Don't worry, everything is fine with our pup Yoshi, this isn't a dog memorial note! In fact, I'm publishing this a week ahead of the third anniversary of our gotcha day. That's right, our three and a half year old mutt has been with us for three years 🐶

It's hard to believe I haven't published something like this before, sorry pup. Time flies. In fact, for Yoshi's first year, we didn't leave the house without having her on a leash. That might sound crazy since we're surrounded by fields, trees, and one low-traffic road. If she needed to go out, we went out too. But, it paid off, and she doesn't stray too far from our big backyard now when she is out.

Yoshi (with a different, less cool name) came from Texas in 2017 after a bad hurricane. I'm not sure how well she would have done down there anyway, because here in central New York when the temps hit 75ºF she flops down for hours at a time. She is in her element when it is 20ºF and snowy. Look at this good girl 👇

I took Yoshi on a lot of car rides in the early days. It turns out a lot of puppies get carsick, fun! Cool story: once on a quick 200 mile trip south she threw up four times (sorry girl). The veterinarian prescribed us an anti-nausea pill and when we gave that to Yoshi she didn't throw up but did drool uncontrollably for four hours. Luckily, someone recommended giving her Dramamine® and you know what? It works. Problem solved.

See how ferocious she is? Absolute monster. We had now idea how she would handle having a tiny human in the house, but to say it has gone well would be an understatement. It is because our dog loves everyone, and everything. She doesn't bark at other dogs, she tackle hugs them. Not every dog loves her back, though. See my in-laws pup below.

She's a perfect dog, in that she is a classic dog. She digs holes in the yard. We've had a few different shoes nibbled on. She'll grab food right out of your hand if you're not careful. I think she's exact average intelligence, doing some genius and idiotic things back to back. It's great.

Fun fact, those photos above were taken in the exact same spot, a year+ apart. Derp. Also, my wife and I both work from home (even before this pandemic) so ever day is bring your dog to work day. The dress code is biz cas, obviously.

The first time Yoshi went swimming was on a hot summer day on the Sassafras River in Maryland. It went well.

She is currently laying on the ground next to me, biting her nails. I'd say it is gross (mostly because of the sound) but neither of us wants me to trim them for her, so there you go. Also, do you brush your dog's teeth? Because the vet said we definitely have to and we definitely will not and I'm still laughing about it. We switched vets and the new place complemented her on a gorgeous set of chompers.

Not unlike parenting a human (which I'm OK at) this is a sweet spot in terms of age. She's outgrown some young habits and I realize Yoshi will get older and have new struggles. So I'm doing my best to enjoy playing with her inside and outside (she loves when we throw things for her) all the time. I know I've been giving her too many snacks lately. I know. She's just so stupid happy about it though.

Yoshi can be pretty serious though, don't let these smiles fool you. She is expressive as h*ck and will let you know that she's disappointed when you get to eat and she doesn't, or a door is closed. Or if you're nearby but not giving head rubs.

Reminder, she loves snow and the cold weather.

The fact that Yoshi lets a toddler constantly crawl on, snuggle with, and chase her is wonderful.

I could share a lot more, but that already feels like a lot. I have somewhat jumped around in terms of timeline with these pics, so I'll end this by sharing the first photo I took of her in our home.