Life with Tucker + The Best Pet Gifts

Unless you’re brand new to these parts, it’s evident by recent posts that our house has been taken over by the world’s CUTEST puppy there ever was. I’ve been wanting to give you guys all the details on our newest family member that has simply stolen ALL our hearts.  So here is a little introduction to Mr. Tucker along with some pet gifts we are dying to get him!

Everyone’s #1 Question…What Kind of Dog is He? Tucker is a teacup goldendoodle. After we had to put Chloe [our german short-haired pointer] to sleep last year at 12 years old due to cancer and a ruptured spleen, we knew it would be a bit before we got another dog, but still began the process of researching breeds and what type of dog would work well for our family… for the next go around, we knew we wanted a smaller dog, hypoallergenic, great with kids, smart/easy to train, one who loves water and is non-shedding. We checked out a few different breeds [cavapoos, cavapoochons and aussie doodles to name a few] and ultimately fell in love with the goldendoodles because two of the girls’ friends from school had gotten them and had raved about what great dogs they were. What I didn’t know at first is the amount of sizes of doodles there are: standard, mini, toy and teacup… we opted for the smallest of the four and once our sweet Tucker is fully grown, he’ll max out between 12-15 pounds = pure fluff and full of fun!

Womens’ Candy Land Nightgown | Kids Candy Land Nightgown [all monogrammed for free!]

What Breeder Did You Use? Like I mentioned, two families we know got theirs from a breeder in East Tennessee, Blue Ridge Golden Doodles, and I first contacted them earlier this year. They had various litters throughout spring and summer, but with our travel schedule Jeff and I knew we needed to hit the pause button on the puppy, so we decided to wait until fall… and on September 30th, our little man made his debut! The owner, Cindy, has been a dream to work with, sending us pictures from the time the litter was born and helping us pick the right puppy for our family [disposition, size, and personality all come into play] and he is the perfect piece to our puzzle… full of so much personality and sweetness. I cannot say enough great things about their process and working with them. She sent me so many helpful resources, links and tips to make this transition as easy as possible and it’s been GREAT so far!

How is Life with Tucker??  Honestly, I feel like I have a baby all over again… I forgot how much constant attention and energy puppies require, though I am lucky in the fact I work from home so this gal gets to spend A LOT of time with our little buddy. The first few nights were rough because he whined all night long, which was expected and we were forewarned about that beforehand. P.S. we scooped up this Snuggle Puppy and it helped soothe him in his crate = best $30 ever and he sleeps with it every night. But other than him waking up once every night to go to the bathroom, I can’t complain. Potty training is going well and we try to take him our every hour to keep him on schedule and eliminating unnecessary accidents [though I know more of those are in our future!].

Are the Girls Obsessed with Him? The short answer… YES! We’ve talked for months about bringing a puppy home and we both agreed that Caroline and Carson are the perfect ages for a puppy–we want them to understand just how much responsibility and care comes with owning a dog and this has been a great way to get them helping, while also letting them do the “fun” stuff, too. They love to feed, walk and play with him and they’ve been SUCH great helpers with their new little Tuck. Let’s just hope the “newness” doesn’t wear off anytime soon!

With that, since we’ve been stocking up on ALL things puppy as of late, it’s the perfect time to share some of our must-haves and giftables for your best friend, too… after all, they need all the surprises for Christmas morning, too!

The Best Pet Gifts

1 Milk and Cookies Toy Set | 2 All Weather Dog Collar | 3 Modern Mud Dog Bed  [we’ll be grabbing one of these once he’s fully potty trained] | 4 Polka Dot Pet Bandana | 5 Cuddly Coat Grooming Shampoo | 6 Cable Knit Dog Sweater | 7 Dog Bone Personalized Ornament [grabbed this for our little Tucker and it’s already on our tree!] | 8  Classic Leather Leash | 9 Santa’s Cookie Treats | 10 Wellness Dog Treats | 11 Harry Barker Gingham Bone | 12 Mudcloth Dog Collar | 13 Double Tug Rope Toy | 14  Business Bag Holder [I bought one of these and it’s a MUST] | 15  Blue Buffalo Dog Bed | 16 Pet Stocking Holiday Gift Set | 17 Woof Dog Bowl | 18  Woof Clicquot Dog Toy [my personal fav] | 19 Double Sided Bamboo Brush | 20 Pom Pom Dog Sweater

What pet gifts to you love to give your furry family member? Share in a comment below!