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Best of 425Magazine!

We’ve had a great week here at Puppy Manners! Summer has finally arrived in Seattle and we could not be happier! We broke out the kiddie pools (for our playin’ pups!) and Dave’s favorite cooking appliance—the barbecue! We had a fun holiday weekend with our family and even got to celebrate the Fourth with our friend, Anniemarie Kaighin, aka  “My Puppy Nanny.” To top things off, we received our copy of 425Magazine in the mail this week only to discover we were named “Best Dog Trainer” in their “Best of 425″ issue! Even more surprising is how we were the runner up for “Best Doggie Day Care” since that’s a service we don’t advertise because of our limited space!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all our friends and clients who voted! We are thrilled to have been spotlighted, especially on this side of Seattle! We don’t take this recognition lightly and will continue to strive to be the #1 Dog Trainers in this area code and beyond!

In other news, we’ve got some exciting blog posts coming your way, including some of the following:

  • Training tip! Jumping! Is there a little too much pep in your pup’s step? How to recognize the behavior, stop it, and prevent it altogether!
  • Feature! Our dog “Bloo!” and his incredible story that would make him one of “our” dogs.
  • Reading with Rover at the Strawberry Festival! Did you attend the Strawberry Festival in Bellevue last month? We were there with our favorite children’s literacy program Reading with Rover, 425Magazine‘s runner up for “Best After School Program”! If you had your picture taken with a RWR dog, the gallery will be posted here on the blog on July 15th! Don’t miss it!

Thanks for tuning in! And thank you, 425 residents, for voting us #1!

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Becky & David Bishop
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Feature / Our Dog: Moose

Since the blog is still NEW for us, we’ve decided it would be wise to give introductions to everyone on the Puppy Manners team! Of course, we really feel like we should begin by introducing the VIDs first!

Who else would we be referring to but…

OUR VERY IMPORTANT DOGS!

By telling their stories, we bare our hearts and share our passion with all of you. Through them, you’ll get to know who we are and what we’re all about! So let’s begin!

We’ll start with our eldest… Moose.

Also known as “Sugarball.”

Also known as “Pie.”

You might have guessed by now, but hopefully with a face like that, you’ve gathered that this guy is “Sweet… as… pie…”

Moose was completely serendipitous. It was nine years ago when we went to Sunny Daze to look at a litter of Labrador puppies with our pastor’s wife, Stacey, and her two kids. They were looking for their first dog and had their heart set on a Golden Retriever puppy. However, we knew about the existing litter and encouraged the family to check them out, in case they found one they could fall in love with. Alas, ’twas our then, 15-year-old daughter, who fell in love…

Yes. It’s true. Our daughter, Carly, went with me (Becky) on our trip to see these puppies. I don’t know why I didn’t think ahead of time, Wait. What if she wants to take one home? We already had two adult dogs and adding a puppy to the mix didn’t exactly sound easier!

Dave gave me one last warning before we left the house, “Don’t come home with a puppy, Beck!”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. We won’t, Dave.”

But it was too late. Destiny was calling… Fate beckoned… The story already written. It was over the moment we heard little squeaks and grunts coming from inside the tiny barn where we found a herd of sweet chocolate lumps rolling around, their pink potbellies full and their stubby noses drawn curious at our presence. Even I was a goner after that!

I continued urging Stacey, “Do you like them? Do you think you could love having one of these guys?”

Deep down, I thought if I could convince her to go home with one of these adorable puppies, then I wouldn’t have to do the deed! Save me, Stacey! I begged secretly. Please save me from the cuteness!

I looked down and found Carly, sitting in the sawdust with what looked like a brown butterball sitting quietly in her lap. He was so sweet… So quiet… So…

…fat.

Puppy = 1. Me = 0.

On the drive home, Carly tried thinking of names while I tried inventing positive reasons for getting a third dog.

“‘Magic won’t be around forever to keep ‘Boomer’ company… And we should always have at least two dogs…”

“Yeah! Plus! He’s kinda the cutest dog ever,” Carly chimed in.

“Yeah, that’s definitely up there with the top good reasons…”

When we got home, Carly and I weren’t sure what we would tell Dave. At that point, all we could say was, “But he’s so cuuuuuuuuuuuute!!!” It was, quite literally, our best defense. So we ran with it.

It was late when we walked through the front door and Dave had already gone to bed for the night. Carly clutched our newest addition in her arms while I softly approached the bedroom door…

“Don’t be mad…” I said.

“Uh oh,” Dave said.

Carly walked into the room and plopped our sweet “sugarball” onto the bed. His tail wagged furiously as he waddled up to Dave and immediately gave millions of sweet puppy kisses.

“Oh my goodness, look at this guy…” Dave smiled.

YES!!!

He was in! And thus, our new puppy was in! And ultimately, he would end up being so much more than just “our dog.” Moose is so much “bigger” and so much more than a dog. He’s the heart and soul of Puppy Manners and my weak spot! One look from that sweet, mushy face, and I melt every time. It’s hard to believe he’ll be 10 in just a few short months because of that soft, puppy expression he never lost…

Moose will always be our “baby boy” and you’ll learn quickly that I can’t talk long about him without tearing up. When you come to visit us at Crystal Creek Farms, just ask to meet him and you’ll be a goner too! But don’t think you’ll get to take him home with you, though…

That story was already written. ;)

Pictures provided by Carly Chaney.

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Becky & David Bishop
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Feature / “Ewok” & Fay

It was a crazy week here at Puppy Manners as we prepared for our son’s wedding last Saturday. In the middle of all the chaos, we encountered a moment of peace and joy when we received this postcard in our mailbox. It was from our friend and client, Fay, telling us that she and her sweet Labradoodle,  “Ewok”, had passed their therapy test with the Delta Society!

We first met Fay when she came to us with 9-week-old “Ewok” back in September, 2009. I noted “Ewok’s” disposition right away as he was drawn more to people than to other dogs, which usually means he or she is made for therapy! When I mentioned to Fay about the Reading with Rover program, a non-profit organization for children and literacy, she was immediately hooked on the idea! Fay and “Ewok” joined our Pup’prentice Project the following January and as of last month, they passed their test and are on their way to doing good in the community! Sadly, we won’t be around to see it in person, as Fay is originally from the UK and will be moving back overseas very soon. But we are so excited to hear about her and “Ewok’s” continued adventures and all the good they’ll do in her native land! We wish them luck with everything, but just look at them! I don’t think they’ll have any trouble, do you?!

We love stories like Fay’s and “Ewok’s” and will continue to share the success, love, and joy of our clients with all our blog readers! Stay tuned for more features like these in the near future!

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Becky & David Bishop
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