Don't you just love watching the stories on social media and news that depict animals saving people’s lives and performing heroic acts? I know I certainly do. Our pets love us so fiercely and it is both inspiring and heartwarming to see those captivating images and videos. As I look up from my laptop at my sleepy dogs snoring away on the sofa next to me, I can’t help but wonder if they would be capable of helping out in an emergency if the situation ever arose. I’m pretty sure they would.
Within our home, our dogs truly are our everyday heroes. They lead our adventures here at home everyday. Our family includes five children: 3 boys and 2 dogs that are big, hairy golden retrievers named Keeper and Dax. They fill our lives with equal parts of fun, dog hair and unconditional love. They are absolutely considered full fledged members of our family. In fact, it would probably be more accurate to say that our family revolves around them!
Because our dogs are so integrated into our daily life, we choose to fully share our home with them. Our dogs are welcome in all areas of our house, including on furniture. We want them to go wherever we go and be as comfortable as we are. Yup, they are spoiled. But we wouldn't have it any other way. As a home design blogger, some of the most common questions that I get asked include how I deal with pet hair and pet messes. I always answer that I take my pets into account for every finish I choose for our home.
STAINMASTER PetProtect® is a pet-friendly carpet that resists most difficult stains and easily releases pet hair. It is the perfect choice for a home like ours with pets. So much of life happens right on the carpet. We don’t want to let a little issue, like worrying about a stain, stop our fun adventures with our pets.
It doesn’t take an extraordinarily heroic act for a pet to be a hero to a child. My youngest son has a particularly strong bond with our dogs. He struggles with his schoolwork, not because he is lazy, but because there are a couple of subjects that simply don’t come easy to him. He comes home from school mentally exhausted and rushes to the dogs for a hug. I can literally see the stress of the day melt away into our dog's soft fur.
Later, he gets frustrated with homework and there are often tears included in the process. However, we have learned that if he completes his reading assignment by reading aloud to Keeper, who is the older and calmer dog in our family, the whole process goes much smoother. His confidence in reading has grown tremendously since he started reading to Keeper. And so has Keeper’s vocabulary. :) Which makes Keeper a true hero in this mom's eyes.
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Awwww, I love this!! I, too, have been raised with dogs and now am a mama to my furbaby, Keeper!!! My husband is a tournament fisherman and works with BASS, so when we adopted our rescue 15 years ago I wanted a name that reflected that, so....Keeper...you know, she's a keeper! This is a wonderful post and I've bookmarked it for the future. I know your boys and you love them so much!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for such a lovely comment, Susan! I think the name Keeper is my very favorite dog name ever. For the reason you said, "she's a keeper" - what a perfect name for a fisherman's dog! And also because a dog is sort of the "keeper" of the family. They keep us close and at home. I can tell you love your Keeper as much as we love ours. :)
DeleteWhen I bought my house that's the only carpet I would even consider putting down - I put it in my bedroom and master closet and had a piece finished along the edges into an area rug for the living room. The scrap was also finished into a runner for the hallway. Any messes....either by pets or kids....comes RIGHT OUT!!! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome to hear, Debbie! I know that you love your adorable pups as members of your family just like we do.
DeleteThe picture of your son reading to Keeper is beyond precious! Thanks for the post, I will keep it in mind as I search for carpet for our breakfast room.
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Thanks so much, Chris! I love that picture too. :)
DeleteSo sweet, we are going to have to meet one day Courtney. Kindred spirits.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brooke! I agree about the kindred spirits part too. :)
DeleteLove seeing your Goldens. Miss mine.... thanks for giving me a Golden "fix."
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Courtney! I love the photos with your son. We are such dog people, too, and our pups have been comforter heroes, too. The photo of your superhero pups is so cute!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. Our golden is our 3rd kid...not everyone understands it! When we brought her home I was all "she'll stay out of the living room and bedrooms" ha ha ha; old me what were you thinking!
ReplyDeleteShe helps our son when he is struggling with his anxiety as well as homework. She watches our kids every move when they play outside and I don't doubt for a second that she would lay her life down for her people.
So glad to have stumbled upon your blog. We have 4 dogs, the youngest is our daughter's Golden, she is currently living with us after just having finished grad school. He is such a joy. Brings back memories of our former Golden we lost a few years back. They do shed, hair is everywhere, but the unconditional love they give is so worth it. I know there will most likely be another in our future as both my hubby and I have become very attached to Henley, but know his momma will move on eventually and take him with her.
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