LIFE UPDATES + Our Fall Plans With the Dogs

First off, I really want to apologize for being fairly quiet on our blog. We’ve been in a rhythm the past couple months posting here once a week and it’s been almost a month since our last update. Well if you’ve been following us along on Instagram you know that our lives have been a little crazy the past few months. Because we absolutely love and adore all the people who follow us along in our crazy lives we figured we owe everyone a little update on what’s going on and then what we have planned for this fall.

 OUR SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT YARD (HOME)

There are some people who absolutely love searching for homes, touring houses, and attending open houses. I’ve learned to hate it. I’ll be honest with you guys, when Zach and I embarked on our yard hunt journey we did not realize how much it actually sucked (for lack of better terms).I did not anticipate how truly stressful and time consuming this process would be. Each and every time we thought we found the perfect home, it was either already under contract, had multiple offers on the table, or the photos were deceiving. 

I would say the hardest part of this entire process was trying to determine our priorities and what we were willing to compromise on. As much as we wanted to live close to the city, we realized in order to get the yard that Navy and Duke deserve we would need to move out to the suburbs. I know we sound like complete millennials in admitting this (even though we are) but we really wanted space of our own for the pups to play. Having a yard for Duke and Navy was at the top of our wish list for our new home.   

After touring over 30 homes in three weeks I am happy to announce to you all that we have found our dream home. I cannot express to you enough how absolutely relieved, excited, nervous, scared, and happy I am about this! Now if any of you have purchased a home before you know that nothing is set in stone until you close on at home, but we are currently under contract and on schedule to close in less than two weeks. 

I can’t wait to update you all as we move with Duke and Navy and transition to this new lifestyle.  You better believe that we will be asking for assistance in decorating our house, so please if you have any interior design experience at all, send me a message!!

DUKE’S TRAINING

We’ve been fairly busy the past few months with Duke’s training. After his puppy obedience course, he completed three additional levels of obedience training this summer. We recently wrapped up off leash training with him. This was such a blessing when our family went to the beach in August. He and Navy ran around as much as they wanted off leash on the beach.

Some of you may have noticed, but we started a second Instagram account to document Duke’s therapy dog training. The plan is to register him for a training program this fall and start volunteering in the spring. We’d love to get him into a program where children can practice reading to him. We will keep you updated every step of the way!

NAVY’S WEIGHT GAIN AND WEIGHT LOSS

Navy gained weight. It was obvious. We noticed it, others noticed it, and I am pretty sure she noticed it. I think a large part of why she gained weight was simply because both Zach and I were so busy with work, we weren’t giving her as much time for long walks and play. 

Sure, it was only a pound or two but because corgis have a long body and short legs, an extra pound or two can cause back and joint pain. So obviously we took her gain seriously. By feeding her less treats and giving her more exercise over the past 6 months she has lost 1.5 pounds and is back down to her goal weight, 20 pounds! I definitely recommend reaching out to your vet if you have concerns about your pet’s weight.

LOOKING AHEAD. OUR FALL DOG-FRIENDLY BUCKET LIST

Move and decorate our home. Please give me alllll the candles. HomeGoods anyone?

Go apple picking. For our DC area pups, we found an awesome farm that allows pets. Check out our apple picking blog post for more information + an awesome apple dog treat recipe. 

Make homemade dog treats. Last fall I baked Navy so many treats. We have a gorgeous new kitchen in our new home. Maybe I should film a couple recipes too…

Watch scary movies. I loveeee me some scary movies. Which one is your favorite?

Plan a dog mom weekend trip. Girls trip! Some of my local dog mom friends have talked about planning a fun little weekend getaway with the dogs. I just need to decide who to bring and who to leave at home with dad.

Go Camping. I went camping this summer, but not with Duke or Navy. I would love to get them outdoors for the weekend. Navy and Duke have never been camping but I am sure they would love it. Maybe we will visit Getaway House again!

Dress up for Halloween. What should Duke, Navy, Zach, and I dress up as this year?

Hike somewhere new. There is still so much of Virginia I’d like to hike. Zach isn’t the biggest fan of hiking, so I may have to plan a solo trip with one of the dogs.

Pick a pumpkin. How cute would Duke or Navy be carved into a pumpkin?

Visit a Cidery. We visited a fabulous cidery when we were in Santa Barbara last fall. Bold Rock Hard Cider is actually less than two hours from us. I wonder if they are dog-friendly…

Phew! We’ve been up to a lot and we have a lot planned for the fall. I am hoping for some nice fall weather so we can spend a lot of time outside with the dogs. Thanks for reading guys! As always, subscribe and follow us along for more updates on our Instagram. 

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