Four weeks ago, Lola came home.
At eight weeks old, she arrived with tiny paws, shark teeth, endless confidence and absolutely no understanding of personal space.
Now at twelve weeks old, it’s incredible how much she’s already changed. She’s bigger, braver, cheekier and somehow manages to look both wildly innocent and deeply suspicious at the exact same time.
Bringing a puppy into your life is beautiful, exhausting, emotional and occasionally completely unhinged.
There have been sleepless nights, accidents on the floor, moments of laughter, moments of frustration and moments where I’ve become convinced that Border Collie puppies and Velociraptors may actually be the same species.
But underneath all of that, Lola keeps reminding me of something: Sometimes the lessons we need most arrive in very small, fluffy packages.
Change Is Hard
When Lola first came home, nights were hard.
She had left everything familiar behind, her mum, her littermates, the only environment she had ever known. Even though she was safe and loved, she was unsettled.
For the first couple of weeks, I slept on the couch beside her to help her settle in. There were tears, broken sleep and moments where she simply needed reassurance that she wasn’t alone.
And honestly, aren’t we all a little like that when life changes?
Big changes affect all of us.
Sometimes it looks like sleepless nights. Sometimes it looks like anxiety. Sometimes it looks like feeling unsettled in places that are technically “safe”.
In those moments, we don’t need to toughen up or push through faster.
We need support, patience, familiarity, people we trust, and a sense of home.
Watching Lola adjust reminded me how important it is to lean into the people who help us feel safe when life feels unfamiliar.
Sometimes the Basics Solve More Than We Think
There have been moments where Lola has become completely frantic. Running laps around the house. Biting everything in sight. Launching herself at furniture. Operating with the energy of a tiny caffeinated dinosaur.
And every single time, after I’ve questioned whether she’s officially lost her mind, the answer has usually been one of three things:
She’s tired.
She’s hungry.
Or she needs water.
That’s it.
A nap later, and suddenly she’s lovely again.
It’s funny how often humans fight the basics, too.
We push through exhaustion, ignore hunger, stay overstimulated, and convince ourselves we need a complete life overhaul when sometimes we just need rest.
Sometimes we’re not failing, sometimes we’re just overwhelmed.
Lola is reminding me that the basics matter more than we like to admit.
Take the nap.
Eat the food.
Drink the water.
Then try again.
Boundaries Matter (Even When They’re Hard)
Lola absolutely adores Louie.
She wants to be near him constantly. In his face. On his head. Chewing his tail. Launching herself at him with the confidence of someone who has never paid a bill or experienced consequences.
And while Louie is incredibly patient, there are moments where he simply isn’t interested.
Sometimes they need to be separated, sometimes Lola needs redirecting, sometimes Louie needs space.
And honestly? That’s healthy.
Because loving someone doesn’t mean unlimited access to them.
Setting boundaries isn’t rejection.
Respecting boundaries isn’t punishment.
It’s how relationships stay safe enough to grow.
What’s also been funny is that boundaries go both ways. Lola might need to learn not to launch herself directly at Louie’s face every five minutes, but Louie is also learning that he cannot suddenly start eating three meals a day just because puppy food is available if nobody is looking.
Hard conversations all around, really.
But important ones.
Hearing “No” Is Part of Learning
I say “no” a lot these days.
No to chewing cords.
No to barking when I pat Louie.
No to biting shoes.
No to launching herself off furniture like an extreme sports athlete.
And while most of what she does is relatively harmless, she’s learning how the world works, what keeps her safe and what helps her succeed.
What’s interesting is how uncomfortable humans often become with hearing “no”.
We take it personally.
We attach shame to it.
We see redirection as failure.
But for Lola, “no” is simply information, it’s guidance, feedback and protection.
And because she trusts me, her world actually becomes bigger, not smaller.
There’s something really important in that.
Sometimes the people who love us are simply trying to help us navigate life more safely.
When All Else Fails, Being Cute Helps
There have absolutely been moments over the past four weeks when I’ve felt pushed to my limit.
Moments of exhaustion, frustration and chaos.
And then Lola will do something ridiculous.
A sideways hop, a dramatic flop onto the floor, a proud little tail wag after successfully carrying a leaf twice her size.
And suddenly I’m reminded:
She’s just a baby, she’s learning, trying, figuring the world out in real time.
There’s something beautiful about the confidence of puppies. They get things wrong constantly and still approach life with complete optimism five minutes later.
No spiralling, no shame, no identity crisis.
Just: “Anyway… what’s next?”
Honestly, there’s probably something we could all learn from that.
Lola is still learning about the world.
And if I’m honest, so am I.
But in between the sleepless nights, the chaos, the stains on the rug, the constant reminders to stop eating things off the floor and the velociraptor energy bursts, there’s something really beautiful about witnessing growth in real time.
Messy, imperfect, slow, repetitive, but beautiful all the same.
And maybe that’s the real lesson.
Growth rarely looks graceful while it’s happening.
But that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.
If you’d like more Lola in your world, you can follow adventures and life lessons here www.instagram.com/deepbreathswithlola
