Our Story

Super Bowl Sunday, 2009.
While the football fans in my family cheered for the Steelers, I hopped in my car and drove three hours north to meet my very first Boston Terrier puppy.

After months of researching breeds and reading everything I could find. including a book all about Boston Terriers I read with my then six-year-old daughter, I finally arrived at the breeder's home.

I met the parents, watched the litter tumble around, and then it was time to choose.

One sweet little girl wandered over, climbed into my lap, and made the decision for me.

Her name was Coco. Well...actually, Coco Cuddles Chanel.

She became my first "fur baby" after my divorce, and for the next thirteen years she enriched our lives in ways I never could have imagined. On February 8, 2022—exactly thirteen years and one week after her Gotcha Day—Coco crossed the Rainbow Bridge 🌈.

Our hearts broke. That day, I promised myself that someday I'd welcome another Boston Terrier into my life.

A Promise Kept. Welcome Home Tilly. 

BusyHappyPup is dedicated to Coco and to sweet Tilly, my second Boston Terrier, who came home on March 24, 2026.

The funny thing is, I thought I knew how to raise a puppy. After all, I'd done it before. Turns out...I had a lot to learn.

When Coco was young, I took her to training classes. When things became especially challenging, I even sent her away for training.

Looking back, we made a lot of mistakes.

With Tilly Tatertot (later renamed Tilly the Tank...there's a story behind that), I'm taking a very different approach.

I knew Coco was smart. What I didn't understand was just how important it is to exercise a dog's brain. I didn't appreciate the incredible value of naps for growing puppies—or teenage dogs.

And one piece of advice from a neighbor who has spent years in the dog training world completely changed the way I think about raising dogs:

"Anything a dog does wrong during the first year is the owner's fault. Anything a dog does wrong during the second year is probably still the owner's fault."

That quote wasn't meant to make me feel guilty. It challenged me to stop asking, "Why is my puppy doing this?" and start asking, "What is my puppy telling me?"

That simple shift changed everything.

BusyHappyPup isn't written by a trainer or behaviorist. It's simply one dog mom sharing what she's learning while raising a wonderfully curious Boston Terrier...again.

Some days we'll celebrate victories. Some days we'll laugh at mistakes.

We'll build enrichment puzzles from cardboard boxes, solve rainy-day boredom, navigate puppy adolescence, and occasionally save Tilly from her own questionable life choices. (Florida mushrooms and giant lubber grasshoppers come to mind.)

If something I learn helps you understand your own dog a little better—or simply reminds you that you're not alone in this puppy adventure—then this blog has done exactly what I hoped it would do.

Welcome. I'm so glad you're here.

— Holly & Tilly 🐾