Show and Tell – Dutch Buddy

Time for another Show and Tell post with Andrea at Momfessionals and today we are chatting about our pets!  Shhh….don’t tell anyone but I am not an animal person.  Well, at least that is what I claimed until two summers ago.  Come along and meet our little Dutch Buddy!  
My Littles had been begging for a dog forever.  I held my ground for so many years after the last dog we loved broke my heart with severe separation anxiety because we began being gone from home so much.  I knew the investment it took and I really just could not stand dog hair everywhere and the thought of having to train a puppy.   
These two kept pushing me and finally I caved when a friend of a friend was looking for a home for 4 little pups.  No way was I interested in a male dog for sure but then we walked in and this little pudgy dog came bounding out of the pen with the cutest little freckled nose and not a care in the world.  He roamed around and was totally looking for trouble the entire time we played with the other three and we just kept going back to him.  He was the one!  Personality plus and so cute.  
We first named him Bentley and were so proud of our choice.  No sooner than I posted this on social media did my oldest son call and tell me that was not an option due to his high school girlfriend and her new boyfriend adopting a puppy and naming it Bentley.  #realworldproblems  Back to the drawing board!  I was looking up puppy names and the name Babe popped up.  Both of my grandfathers were called by nicknames, one Babe and one Dutch.  Seeing babe made me think of Dutch and everyone loved it.   Carly, however, just kept calling him Buddy and so Dutch Buddy became his little name and it was so fitting!  So basically, Dutch is named after my grandpa.  Ha! 
I was so determined to crate train him which was so much easier said than done.  It was seriously like having a new born all over again and by the end of the first week I was a sleep deprived wreck.  Could you have seriously resisted this face though?!!  Oh my gosh this pup sucked me right in and I couldn’t wait to get home each day at lunch to take him out for a bit.  
I took him everywhere possible with us; restaurant patios, Lowes, Hobby Lobby and I even took him in Academy once but I’m not sure it was allowed.  I just couldn’t stand leaving him alone too long and the little puppy class we attended really pushed socializing him.   Almost immediately I begin taking him to puppy daycare once or twice a week when I knew I couldn’t make it home at lunch.   I was a crazy puppy mom for sure.  
Carly fell for Dutch just as hard and was thrilled to dress him up as a hot dog for Halloween!  
There have been lots of sweet snuggles and he is fiercely protective of her.  No one can even give her a cross glance without Dutch stepping in to protect her.  
He LOVES going for a ride no matter where we might be headed.  
He graduated to playcare when he was one and he comes home from there like this!  Totally exhausted from a day playing with his bestie Jane.  
I mean y’all….he just totally wormed his way right into everyone’s heart!  
And can you blame us?  Just look at that face!!! 
Even big sissy loved coming over to snuggle with Dutch and get kisses.  
And by the looks of it he is totally okay by that.  
Even Riley who is totally not an animal guy fell for this cute little guy!  
One of my favorite shots…he loves keeping me in line when I’m driving!  
And seriously isn’t he just so photogenic?!!
I never understood when people talked about dogs being therapeutic but I totally get it now.  When I walk in at the end of the day this guy greets me with so much enthusiasm it’s so hard to be down.   
He’s so willing to just be with us!  When I am not feeling well I can totally count on him to be laying right beside me.  
He’s always on alert making sure to protect over our house and our family.  

And he knows you only live once so you better take advantage of the fresh air every chance you get!  

Dutch is totally up for an adventure!  
And we take him along every chance we get.  He loves riding in the john boat.  
He knows how much it means to his sister to celebrate special occasions and tolerates things like party hats!  
Of course the cake was worth it until we made him share with his friend Maggie.  
He has a very, very small personal space and is often right in my face!  
His smile is so my favorite!  Y’all…I can’t get enough of him!
This is probably my very favorite look!  Anytime I ask him a question this is the way he looks at me.  Do you think he is wondering if I’m a little crazy?!! 
When I drop him off for a playcare visit it’s just like dropping off a kid.  He runs in with his tail down like he’s afraid and it’s all just show for mom.  As soon as I’m gone he is a wild man and plays with his friends all day!  
Then he looks like this when I pick him up!  He seriously almost jumps the wall he is so excited to see me when I arrive.  

My favorite is going to let him out of his crate early in the morning after Keith leaves for work and he comes and burrows down under the covers and snuggles with me!!  
But y’all…when my mom shows up all of a sudden I’m totally chopped liver!  How does even a dog know that grandmas are extra special?!!

My floors and cabinets have never been so clean either!  
That tail just a waggin’ waiting for his treat!  
And the sad face when he is bad and gets locked out.  
And now I have a new fur grandbaby to love.  Me, the non animal person is now a fur grandma and I could not be more excited!  
We were so happy when these two met and got along.  
They are both so good and so adorable!  
Plus, I’m sure some dogs find baseball to be a boring sport but Dutch totally says it’s his favorite!  
I really just never knew how much I was missing.  Now my house is covered in dog hair and  I can barely even read a story about someone losing their dog without getting weepy thinking about Dutch getting old one day.  He seriously brings me so much joy every day and aside from the occasional chewed up shoe he is really very good.  
I really do highly suggest crate training especially if you have to be away from home for work during the day.  Once Dutch was about 16 months old he has been able to stay out of his crate during the day while I’m at work but he still goes into his crate each night to sleep.  He feels safe there and often enters his crate even when there are people around.  
That’s it..that’s my Dutch Buddy in pictures!  Can’t wait to see everyone’s sweet little muffins today. 

27 Comments

  1. Furbabies give us something that no human can seem to! I can't imagine my life without my two little furbabies (Dolce & Gabbana) … Your Dutch is tres adorable …and definitely an important part of your family. Your grand-furbaby is tres cute as well …

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  2. This brought tears to my eyes Shelly. You have captured the essence of having a pet. You are so right, Dutch has so much personality. It reminds me so much of my Molly who USED to be that way. But at 13 years old and a senior dog who is old and trying to get through her days trying to be a puppy in spite of her age, it is all too much some days to watch. I love, love the photo of him watching you in the car. Precious. This made my morning!

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  3. Great pictures of cute little DB! I had never seen the puppy pics and wow, he was so precious. I can see why you picked him out of the bunch and how he stole your heart! As always, I think he looks like Albie's little cousin. Have a good Tuesday!

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  4. oh he is such a cutie!!! and those puppy pics have me swooning, eeeek so cute!
    He looks like he is a perfect fit in your family, the love of a dog is such a special thing.

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  5. I saw that Andrea was linking up animal posts and I so thought about doing one of our Daisy. Dutch buddy looks like such a ham and such a sweet boy! Love that picture of him up in your face. This post just made me smile today!!

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  13. I love your Dutch! He reminds me of my Chippy though they aren't duplicate mixes. I have always had a dog and the time I went without one was not a time of total joy in my life. I love the way dogs can read us and know what we need. xoxo

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  15. Super cute Dutch Buddy! I was going to talk about Merv, the cat, but I ran out of time/decided binge watching OITNB sounded more fun! 🙂

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  17. I so loved reading every word of this post! He is positively adorable. We are a huge family of dog lovers and when the holidays roll around there are just about as many dogs roaming our home as people. If Mina is not snuggled up on her little leopard chaise lounge she can be found in her crate because she loves it. Thank you for sharing all about your Dutch Buddy!

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  19. What a cutie. We just have cats, but I have a granddog named Lucy. When she gets tired, she just goes to her crate.

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