It may not seem like a big deal but ... (Patreon)

For those of you that attended my deep dive on integrating Denver into my dog-complicated household, you know that I've put a lot of work into building Denver and Whip's relationship with great consideration for both CoolWhip and Denver's long term success at home.

This week, my long, tedious, slow introduction has paid off. Not only are they able to be loose in the house and outside together without conflict pretty much all the time now, but ya'll, they PLAYED for the first time. This video is honestly more than I hoped for within 3 months of introducing Whip and Denver. My goal was peaceful co-existence, with hopes of a friendship further down the line as Denver matured, knowing that the puppy stage was going to be tough for Whip. But this video is the end of a 5 minute long play session that CoolWhip initiated with Denver! The fact that she trusted him enough to let him chase her is a BIG DEAL.

To say that I am overjoyed is an understatement. I may have shed a few tears.

So, this post is basically an ode to taking it slow, even when it's hard, and a lot of work, because ultimately you have to meet the individual dogs where they're at, and set them up for success.

P.S. I think Denver is going to end up being the BFF that CoolWhip didn't know she needed <3

Thanks for being on this journey with us <3