The canine maturation program.

There are a few things in life that you never imagine you'll get the opportunity to witness in your own home. For most of you, that list likely includes a 60 pound yellow lab in a diaper. Thus, by way of enlightenment, consider the following an educational gift from our family to yours. Merry Christmas.

Remember that Alanis Morisette song from Jr. High called Ironic? You know, the one where all the situations were not so much ironic as they were just unfortunate? Well, the unfortunate part of this story is that I had actually scheduled Lupe's spay appointment mere hours before this adventure began. Isn't ironic? Don't ya think?

As you can see, Lupe is just as thrilled about this latest development into adult dog-hood as her adolescent girl counterparts.

To satisfy all those inquiring minds out there, a diaper for a dog looks exactly like a diaper for a kid only with a tail hole. It must be a real hassle to cut out that hole, too, because they're even more expensive than the human variety. And it turns out you can't spay a dog while they're in heat. A little too ironic. Yeah, I really do think.

For those more interested in a pre-pubescent dog pictures, enjoy the following snapshots of the younger, more innocent Lu with our nephew Peyton, seen here in his first blog appearance: