The Story of Hondo
If you're new here, Hondo is the name of our Bernese Mountain Dog. He is a feisty one-year-old boy who brings constant joy (and lovable...
If you're new here, Hondo is the name of our Bernese Mountain Dog. He is a feisty one-year-old boy who brings constant joy (and lovable annoyance) to our lives. He was truly our dream dog, but we never thought we'd have him so soon in our life! This is the story of why we have Hondo now, and what he means to us. After the last two years, I feel like I have a lot to come clean about, and this is one of those things. Hondo has never been "just a dog" to us or "just the next step" for us. He has great meaning to our lives and he is loved more than words can say. Let me tell you his story...
Four years ago, Tom and I were newly married and happily living in the Milwaukee area. We'd go on lots of dates and fill our weekends with activities and adventures. One weekend, we happened upon the Air and Water Show on the shore of Lake Michigan in the downtown area. While we walked, I was (of course) pointing out any and all dogs because... well, you guys, they're dogs and I love them. If you know me, you know how annoying I am about my love for animals.
Anyways, there was one dog in particular that stopped us both in our tracks. Well, maybe just Tom because I marched over to it without missing a beat. I'm like a moth to the flame - haha! This dog was beautiful. Unlike any dog I'd ever seen in my life! It was huge and its features and build were incredibly striking. It was being "handled" by a grown man who was being pulled by the dog's massive weight and curious nature as it darted among people and smells. I approached the man, open-jawed, and asked what kind of dog this beautiful creature was and he replied, "A Bernese Mountain Dog" before being whisked away again.
From that day on, we knew we needed to know more about these dogs. We spent the next year reading everything about them and educating ourselves on owning one of these bears. The greatest con for me was the thought of their shedding, but I knew someday I'd be ready to tackle it for the sake of their gentle-giant nature and sweet temperaments. I am far too much of a dog-person to let shedding keep me from snuggles, but not everyone is this way.
At this time, however, we were still living in apartments, moving each year to a new place. So we vowed to get our Berner after a couple of children so they would be able to remember him (Berners have a heartbreaking seven year life expectancy).
However, as you may have read in my last post, our plan for having children did not go as we expected.
After a year of disappointment and heartbreak, and aching for a child of our own to love and hold, we started looking for Hondo. Well, first I got desperate and nearly came home with a guinea pig one day, but finally, Tom too decided it might be good for our hurting hearts to get our Berner.
For weeks I contacted all the most reputable breeders I could find in our radius. No puppies, failed breeding, etc... until one breeder responded that she had a litter due later in the week! After a few days of hoping, everything aligned and our contract was signed. We'd be getting the boy we always hoped for! (Shout out to our wonderful breeder, Trisha - now you'll REALLY know what Hondo means to us!)
Hondo is our infertility puppy.
He fell into our lap at the exact right time and we have been so blessed to call him ours. He is loved immensely, and filled a big part of the aching in our chests. He is the perfect companion and keeps me company all day long. He is always a step behind me, with his floofy tail going at full speed. I know he's "just a dog" to anyone else, but to us, he is a truly a gift. Think whatever you'd like, but I know God meant for this sweet boy to help carry us through the last year. He's brought unending laughter and hope to our every day life, and I am forever grateful for the happiness he brought to our home during such a sad time. His presence helped lift the fog of infertility.
At 92lbs, he doesn't seem so much like a baby anymore, but I'll never forget the joy we felt bringing that 12lb ball of fluff home with us. It was a tiny fulfillment of the desire to love another little being within the walls of the home we hoped would be filled with itty-bitty human feet. Instead, we had big, furry puppy paws that pattered around. It wasn't a baby, and we knew that of course, but my goodness did he (and continues to) bring us such great love and wonder at watching him grow.
Maybe this post seems silly to you, but to me, it was time to tell you the truth. Hondo is our bear-sized, heart-healing, boy. He has quite literally soaked up my tears after the announcements of more and more pregnancies that were not us. He got me out of the house on days when I felt like curling up and never leaving the safety of my bed. His silly antics, and never ending pursuit of our happiness, has brought such light to our home on even the crummiest of days. He'll never be "just a dog" to me, because he'll always be the little love that helped mend my broken heart.
And that is the story of Hondo. Our infertility therapy puppy, and love of our life.
Hondo's Favorites
Welcome! If you’ve landed on this page, you likely landed here via Hondo’s Instagram. His Instagram was started when we first got him as a place for me (Joy) to picture-dump because I just knew I was going to take wayyyy too many photos of him. Well, that silly little page (that I made really for myself) has grown into a fun, positive community of people who get laughs and smiles from our favorite bear-of-a-fella. In fact, Tom (my husband) posts for Hondo pretty often now, too! We are so grateful and glad to have you following along on Hondo’s derpy adventures and we hope this page comes in handy for all you new - or not new - doggo owners! We own and use all of the items listed on this page, so this is certainly not an “ad” page. The crowd favorites (which you may have seen featured in some of Hondo’s videos) are the stainless steel rake and the paw-washer. Both are listed under “grooming.” My personal favorites are the magic fur remover brushes listed under “for the house.” They save you from those annoying lint rollers and the endless sheets that still leave hair behind. These brushes get ALL the hair off my clothes, the couch, bedding, etc. Truly magic! Anyways - so glad to have Hondo’s followers finding their way onto my blog, so if you’re curious, please take a look around my site. If you have any questions comment below, DM us on Instagram, or email me here.
This post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through one of these links I may receive a commission, but at no cost to you. These affiliates are essential to the livelihood of this blog and help cover the expenses necessary for running Joy Lynn.
Basics
Grooming
Toys
Walking
For the house
Don't forget to follow me on social media to stay up to date and connected. Feel free to message or email me with any content requests, ideas, or collaborations!
Prepping For A Puppy
If you haven't heard by now, Tom and I are getting our first puppy. We have been waiting to get this specific puppy/breed (Bernese Mountain Dog) for over three years now, and it's been occupying my mind almost constantly since we signed the contract to get this little guy (and yes, it's a boy). We are so overjoyed!
In all honesty, it took us this long because...
1) we thought our life would look a little different than it does - but God's plan is not ours
2) I needed to mentally prepare for the shedding of this breed
3) we needed to be sure we could handle the financial and care responsibilities
Since we have no control over number one, we asked ourselves a few questions and worked out a few logistics in our minds before going through with getting this giant breed dog. Once we made the decision that we were ready, we needed to take some action on prepping for this little bundle so we'd be well-prepared for his arrival. To be honest, everything aligned so fast, and so perfectly, that our three year wait suddenly diminished practically overnight. So our prepping went into hyper-drive! Today, I'm sharing some of the questions you may want to ask yourself before getting a puppy as well as some products we've purchased for his arrival that may be helpful for you too.
Questions to consider:
- Does your home suit a large or hyper dog?
- Does your lifestyle suit the breed you're looking at? (ex: if you're active, are you looking for a running partner like a lab? Or a lazy dog like a berner?)
- Will you be able to handle excessive shedding?
- Do you own a lot of high quality/expensive items you'd be furious over being chewed or ruined by a dog?
- Does the breed you're looking at do well alone for hours, or will it become unhappy being alone for 8+ hour work days? This can sometimes lead to destructive behavior.
- Is this breed good with children or other pets?
- What kinds of health issues might this breed run into?
- Will boarding this breed be reasonably priced?
- Can you handle the basic needs of food, time for play, time for potty breaks, grooming, etc...?
- Do you understand the financial investment? Some breeds cost upwards of $2500 just for a puppy.
- Are you willing to become more limited in terms of travel?
- Can you afford to replace anything it might destroy or perhaps a new vacuum?
- Are you sure you're not allergic?
- Will it be an inside dog or outside? Will it spend the day barking at the neighbor's dog and driving other neighbors insane?
- You want a puppy, but what about an adult dog? (It will grow!)
- Are you settled, will you move, or bring children into the world soon?
- Do you have the time/patience to train?
... just to name a few. It was these sorts of questions and more that had us thinking. It wasn't until the last several months that we finally answered positively to all these questions. Two years ago, our travels were too important to us, but now, we're more settled and not as likely to hop a plane to Fiji on a whim. Now, we genuinely want to add this little pup to our midst and give up a few niceties. However, I am a bit of a tough critic on these sorts of topics. Perhaps not everyone needs to mull over so many scenarios or questions, but I'm a planner and I like to be prepared, so these were all important for me to feel confident about before diving into puppy ownership.
Now that you've decided on your breed, and you're ready to handle shedding and dirty paws on your floors, where do you go next?
Well, we sought out reputable breeders, but maybe you're into rescued pups. Either way, that's the next "prep-step." Find your dog and confirm a date when he/she is coming home.
Once that's underway, I suppose it's up to you to decide how much or how little to prepare for your new pal. Like I said, I don't like to be caught in a lurch, so we've already ordered and received most of our puppy necessities (and he doesn't come home for nearly three weeks). Here's the list of items we purchased... all from Amazon. These are affiliate links, FYI, but of course, they'll cost you nothing extra should you decide to purchase through them.
We also purchased a collar and ID tag elsewhere, and besides perhaps a blanket, food, and shampoo, we're pretty well set. I'll be sure to circle back after a few months with our pup and let you know if any of these have been problematic or useless, or if we discovered some better products along the way.
The one that I must admit has been nearly impossible to find, is a decent dog bed for a large breed like a Bernese. Everywhere I've looked they've seemed too flat to support such a big dog, or the cover isn't washable (idiotic). We'll stay on the hunt, but it's been a no-go thus far.
I hope this little informative post can help you along in bringing home your new four-legged family member. Or maybe it's caused you to think twice about whether or not you're ready for all a pup could entail. I urge you to research breeds and dog care as much as possible in your own time before deciding to make the leap. I know this time of year can be especially tempting to gift a puppy to a loved one, but please re-think that idea if you're not ready for a possible 15 year responsibility.
If you found this post helpful or you think it would be helpful for a friend, give it a share!
And now, what you're probably here for... puppy pictures! These are the puppies from the actual litter we're getting our little guy from. They were five weeks old, and the most adorable balls of happiness. Enjoy!
