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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Pets ·

Dogs lately.


Today’s post is for the dog lovers out there (Erika, you may skip this post 😉 Ha!).

Years ago, I used to think “What will I do when the kids go to school full-time all day long?  Who will I talk to?  Who will I hang out with?  Who will I take pictures of?  Who will keep me company?”.

My dogs.

I have turned into one of those people whose camera roll is nothing but dog pics, who sits at her desk and talks to her dogs all day and who completely spoils them rotten and dotes on them in the absence of her children.

Hi, my name is Shay, and I love my three dogs. 🙂

Today, I thought I’d share some pics and tell you a few little dog lately tidbits…

…if you’re new around here, let me introduce you to the gang.  We have Poppy Popsicle, a 9 year old coton de tulear.  Our middle child of the group is Frenchie Macaroon, also a coton de tulear, who is 3 years old.  Our baby of the group is Yankee Doodle, our one year old labradoodle.  Three pups, all girls, all so very different yet all endlessly entertaining to me as I learn to navigate this “alone for the first time in 12 years” stage of my life.

Dogs are like kids…they have very different personalities.  Poppy is the alpha dog.  She’s the boss, the one in control, the one everyone else has to listen to.  It cracks me up how much the other two dogs obey her and do whatever she wants.  This is Poppy basically standing there to tell the other two how they need to get out of the bed so that she can get in.  Yankee and Frenchie play endlessly with each other…Poppy isn’t interested in playing.  Even as a pup, that wasn’t her thing…she loves running and being outside, but she doesn’t want to “play” like the other two do.  She’s also not interested in “lovies/stuffed animals” where as the other two enjoy carrying around their toys.

Because Poppy is the alpha, she gets a lot of grief…but us “8” personalities have to stick together!  She is my favorite 🙂 .  Poppy is bossy and likes to get her way, she “chirps” at the other dogs and doesn’t mind showing them who’s boss…but she looooooooves me.  She’s the only dog that wakes up early in the morning and stays next to me all day long.  When the kids are home, the other two dogs will sometimes go off and see what they’re up to, but not Poppy…Poppy is going to stay by my side.  The other night, I teared up because she sleeps in a dog bed right next to my side of the bed and when I was lying there in the  dark about to fall asleep, I could just hear her breathing softly and I thought- geez, she’s 9!  How much longer will I get my little buddy sleeping by me?!  Ugh.  I teared up.  Andrew teased me, but Poppy isn’t interested in him, so he doesn’t get it.

I love me some Poppy.

Then there’s “Frankie”…

…that’s what you get when you put Frenchie and Yankee together.  These two are best buddies.  They play hard together all day long, and even nap together too 🙂 .

These two are endlessly fun and pretty hyper.  Cotons are really chill dogs…and Frenchie used to sleep hours and hours during the day, but once we brought a labradoodle into the mix, Frenchie decided that she could sleep later…she wants to play, play, play with her peppy sister Yankee.  Frenchie sleeps in the bed with Kensington and often sleeps up to 12 hours each night.  She LOVES to sleep late.  Yankee still likes to sleep inside her crate (all three dogs still get in their crates often for napping) and typically wakes up around 6:30 each morning, but Frenchie can easily sleep until 9:30 or even 10!

This picture is one of my all-time faves!  Poppy wanted Yankee out of the bed, so she got out but then slept with her head on it.

How sweet is that?!

Our pup of the group is pretty darn precious herself.  Yankee has boundless energy and loves to play fetch and go for walks (two words we now have to spell because she gets SO hyper if we say them out loud), but she’s a napper too.  During the day, all three dogs are by my side…

…and I love it.

Here are some quick answers to your most FAQ:
#1: Do they shed?  No!  Both breeds are hypoallergenic, so we don’t have to deal with shedding.
#2: Are they full grown?  Yes!  Yankee is a mini labradoodle and the cotons are just normal for their breed.
#3: How often do they get bathed/groomed?  Every other week!  We have a lady that comes to our neighborhood with a trailer and grooms several of the dogs on your driveway.  She is so sweet and my dogs love her!  They get so excited when she arrives.
#4: How did you train them as puppies?  We did a post on that!  You can read it HERE.
#5: Who watches them when you’re away?  We use the app Rover and have found some amazing people in our community that love them and watch them when we’re gone.
#6: When will Ashby get a dog?  When she’s ready for one!  Right now, she looooooves these three dogs (she’s our resident Dog Whisperer), but hasn’t been asking for one herself.
#7: How often do you walk them? Every day!  They get at least one (1 mile) walk each day.
#8: Where did you get your dog bed? It’s an Amazon find!  We bought the “large” size.
#9: What kind of food do they eat? Poppy has a very sensitive stomach (since birth), so our vet told us to feed all of them THIS.

That’s a little dog lately for your Thursday. xx

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You’ll Also Love

Poppy Popsicle
Frenchie Macaroon
Frenchie.

Comments

  2. Alexis Murrell says

    Loved reading about the Shull pups this morning! I’m so jealous that you don’t have to deal with shedding! 🙂

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      In our bedroom! They’re all lined up with the doors open, and they just walk on in!

  6. Sheaffer Sims says

    Your answer to Question #1 has me sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo jealous. 🙂

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Andrew and I both grew up with girl dogs (randomly without really any reasons), so we just have kept the tradition alive. My brother has always chosen female dogs too. No good reason. Ha!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      For years and years she did! He also took Frenchie and Yankee. Now, they all three stay home with me. I’m not even exactly sure when it started or why…but they’re home now. I totally think COVID had something to do with Yankee not going up there very often. By the time we got her, we were all home together.

  9. Dana P says

    Aww…I love your dogs! Sometimes I think about having 3 little dogs like you and how sweet that would be. But when we decided to get a dog I was sure I didn’t want a big one until we saw a precious dogue de Bordeaux. I’m telling you, I’ve never seen a breed as great as they are overall. They’re big, cuddly bears. And now our English mastiff…I love these gentle giants! I ended up having to get a separate IG account just for our dogs because I couldn’t quit posting pictures and videos of them! And I was never a dog person until we got our Violet. ? Now I’m obsessed!

  10. Sam says

    Don’t tear up about Poppy yet! Putting my dog down last week was the hardest thing ever but he was 19 years old! You could have many more years with Poppy 🙂

  12. Sheila Lehmenkuler says

    We’ve had 4 boxers. After each one passed we said no more, we want to travel, we are getting older, etc. But within 6 months we had another boxer. Kids are grown, house was so quiet. A dog makes the house alive. Question? How do you
    keep your house so clean with 3 dogs, ours is a mess with our boxer Lacy.
    Enjoy your blog so much.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Ohhhh, I love this! Okay, I think it helps that our dogs are super small. I think it’s harder for pint-sized pups to make a big mess. The biggest one is about 12 pounds and little Frenchie is only about five pounds!

  13. Andrea says

    I just LOVE this post!!! My dogs are my children so I can totally relate!!! Love hearing about your dogs and seeing pics of them!!! ???

  14. Tracy Doubts says

    Loved learning a bit about your pups Shay. I have a chocolate Labradoodle, they are awesome dogs…..very loving! “Frankie”, ha-ha so funny! Happy Thursday!

  15. Amanda says

    Awww what a happy Friday eve post! My little rescue is also my child and never leaves my side (definitively a COVID and quarantine side effect) but I also randomly tear up thinking he won’t be with me forever!!…he’s four. I need to stop.

  16. Becky Weaver says

    Love this post, I have 3 dogs myself and spoil them rotten. If you are ever looking for different dog beds we bought my pillow dogs beds for ours and they love them! They are pricey but if you can track down a promo code they are typically BOGO free. They are worth the money since the bed and cover are both washable. I ended up buying them for my parents and one of our neighbors and all the dogs love them.

  17. Linnea says

    Where do you put thier crates? And what do you have in them? New puppy mom over here 🙂

  18. N D says

    OHMY! LOVED this post. So good to see the pups. Just precious, they are!!!
    Thanks for sharing.

  19. Hilde says

    Dogs bring so much joy into our lives. I have two little fur balls sleeping in their beds in my office right now. They love to be in the same room as I am. And you are so right about them having different personalities too. As for the dog food, since you and Andrew care so much about your own health, maybe you would want to research the quality of the food your vet recommended. A good website is http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com. I want my two fur babies to live a long and healthy life, so I am going to give them the best possible food available. After learning how kibble is made and what is in it, I would not feed it to my dogs.

  20. Sara says

    This post made my heart happy. Our 12 year old pup just passed from cancer and our hearts have a hole now. ? Thanks for the sweet pics to brighten my day! Dogs are incredible members of our families! ❤️

      • Hilde says

        I have two little doggie fur balls who are in their beds while I am working. Dogs add so much joy to our lifes!

        With you and Andrew beinh health conscious maybe you want do more research about the food you are feeding. If one needs a prescription diet, why do the other two need to wat that too? http://Www.dogfoodadvisor.com will show you that Hill’s has a lot of questionable ingredients. My dogs do not get kibble after I read how it is processed. Their food is human grade.

  21. Michelle says

    Do your dogs burn the grass when they go to the bathroom? We have had boy and girl dogs and find the girl dog pee always burns/kills our grass 🙁

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I don’t think so! I haven’t ever noticed it, so I really don’t think so.

    • Serena W. says

      this happens because of the high pH level in your dogs urine. I would ask your Vet about changing your dogs diet. I experienced this with my German shepherd. I switched her diet and added in a supplement by Solid Gold. I am not sure if that dog food company is still in business but they had excellent products. Hope this helps 🙂

  22. Serena W. says

    Whew, this was a difficult post for me to get through. Three weeks ago tomorrow, we lost our 16/17 year old beagle. She was our best little buddy and loved to snuggle! We miss her sooooooo much!!! She was the last of our three girls, we had two beagles and a German shepherd. It is hard to believe that all three of them are gone now. It has been extremely hard. Our house is so quiet and empty. Trust me, you will definitely miss her sleeping in her bed next to you and being your shadow, soak up every minute.

  23. Kacy M says

    I’ve always wanted a dog (grew up with cats – which I’m more of a fan of personally) so I used to dog sit and also worked at an animal hospital for two summers. I think everyone should have a pet! ❤️

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I love cats too! I always had a cat growing up. Kensington is allergic to them or else I’d want one again.

      • Kara McKinley says

        Look into the RagDoll breed of cats. My son is allergic as well, but our RagDoll has never bothered his allergies. We love ours so much! The easiest pet we have, too!

  24. MelanieL says

    Your dogs are too cute! We have an 8 year old Chiweenie named Lulu, she’s my sidekick for sure. Her favorite words are MOM’S HOME and WALK. 🙂

  25. Kathy says

    Prescription ID food has been a lifesaver for my now 15 year old Yorkie. She has had a sensitive stomach most of her life. Your pups are adorable!

  27. Jennifer says

    And now we have a Coton all because I read your blog:) I didn’t care if we ever had a dog, but my daughter asked and asked so 2 years ago she got a puppy for her birthday…but I secretly consider her my dog because she loves me and follows me everywhere! Every time we take her with us places people want to know what breed she is, but no one seems to have heard of Cotons. We love our Daisy!

  29. Scarlett Spangler says

    We have to spell out the word “walk” too, or else my two labs lose their minds! I am 100% the overly obsessed dog mom I never thought I’d be…. it happens to the best of us 😉 but they deserve all the love!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Yes!! Poppy’s breeder is no longer breeding cotons but Frenchie’s is!! It’s Snowy River Cotons 🙂 .

  31. Kelly Davis says

    Love this! We also have 3 pups , and as a fellow work from home Mom, I can attest to the company they were to me once my girls went to school (and now off to college). They are my sweetest little buddies, and my photo roll is absurdly dog heavy 😉

    We have 2 shih-tzu and a shih-chon (shih-tzu bichon mix) , and they remind me so much of yours- following me everywhere and hanging out in my office. I am SO seriously thinking about the dog bed you have; but am not sure the bigger two (ha! Topping out at 12 pounds is our biggest) would let the tiniest and oldest of our trio join them- which would break my heart!

  33. Erica Stauver says

    I thought back in the day that Poppy was your husband’s dog and went to work with him? Am I confused?

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Totally! Over the last few years though, she’s started staying home with me and has taken to me in her older age 🙂 .

  35. Denise Moses says

    Do your white dogs get tear stains? We have a Maltese and have a hard time trying to keep the stains under control.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      It’s just a sweet lady that does it. If you’ll email me, I’d be happy to send you her number!

  37. Sandy says

    We lost our almost 11 year old puppy on Saturday. He was fine one minute and the next he just collapsed. We don’t get them long enough. We had 9 years with him since we adopted him at 2. Thanks for sharing yours. (We still have 4 cats).

  38. Jill Wimer says

    Thank you for sharing! They are all so precious! Our Gus is about to turn 6 months old. ?What kind of brush works the best for Yankee and do you brush her daily? What do you tell the groomer for Yankees haircut? Ours is a goldendoodle, but close enough!

  40. Elizabeth says

    Aww! So adorable! Don’t worry too much about Poppy yet! My Bichon lived to be almost 18, so you may have many more years with her!

  41. Lisa says

    Our Casey girl is a yellow lab and I love her so much! She does not always have the best manners but…oh well

    Thanks for sharing!

  42. Sherly says

    My dog is 9 too and I tear up thinking about that too! Guys don’t get it… I love my pup so much too that I can’t bear the thought of ever being without them. It’s not fair that dogs don’t have longer lives! ?

  43. Caroline says

    Our Coton Gracie May is almost 15 and she’s as healthy as ever! We love her more every single day and can’t fathom life without her. She sounds a lot like your Poppy.

  44. Katie says

    Ohh those pups sure are adorable! I’m the proud mama of an 11 year old golden retriever, Nelly, and she is the sweetest girl. I totally get the teary eyed thing, I frequently get teary eyed just looking at her knowing our time is getting shorter. There is nothing better than a dogs love!

  45. Liz Thorson says

    Loved this post about your 3 sweet, furry “kids!” I’m the “mom” of 2 English Black Labs, 4 and 7. They adore each other, run w/me 3x/wk. and wrestle, swim, fetch, nap endlessly and cannot get enough walks or hikes, especially if they can be off leash. The 7 yr. old, Lexi, is obsessed with balls and tug toys. The 4 yr. old, Riley, thinks balls and toys are boring except when she decides to tease Lexi with them. Lexi politely waits, strategizing the best moment to steal the ball or toy back by distracting Riley or pretending she’s no longer interested. We love our pups!

  46. WhittyWife says

    Aww, we have a Poppy too! Except she’s a teacup yorkie. ❤❤ (We also have 4 other small to medium sized dogs! We’re a little pup crazy around here too. ?)

  47. Lauren Harrelson says

    I was about to say, no way is Yankee a full grown doodle, but mini- ahhhhh. What sweet babies!

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