Last April, we got a new puppy. She’s almost perfect. (Other than the occasional tinkle in the house.)
She has claimed about four of my daughter’s (400) stuffed animals as her own.
We get such joy out of watching her play with her toys. She shakes them and throws them across the room to play fetch with herself.
She obsesses over one for a while and then moves on to another.
That bulldog up there was her first love. She loved the stuffin’ out of him. (Literally.)
But right now, she’s ignoring him.
That’s her with her constant favorite. Her teddy bear. Every night, she grabs her teddy bear and runs to get in bed (with my daughter).
As I was picking up the living room the other day, I saw in what bad shape Mr. Bulldog really was.
Scruffy likes him, but she’s not obsessed with him. There was no way I was going to repair him.
And yet, I hesitated.
What if? What if one day she happened upon him again and got a few hours of joy from de-stuffing him?
But I made myself be realistic.
She has other toys. She’ll be fine. Even if she does “go looking for him” one day, she’ll get over it.
I know this because I have real human children who are forever “getting over” things that mom decluttered. Yes, they do remember and sometimes they’re sad for a while, but they’re used to it now. And I think them getting used to used-up things leaving our house will help them have a better perspective on stuff in the long run.
I hope so.
Note: I might have written this post just to show a picture of my puppy.
Another Note: I might have chosen the picture where the socks under the couch in the background don’t show up quite as well.
--Nony
My neighbor got a dog that looks a lot like your puppy! I decluttered one of my dog’s outgrown coats to her.
A doggie coat?!?! How I wish we needed those in Texas!
Your statement about getting rid of used up things leaving the house really strikes a chord with me. It’s taken me decades to learn to do this, and I have to tell myself every single time that it’s OK to toss used up/broken/way-past-their-prime objects. My parents hardly ever threw anything away, but I really think that’s because they had so little (compared to my sibs & me). Whatever, I lovelovelove the empty space that remains when the junk is gone!
Glad you are back after the summer!
BTW get your pumpkin cookie jar out of the cabinet above your fridge and fill it with cookies! Hello Fall!
Oh my word, how hilarious that you said that!!! I forgot I had it!! (The unexpected and somewhat freaky benefits of blogging!!!)
Well, if you are going to have all of these people stalking you, there should be a benefit!
She is SO adorable!!! They do have their favorites, though. My black lab has a basket of toys and she definitely has her favorites. I’ve seen her dig through until she found the one she wanted. They’re so funny!
And my granddaughter has about 400 stuffed animals, too.
My daughter had about 400 stuffed animals when we bought this house – with baseboard heating. She kept them stuffed in plastic bags that she crammed in her closet. The thing with baseboard heating no one told me about is that there’s no air circulation like there is with a ‘real’ furnace. Something about a seriously packed-too-full closet, cold walls in the winter, and zero air circulation caused most of them to mildew. Now she has about fifteen stuffed animals. And I didn’t have any problem tossing them out. She, on the other hand, did. But Mom won. 😀
Oh my gosh, I can relate about the 400 stuffed animals! It’s the one thing I can’t get my daughter to “thin out”. Drives me nuts!
Cute pup! I love that she grabs the teddy to jump in bed with your daughter. So cute!
So cute! Just got rid of excess cat stuff too. Love your blog!!!
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