Birthday Blessings and Lifelong Lessons

The Story of Our Pups Challenging First Year + Pupcake Recipe

Last night we celebrated a very important event in our home…

Our two sister lab pups turned One year old!! WooHoo!!!!

Please let me stress that it’s a miracle we made it this far.

Growing up, we always had four-legged family members in our home. Naturally, I continued that tradition when I grew up and started a family of my own.

Last winter we had to make the impossible decision to put our beloved pup down for her endless sleep. Our whole family was devastated and needed a chance to grieve.

Then little by little my kids started dropping hints about getting another dog. I felt it too. I missed those slobbery kisses, goofball moments, and cuddly snuggles right when you needed them most.

We agreed on getting ONE silver lab by unanimous vote (that never happens). So, I found a breeder and made the call. To our surprise, she had two females from her last litter that were not spoken for. She asked if we would like to stop by to check them out and we graciously agreed.

I remember telling myself before we left the house that I was not getting both dogs no matter how cute they were. Well, that went right out the window the moment the kids and I saw them.

Puppy Love

We fell in love with their stinky puppy breath and the way they clumsily fell over their paws that looked 3 sizes too big. Of course, the breeder loved the idea of both girls going to the same house so she gave us a discount. How could I say no???

We came home with one chocolate which we named Coco and one silver we named Ginger.

For the first 2 months, we were in puppy bliss! Everything they did was adorable and still excused by normal puppy behavior. By month 4, I started to notice that we weren’t reaching our milestones. I never remembered previous dogs taking this long to potty train. There were also some behaviors I was beginning to worry about.

After a visit to the vet and a trainer, I was painfully made aware of a condition I had never heard of before called Littermate syndrome. It only occurs to puppies of the same sex and the same litter growing up together. It’s a behavioral problem that can have devastating outcomes if not dealt with properly.

You can read all about it in my article from a few months ago.

Like any nurse/mom, I was not giving up on these pups. I am a caregiver at heart and if anyone was going to not give up on these dogs, it was going to be me.

So on top of the $1600 bill to get the girls fixed, I paid for private training sessions, special equipment, pinch collars, correction collars, weekend behavior camps, and much more.

The money was just the start. The hard part was training myself and the kids how to properly train these two girls how to be happy, healthy, and independent pups.

This syndrome made these pups extremely codependent upon each other. They were insecure, jealous, and at times completely manic. It took a lot from all of us to work as a team and help these girls.

It was kind of like having two very mentally ill family members. The professionals kept reassuring us that they would get well but it took time. That’s why this birthday is such an important milestone.

At one year old both girls are doing very well. I wouldn’t say they are perfect, but they do have perfect days. They have both become independent from each other and have developed their own beautiful personalities. They don’t fight with each other, except for a little play fight every once in a while.

Overall, they are healthy, thriving pups that bring a huge amount of joy to our family. That was my goal from the beginning. It may have taken us a little longer to get here but we are finally here!

So in honor of their birthday, I decided to bake my girls some pupcakes. I found this recipe online and it turned out well. The pups loved their pupcakes along with their new squeak toys.

Here is the recipe I used for the pupcakes.

Pupcake Recipe

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine

⅔ cup of creamy peanut butter — make sure it does not contain Xylitol

1 cup of pumpkin puree — not pumpkin pie puree (too many additives)

⅓ cup of olive oil

¼ cup of honey

2 large eggs

⅔ cup of water — can also use chicken stock to increase flavor

In a separate bowl combine

1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

2 tsp of baking powder

Add all ingredients together — don’t overmix

Lightly grease a 12-count muffin tin — avoid using paper cups to make it easier for dogs

Fill each cup all the way to the top

Bake 18–20 until passes the toothpick test

Allow them to cool for 10–15min and then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

Doesn’t need frosting but why not?!?

Frosting

Combine

½ cup of creamy peanut butter

4oz softened cream

Add 2 tsp of water a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency to spread.

Add frosting to pupcakes and then I added a little dog biscuit for decoration.

Conclusion

I’m so happy to report that we officially made it through our first year with our challenging but wonderful pups. These pups have taught my kids and me some very important life lessons.

The most valuable life lesson is that we NEVER give up on each other. I’ve been able to show them firsthand that no matter what problem they have or illness they get, I will never give up on them.

Our family was able to pull together and solve a serious problem. It wasn’t easy at times but our love and support for one another got us through the rough patches.

They also learned empathy, patience, compassion, discipline, and that consistency works. All of these lessons will help them later on in their lives. These pups have taught us more than we can ever teach them.

Some may look at my decision to get two pups instead of one as a mistake but it eventually turned into a blessing.

Hi! I’m Lauren.

I’m an RN turned freelance writer. I write stories that relate to your client’s needs using storytelling and personal experience. If you would like to chat about how I can help your content feel more relatable and trustworthy, message me or email me at [email protected]

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