My family got a puppy when I was a senior in high school. My youngest sister had been asking for a puppy for a while, but we were all surprised when she unrolled a tiny note in her Christmas stocking. A tiny little fluff ball would be coming home in a few weeks! Marley has now been part of my family for over a decade and is always so excited to see me when I make it home for a holiday or weekend.

When I moved to Pittsburgh and become a first time homeowner (both terrifying and exciting), it felt right to add a tiny ball of fur to the family. So, late one night last August, Theo arrived.

Theo, named after the Seattle based Theo Chocolate, was the most adorable fourteen pounds of chocolate lab and I was instantly in love.

I mean, those eyes…

He came along everywhere, and now has an undying love for any walk and all car rides.

And, this past winter, he found that playing in the snow gives going swimming on a hot day a run for its money.

When we went back to the west coast for the Christmas holiday, Theo stayed behind. I truly never thought I’d be one to miss my dog so much, but I caught myself redirecting conversations to include Theo and whipping out my phone to show an entire camera roll of puppy photos. So as much as I hate to admit it, I talk about my dog as if he is my child…too often.

The lovely woman watching Theo sent regular updates, and we were so excited to pick him up after the holiday. He came flopping into the room, followed closely by a mini version of himself. It took less than two minutes after being told the little guy didn’t have a home yet for us to sign the papers, pack him into the car with Theo, and bring Murphy home with us.

We had juuuuust moved past the house accidents, chewed up shoes, and middle of the night wake up calls from Theo, when we dove right back in. (It’s amazing how quickly you forget the frustrations when staring at an adorable little puppy!)

Theo thought we were nuts, and was confused as to why this tiny animal was in his space.

At four months apart in age, we knew it wouldn’t be long before they became two peas in a paw-d. They enjoy walks through the neighborhood, swimming, trips to the park, car rides, and having their humans home at the end of the work day. Their favorite treats are ice cubes, carrot sticks, and frozen watermelon.

These two might be making the occasional appearance to share their ruff life both here on the blog and on instagram. (They have their own too.)