Getting Fit With Our New Puppies

Meet the Howe's new Dorkies, Snoopy and Gretel.

A year and a half ago, we lost Tobi, our sweet copper-colored labrador mix that we rescued when we moved to Huntersville. We were lucky to have her for 10 great years and we couldn’t have asked for a better dog for our family. She loved both kids, even though she had the run of our house first, and was so gentle with them, even when they climbed all over her. Tobi always greeted us at the door, slept on our bed every night, liked to pee on the carpet, had fun digging in the yard and on occasion jumped the fence to visit our neighbors. We loved her.

We knew it would take some time before we were ready for another dog. The kids have been asking for a while and have promised that they will take care of a dog. They will feed it, clean up after it, play with it and walk it. Todd kept assuring them that the right dog would find us and when it happened it would be meant to be. They just needed to be patient, which is not easy for any of us in the Howe house. In fact they even asked me, “If a dog knocks on the door, can we keep it?”

Well, the right dogs have found us! Snoopy and Gretel are 6-month-old Dorkies (Dachshund Yorkie mix). They are cute as can be, like to snuggle and have stolen our hearts and socks in the few short days they have been with us. Gretel and Molly are attached at the hip, actually more like the arms, and Snoopy and Tyler have hit it off too. Both like to follow me around and both like to jump into Todd’s lap while he is working on the iPad. The two puppies, along with their brother, Charlie Hustle, were rescued, fostered, trained and loved by a very special foster mom in Charlotte. Now we are the lucky ones that she is entrusting to care for these loveable puppies.

The best part is that Charlie Hustle was adopted by our good friends, who had seen the dogs on an online adoption site. After adopting Charlie Hustle, they excitedly told us about the other two siblings and encouraged us to visit with them. We loved them the minute we saw them and Todd was crazy enough, thankfully, to say we would adopt both. Now all three puppies will still be able to play together often, especially at the baseball field watching the boys play ball.

We have been having so much fun with them. I would even go so far as to say that Snoopy and Gretel have invigorated us to finish the Fit Family Challenge with a bang. We have been taking them for walks, which is giving us some extra exercise and the kids have been chasing them around the backyard. When we come in from playing and walking, the dogs head to their water bowl and the kids grab cups and head to the fridge for water. All four have been sleeping well too, because they are tiring each other out. They are also a great stress relief. You have to smile when they climb into your lap and you have to laugh when they chase each other in circles. In addition, they are helping to teach Tyler and Molly responsibility and how to get into a routine, as they are feeding them and picking up after them.

Snoopy and Gretel have a thing for socks, which I mentioned earlier, and they are a little sneaky about it. Every morning, I have found a different pair of socks on the living room rug. They don’t chew them, they just move them around. They may have even found a pair of Tyler’s underwear to drag around. So needless to say, Tyler and Molly are getting some stair climbing in as they bring their socks and underwear back up to their hampers. Of course, I told them that if they put clothes in the hamper, instead of dropping stuff on the floor, this wouldn’t happen. We will see what happens. Snoopy and Gretel have also been moving Molly’s stuffed animals from under her loft to a pile in the middle of the room.

I am convinced, in a very positive way, that Having Snoopy and Gretel around will help us to keep our momentum going after the Fit Family Challenge officially ends. They are truly a great addition to our family. When the time is right, things have a funny way of working out. This applies not only to our new puppies, but also to the health journey we have undertaken as a family! This is just the beginning for the Howe family and I am excited about what the future holds.

Tyler and Molly with Toby.

Jennifer Howe and her husband Todd, and children Tyler, 9 and daughter Molly, 6, are participating as one of our 2016 Fit Family Challenge spotlight families. Learn more about their healthy family journey here, and follow along with Jennifer as she updates us this Spring and Summer in the Fit Family Challenge Blog.