What was life like before.... Riley?

Indeed, what was life like before the little fur ball of cuteness arrived?  Well, I can tell you this... having a little puppy in the house is a lot like having a baby in the house, and our lives have certainly completely changed.  Everything is now all about the puppy... Where is she? What is she chewing on now? Does she need to go potty? Uh oh, she has my socks!  How did Riley get into the cat food?   Where did Riley go? ... and on and on it goes!

All of a sudden, my living room has been turned into a whirlwind of activity with all her toys scattered on the floor, and every step you take could be hazardous with a little fur ball wanting to chew on your feet as you walk.

Like one friend commented on an earlier post... at least with babies you can put a diaper on them... puppies, not so much!  And so she requires constant supervision and paying attention to cues as to when she needs to potty.  She actually has had very few accidents, but that is because we have learned to be vigilant about making sure she gets out!

And so my husband and I feel like grand-doggy parents now, taking care of the sweet little ball of fur while son is working or at school.  I've found myself getting terribly attached to her despite my initial assertions to my son that "it is your dog and I will just be helping out."  Because we are spending so much time together, Riley and I have bonded, and I really am loving this precious little addition to our family.

One member of the family who is decidedly VERY unhappy with the new little 'fur'ricane, is our dear Mr. Simba.  All his attempts to convince Riley he doesn't want to play, even with claws and growls, does not deter her in the least.  Riley is convinced Simba is her long lost brother.  And Simba is quite convinced the little fur ball is just trouble and needs to go!

But when you look at a face like this... how can you not fall in love!?

And sweet puppy kisses are almost as sweet as fat baby cheeks!

Little Riley has integrated herself into every part of our home, including our walks in the woods.  Oh how she loves to walk with my husband and I.

I don't think cuteness could get any cuter!

We took a drive out to the lake, and were amazed to see it nearly frozen over. I don't remember in recent years ever seeing it do that.

Riley played in the snow as we walked around the little park area.

And every so often she would sit down to catch her breath, and I captured a few sweet poses.

Her collar is a bit large, it is meant to grow with her, but this face, oh my goodness, she melts our hearts!

I suppose I am turning into the classic grand-doggy parent with all these pictures, and I hope you don't mind... but I just can't resist the cutest little faces she has.

Yes, our lives have completely changed with the addition of little Miss Riley to our home, including the dogs.  Annie has become like a mother to Riley, worrying about her, and making sure Roger doesn't get too rough with her.  Roger, like a big bad brother alternates between wanting to play with Riley, and then getting frustrated when he is ready to sleep and she isn't.

Below is a video I shot of the three of them having fun in the snow.

Riley has certainly brought a lot of furry joy into our lives, and I must confess, I was not too excited about having a little puppy to help care for, but now, I can't imagine life otherwise.

On a little different note... we finally got around to collecting our pictures from our game cameras, and we found this picture that has us a bit puzzled.

We have only gotten pictures of deer on these cameras, and this was the first unusual animal to show up on the camera.  Because of the poor quality of the picture, we cannot quite figure out what it is.  It is walking on the trail that the deer always take. We also cannot decide if the animal is walking towards or away from the camera... you be the judge!

This is a zoomed-in, cropped version of the above picture, and still, we can't say for sure what it was. We did find a large mound of poo close to where the picture was taken that does not appear to be coyote or dog, as it is larger than both, with lots of hair in it.  So, we are wondering if it may have been a wolf passing through.  I thought I would see what your opinions are on the matter :)  We have considered it being a dog, but honestly, know of no dog in our area this color or build, unless of course he was just passing through.  So, it could be either, we shall probably never know, but it is a curious matter to ponder, indeed!

Our weather here has been overcast, dreary and rather warm, with our snow melting more and more every day.  We still have a significant amount of snow, and more is expected to arrive next week, but with the lengthening days, I know that winter is winding itself down.  So, we are enjoying the life of Riley, melting snow, warmer temperatures, and cozy winter days as the end of January nears.

How has your January been?