Ever since Sadie joined our family, I’ve said she serves as the perfect reminder to stop and notice the little things in life. She finds BIG joy in small things — a stick, cozy couch cuddles, a long walk on a sunny day — and today I wanted to highlight a few of the best moments in Sadie’s life in April so far. I just love watching Sadie’s tail wagging go into overdrive and when her jowls break into her goofy dog grin (YES, I think she smiles #crazydoglady), I cannot help but smile right along with her. We love our favorite furry lady! (Note: Though Sadie had a blast with us on our spring break vacation last week, this list does not include her best moments from our trip to Hilton Head Island but rather focuses on the simple day-to-day joys in her life.)
Sadie’s Top 10 Moments of April 2019 (So Far)
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When the Bird Feeder Got Refilled
Whenever we refill the bird feeder in our backyard, it’s a great day for Sadie. We joke that she can then go “window shopping” from our living room and look at all of the birds she’ll never catch and the squirrels she’ll never trap. She’s been trying to catch one for 11+ years with no success but that doesn’t stop her from trying. I’m 99% sure she could actually get one if she wanted to but she always seems to stalk them and then turn around at the last minute and look at me and Ryan like, “My job here is done.”
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Evening Boat Ride
Sadie spent the first half of her life in Florida and fell in love with swimming and boating so the fact that we’ve been able to take her out for boat rides on the lake near our house fairly regularly since we moved to North Carolina makes our water lovin’ dog light up! During our first evening boat ride of the spring at the beginning of the month, Sadie immediately took claim of her favorite spot at the bow of the boat. We’re pretty sure she thinks she’s the captain.
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Special Delivery from Petco
Sadie’s friends at Petco sent her quite the special surprise and it was undoubtedly one of the best moments of her month so far! The package was filled with food and treats for Sadie — and all of it was free from artificial flavors, colors and preservatives*! Petco is actually transitioning all of their dog and cat food away from artificial flavors, colors and preservatives and Sadie loved the Orijen dog treats (no surprise there — we’ve been feeding her Orijen dog food for years and years) and the WholeHearted turkey and sweet potato wet food (pretty sure she thought she went to heaven with that one) included in her delivery. Thank you, Petco, for spoiling our girl!
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Blanket Burrowing
I’m pretty sure Sadie is part hamster because she loves to burrow. If there are blankets, sheets or towels in an area where Sadie roams, you better believe she’ll use her paws to create a fluffy little burrow for herself. I cannot resist covering her up with a blanket whenever I see her snoozing on the couch only partially covered because something in my heart tells me she appreciates the extra coziness.
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Ryder’s Meal Times
You better believe the moment Ryder is loaded into his high chair for meal time, Sadie parks her furry little booty under his chair and hopes something good is on the menu for the day. We’ve always said Sadie is on the Atkins diet because she’s a picky little lady and only gobbles up dropped food if meat or cheese are involved. Lucky for her, turkey meatloaf was on the menu for lunch when I snapped this pic and she nabbed a few rogue bites that Ryder flung across the room.
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When Ryan Arrives Home From Work
Sadie is a faithful little girl and always finds her way into my office bay window to start looking for Ryan at the end of the day. She seems to know his usual timing and goes back and forth from my office window until she hears the garage door opening and then it’s GAME ON. She immediately runs to her toy basket, grabs a toy off the pile and wiggles her whole body at the back door waiting for Ryan to come inside.
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Sunny Walks
There’s not much that gets Sadie more amped-up than when we look at her and pose the question, “Do you want to go for a walk?!” I’m pretty sure her entire body begins to wiggle with excitement until we click her leash into place and head out. She’s always our little line leader and trots happily along for as long as we’ll walk with her. We still have yet to tire Sadie out — if half marathon training with her didn’t do it, I’m not sure anything will — but whether her walk is two miles or five, her enthusiasm for sniffing and exploring never wanes.
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When the Boys Go to Bed
We like to joke that Sadie’s favorite part of every day is the minute the boys go to bed and she has me and Ryan to herself again like the “good ol’ days.” She’ll always be our first baby and she milks the one-on-one time she has with me and Ryan for all its worth. We love our evening snuggles with our favorite furry lady so much. There’s nothing like Sadie curling her warm body into me to make me feel instantly relaxed at the end of the day.
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When We Found a Long Lost Toy
I moved one of our family room couches to vacuum underneath it earlier this month — something I haven’t done in an embarrassingly lone time — and Sadie just about lost her mind when I tossed one of her old toys into the middle of the room. She then proceeded to cart her long lost bunny all over the house with her, licking its ears and throwing it up into the air to entice us into a game of bunny fetch. I know this may sound crazy, but I actually have two “Christmas toys” for Sadie that I put away with our Christmas decorations because of this very reaction. She is always so darn psyched when they come out every year!
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Visits from the UPS Guy
Our UPS guy is basically a family friend at this point. Chase loves him. Ryder waves to him. Sadie practically freaks out whenever she sees him walking up the driveway because she knows that means she’ll get a little extra love and attention… and occasionally a dog treat, too!
Question of the Day
Fellow pet owners, tell me about a few of the seemingly small moments in your pet’s life that would rank high on their list of best moments!
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