Trouble, My Very First Dog

Before Waffle and Tug, there was Trouble, our family’s first Bernese Mountain Dog. This is her story.

I’ve been up since four am, but the anxiety has been swirling within me since far before then. 

What if I don’t honor Waffle, you or our story with my words? You all showed up for me – here – in a newsletter and none of the words I’ve been writing for the past few weeks seem right. How can I be sure that what I write here, for you, is worthy of reading? And holy hell, how am I going to make it through today without more sleep? 

The more I asked myself to make peace with the anxiety, the further and faster it spiraled. 

I finally got out of bed at 5 to face the demons of my mind. After all, as I told you last week – and I tell myself daily – the only way out is through.

The only way out is through.

So through – together – we go.

But, before we get to Waffle and her miraculous nose and floof bombs and all the adventures thereafter, to truly understand our story, we must start at the beginning: when I first fell in love with dogs.

So, with love and dork and without further ado,

Trouble, My Very …