You know how your dog listens to what you say and picks up on certain words? Some of those words are useful for them to know, like sit, stay, or get down. But some others trigger untimely excitement when you are not ready to act on them, like walk, ride, or bye bye.

Our life has changed since adding our new puppy, Coco, to the family. For instance, Grady and I are subjugated to her bodily functions and puppy antics, and we can no longer walk freely around the house; it is a maze of toys and barriers. There are fences and gates everywhere in my home and yard. Coco is not allowed upstairs because, just like any unsupervised baby, she gets into trouble, and she’s not allowed out of the yard for the same reason.

Besides finding out my melanoma was stage one and confined to only my nose, the second-best Christmas gift I got this year was a new puppy.