We've likely all seen the quote "Keep Calm and Carry On", but I got to thinking that it's the perfect sentiment if you just got a puppy. All puppies are cute and Digger the Garden Dog was no exception, but he did not come ready for anything the moment my breeder put him in my arms. Many of my Facebook friends are Golden Retriever breeders. They take their responsibilities as breeders very seriously by considering health and temperament in their breeding programs. Countless hours of care and socializing in the first two months are also given to provide incredible companions for their puppy buyers. If you are blessed with a puppy coming into your life, please understand your job is just beginning. It takes a lot of time, energy and PATIENCE to raise a new pup. It's important to continue the great start that your breeder provided. Understand that the window of opportunity is small. Maximizing the potential of your new pup requires starting when they are young. This makes the need for "breaking" bad habits unnecessary.  If you do the work early, the relationship that emerges in a short time is worth more than gold. What follows is Diggers first year in our care from Digger's view. 

 My name is Digger and my story starts three hundred and eighty nine days ago. (That's a really long time in puppy days.) That was the day I left my brothers and sisters and my dog Mom. It was kinda scary because everything was different... the sights, smells, and sounds but most of all, my new people. They were really nice but I could tell things were changing FAST! For one thing there was a big dog in my new home and at first, he didn't seem as excited to see me as the people were. (More about him later.) We went out into the back yard often, and I got treats when I did my puppy business outside. That was pretty cool!

My people started teaching me manners right away. I learned all kinds of fun things and they'd get so excited when I would do them! They would laugh and whoop and clap and tell me I was the smartest puppy sometimes just for sitting down. They even said I was like a sponge and absorbed everything, I never understood that but it seemed to make them happy. We would go to all kinds of places, and people I didn't know would ooh and ah when they saw me. I'd get petted and given treats and even get to go for rides in shopping carts. My people were always at my side telling me how good I was. They kept me very safe. Sometimes I'd get restless or excited and forget my manners and jump up on someone but my people were patient and calm. Remember that big dog? Well, his name is Fire and he would come too and he turned out to be the best Big Brother a puppy could have. I felt super safe when he was around.

When I'd been in my new home for only forty-five days, we went to Dog School, I was four months old and the youngest in my class. It was a little scary but soon I grew to love it. MY teacher is really nice and believes in play training. I had to do homework every day and I practiced at the stores as well as at home. I was top in my class and beat out the older dogs. My teacher said it was 'cuz I was like a sponge. I sure wish I knew what I have in common with a sponge! Time flies when your having fun. I went on to an advanced class and took second place. I learned really cool stuff in that class. Then my Dad took me to a puppy agility class to boost my confidence. I discovered he was way more fun than wrestling with other dogs all the time, I learned to focus on him and we had a blast together!

I'm starting a new chapter in my life. I'm starting training to be a Therapy Dog and because my brother Chester's Mom has been training him too, we get to do it together!  My Mom says since I make her smile, maybe I could do that for people who might not have many reasons to smile. Sign me up! This week was my first "official" week of training and it's going great. I visited a ladies exercise class and a Bible study group. Everyone was smiling so I must be good at what I do. Yesterday I heard the big Garden Conference in town didn't have a Leprechaun this year, so I said, "Let's go!" When we got there, I was invited to TAKE THE STAGE to wish over two hundred people Happy St. Patrick's Day. I showed off some of the moves that I learned in my classes and the crowd loved me.

I'm so glad my people took the time to make me feel confident and teach me manners. Who knows what the next three hundred and eighty-nine days will bring?
-Digger

I wanted to share with new puppy parents the importance of early training and socializing. This year has flown by and we've had so much fun. To be able to share life experiences with Digger is a joy. He is already confident, calm and well-mannered in all situations. These are skills he'll have for the rest of our time together. I know time can be limited in our busy lives. Find a positive trainer who makes training fun and take a class or two. Keep your new puppy "center stage" for the first year of his life you'll ensure he stays there for all of his years to come.
​Karen

Digger was born as an idea twelve years ago. He was the fictional mascot for Paws In The Garden.com. I created an adorable Golden Retriever character that embodied all of the sweet, kind and wonderful traits that people young and old might aspire to possess. Although the ideas flowed surrounding Digger I could never quite see his face until this year. After unexpectedly losing Flame (our seventh Golden) in December, I was certain I wanted to take a bit of a break from having two dogs. But as we often find out the Universe had other plans. Our remaining Golden, Fire, was devastated by the loss of his constant companion. So after a week's time, and prompting from my husband we started our search for our next family member.

Digger Is Born
A friend of mine in North Carolina is a Golden breeder, so I gave her a call and sure enough her business partner here in my area of Michigan was expecting a litter. I did my homework on the parents, checking for health clearances and titles, saw photos of the parents, all of the things I do when choosing a litter. On December 30th, 2017 it was time for the pups to arrive, and arrive they did...TWELVE of them!

Divine Puppy Pick
If you visit my "Wisdom Blog", Karen Taylor Creates.com  you’ll see that I have a strong belief in being guided by Spirit. I've found that if I listen to the voice of the Divine, I'm blessed with a synchronicity that assures me that things will happen with the best possible outcome for me.  So I wasn’t surprised when I awoke on the fifth day after the puppies were born and I heard a clear voice in my head say “the Purple Pup”. You may be thinking purple pup?, that doesn’t make sense, but to me it made perfect sense. You see, dog breeders often “color code” each puppy when it’s born so as to track it’s behavior traits. This helps to determine which puppies fit best with the prospective families. At this point I had not seen the pups, nor did I know if there even was a purple pup. Later that same day, Karen (the breeder) posted the first video of the pups, and you guessed it, there front and center was a blonde pup with a purple spot on his back, he was climbing, pushing and DIGGING his way under his sleeping siblings.

Picking a Name
Choosing a name is a big thing in our home, my husband and I have always taken turns naming our Golden’s in the forty plus years of owning this breed. This new pup would be mine to name and train. For three weeks we made lists of names, friends and family added to the list but nothing felt right. Then one day I was sitting quietly at my desk in my studio and I heard the “Voice” again, say, “this is your Digger”. It was then I knew my beloved fictional character from twelve years earlier had been Divinely sent to me, it was at that moment I knew Digger was very special.

I invite you to follow Digger as he embrace's life as a Golden Retriever sent from the Divine to earth to teach us all how to live in the moment, let the journey begin!