On September 8, 2010 we brought home a boxer puppy. She had been bought from a breeder by a woman who quickly realized she didn’t have time in her life for a rambunctious boxer pup, so the original owner was looking for a good home for the dog fast. And somehow, we lucked into being the receiving end of that woman’s buyer’s remorse. We brought the dog home (that the woman had been tentatively calling Diva), renamed her Jade and she became our spoiled baby. With her own hashtag…

When Jade was a new part of our family, she needed lots of training because she was a baby. Not potty-trained and no obedience skills, so we took her through two 8-week puppy obedience courses at a PetSmart store. She was always kind of stubborn, but never fully BAD in class. Instead of laying down obediently in class, she would sprawl out across the floor on command. She was never good at the HEEL command. And since she was our baby, we did kind of let her get away with all sorts of stuff. We never really trained the barking at the door out of her and she is a little TOO loving at times, getting right up in your face and kissing a lot.

In 2012 we welcomed another new member to our family, our daughter A was born in August and we were concerned about bringing home a tiny infant around this big ol’ dog. Jade has always been very gentle with me, but she sometimes doesn’t seem to know her own size and she gets rowdy at times when she shouldn’t. But the two love each other so much. In fact, I’m hard pressed to get a photo of my daughter where the dog isn’t in the background somewhere, and most frequently right at A’s shoulder.

But part of having this new family member that Jade is super protective of, she seems to have gotten more agitated with people that ring the doorbell, or when neighborhood dogs are barking. We need to get Jade’s manners in check, so we’ve been working with a trainer once more. This time we’re doing in home training and trying to figure out the door barking issue. It’s hard work and sometimes I am so tired of dealing with Jade refusing to do her “homework” that I just want to throw my hands in the air and walk away. But that’s kind of like having a child at times too. There are crappy moments, but you deal with them because the good times are so worth it.

I telecommute so I work out of the home all day, so Jade has been my officemate for a while, I even have a dog bed in my office where she hangs out. I try to bounce ideas off her, but she seems to approve everything I say. I don’t know that I can trust her judgment.

Jade has been sick a few times, stomach issues that have landed her in doggy hospital for several days. Those moments tore me up inside, I was so concerned for her. One time was right before I was supposed to run the OC half marathon in California, so even though we’d been planning on leaving her at the vet’s office to be boarded, it felt really different doing it when she was sick. I was almost prepped to call off my participation in the race, to hover over her at home.

I’m grateful she hasn’t had more illnesses, but the ones she’s had have been so sad to see how my vibrant and cheerful doggie got so beat down. I recently learned that ticks can carry diseases that can make your dog very ill. (Don’t laugh if that seems super obvious to you, I don’t even think there are ticks here in the desert, but there are other ways for dogs to fall ill.) We’ve taken Jade to the mountains a few times where she could have possibly picked up a tick and that would really be awful. But I’m glad to know there are solutions available from K9Advantix® II with educational videos they have provided to help educate pet parents on how to help keep our animals safe.

Just like it’s my job as a parent to teach my kid how to be a good member of society and keep her safe from harm, it’s also my role as a pet parent to watch out for Jade and teach her manners. Jade has been an important part of our family since we brought her home and I intend to keep her that way for as long as possible… even if it means I have to force her to do her homework!

The bond between you and your dog is a special one, and you’ll go to great lengths to keep your furry family member safe and healthy. K9 Advantix® II is a once-a-month topical application for dogs and puppies that REPELS and kills ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes.  Visit http://petparents.com/products  to learn more.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of K9 Advantix® II. The opinions and text are all mine.

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