`{"id":16,"date":"2011-07-28T17:25:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-29T01:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rhonda.kkuiper.com\/?p=16"},"modified":"2011-07-28T17:25:00","modified_gmt":"2011-07-29T01:25:00","slug":"stomping-the-yard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lakielove.com\/2011\/07\/28\/stomping-the-yard\/","title":{"rendered":"Stomping the yard"},"content":{"rendered":"

As is probably evident from the previous posts and the mere existence of this blog, we have found a way to \u201cmake it work\u201d. We are on our way to becoming the proud owners of a Lakeland terrier pup! And the cats will gain a new playmate (well… that\u2019s how we\u2019re pitching the idea to them anyway… they might decide not to embrace this new family member with open paws, but they\u2019ll adjust, I\u2019m sure!). Our decision to go ahead was a combination of 1) having a good experience at the breeder, 2) meeting the puppy\u2019s adorable father (We really lucked out that the dad happens to be one of the breeder\u2019s dogs. Usually people only get to meet the pup\u2019s mother, because the father is merely a drive-by sperm donor! As for the mother, we will be meeting her in August, when she is brought to Belcarra in time for delivery.) and 3) it turning out to be relatively easy to adjust our lives so we can take proper care of our new quadrupedal family member!<\/p>\n

Now we are the kind of people that like to be prepared when we know that change is on the horizon. Therefore, not surprisingly, our dining room table is sporting all sorts of Lakeland and terrier books, our browser history shows lots websites that contain \u201cdog\u201d somewhere in the title and a lot of adjustments are being tried, tested and carried through in and around the house. Our kitchen trashcan, for instance, is trying out a new home, because it might be making room for a dog crate. Also, the office upstairs is being rearranged, so our cats\u2019 food-bowls will have a new, dog-free spot. And last week, our yard underwent a mini facelift to better accommodate canine inhabitation…<\/p>\n

We\u2019re pretty low-maintenance when it comes to our yard. Living in Vancouver, it is either raining or too cold to sit outside the majority of the time. All we want from our yard is for it to be tidy and to offer a place to sit those couple of weeks it is warm enough during the summer. But now that we\u2019re becoming dog-owners, we need the yard to accommodate our pup as well. Because from October on, our yard will have to serve as a washroom\u00a0(only until the pup is potty-trained!), a playroom and (eventually) a training facility for our four-legged friend.<\/p>\n

First, we made sure that our gate will remain closed at all times:<\/p>\n

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