Little Miss Ipsy!

You know how they say, you’ll find the perfect one when you’re not looking? Well, I think that’s probably happened here. I had previously decided not to get another dog after Indie died, and I thought I was pretty set on that! But, as soon as I saw the cute little picture of puppies I couldn’t resist the attempt in getting one! Because, ultimately Dad’s decision on getting a dog. But shockingly he agreed quite easily!

And the craziest part of it all was something I did not put together until days or weeks later. Yall may not remember, but I did a DNA test on Indie and it confirmed she was hands down a mutt! BUT! Her biggest breed percentage coming in at 34% was cocker spaniel! And Ipsy is 100% English Cocker Spaniel! I would have never swayed to this breed on my own….No particular reason why, but I just never would have.

One thing I knew I wanted if I ever got another dog was to get them as a puppy like I did Indie because that gives you a bigger chance of raising the type of dog you want! Ipsy was born on October 20, 2025 which was 1 year and 17 days after Indie died. I seriously felt like that was a sign, because I had Indie for 17 years and 1 year of waiting was a good time frame, so it just seemed like it was meant to be! But anyway…I was able to get Ipsy when she turned 6 weeks old and she had received her first shots! I decided to take the next school day off because I knew she would be scared of being in a new place, so I just wanted to stay with her!

In those first few months she just literally did A LOT of sleeping! I never really knew quite how much puppies need sleep and I had to force this one to nap! She started off sleeping in my bed and she would be this little tunnel-finding wiggle worm! But once she was brave enough to jump off the bed 3 am began to be party time for her! And everything she could get her teeth on was hers for the taking! I had already been sure to clean everything up off the floor and close off any nook or crannies and even my closet, but it took me a few nights to realize my nightstand was at risk too! So I had to do some more adjusting but, eventually, I started putting her in her kennel. The middle of the night wake-ups were killing me and I had realized that she actually liked her kennel. She would often go in there to nap on her own, so I was happy to know that kennel became a safe place pretty quick!

It turns out these dogs are pretty dang smart! I feel like she was the easiest dog to potty train that I have EVER had and I’ve had quite a few! I did buy some little washable diapers though because she couldn’t always hold it from her kennel to the back door. So anytime that I knew she would be napping or sleeping I’d put one of those on her and they actually helped a lot! She’s actually 7 months old today and we haven’t had really accidents inside for a while!!

It has most definitely been fun watching her grow up! And Florida got a crazy amount of snow this year and it was fun to watch her play in that….A Florida dog finally got to see know IN Florida! That’s kind of unheard of! And you all know how I said Dad was the one that ultimately was the decision maker in me getting a dog or not? Well, it turns out they are best friends!

After she goes outside and goes potty she will either run to her bed or kennel and sit there and wait to get a treat! And he has definitely helped with keeping her stocked with toys and treats! And I couldn’t be happier about it! Because I was not going to be okay if he had constant complaints about her after we got her. There was one little spat we had about me not bathing her when she was probably the stinkiest she had ever been…But I was totally doing giving her one the next day, that just didn’t fit hiiiiiis timeline. But, that was months and months ago and we have had no other issues. Mom and Dad did get a baby gate they put in the hallway so Ipsy can’t make it to their bedrooms! And I was definitely okay with that…Less chances to get into something she isn’t supposed to get into! But, she still managed to do juuuust that!

I was cleaning up my room one Sunday and a bottle of my baclofen fell on the floor. I saw it and thought…I should probably pick that up! But Ipsy was in the living room with dad so I just went back to organizing my desk. The bottle was literally a FOOT away from me, so I’d surely see if she came to get it, right? Hahahaha, not quite! A few minutes later I see her chewing on a bottle that is already completely mangled on the floor at the foot of my bed. I immediately take it and then see the Baclofen bottle I dropped next to me is gone. Complete panic sets in. I go tell Dad and he looks up how to make her vomit…Peroxide! I have a little bit so I go get and give her some and I give her a little food with a raw egg mixed in it, and she vomits shortly after…And then vomit 2 more times. So, I’m feeling like she’ll be okay. But then, she starts walking crazy and then whining when she tries to lie down, so I make the executive decision to take her to the emergency vet.

It turns out overnight stays at the very are pretty expensive! But luckily she was doing good enough to come home pretty early the next morning, so it wasn’t aaaas expensive as I thought, but it was still a hefty bill! But, it turn’s out she ate 400 mg of Baclofen and like and like 30 mg is lethal to a dog her size. So I am so thankful dad was there and helped me find out how to make her vomit, because I don’t think she would be alive had we not done that!

And, if anyone is concerned, those pills are now in the bathroom drawer and I will forever pick up anything I see that makes me say, I should probably pick that up! Because that was a very expensive woulda, coulda, shoulda!

So here’s to hoping she can make it a whole lotta years like her big sister did! We have yet to really figure out the leash (but, that’s not her fault) and we haven’t gone on our first camping trip yet! I think it’s going to be a slight nightmare to be honest, but we’ll cross that road when it gets a liiiiitle bit cooler outside!

And that’ll be all for now! She is done napping and is taunting me with a toy. So off to tug-o-war I go!