Okay friends, I have been sitting on this news for what feels like forever and I cannot keep it in anymore. We are getting a puppy! Her name is Maisie, she's a Golden Mountain Doodle, and our whole family is losing their minds with excitement. (I wrote this post about 2 weeks before she came home!)

If you've followed along for a while, you know dogs are a huge part of our family and honestly a huge part of my work too. I talk a lot about including your pets in your maternity, newborn, and family sessions, because your dog is part of your family's story! So today I wanted to pull back the curtain and share the whole journey of how we got here, and everything we've done to get our house (and hearts) ready.

How We Got Here

This story actually starts back in early 2023, when we lost our sweet girl Lemon. Fitz was born in October of 2021, and not long after that, Lemon was diagnosed with a heart condition that progressed fast. We spent a really hard year loving on a very sick dog while also raising a brand new baby. It was a lot. Shortly after we lost Lemon, I got pregnant with our second. Even in the middle of all that, when I was about six months pregnant with our second, I knew I wanted to get on the radar with a breeder for when the time felt right.

That recommendation actually came from one of my own photography clients, who has two pups from the same breeder and could not say enough good things (and I personally loved petting at every session with them!). Trina responsibly and lovingly raises various kind of Doddles at Daisey’s Doodles. I did my research on the Golden Mountain Doodle breed and knew almost instantly it would be the right fit for our family. We wanted the experience of raising a puppy alongside our kids, training her to fit our lifestyle from the very beginning.

Fast forward a year. Kevin started a new job at a startup, we took on a major home renovation (still not 100% finished, if we're being honest!), and life just kept moving. And we waited for the perfect litter to arrive. Last month, we finally buried Lemon's ashes on her birthday. It felt like the right moment to close one chapter before opening the next.

Puppy Selection Day

Because we'd been on the list for so long, we got first choice at puppy selection day, and let me tell you, meeting a litter of six week old puppies is overwhelming in the best possible way. We knew we wanted a girl, and Fitz had already decided her name was going to be Maisie. She was curious, playful, came right up to us, and was unbelievably soft. We knew.

If you're curious about the breeder or the litter, you can check them out here: Daisey’s Doodles

Getting Our House (and Kids) Ready

We took the kids to Petco and let them pick out Maisie's collar, leash, and a toy each, which was honestly one of my favorite parts of this whole process so far. Here's what our prep list has looked like:

Kevin's parents gave us their old dog crate, which we'll partition off while she's small
We already have plenty of baby gates thanks to our own kids (and Lemon before them!)
Food, a brush, treats, a dog bed, and a bell for potty training
Nature's Miracle, doggie shampoo, and many poop bags
Storage bins with lids to keep the kids' toys safely out of reach of a teething puppy
A custom name tag for her collar
We kept Lemon's dog bowls, but got rid of most of her other things so Maisie could start fresh

Our Training Plan

We took Lemon to Puppy Manners in Woodinville all the way back in 2014, and we loved the experience so much that we're headed right back there with Maisie. Our breeder also sent over a really thoughtful prep guide, and a few pieces of her advice stuck with me:

She recommends teaching sit, off, no bite, night night, and here puppy puppy early on, and making the word "house" something your puppy gets excited about, so you never end up chasing a bolting teenager around the yard. She also reminded us that come should always mean something good is about to happen, treats, praise, attention, never a correction, so your puppy learns that coming to you is always safe. And for potty training, she suggests keeping puppy on a predictable schedule that works for your family, and taking her out immediately after naps, meals, and drinks.

Stay Tuned!

I cannot wait to introduce you all to Maisie properly, and you already know I'll be sharing every soft ear, every muddy paw, and every chaotic-but-adorable moment on Instagram. If you're local to Seattle and you have a furbaby of your own, I would love to include them in your next maternity, newborn, or family session. Dogs are family too, and some of my favorite images are the ones with a wet nose sneaking into frame.

Book your session here and let's capture your whole crew, four legged members included!