Through My Cooked Lens

Big Paws, Tiny Feet, and a Broom with Authority

Because raising a toddler and a mastiff at the same time sounded like a good idea… until it didn’t.

Let me introduce Sable—the English Mastiff puppy who is large, in charge, and, on most days, utterly convinced she runs this place. That is, until she gets caught nosing around the produce beds or snatches Cooper’s broom. Then she’s quickly reminded she’s not the boss… she’s the beta.

Real talk: raising a puppy and a fresh toddler at the same time is ambitious. There are moments when I know deep in my soul that it’s good and right and shaping them both beautifully—and moments when I know, with equal certainty, that I’ve completely lost my mind.

But this is the life we’re building: one where the puppy learns boundaries, the toddler learns purpose, and both of them learn to roam a little wild and a lot useful.

Obviously, working with our hands is a valuable skill—just ask Cooper….

He’s picking it up faster than I expected. From sweeping the grass out of the yard (where it clearly does not belong), to making sure Mama’s strawberry bed isn’t too bold, to standing guard over the produce beds like a dirt-covered bouncer keeping nosy puppies in check—it’s just another day on the job for this tiny farmhand.

There’s something special about raising them barefoot, helpful, and just the right amount of free-range.

Catch him back on duty tomorrow—payment negotiable in snacks and hose time.