In 2015 Stef and I embarked on a new journey. Raising a puppy. This isn’t a heart wrenching story of rescue though. We got Riley when she was 8 weeks old, fresh from her mama and litter mates.
She was as cute as can be….when she was asleep. We alternated having her at night because she would get up many times a night to go to the bathroom and she whined throughout the night because she hated being in her crate.
The saying “never wake a sleeping baby”, pertains to puppies too. If she was asleep, it was our chance to not be on guard and watchful every moment because as soon as you take your eyes off of a puppy, they get into something they shouldn’t.
We worked hard on training her and even took her to obedience school. She is 7 now and that training did pay off. She’s a great dog and, for the most part, behaves very well. There are always going to be quirks about her but I think those are what make her Riley.
She’s been our running mate, hiking buddy, camping companion, life guard, and confidante for 7 years. She’s been all over Washington, New York, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and every state in between. She goes on every car trip, every camping trip, every hike, and every kayak or SUP trip.
In 2019 Riley was diagnosed with diabetes. I realize she’s just a dog to some, but she is our furry family member and we were crushed. We researched and listened to the vet to glean all the information we could out of her. We found out that 3 of her litter mates and several other dogs bred from Riley’s mom also had diabetes.
Riley is doing great. We keep her active, we give her insulin shots twice a day, we make her healthy food, and we love on her. She is probably spoiled rotten but she has given us so much joy that, for her short time on this earth, she will live well and be loved to pieces!
We’ve been fortunate enough to help with a dog rescue in Albuquerque, NM called Cross My Paws. We even fostered a dog named Huckleberry for a month and transported her to New York where we found her a loving home.
If life seems unfulfilling. If you have space in your home and your heart. Adopt a dog. They are wonderful creatures that love unconditionally. As the writer and photographer, Roger Caras, said “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”
TURAS GIRLS 
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