all of the time that would be invested in this dog. Put in that work though, and love that dog and he will love you right back and bring lots of fun and happiness into your new world. We are so happy to have Moose as the newest member of our family.
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