Why Having Dogs Makes Life Better

    This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx on behalf of Amazon Prime Video

I feel like my life is split into two eras; before I had my dogs and after. I almost don’t even remember what it was like not to have them but not a day goes by that I don’t acknowledge how grateful I am that I do.

I can remember always wanting a dog, but being afraid of the commitment. Fast forward to meeting my ex’s dog, a little black Pomchi named Gunnar (many of you may remember me even shooting with him those year ago.) I fell in love with him fast! I was in a long distance relationship at the time, so I didn’t get to spend a ton of time with him, but the time I did spend, made me realize that I could totally handle having a pup of my own.

I did my homework on the breed (half Pomeranian, half Chihuahua) and I decided that was exactly the breed I wanted for myself. As if it was meant to be, I ended up finding a woman who’s dogs had Pomchi pups, and I ended adopting Ranger at 7 weeks old. Actually, it’s Ranger who chose me.

There I was sitting in the room with 3 male puppies – I had originally wanted the female, but there was only one in her litter and she had promised it to her granddaughter. She let me spend time with them and choose whichever one I wanted. The larger one of the three, while absolutely adorable, was running around in circles like the Tasmanian devil and I naively thought, ‘oh no, he has WAY too much energy.’ (the joke was on me…they ALL have that level of energy when they’re puppies) The middle one walked into the other room uninterested. The smallest of the three, Ranger, a tiny little brown fluff ball, walked right over to me. I picked him up into my lap and he looked up at me, licked my arm, curled up in my lap and went to sleep. And that was it…

Now I’m not going to tell you raising a puppy is a bed of roses because it’s not. It’s SO HARD. Sleepless nights, accidents in the house (in my BED!) revolving everything around them, I couldn’t even shower until it was his nap time – sound like having a baby? That’s what it felt like!  I can remember at the end of our first week together, I cried wondering what the heck I had got myself into. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The bond he and I developed is like no other and those of you who have a dog may know what I am talking about. Most people, especially those who don’t have a dog don’t really understand. I didn’t even understand before I had him.  He may be just a dog to some, but they have little personalities just like people do and we understand each other in a way that is hard to explain. Forever connected by unconditional love – I never thought I could love anything this much!

Somehow in his way, he makes everything better. Bad days, good days, or even just lazy days on the couch. Loving him makes my life better and me a better person.

Ranger and Gunnar ended up bff’s and when my ex and I moved in together it was great for them. They were so bonded that when we finally broke up, we couldn’t separate them. That’s how Gunnar became mine. and now the two of them, Gunnar who’s 9 and Ranger who’s almost 4, are my furry babies. I didn’t plan for two dogs, but the joy they bring me each and everyday is unmeasurable.

All of this to say, this is why I am excited for the new global unscripted series The Pack on Amazon Prime!!  The Pack celebrates the unrivaled bond between dogs and their human companions. Hosted by Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn and her canine co-host Lucy, the series features twelve teams of dogs and their humans on an epic adventure across multiple continents and will premiere on November 20th, on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories. At stake is a life-changing $750,000 for the winning duo and their charity, $500,000 to the winners plus an additional $250,000 prize amount for the animal charity of their choice. Additionally, The Pack donated $250,000 during filming to multiple charities and animal rescue organizations in each country, helping to pay it forward to dogs and those who love them around the world. To win the monetary prize for themselves and their charity, the teams will have to depend on their understanding of one another’s strengths and weaknesses and prove to have the strongest bond in the pack. In each locale, the human and dog duos will face fun and exciting challenges, designed in concert with a team of accredited veterinarians and certified dog experts that also accompany the group on their exciting journey, making sure it is a positive experience for everyone.

They sent over this fun box to celebrate the launch and the boys had so much fun playing on our new patio. Ranger LOVES a good game of chase the ball and Gunnar loved hanging out in the play tent.