In August of 2025, we adopted Bella, who is a standard poodle. When we brought her home she was just 4 months old. Though already larger than some fully grown dogs, she was tiny compared to her mom, so she has lots of growing to do.

One of the reasons we decided specifically on a poodle is they don’t shed (Atticus used to shed everywhere) and a low-shedding dog should help with Eoin’s Asthma.

Bella has brought incredible joy and fun to the house. However, as the two previous dogs we got since Christine and I were married were both adult dogs when we adopted them, we had forgotten just how intense and hard-work it is to be looking after a puppy

• Potty training… and cleaning up the inevitable messes
• Keeping shoes and other items safe from a teething puppy
• Training classes (that was fun, and will be again)

She loves playing, and climbing on things. She especially loves walks on the beach.

We quickly discovered that she is easier to train (certain things at least) than Atticus ever was. Partly this is because she’s a pup, and partly because, as I discovered online, that poodles are really smart and eager to please.