Weaning Our Dog Off Puppy Food + Puppo Food Review

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but at almost 2 years old, we’ve FINALLY weaned Jellybean off of puppy food. When we first adopted Bean, he was only 4 months old, so we started feeding him a puppy formula that he did well on. Puppy food is really supposed to be fed only for the dog’s first year, but once that milestone came and went, we just kept feeding Bean the same food . . . whoops! Changing dog food can be tricky, and to be honest, we hadn’t made it a priority to change him to an adult dog formula.

Right around the time I was thinking about making the switch and contemplating the best way to do it, Puppo reached out to me to see if they could send us some food for Bean to try! Puppo is a personalized dog food delivery service, and with their help, Bean is finally eating adult dog food. We loved our experience with Puppo and today I wanted to share a bit about it.

As you can see from the picture above, Puppo is totally personalized and our bag of food even came with a cute picture of Jellybean on it!! I answered a few questions about Bean online to start, including the basics like his age and size and then more specifics like what we’d like to work on: weight loss/gain, fresh breath, digestion, etc. Thankfully, Bean is at a super healthy weight (so we just want to maintain that), but his breath could ALWAYS use some extra help so I definitely checked that box on the quiz :) Puppo is a delivery service, so you sign up for a subscription and then the bags of food just automatically come in the mail whenever you’re running low. More than once in the past I’ve run out of Bean’s puppy food and had to feed him some of Willie’s food for a day or two, so it’s nice to just have the bags show up on our doorstep and never run out.

Based on my answers to the online quiz, Puppo formulated a recipe for Jellybean with a base of lamb and rice. The bag has all the nutritional breakdown and feeding instructions right on it. We drop Jellybean off at daycare (and overnight boarding) every now and then, and it’s really nice to have his name and the feeding instructions right on the food so we can be sure it doesn’t get mixed up when he’s at daycare! The last time I dropped him off with his bag of food, the staff commented how cute (and easy) it was for feeding time when I picked him up.

If Jellybean’s needs change, we can always go in and update his formula online. Overall, we’ve had a great experience with Puppo.

Bean taking a mid-morning nap after eating his breakfast of Puppo food! :)

In terms of actually weaning Jellybean off the puppy food he was used to, it was a matter of slowly switching over, by feeding a blend over a series of days. The Puppo starter kit we received included a nice little laminated flashcard explaining the ratio to give, adding about 10% more of the new food each day and 10% less of the old food. Over a few days, your pup is acclimated to the new formula. Switching cold-turkey is hard, and we VERY much wanted to avoid any, ahem, digestive problems from Jellybean. Now that we have him eating adult food, we joke that he’s a “grown dog” and isn’t a baby who needs his moms anymore. But of course, he’ll always be the baby of the family at 12 pounds, haha!

If you are interested in trying Puppo for your dog, they’re running a promotion right now for two weeks’ worth of food for just $9 so you can see if your dog likes it. Click here to get started.

Disclaimer: Puppo generously sent Jellybean three free months of food to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

When You Get the Blues After Getting a Dog

This is the truth: I got the blues after we adopted Jellybean. Bad. I was crying frequently, unsure if we'd made the wrong choice by adopting him, and honestly grieving my old life with just me, Grace, and Willie. I had a constant knot in my stomach worrying how this little crying baby would ever fit into our household and whether we'd ever have peace and quiet again!

Well, here's the reality 4 months later: I LOVE Bean and while my life and schedule has been altered since bringing him home, I also can't imagine things being any different now. And the other piece of that is that yes, puppies do learn. I feel like one minute we were in the thick of house training, worrying that our home would forever smell like urine, and the next minute I looked up and realized I can't even remember the last time Bean went to the bathroom in the house. Grace has been so patient and diligent in training him. We'd never trained basic commands before (because we always adopted older dogs who already knew them), and it turns out it's SO rewarding and astonishing how puppies learn.

Having Jellybean has taught me so much about how things grow. It might sound cheesy or hyperbolic, but watching a puppy grow is pure magic. Seeing with my own eyes these past few months that puppies grow, flowers bloom, wounds heal, and winter turns to spring has been so life giving and special for me.

I wrote once that Casper taught me that all things can be redeemed. I felt so privileged to get to witness his story, from abuse and neglect (and accompanying severe aggression) to the good life in his old age. He died more at peace than I think most humans can ever hope for. But in this new season of life raising Bean, I've learned about redemption all over again, in a different way. I've learned how a new being on this earth sees things and understands them for the first time, and how what seems like an annoying crying baby at first can turn your whole world upside down with love. 

The point of this post is to say this: you are not alone if you bring home a dog (or any pet) and wonder if you're regretting it! I just wanted to share my experience of post-adoption depression in the hopes that it might encourage someone who is going through it. I truly believe that for the vast majority of people, it is impossible to care for a living being and have it rely on you for sustenance and NOT fall in love with it. It's just a biological response. I'm sure there are exceptions, but give it enough time, and I really think that fears that you won't love a pet are unfounded in the end. How long? I'd honestly say it took Grace and me about a month to really love Bean. That's not to say we weren't sweet on him and didn't give him affection and take care of him during that time--of course we did. But to get to the point where I got so excited just to see him when I got home from work (in addition to Willie) and just wanted to scoop him up and kiss his snout all the time, it took a little while! I feel almost weird admitting that, but maybe it will help give someone hope who feels the same.

After talking to a few people who have adopted dogs, I realize how common this feeling is. Grace certainly had it when she first got Casper; she bonded with him quickly but wondered if she was in over her head. And it was hard to immediately love Willie, too, especially while we were grieving Casper at the same time. But I kind of think a puppy has an especially steep loving-curve, if you will. They might destroy things in your house, pee on your nice rug, bark and cry in the night, eat things that give them diarrhea, and generally be a terror. It's easy to miss your old life when things were simpler, and you could sleep in past 6:30! (at least I did). But if you fake it til you make it, I really do believe that your attachment to the dog will catch up with the dog's learning and bonding with you as well. And the good news is that the more bonded you are with the dog, the easier training becomes, because the dog already WANTS to please you. The dog loving YOU isn't always automatic, either! But a dog's love and needs are so simple that a mutual attachment and fierce love is, in my opinion and experience, all but inevitable. A month of waiting for the bond to fully take root will undoubtedly feel like a lifetime, but the years of precious memories and good times as a family are so worth it.

Willie and Jellybean's DNA Results

This past weekend I got two very exciting emails--our dogs' DNA results came in! A few weeks ago I DNA tested everyone in the house, as you can see from the kits in the photos above. Grace and I did the 23andMe human DNA ancestry kits, and I got the Wisdom Panel kits for the dogs. 

I'd originally planned to do a blog post about all of our DNA results once everything came back, but I'm too impatient to wait for ours! Full disclosure, we got the 23andMe kits as a free gift for attending an event; I probably would not have paid any money to find out that we're both European (which I'm sure is what our results will say). However, I would and did gladly spent too much money on finding out about the dogs' breeds, and the results were really interesting. I decided to just go ahead and post the dogs' results because it's going to be another month or so until our 23andMe results come in. I'll probably update on Insta stories but don't think it's worth a blog post for the scintillating and never before predicted information that Grace's and my ancestors migrated from the British Isles, ha!

Okay so here's a little bit about my process of choosing the kit. There are TONS of dog DNA kits out there, and not all are created equal (apparently). I have no affiliation with Wisdom Panel but I'm going to describe why I chose to buy it and my experience in case anyone out there is trying to decide which test to get. I based my decision to buy the Wisdom Panel off reading consumer reports online and Amazon reviews. I have heard that with some DNA tests you have to send a picture of your dog or a description, which seems suspicious. We did not do that with Wisdom Panel; all they ask is for the cheek swab samples (which you mail back in a pre-paid box) and your dog's name and approximate age. So they have no way of determining the dog's breed based on a photo or description. Also, a big factor in choosing Wisdom Panel was reading about the consumer report tests where multiple samples from the same dog were sent in, using different names and contact information, and the results came back identical, down to every percentage. In other words, they're not just randomly assigning breeds; there has to be a method to the madness because samples from the same dog came back consistent (if that makes sense). Finally, I was further reassured that I'd chosen the best test when our veterinarian--who I trust with my dogs' lives--said that Wisdom Panel is the best test out there, and it's the one they recommend and use for their own pets.

BUT: all of that being said, I'm a little skeptical of our dogs' results. I don't think that Wisdom Panel makes up any results or is bogus, but I think the level of technology and science they're using might be a little bit basic or less advanced than say, the 23andMe analysis for humans. Which is fair; they're dogs. Anyway, here's the actual part you're probably interested in: what kinds of dogs Willie and Jellybean are.

Willie Nelson

Willie's results were the most surprising to me. They said that he is a 100% purebred American Staffordshire Terrier. This is very surprising to me because I have never seen a dog in my life that looks quite like Willie! I mean, those ears! He's just not what I picture with an American Staffordshire--his snout is longer and darker at the tip, and his ears are WILD. Everyone comments on how pointy and huge they are. They stand up all the time; they are rigid and not floppy at all. For reference, here's a google images photo of an American Staffordshire:

Sure, I can see that Willie is related to this type of dog, but 100% purebred? I find it hard to believe. However, they sent us extensive results and said that he passed on a "purebred" test on every level. They even sent us a certificate of authentication. I feel like if a DNA test was going to make something up, they would make up a random mutt combination, not that a dog is 100% purebred. That said, Willie just does NOT fit the physical characteristics. I'm still puzzling over it! Here are some screenshots of our results for Willie:

These are all of the tests they do to determine if a dog is a "purebred." According to the website, they run each of these tests independently, and if even one is a "fail," they the dog is not purebred. Willie passed all of them.

They also give you some info about sensitivity to medicines (thankfully, both of our dogs came back normal), and weight range. Willie is right in the middle at 61 pounds.

So there you have it. I still think Willie is not a purebred dog of any kind, but on another note, the concept of "purebred" dogs is a weird one and not something I'm really interested in promoting. Dog breeds were invented by humans, mostly in the past 200 years. There are some "ancient" breeds (like Chihuahuas and some Mastiffs, for example), but beyond that, most dog breeds have become what they are today relatively recently. So therefore, the concept of a breed being "pure" is based on standards set by people not nature--and SO much research shows that purebred dogs can have a lot of health problems due to being inbred (not always, but it's important to be aware that purebreeds are not inherently better/healthier than mixed breeds--often the opposite is true). Just putting that out there. I'm often surprised how many misconceptions are out there about dog breeds. 

Onto the next one!

Jellybean

Before the test results came in, Grace and I were joking that Jellybean's results would come back as part rabbit or chicken or other little creature (obviously they don't test for those). He's just such a funny little bunny rabbit of a dog! His results were also kind of surprising, but he is in no way a purebred dog. According to Wisdom Panel, Jellybean is 50% Chihuahua (not surprising), and has one great-grandparent who was a Pomeranian, another great-grandparent who was a Pekingese, and the other quarter of his ancestry is a general mixed terrier breed. For reference, here are some google images photos of the three specific breeds he's mixed with:

Chihuahua

Pekingese

Pomeranian

Weird, right? Jellybean has shorter hair than pretty much all of these dogs, and is most similar to a Chihuahua. But, according to the test, a quarter of his DNA is from a Pekingese/Pomeranian combo. The other quarter was just a general terrier mix, which was mixed beyond several generations (meaning that mixed breeds had puppies with other mixed breeds for several generations, making it too difficult to determine DNA beyond general terrier mix). The vet's thinking is that Jellybean has some type of pit bull mix in him, which I've had people stop me on the street and say as well--that he looks like a teacup pit bull (Grace made a joke about this once but I've literally had strangers say this to me, so funny!). So that "terrier mix" could be pit bull terrier--obviously of the pocket or miniature variety. I think there could be some Jack Russell terrier in there too. But, the DNA is too jumbled to know for sure. Here's some more specifics of Jellybean's results:

What's probably the most surprising about Jellbean's results? That there's 0% Dachshund. I think that's one of the most common breeds people guessed when looking at Jellybean, so it will probably be surprising that he is not a Dachshund at all! I think his long body comes from being part Pekingese, which is also a long dog. Also, I think Jellybean's weight profile is telling, because he's not yet a year old and he's already a bit over 11 pounds. To me, this suggests that the 25% generic "terrier" mix includes something larger, and helps explain why our vet thinks (based on his physical exam of Jellybean's legs, especially), that Jellybean has some type of pit bull mix in his ancestry. He's a unique guy. I kind of love that I've never really seen a dog that looked quite like either of our boys--there's no one else quite like them! That said, both of them must have siblings somewhere out there. It would be so cool to run into a twin of either of them some day.

If you are considering a DNA test for your dog, I highly recommend it! It's very interesting and felt like Christmas morning to get the emails in my inbox. But no matter what the results would have been, of course it wouldn't change how I feel about the pups. It's just for fun!

Bringing Home Bean!

We are falling more in love with little Bean (I'll explain more about his full name below) every day. We're still getting to know his personality, so I'm going to save my "Meet Bean" post for later, but I wanted to go ahead and write a post about how we ended up with this little guy! It's kind of a funny story, and overall it's felt very meant-to-be. The process of integrating him into our family has been so much fun but not 100% smooth sailing--there have been moments where we worry about how he fits into our lives or Willie gets annoyed with having a puppy in the house. So with that in mind, you can expect posts about bringing a new puppy into the house with an existing dog, as well as thoughts on crate training, socialization, and more. I can't wait to share all we've learned. But without further introduction, here's the story of how Bean came to be part of the family!

To set the stage, I should explain that we have been thinking about getting Willie a sibling for awhile--pretty much since we adopted him, actually! We knew that bringing two dogs on the Alaska trip would probably be too much, so we wanted to wait until we were back. But, as soon as we saw how much Willie LOVES other dogs , we thought it would be a great idea to get him a brother or sister.

When we started the search, we were pretty sure what our next dog would be like: a girl, pit bull, and most likely already a few years old. Well, as I wrote in my post about bringing home Willie, we make plans and God laughs. We ended up with a dog that is different in every way: a boy, a tiny little mutt, and a PUPPY! Not what we were looking for at all. But somehow, that convinces me even more that he was meant to be ours.

We'd been looking for a pit bull rescue and working with a few rescue organizations, mainly because we were worried about adopting from a shelter where we couldn't introduce Willie to the dog before adopting. With an existing dog, that's definitely an added complication. We contacted Angel City Pit Bulls and Bullies and Buddies (local rescue orgs) and even set up some meet and greets with adoptable dogs. But while we were mulling over what to do, we happened to run out of food for Willie. We went to our local pet store, Tailwaggers, for some food for him, and they happened to be having a cat adoption event at the time. Not being in the market for a new cat, I ignored the setup, and went straight for Willie's food in the back of the store. But then Grace pointed out that there was a little puppy right in the middle of all of the cat carriers! He was shaking like a leaf and seemed very confused and lonely. The lady from the rescue organization running the adoption said I could pick him up, so I gingerly lifted him into my arms . . . and he promptly stopped shaking and fell asleep. To say I was instantly smitten would be an understatement. 

I don't know why, but we just felt something right away. We knew he wasn't what we were looking for, but he worked his puppy magic on us and we just felt like he had literally fallen into our lap, right when we were looking for a second dog. He needed a home (having been surrendered to the South LA Animal Shelter, a high-kill shelter in town, and then picked up by the rescue organization Homeless to Forever Foundation). And he was beyond CUTE and so sweet. Last but not least, I felt like I got a major sign from above in what he was wearing. Compare the two photos below:

He already matched Willie! I'm a sucker for "signs," so when I noticed that, it was kind of all over for me.

The person running the rescue said they had to schedule a home visit, which they did for later that week. They drove him to our house, checked out the puppy supplies we'd bought, supervised the introduction to Willie, and then he was ours! We kept him from that night forward.

Willie has been very curious right away, and he has been intensely interested in grooming Bean from day 1. We think it's a bonding thing. There have been a few moments where Willie has gotten sick of Bean's puppy ways, but I will save that for another post. For the most part, we're all becoming one big happy family :)

That said, the sweet sleeping puppy at Tailwaggers was kind of a ruse. Haha! I can't blame him, because he IS just a puppy, but we had some house training to do, and we've also been teaching him to be comfortable and not cry in his crate (side note: I was totally not into crate training before getting this puppy, but now I see how necessary it is and have been converted!). He is rambunctious, fun, silly, and super playful. So far he is definitely a big dog in a small dog's body, which is exactly how we want him to be given that his older brother is huge. He's done great at puppy playtime and boarding over Christmas, and I think he shows every sign of being a very good dog. It's just a different experience from adopting Casper and Willie, who were both totally trained when we got them! We have to work on Bean, but it's a new experience that we're grateful to have.

Now that I've told the whole story of how he came to be ours, here are a few FAQ's about Bean that I've been getting:

What's his name/how did you pick his name?

Bean's full name is Jellybean Jones Baldridge. It comes from Riverdale/the Archie Comics, and Jellybean is the baby sister of the character Jughead (Grace and I are big Riverdale fans). Jellybean hasn't actually appeared on the show yet, but she's mentioned in it, and she's part of the Archie Comics on which the show is based. We just thought the name Jellybean was so cute, so back when we thought we'd get a girl for our second dog, we decided to name her Jellybean and maybe call her Jelly or Ellie for a nickname. But when we ended up with little Bean, it still fit--but his nickname is Bean instead! I also thought Bean Baldridge was just the cutest little name. Plus, he curls up just like a little pinto:

What kind of dog is he? How big is he going to get?

The answer to both is kind of a mystery! I've never had a small dog before, and from what I understand they stop growing more quickly than big dogs do. That said, Bean is only about 4-6 months old, so it does not sound like he is done growing yet. He gained about 1 pound in 4 weeks, so we're hoping he'll get a little bit bigger! He's 10 pounds right now, and I think his full-grown weight will be 15-20.

As for what kind of dog he is, he's probably a combination of some or all of these breeds: mini dachshund, jack russell terrier, and chihuahua. As he grows, we'll probably be able to tell more, and I also plan to do a doggy DNA test for both him and Willie. I'm very curious, but ultimately it doesn't really matter--I firmly believe that breeds are just a guideline, and especially for a mutt, so much of it depends on training and the energy you (as the alpha) bring to the relationship.

Does Willie like him?

Mostly, yes. But we are setting really strict boundaries right now because of the significant size difference--our primary concern is safety, and our secondary focus is bonding and fun times between the doggies. But I have faith they will be best buds :)

Is it difficult having a puppy?

Honestly, yes, it's a lot more work than just with Willie! But Grace and I are "dog people" through and through. We love dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages, breeds, etc. And this is a new chapter in our life and new adventure--and we can't wait for MANY more years with little Bean! We love him and it's so much fun to share him on the blog.

Thanks for reading! I have lots more to share soon.

He's the cuddliest little guy!

Quick Trip to Palm Springs with (TWO) Dogs!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen a pretty exciting announcement over the weekend! It's true--Grace and I adopted a new little fur baby and we are very smitten with him. That said, it's been a journey with highs and lows that I am looking forward to thoroughly documenting here in the coming weeks. Little Bean (full name Jellybean Jones Baldridge--if you get the reference, we are friends) has turned our world upside down, and raising a puppy is no easy feat. But seeing Willie become protective of him and groom him is so heart-melting.

I promise that soon I will post ALL about how we came to adopt Bean, similar to my post about adopting Willie. And, I'll write a separate post introducing his personality (similar to my Meet Casper and Meet Willie posts) once we get to know him a little better! 

But in the meantime, I wanted to write a post about our trip to Palm Springs a couple of weeks ago. I shared some pictures on Instagram from Palm Springs, and it was funny because I had to be conscious not to share Bean in any of them! He was with us, and many of our friends met him that weekend. But, we decided not to post anything about him online during our adjustment period.

I've been to Palm Springs in the past and written about it here, but this was my first time with dogs! It was so fun. Several of our friends brought their dogs too, so it was one big dog party (the best kind of party). We were there celebrating our friend Sara's birthday. And because we all stayed at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, dogs were allowed, which was awesome. This post is not a review per se of the Ace, nor is it in any way sponsored (ha), but that said we spent the majority of our time there. I would definitely stay at the Ace next time I go to Palm Springs over anywhere else I've been, with the exception of maybe the Parker. 

I think the best dog-friendly thing about the Ace is that dogs are allowed on the pool deck! I think they have restrictions when it's hot (as they should), but it was a balmy 75-80 degrees while we were there. It was so fun to have all the dogs hanging out on the loungers with us and chilling by the pool! The hotel staff even brought us water bowls for our pooches.

Can you spot all 4 dogs in this pic?! There were a total of five over the whole weekend. So fun.

For our room, Grace and I opted for one of the rooms with a patio and outdoor fireplace. It was SO worth the little bit extra per night. It was so lovely to have our breakfast in the morning by the outdoor fire, and it was nice to have the dogs be able to hang out there too.

We ended up getting upgraded to a suite (which also included the fireplace) and it was AMAZING! Our room even came with an acoustic guitar, which Grace loved playing.

Speaking of breakfast, if you stay at the Ace and order room service, GET THE DATE SHAKE! OMG, we loved it and convinced all of our friends to order it, too. I thought the avocado toast was just okay, not my favorite. 

Most of our weekend was spent hanging by the pool, which was just what we needed. We ate at King's Highway, which is the restaurant at the Ace, and it was great. We also went out in the evening to a Palm Springs gay bar that was SO FUN--everyone had a great time and danced so much. It was called Hunters. 

Most of our group at Hunters.

It was a short, simple weekend, but it was so good for the soul. This fall has kicked Grace's and my butts with work, moving, wedding planning, and more, but this weekend in Palm Springs really reminded and convinced me of how important it is to take time to get out of town and spend time together. Bean did great on the 2 hour car ride to and from Palm Springs, so we want to keep exposing him to road trips so that he gets used to it and loves them like Willie does!

Stay tuned for lots more about Bean soon!