Chico Jones – Not A Shopaholic

When we brought Chico Jones home early last year everyone was excited to come meet him. My best girlfriend, who was made honorary Godmother to CJ, and her family were some of the first friends to come by to welcome CJ home. Her twin boys have known for a long time we were going to get a dog and after years of hearing us talk about it, they were excited to come meet him.

Being the kind sweet person she is, CJ’s Godmother went to an independently owned pet store in Aurora, ON where she lives to get some help in picking out the perfect welcome gifts for Chico Jones. It was the first time we were introduced to Crumps’ naturals, a wonderful Canadian and locally owned and operated pet food brand. I am forever grateful my friend and the wonderful person at the store who recommended she bring us these treats and make us a fan of this amazing brand.

Included in Chico Jones’ “Welcome Home” gift was a package of Crumps’ Mini Trainers Freeze Dried Beef Liver. I loved that they were already precut into tiny pieces so we could reward Chico Jones many times without overloading him on treats. He loved them from the first time he tried them and they have become a staple in our house ever since. They are perfect rewards for training and good behaviour. His love for these led me to try some other products from Crumps and everything has been a winner. Chico Jones is a huge fan of the Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potato Chews, Mini Trainers Semi Moist Beef and Semi Moist Chicken and most recently the Beef Tendersticks. Its gotten to the point where if Chico Jones sees me going for the bag of whichever Crumps treats we have on the go, he runs to his dog bed and assumes his “I’m a good boy” stance for which he is promptly rewarded.

Chico Jones deciding what his next treats are going to be.

Since CJ is my first pet ever, I was not familiar with any dog food/treat brand. When I looked up Crumps and saw that they only use natural ingredients that contain a single ingredient I was hooked. As a puppy, we were careful what we fed CJ so he didn’t get an upset stomach. Now that he is considered an adult (only in size not always in behaviour), it is just as important he gets quality food and treats. A brand like this was in line with what we wanted him to consume and I felt good knowing we were giving him food that was healthy and didn’t have anything weird in it. I also love the brand was started thirteen years ago by a couple in their garage in Caledon, ON, not far from where I grew up, and has since grown into the vast array of products it now has.

Most pet stores carry a wide variety from Crumps but if there is something you have trouble finding, you can buy it directly from the Crumps website. I did this mid covid days so I didn’t have to drive to multiple stores to get what I wanted. Delivery was very quick and we are still working our way through that supply. Shipping is free on orders over $40. They share a discount code on their Instragram account, @crumpsnaturals, so you should give that a follow. I also love seeing their posts of pets loving their Crumps treats. Chico Jones is not alone in his love for quality treats. We love being part of the #Crumpscrew.

I’ve wanted a dog my whole life. Like every other kid probably does, I remember asking my mom if we could get a dog, several times, and her answer was always no. As an adult, realizing what goes into raising children, taking care of a household and taking care of the family (husband included) I can see why her answer was no.

When I moved out of my parents house into my condo, I seriously considered getting a dog. After much thought and consideration I came to the conclusion it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. The dog would be home alone to much and it wouldn’t be fair. When my boyfriend and I started looking for a house a few years ago I knew this would finally be the right time.

Fast forward a few years. We got settled into the house, painted and started to plan renovations. Last year we started (I started) searching for a dog for us. Ryan was adamant he wanted to adopt a rescue dog and I agreed, knowing we could give a dog in need a very loving home and a great life. It seems that all the rescue organizations I got in touch with thought differently. They didn’t consider us good candidates. That we had never had a dog together previously and both worked outside the home seemed the biggest strikes against us. We also did not have experience dealing with the types of issues that sometimes come with rescue dogs so the dogs we could consider for adoption were few and far between. The odd time we did find a dog suitable for us, there were multiple families interested and we knew with our inexperience we would never be selected over others and we never were.

After months of this, we were very discouraged and made the decision to look for a puppy. While I’m sure all the #adoptdon’tshop believers will be up in arms about this, it was really the only way I saw us being able to get a dog. I started looking for breeders for Portuguese Water Dog puppies. I found a breeder and we began the process of going to meet him and his dogs to make sure Ryan wasn’t allergic (he wasn’t thank goodness), sent in our deposit and got on the list for the next litter. That litter didn’t work out for us but the next one did. Our little guy was born late November 2018 and we brought our baby home end of January 2019. Ryan wanted to name him Jones. I’ve always wanted a dog named Chico so I combined the names and he is now known to everyone as Chico Jones.

5 weeks
8 weeks.
The day we brought him home.

There were many people who warned us how much work a puppy would be and they weren’t wrong. I didn’t care how much work it was. I had wanted a dog for so long and was finally going to have one. I was willing to do whatever was necessary to raise a good dog. People were not exaggerating, it was a ton of work and some very sleepless nights. We never could have done it without the help of family. When we couldn’t be home, a rotating array of family members were here to care for Chico Jones for which we are very grateful. When I lost my job, I became the one who took care of him all day. I’m grateful for this time with him. He is still a puppy and needs ongoing training. The fact I’m here all day every day now means I can dedicate more time to his care and training. We love him so much even when he is being bad and one of us has to walk away for a break.

3 months
5 months

There is such an education in terms of what to get our puppy to keep him occupied. From stuffed bones, to tug toys and treat balls and Kongs we are learning as we go. From friends and coworkers and our wonderful training school, we have picked up many tips along the way. For a shopper like me, its opened up a whole new world of stores and products to look at. I love the challenge of figuring out what our little guy needs and what he might like best.

For all the people who told us puppies/dogs were a lot of work and absolutely worth it, you were bang on. I love our life with Chico Jones and can’t wait to see what adventures we get to share with him. Stay tuned for future updates on puppy shenanigans, adventures and favourite toys.

7 months
Just under 9 months

Tag: Chico Jones

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