#BarkBox – Pet Momma

Stanley’s Dental Adventure, Bark Box #5, a Lake Day, and a Busy Pet Momma Summer

It’s been a full week in the Pet Momma household, and I have lots to share—starting with Stanley’s latest vet visit.

Stanley Had His Puppy Teeth Removed

Despite all the chewing and tug games, Stanley wasn’t losing his puppy teeth on his own. After talking with the vet, we decided it was best to have them removed. He had four baby teeth pulled yesterday, and I was honestly a wreck dropping him off. The drive didn’t help—an accident had the vet’s road completely blocked, and I nearly turned around to reschedule. Just as I was giving up, traffic cleared, and we made it.

The procedure went smoothly, and the vet staff was amazing. They even told me the vet was walking around post-op with Stanley wrapped in a blanket—yes, I melted. He was groggy last night but bounced back this morning like nothing happened. Keeping him quiet? Not even remotely happening.

Small hiccup today: I accidentally gave him a second dose of his pain medication (meant to be once daily). It was near his food, and I wasn’t thinking. I looked it up and it seems he’ll be fine, but I’m watching him closely just in case.

Stanley Discovers Cheese

We don’t usually feed Stanley human food, but I’ve made an exception for American cheese—it turns out, he loves it. And more importantly, it’s the perfect vehicle for sneaking in pills. He took his pain med wrapped in cheese with zero fuss. Victory.

Bark Box #5: Mostly Hits, One Miss

We got Box #5 of 6 from Bark Box, and it came with a great mix:

A slice of pizza 🍕
A crinkly purple octopus 🐙 (adorable!)
A long snake 🐍
Two extras I ordered: tomatoes on the vine and onion rings

Stanley loved most of it, especially the octopus. But I’m disappointed in the onion rings—unlike what I expected, it’s a single toy with three attached rings in a container. I thought they’d be individual tossable rings, which would’ve been way more fun and better sized for Stan.

Lake Day Success!

Last weekend, Stanley had his first visit to the lake with family, and he did great! He met four other dogs, ranging in size from his own tiny self up to 75 pounds. He also met lots of new people, including a toddler and two young girls. He was off-leash but stayed close, friendly, and curious.

He even had his first little swim—got gently dunked in the water and paddled safely back to shore. The only mishap? He got a paw caught in one of the stairs while climbing out of the lake and panicked. Luckily, he trusted me to help him out, and we avoided full-on meltdown. He slept like a rock on the ride home.

Not quite where Stanley is supposed to go!

Other Pet Updates

Hector (our African Grey) has been extra sweet and chatty lately. I think she’s craving attention with our summer routines all over the place.
I was briefly worried about our bearded dragon—she’d been sluggish and not eating much, but today she perked up and ate well. Hoping that continues.

Trying a New Pet Sitter

I’m heading out of town next week and will be using a new pet sitter. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly. She seems great, and she knows how to reach me if anything comes up.

Between Stanley’s dental drama, toy testing, first swim, and managing a multi-pet household, it’s been a very Pet Momma summer. 🐾

Stanley Graduates… Sort Of

Manners Class: ✔️ Potty Training: 😬
Stanley wrapped up his “Manners” class like a champ — but the diploma hasn’t magically stopped the occasional surprise poop on the living room floor. Some mornings, we do the “in and out” dance over and over, only for him to sneak away and do his business where he definitely shouldn’t. It’s a good thing he’s so snuggly and cute.

Small Wins (and Nighttime Poop Hunts)
Last night, though, he ran to the door to go out during playtime. Huge win! He did his business like a pro. The only challenge? Trying to locate dog poop in the dark — basically a blindfolded Easter egg hunt, minus the chocolate.

Gut Check: Literally
I’ve noticed it sometimes takes him a while to go, and his poop has been runny (fun stuff). After two rounds of Giardia treatment, I think his tummy’s still recovering. I started him on a probiotic to help get things back in balance. Early signs are promising!

Getting spoiled with breakfast outdoors in the beautiful weather

Retail Therapy and Teething Troubles
We skipped the dog park because of rain and hit the pet store instead. Stanley proudly picked out some new chew toys. He’s still holding onto some stubborn baby teeth, so I’m hoping all the chewing helps those little guys move along before he turns into a land shark.

Dealership Dog Star
Stanley tagged along to the car dealership this morning. He handled loud garage noises, traffic, and new people like a pro — minus one overly enthusiastic nip. Still, it was a great outing, and I was proud of how well he adjusted to the chaos.

New Trick: Crawl!
We’re working on a new trick: “crawl.” It’s as ridiculous and adorable as it sounds. Stanley seems to love trick training — and I’m hoping to get him into an agility class this fall if I can find one that fits our schedule.

BarkBox BBQ Bonanza
Stanley’s latest BarkBox was a big hit! This month’s BBQ theme came packed with adorable summer toys — but his absolute favorite is the burger. It’s crinkly, squeaky, and checks all his favorite boxes.

The popsicles are super cute too, and he’s been having fun with those.

The orange soda? I thought it was adorable, but Stanley apparently disagrees — that one’s been left untouched in the toy pile. Maybe he’s more of a water guy.

Rain, Rain, Go Away…
Of course, more rain is in the forecast, and Stanley isn’t thrilled. He acts like wet grass is an act of betrayal. Here’s hoping we can keep the house training on track despite soggy paws and puppy drama.

If anyone has any small dog housebreaking tips, please share! What’s your dog’s favorite toy?

Stanley Update + BarkBox Review: Tiny Dog, Big Opinions

🐾 Housebreaking Progress (and Setbacks)

Stanley is doing pretty well overall — some days I’m convinced he’s completely housebroken, and then, out of nowhere, he’ll have an accident. It’s a journey.

He’s still not a fan of the outdoors. If it’s over 65° and sunny, he loves it and doesn’t want to come back in. But anything cooler, rainy, or even slightly cloudy? No thank you. Even with little jackets, he’ll turn around and bolt right back up the stairs to the door.

For now, we’re still using puppy pads in the house. Thankfully, he mostly uses them consistently.

🎓 Starting Dog Training Class

We start “Teenage Manners” class tomorrow! Fingers crossed he’s not the only tiny dog — it’d be nice for him to have a little buddy. He also starts Small Dog Playgroup next week, so we’ll see how that goes.

Some of the things I’m hoping to work on in class:

Better potty training habits
Reducing nipping
Food aggression
Chasing the cats
And I still can’t figure out how to teach him “lie down” — he’s so small it’s tough to lure him with a treat!

🐶 Evening Play & Snuggles

Stanley is a total love. He still gets crated during our dinner to prevent chaos with the cats, but once we’re done eating, we let him out and he gets super playful.

We sit on the floor and play fetch, and the cats even seem to enjoy the action. After that, Stanley crashes — we all move to the couch, and he curls up in someone’s lap and snoozes. It’s honestly my favorite time of day.

📦 BarkBox Review: 10/10, No Notes

I mentioned in a previous post that I ordered some BarkBox toys, and this week, Stanley got two boxes!

I saw an ad with some adorable toys that were only available to subscribers, so I signed up for a 6-month subscription. Let’s be real — 6 months’ worth of toys will probably last Stanley a lifetime. I opened the extra box of toys I picked out myself, and I have to say: these toys are awesome.

They’re: adorable, well made, and full of variety — squeakers, crinkles, textures, etc.

Stanley prefers plush toys, so that’s what I went with, and he genuinely loves every single one. His current favorite is a fried chicken bucket toy — it makes crinkly sounds, and he loves to chew it and carry it around. I need to get a better picture of him with his whole head in the bucket (which happens a lot).

The Chicken Bucket!

This sloth is almost as big as Stanley, but he loves it!

He also thinks the box that everything came in is pretty great!

The second box is our official BarkBox, which includes themed toys and treats. I got a bonus offer when signing up, so our first box has double toys and treats — can’t wait to open it this weekend, or as soon as I clean out the dog toy box and make room!

📣 Got Class Tips?
We’ll see how Stanley does in manners class this weekend — here’s hoping he doesn’t try to boss around the big dogs. 😅

If you’ve got any dog training class stories or tips for tiny dogs, I’d love to hear them! Let’s swap some puppy tales in the comments.