Amirite?! This is the main reason we give when people ask us why we named our yellow Labrador Retriever "Butter." My mom's suggestion was "Buttercup" and Dave thought it would be best just shortened to "Butter." So Butter Stalsbroten itis.
We've had her home for a little over four weeks now, and she is the best. THE BEST. Having a dog is everything I hoped it would be, and my snuggle tank is full. Despite her troll moments, we just love her, and are pretty happy to have this furry third member of our family.
Labs are kind of the standard family dog in this country, known to be friendly and loyal and not overly protective or aggressive. Dave grew up with a Lab (Nisa) and knew that he wanted another one. However, Nisa was a drop-out from guide dog school (she flunked because she didn't like the feel of fire escape grates on her paws), so she was pretty much perfectly trained when they got her. I was a little hesitant to get a Lab, having heard that they are crazy hyper puppies and chew everything in sight. Also, I've seen Marley & Me, and that was enough to convince me that we needed a more chill breed.
But I'm happy to say that I was swayed, and we found the sweetest little litter about an hour from our house. Somehow we lucked out and got a really mellow puppy who hasn't been as crazy or ill-behaved as I anticipated. We did a lot of reading before bringing her home (mostly Cesar Milan and The Monks of New Skete), and learned that a tired dog is an obedient dog. Thus, Butter gets LOTS of exercise. We don't skimp on this one, and it has helped tremendously. We take her on two two-mile walks a day, and she's pretty much wiped out the rest of the time. We do bear the marks of her needle teeth on our hands and feet (and necks and chests and thighs and any other soft flesh she can grab on to — yikes), but I'm told that she'll outgrow her teething phase and figure out that biting is not the way to win our love.
We started puppy kindergarten last week, and Dave is patiently trying to teach her to swim/love the water. She's kind of game, but kind of not. Since Labs are a water-loving breed, we're hopeful that she'll be leaping into the lake with abandon in no time.
Anyhow, we love and snuggle her to death, and just sit around and stare at her a lot. She's pretty cute. The rest of this post is pretty much just a photo dump. Because who can resist puppy photos!?
She pretty much just slept all day when we first brought her home. That's changed a bit, but she still naps a lot.
Bethany brought over new baby Stella on Butter's first day home. We went on a walk around the lake, and Butter tapped out halfway through and got to ride in the stroller with Stella the rest of the way, like the baby she is.
Second day home... first trip to the vet, lots of coffee for me, and learning to work with an irresistible cuddler in the house.
One of my favorite things about having Butter at home is introducing her to my friends and watching them fall in love with her too.
Dave had to go on a four-day business trip the day after we brought Butter home, which was super sad for everybody. But the weather was beautiful when he came home, and we took Butter to the lake for a swimming lesson. That was a hilarious fail, but she's slowly falling in love with the water like a true Lab.
Kate took these for me — thank you, Kate :)
Making friends with Kate's puppy Boda.
We tested the waters a couple of weekends ago with hiking. Butter kind of amazed us. She's a pretty tough little pup.
Butter had her first sleepover when we went to Dave's parent's house for the 4th of July. Uncle Nate fell in love with her forever.
It has been crazy hot in Seattle the last week or two.. way hotter (and more humid) than normal for this time of year. Butter is not handling it so well, especially in the car, so she assumes whatever position is most comfortable. The results keep us in stitches.
My favorite thing about having a puppy? Snuggling. And she is so good at it that I clearly cannot deal.
She absolutely kills me with her antics. The straight chillin face is too much. And the one on the right is her defeating her sworn enemy, Mr. Pricklepants, a stuffed, squeaking hedgehog from Dave's parents. Butt to the face is always a surefire win.
So there you have it — the life of Butter Stalsbroten over the last four weeks. It's been so good, and we love our growing family.