Raising a Puppy - We Made It! One Year

We made it to one year! Sometimes it was doubtful that we'd actually do it. And now, it's a happy fact.

Gem was born 7 March last year; on 1 May, I will have had him a year. So much has happened, so many trials and problems, but with who he is now, it has (almost) been worth it. Gem is gentle, sweet, goofy, a great water dog & retriever, quiet in the mornings (he is sleeping out of his crate at night, though sometimes he still creeps downstairs and curls up on the cold floor of his crate).

Things have really turned around... Gem is older, more mature, yes, but I think a good bit of the turn around is due to two factors: (1) Gem's month out at Dog Days Training Center while I was recuperating from surgery, and (2) my back surgery. I am no longer in agonizing pain, and I can exercise again. I'm probably a lot easier to be around, and Gem senses a calmer energy, which he reflects. Good for him & good for us.