I hope Santa was good to all the pets!
As we roll into 2026, I’ve been thinking about what the new year might look like for our pets — not in a “new year, new you” way, but more of a small tweaks, steady progress kind of way.
Stanley’s 2026 Goals 🐶
Stanley has a busy year ahead. The plan includes: More classes, starting with agility next week, Ongoing general manners and obedience work, More nose work, which he truly loves
And maybe — eventually — working toward his Canine Good Citizen.
While I do consider him housebroken at this point, there’s still one thing I’d really like to solve: the occasional pooping in his crate. Switching from blankets to crate pads (on a trainer’s advice) has helped, but we’re not all the way there yet.
I’m also toying with the idea of giving him an indoor potty option. I know how much he absolutely hates the cold, and winter isn’t doing either of us any favors. TBD.
Cats: A New Litter Box Experiment 🐱
The cats are doing well overall. My son is currently testing out a new open-top automatic litter box I won from Catlink — and I’m very curious to see how this goes.
The real question: will Martin (our occasional couch offender) prefer the open-top setup and have fewer “accidents”? Fingers crossed. If he approves, it could be a game changer.
Hector D. Byrd: Still Unwrapping 🎁🦜
Hector D. Byrd is doing just fine. She’s still slowly opening one of her Christmas presents — very on brand for her. New things take time, and she likes to move at her own pace. Honestly, same.
That’s where we’re starting 2026: plans in place, expectations realistic, and everyone mostly doing okay.
I’d love to know —
Do you set goals or plans for your pets in the new year, or do you just let things unfold?
Here’s to another year of learning, adjusting, and doing the best we can for the animals who run our lives. 🐾✨
