October 6, 2025

the puppy
croodling up next to her brand new toy —
a highland cow
with five squeakers
and a witch hat

and a vibe of playing
i’ve never seen her do
with any
other
toy

is it love?

is it play-acting her hunting instincts?

do we care that much?

no —

we just like to see her
happy

March 1, 2023

we are teaching our puppy
the names of all her toys
as well as the signs for them
(some official ASL
some a bit made up by us)

she knows her Pizza so well
and Ring
and Smile
and sometimes she can remember Monster, Bear, and Fidget Spinner,
we’re still working on Pumpkin, Triple, Scarecrow, Blanket, and Pie,
and wherever her Ball is, she knowns that one, too

the hope is to get her to fetch each toy
by name
by silent sign
to prove how smart of a dog she is

but so far, she has simply taught us
how much she loves that
squeaky Pizza.