Kathleen Valenti

Meet Olive

I’m entering a new season of life marked by more than a few challenges and a whole lot of different.

One especially bright spot: my new puppy, Olive.

Everyone, Olive.

Olive, everyone.

Li’l Olive

Olive was a lovely little surprise that came by way of a family friend. She joined me just one week ago and has taught me so much in the short time we’ve been together, which stands to reason since it’s been 35+ years since I’ve had a dog.

Olive and sister Lily

I’ve learned to love going outside every hour so she can do her business. (I’ve also come to realize how sedentary I really was without that excuse to move!)

I’ve discovered that like human babies, she has definite opinions on what she likes to eat.

I’ve realized that my secret wish is that I could text her if I’m delayed so that she doesn’t worry.

Most of all, I’ve been surprised to learn how much I missed having a pet and how quickly I fell in love.

Yeah, I think the kids love her, too.

So as Olive and I get to know each other, please tell me your best new pet tips. I’m all (dog) ears.

46 thoughts on “Meet Olive”

  1. What absolutely lovely photos, Kathy! As a cat person, I don’t have any practical advice other than to wish you and the kids endless of hours of happiness with Olive! She’s adorable!

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  2. Ohmygosh … I LOVE her! What a sweet widdle face! Pet tips? Hmm … let me consult the expert. Nala says you need to give her a treat whenever she asks for one, never get mad at her when she sneaks up on the furniture (because everyone knows you’ll let her up for good in due time), and if she wants to play but refuses to tell you how, you should just get down on the floor and wiggle your butt around while you growl because that will be fun for her.

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  4. OMG, Olive is SOOOO adorable! Is she a cockapoo?

    My best tip is to have a toy box for her(cardboard, until she passes the chew-everything-in-sight phase), so she learns that anything in the box, or taken from it, is fair game for playing with and ripping to shreds, and that anything else is a no-no. We’ve done this will all our puppies, and it works great.

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  6. First, I’m so glad you got Olive! She’s adorable. I don’t know what I would do without my animals. Then, pet advice. Consistency. Whatever methods you employ for training, be consistent. Pets do best when they know what to expect from you. It’s easy to let something slide because you’re tired or busy, but then you can’t expect her to understand when the next time she does a behavior you don’t like, you react. Consistency will help you and Olive have the clearest communication, what you expect from her and what she can expect from you. This includes other people in the household using the same consistency (that’s the tricky part). Congratulations on the new family member!

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  7. Oh! Oh! Oh! I am in L-O-V-E with your new pup, Kathy! Adorable. And you have gotten through the first week already–that’s awesome. My mom used to wrap a ticking clock in one of my dad’s old socks and place it in the puppy bed. She said it was comforting because it sounded like mom’s/siblings’ heartbeats. If it doesn’t work for pup, maybe it will help YOU catch cat naps. I mean, dog naps!!

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  9. She’s darling!!! As are your kids. Our neighbors across the street got a puppy named Olive a few months ago. She looks like a giant version of your adorable girl. My only tip is, don’t give them human food. They’ll get addicted. I’ve made that mistake EVERY time.

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  10. Olive is simply adorable! A new puppy, Missy, just joined our family last week so I’m in the same boat as you are looking for new tips on how to get her trained. We do crate over during the night and I found a toy puppy with a mechanical heartbeat on Amazon, which we place in the crate with her. After the first two nights, she now sleeps about 6 hours with no whining! (Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/Moropaky-Behavioral-Heartbeat-Training-Companion/dp/B07R1K9BG7/) I also use the heartbeat dog when I put her in her travel crate when I have to drive my granddaughters around several times a week. It’s helped calm her down a lot. Olive is one lucky puppy to have found such a loving home!

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  11. Congrats on your new fur baby, Kathy! I love the name Olive! She’s adorable, but looks like there’s probably some mischief hiding behind that innocent face!

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  12. Oh my goodness, she is the sweetest! So happy you found each other and please give her big hugs from us.

    Advice: not to let a single day go by without some serious puppy snuggles. ❤️

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  13. Aw, so cute! I’ve never had a dog, so I have no advice on that front. But I can relate to not having pets for a long time, then getting two and wondering how I’d managed so long without them.

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  14. She is adorable. I have a St. Bernard and a Pitty and the one thing that I realized early on is that learning to groom each of them is a tremendous mental health care aspect. What I mean is that grooming these two is much better for my mental health than letting someone else groom them. We have so much fun at grooming time and they both love it. I recommend that you and Olive have fun with mental health care grooming and learn how to groom her yourself. Just some food for though 😀 More pix too 😀

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  15. She’s adorable. You’ve gotten a lot of good advice here. I echo the suggestion for consistency, but not just in how you react to what she does but I also recommend using consistent language so she can quickly learn what you mean (always using the same word or phrase for the same thing) and getting onto a schedule as much as you can for regular things. If she knows, for instance, she’ll get a treat at lunch time but not before that, she hopefully will be less inclined to ask for one before that. At least that’s been my experience.

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  16. Kathy, what a terrific addition to your family. Congratulations. Dogs offer unconditional love and they are always there for you, and I can read between the lines and know she has found her number one person.
    If I had a tip it would be to remember Olive will reflect your excitement about life. If you see someone or meet another dog when out walking, let her know by calling out the person or dogs name and how excited you are to see them. She will learn through you not to be aggressive toward other dogs or strangers…and when you don’t do this, she will also know you’re not comfortable and will adopt a very protective stance.

    You’re in for a wonderful time,
    Nancy.

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