When we brought home our golden retriever puppy, I knew life was about to get a little crazier. What I didn’t expect was how quickly she would become my toddler’s best friend.
These two spend their days following each other around our country property, searching for mud puddles, sharing snacks (whether I approve or not), and finding creative ways to keep me on my toes. The puppy has proudly taken on the role of crumb cleanup specialist, while my toddler seems determined to test every safety measure we’ve ever put in place.
Of course, there have been some memorable moments along the way.
There was the morning after a long night shift when I woke up to discover my toddler had escaped his diaper during nap time. After surviving that cleanup mission, I thought the worst was behind me. A few hours later, our puppy managed to step in her own mess and leave tiny paw prints throughout the playroom. By the end of the day, I seriously considered hosing everyone down and starting over.
But then there are moments that make it all worth it.
Watching my toddler wrap his arms around his puppy. Seeing them explore the yard together. Finding the puppy asleep under the high chair, faithfully waiting for snack duty to begin. Somehow, even on the most exhausting days, I can’t stay mad for long.
Life with a toddler and a puppy is messy, unpredictable, and occasionally disgusting. But it’s also one of the sweetest seasons of motherhood I’ve experienced so far.
The Mud Puddle Problem
Living in the country means my toddler and puppy have endless opportunities for adventure. Unfortunately, their favorite adventures almost always seem to involve mud.
I honestly don’t know how they do it, but they have a special talent for finding every mud puddle on our property.
It doesn’t matter if it’s spring, summer, or fall. If there’s mud somewhere, they’ll find it.
Some days I’ll look outside and see them happily exploring together, and for a brief moment I’ll think, “Aww, look how cute they are.”
Then they come running back toward the house.
Covered.
In.
Mud.
My son is usually grinning from ear to ear, completely unaware that he’s about to create a major cleaning project. The puppy isn’t much better. She’s often just as dirty, proudly trotting alongside him as if they’ve accomplished something important.
At that point, there’s usually only one solution.
Bath time.
And because it’s often easier than trying to bathe them separately, I’ve been known to toss both of them into the bathtub together.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, it turns out that when one of the bath participants is a muddy golden retriever puppy, the water doesn’t stay clean for very long.
I’ll get them both washed up, only to realize the bathwater has slowly transformed into what can only be described as muddy puppy soup.
So after the bath is over, I sometimes end up pulling my toddler right back out and giving him a quick rinse in the shower because somehow he’s managed to get clean and dirty at the same time.
This is the kind of thing nobody warns you about when you decide to raise a toddler and a puppy together.
Some days it feels like all I do is clean muddy footprints, wash towels, and refill the bathtub.
But watching these two explore the world together makes it hard to stay frustrated for long.
Even when they’re both covered in mud.
The Day I Questioned All My Life Choices 🤣
One morning after working a night shift, my husband had to leave for work, so my mom came over to help with our son while I got a few hours of much-needed sleep.
As any night shift nurse knows, getting even a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep can feel like winning the lottery.
When I woke up, my mom had just put my son down for his nap. I figured I’d enjoy a few quiet moments before getting him up and starting the rest of the day.
Unfortunately, my toddler had other plans.
When I walked into his room after nap time, I immediately realized something wasn’t right.
My mom had put him down wearing only a t-shirt and a diaper, which seemed innocent enough at the time. Somewhere during his nap, however, he had figured out how to remove his diaper.
If you’re a parent, you probably know exactly where this story is going.
Let’s just say there was a lot more waiting for me in that crib than a happy toddler waking up from a nap.
After what felt like a full-scale cleanup operation, I finally got everything cleaned up and convinced myself the worst part of the day was over.
I was wrong.
A few short hours later, our puppy decided she didn’t want to be left out of the excitement.
She had an accident in the playroom and then somehow managed to step directly in it before taking a little stroll through the house.
The result?
Tiny puppy paw prints.
Everywhere.
I’ll spare you the photos.
At this point I was running purely on caffeine, determination, and whatever survival instincts kick in after a night shift.
As I followed the trail of puppy paw prints across the floor, I remember thinking that this couldn’t possibly be real life.
Yet somehow, it was.
The craziest part is that all of this happened within about three hours.
Three hours.
After a long night at work, I spent my morning cleaning up one disaster after another while wondering how two such adorable creatures could create so much chaos.
And honestly?
By the end of the day, I couldn’t even be mad.
My son was happily playing with his puppy. The puppy was happily following him around the house. They were both completely unaware of the amount of work they had created for me.
They were also both so ridiculously cute that I found myself laughing about it before the day was even over.
Life with a toddler and a puppy may not be peaceful, but it is never boring.
Of course, behind every adorable toddler-and-puppy photo is a mom cleaning up mud, crumbs, pet hair, and the occasional disaster. Here are a few products that help me keep up with the chaos.
Products That Help Me Keep Up With the Chaos
After surviving both the diaper disaster and the puppy paw print incident, I spent the rest of the day cleaning, disinfecting, and questioning my decision-making skills.
As exhausting as those days can be, I’ve found a few products that make life with a toddler and puppy much more manageable.
These are the items I reach for over and over again in our house.
My Robot Vacuum
If you have a toddler, a puppy, or both, a robot vacuum is worth its weight in gold.
Between snack crumbs, dirt, pet hair, grass clippings, and whatever gets tracked in from outside, our floors never stay clean for long. Running the robot vacuum daily helps me stay ahead of the mess without constantly dragging out the full-sized vacuum.
I genuinely don’t know how I managed without it.
Shark Matrix 2 in 1 robot vacuum mop
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
Accidents happen.
Whether it’s a puppy accident, muddy footprints, spilled snacks, or toddler messes, having a good carpet cleaner has saved our floors more times than I can count.
It’s one of those purchases that doesn’t seem exciting until the first time you really need it.
Then it becomes one of your favorite household tools.
Bissell Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
Pet Stain and Odor Remover
Every puppy owner should have a bottle of this on hand.
It helps eliminate stains and odors and has been incredibly helpful during the puppy training stage.
I always keep an extra bottle in the house because I know eventually I’ll need it.
My Favorite Mop
My favorite mop actually vacuums and mops at the same time, which is amazing when you have a toddler and a puppy constantly tracking in dirt, mud, and crumbs. I usually send our robot vacuum around first and then use this to spot clean or mop the whole floor afterward. Honestly, I’m a little obsessed with it. It makes cleaning the floors so much easier, and dare I say… kind of fun? 😂
Tineco Floor One S3 Cordless Vacuum Mop
Paper Towels (Lots and Lots of Paper Towels)
I don’t think this one needs much explanation.
If you’re raising toddlers and puppies at the same time, you already know.
The High Chair That Feeds the Dog
Technically this wasn’t purchased for the puppy, but she would probably argue otherwise.
Our high chair creates a steady supply of snack crumbs throughout the day, making it one of her favorite spots in the house.
If your dog also serves as your family’s unofficial crumb cleanup crew, you’ll understand.
Puppy Shampoo
Because somehow every outdoor adventure ends with a muddy puppy.
And occasionally a muddy toddler.
Bath time happens frequently around here.
Life with a toddler and a puppy can be messy, but having a few go-to cleaning products helps make those chaotic days a little more manageable.
Trust me, if these products can survive our house, they can probably survive anything.
The Day Daisy Became Elphaba
Just when I think I’ve seen it all, Daisy finds a new way to surprise me.
One afternoon after my husband mowed the lawn, she came trotting up to the house looking a little different than usual. Grass clippings had somehow worked their way all over her fur, giving our golden retriever a suspicious green tint.
Her timing was impeccable because this happened shortly after my daughter’s Wicked-themed birthday party. After spending weeks crafting emerald-green decorations and talking about Elphaba, there was only one logical conclusion:
Daisy had officially become Elphaba.
If you missed it, you can check out my daughter’s Wicked birthday party here.
The funniest part was that Daisy seemed incredibly proud of herself. Meanwhile, I was mentally adding yet another bath to my to-do list.
Life with a toddler and a puppy is never boring.
Final Thoughts
Some days I feel like all I do is clean up mud, vacuum crumbs, wash towels, and follow tiny muddy footprints through the house.
Life with a toddler and a puppy is messy, unpredictable, and occasionally downright disgusting.
But it’s also one of the sweetest seasons of motherhood I’ve experienced so far.
When I look back on this time, I probably won’t remember every mess I cleaned up or every bath I gave after an afternoon spent playing in the mud.
What I’ll remember is watching my son and puppy grow up together.
I’ll remember the way she follows him around our property like his little shadow. The way she waits patiently under his high chair for snack duty to begin. The hugs, the adventures, and the countless moments that make me stop and smile even on the most exhausting days.
One day my son will be older.
One day our puppy won’t be a puppy anymore.
And while I certainly won’t miss cleaning up diaper disasters or puppy paw prints, I know I’ll miss this season of life.
The chaos gets cleaned up eventually.
The memories are the part I want to hold onto.
And watching these two become best friends has been one of the most unexpected joys of motherhood.
If you’ve enjoyed reading about Daisy and my son’s adventures together, you might also enjoy reading the story of how Daisy joined our family and what her first days at home were like.
👉 Read: The Day We Brought Daisy Home
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