Scott has never owned a dog in his life. His family are cat people. I've never been huge on cats. 
(Sorry cat fans!) I am mildly allergic to cats but still, I'm a dog lover at heart. Always have been. Probably always will be. But I've never had my own dog so this is both exciting and scary. I have NO idea what kind of dog we should be looking for. We also live about 20 mins away from where we work so I wonder if it will be ok for us to leave our dog at home all day alone? What will she do to fill the time? Chew our furniture? Pee on everything? Will she 
be ok form 8:00am to 5:45pm without us? Is it even fair for us to leave her alone all day? Would we be bad doggie parents? These are the questions that run through my head and start to worry me. So dog owners, I'm looking for some advice. I know Angie just recently bought a puppy and the pictures are absolutely adorable! Randi is always walking her dog so I know she has one too. Scott and I are thinking that we would like to have a medium sized dog, one that doesn't shed an insane amount but we don't even know where to start. We'd like to have kids in the next few years too so we need a dog that is good with kids. Any suggestions??
(Sorry cat fans!) I am mildly allergic to cats but still, I'm a dog lover at heart. Always have been. Probably always will be. But I've never had my own dog so this is both exciting and scary. I have NO idea what kind of dog we should be looking for. We also live about 20 mins away from where we work so I wonder if it will be ok for us to leave our dog at home all day alone? What will she do to fill the time? Chew our furniture? Pee on everything? Will she 
be ok form 8:00am to 5:45pm without us? Is it even fair for us to leave her alone all day? Would we be bad doggie parents? These are the questions that run through my head and start to worry me. So dog owners, I'm looking for some advice. I know Angie just recently bought a puppy and the pictures are absolutely adorable! Randi is always walking her dog so I know she has one too. Scott and I are thinking that we would like to have a medium sized dog, one that doesn't shed an insane amount but we don't even know where to start. We'd like to have kids in the next few years too so we need a dog that is good with kids. Any suggestions??On another note, WW Whole Wheat wraps are finally available in my local Superstore! YAY! I've tried them out and although they don't compare to the Flatout Light Wraps (grab these if you can find them! YUM!), they aren't too bad. Only 1 point for each wrap but they are pretty small. I made a Quesadilla with them last weekend and it turned out quite good. I'm trying to come up with some different meal ideas because I don't want to get stuck in a rut of eating the same thing all the time. Monday night Scott and I tried out Classico Alfredo and Roasted Garlic sauce. Although it's a bit high in fat, it's only 2 points for 1/4 cup. To bulk it up, I added broccoli and spinach to the sauce while I was heating it up. It was nice for a change. We tossed it in with WW pasta and had a garden salad for a side.
For some reason lately I've been craving Shepard's Pie, Does anyone have a good WW friendly recipe for this? I have a great recipe that is really simple. It includes extra lean hamburger, green peppers,onions and mushrooms as the bottom layer. Top that with a large can of creamed corn and then throw some mashed potatoes on top of that. I can't imagine that it would be that high in points. What do you guys think? Any other recipes out there? I'm also looking for casserole recipes because I want to start cooking more on the weekend and then freezing portions for lunches throughout the week. Any ideas? I'm hoping to try a new recipe this weekend. For some reason the fall always makes me want to cook. Last night I made fat free carrot muffins which was a bad idea. Luckily I only made 6 and I had one. Scott devoured a few and maybe hid the rest (or ate them) They weren't huge but they were too good and they were calling my name. Glad I only had 1. Won't be making those again for a while.
Anyway that's it for me today ladies!
Off to the gym tonight for the 4th day in a row!
Don't forget to e-mail me or Randi your Week 2 WI results!!!! She will be posting the results on Monday so hurry up! :) check out Randi's post today, it's a good one. (Aren't they all)
I know you said that you wanted a mid-sized doggie, but I think that dachshunds make the best pets. They're sweet and cuddly and are really smart and well behaved. My dad has one and she can stay out of her pen and watch Animal Planet while they're away. :o)
ReplyDeleteAnd you've gotta try Turkey Bacon. It's the best stuff ever! :o)
Oh, I really want a dog too! But I just don't have time while I'm finishing up school to handle one. Plus hubby thinks it will disrupt our "spontaneous" lifestyle (which we don't have). My G'ma got a labradoodle pupple - he's blond with curly hair and long eyelashes and he's adorable - smart, loyal, gentle with kids, athletic, and playful. He's perfect. And hypoallergenic.
ReplyDeleteWe wanted a medium sized dog but that's about all I knew. (we only got Daisy 3 months ago) So I found this site somewhere that asked all these questions and then told you what kind of dog is suited to you (google dog breed finder or something) and came up with terrier types. but then we wanted to be cheap and not pay for a well bred dog so we looked for pound puppies. it was hard that way but it only cost the amount of the spade and then we also saved a puppy. I just feel like what's the point in getting a pure bred, seems sorta mean, like you wouldn't want a person to be judged based on their breeding right. This is our first dog too, hubby had dogs growing up but they were farm outside dogs. We chain Daisy up in the backyard during the day and put her inside to sleep at night. I don't think it's cruel, she sleeps all day anyway. Just get the kind of dog that has energy levels that match yours. Daisy has a bit too much energy still...
ReplyDeleteps - you're so cute, thanks for the link on that post!
i want a dog too...until i babysat my mom's dog and found out how much work they are! (but she has a super high-maintainance breed...i don't think most dogs are as much work as hers is...) fall always makes me want to cook too---this post is making me hungry! oh, and good job going to the gym!
ReplyDeleteDefintely try to rescue a dog from a shelter--there are loads of resources on the net about what to look for to make sure you get a compatible dog from a shelter. There are so many great dogs that need families.
ReplyDeleteTo make sure you get a dog who will be OK with kids, you'll want to do a temperment test, which includes a test of the dog's pain response. You want to make sure your dog doesn't have a low pain tolerance, but most of all a dog that doesn't respond to pain by turning to bite you. Because you know how very small children tend to pull ears and tails...the tests involve dropping keys, pinching between toes. You have to have a certain amount of confidence to do them, but they do give you a sense of how a puppy will react to loud noises and such. You absolutely don't want a fearful dog around kids. Many shelters will do these tests on the dogs that are past puppy age, but puppies can be tested too.
Most important, try not to fall in love with how a dog looks, but really understand how it behaves and whether that will work for you long term. Take your time, do your research so you'll have no regrets.
I always recommend that people watch the Dog Whisperer, because Cesar Milan really gives good tips on how people should behave toward their dog, and realize that it's a dog first, not a little furry person. And since you've not had dogs before, plan to take a dog obedience class to learn the basics.
YAY! A puppy! My husband and I just got a puppy 1 month ago and she is a holy terror! Stella is a boston terrier/shnauzer mix, a Bowser, sooo cute and she doesn't shed! But... you need to have time to go home at lunch and let her out of her crate, if you are going to crate train her, (which is supposed to be the best way to potty train a puppy, I'm not so sure I believe that after last night and this mornings, fiasco with Stella). They can only last about 4 or 5 hours when they are really young before they have to go, unless their name is Stella, then it's every 30 minutes or so. We LOVE her, don't get me wrong, but everytime we set her on the bed, even if it's just for 30 seconds, she pees. Last night I almost killed her. It's the 3 comforter she has wizzed on in a week! Why do we keep putting her on our bed, you ask, cause if we put her on the floor she runs under the bed and poops! That was this mornings dissaster. Although this morning she ate most of it before I could drag her out from under the bed. Gross, I know, but that's puppies for ya!
ReplyDeleteBut really, she is great and we love having a puppy. She's great company and when I'm in a really bad mood, unless she put me in that mood, she can make me feel better instantly! I say get a dog! Mutts are more fun cause you don't know what they will look like when they grow up, but either way, they're great! Good luck! And remember, puppies are like babies. The first few weeks/months you have them, they wake up in the middle of the night and want food and a potty break. Stella usually wakes up anywhere from 1 to 3 times a night and she's 10 weeks old. So if you would like to get some sleep in the next few months, don't get a dog! HA!
We have a dog and two cats ... so I can go either way. I love 'em all!
ReplyDeleteHave you been peeking in my fridge?! We have WW wraps too. We like 'em ... a nice change from WW bread. Also, we discovered that alfredo sauce last month and have had it once a week since!
I'm not a big cat fan either. Plus I'm really allergic to them. Although I am a total dog lover at heart. I have a 4 year old Golden Retriever who is the best dog in the world. Golden's might be a little bigger than what your thinking, but you should check them out, they are are the best family dogs, so good with kids.
ReplyDeleteHere's the deal with puppies: they are sooo frikking adorable and will warm your heart in a new way that you've never known. BUT they are ALWAYS, repeat, ALWAYS harder work than you are expecting. It is really tough raising a puppy because they are babies really. The first 6 months is pretty much brutal with housetraining and getting up in the middle of the night etc., but after all of that hard work, it is most definitely worth it. The puppy you were referring to that I have is my friend's new puppy, but we do have one of our own but she's now just getting out of her puppy-ness and we love her so very much (I have a label for Lucy on my blog if you want to see her). We adopted her from the SPCA and she is a labra-beagle and she is the PERFECT size. She's not an itty bitty dog you're afraid to sit on, but she's small enough that she jumps in your lap like she IS one of those itty bitty dogs!
ReplyDeleteEventually you will get to a point where you can leave them at home while you are away at work. But it does take months of working up to that point. We crate trained Lucy and it worked really well. Now she doesn't have to be crated while we are gone and she isn't a dog that chews on things, so she can be trusted. Not everyone is that lucky!
WW pasta?????? Where can I find that!!!!!
ReplyDeletesorry...can't help you with your other questions. I did have a dog growing up but it was a maltese Terrier (small GREAT dog) - does not shed at all. Pictures (if you look them up) so them as UGLY...but if you keep them short haired...they are sooo cute.
I have two cats now. I was always a dog person too, but because I work 12hour shifts and live alone I couldn't do that with a dog. Therefore I got a cat. Then I felt sorry for my cat being alone all the time therefore I got a second one to keep the first one company!!!
As for the meal/receipe ideas. I totally don't cute. I reheat so I can't help ya there...sorry.
okay...I really have to read my posts before I click publish. Sorry...that one was horrible for typos!!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteJust a quick comment about the sheperd's pie. We make all the parts and then instead of putting it in the traditional baking dish, we layer all the ingredients in a cupcake tin. When they come out they're perfectly portioned mini-pies. (I usually have 2) Anyway, I do the same thing with meatloaf and other stuff like that. (It's a little weird, but they're so cute!)
Ahh.....my two favorite dogs!! I will own a Boston Terrier one day. My brother has a pug, and I just love her, she's the sweetest. Cats are kinda neat but I'm severely allergic. Dogs are much more fun!
ReplyDeleteI have an australian shepherd who is adorable. He is right around 40-45 pounds. Loves to cuddle, runs with me and my big thing is he isn't yappy! He can be a bit neurotic though! Check out my page, I have a pic of him there. DH and I are ready for another, but we have to wait until schools out, that way I have the time that a puppy needs.
ReplyDeleteI have a Puggle and he's WONDERFUL! It's a lot of work having a puppy. There were times when I thought I'd pull my hair out. Potty training is hard. Obedience training is hard. But...IT'S ALL WORTH IT! When you're through the rough times you'll have a loyal pal forever!
ReplyDeleteAs far as Puggles go...I love mine! He's so loveable. He gets along with other dogs, kids and other adults no problem. He's high energy, but I give him plenty of exercise. At the end of the day, he's more than ready to curl up in my lap. He's a medium sized dog...about 25 lbs.
Anyhoo, just thought I'd chime in. I love puppies!
http://courtneycow.blogspot.com/
mmm, we just bought a miniature schnauzer last month......I love him.....Indiana.....so cute....
ReplyDeleteYes, and we are proud of it too; being Cat lovers.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we are not as proud of it as we are of you young Lady. We loved you then, we love you now, and we shall love you tomorrow......
Keep up the good work Carolyn.
p.s. There is no need to mention this post to Putta; aka Buppa or Lucy; aka BooBoo. (Our two cats for all you other readers.)