Nine years ago exactly, our dog Snoop joined our family. My husband went from being totally against getting a dog to being sort of open to it. We had just bought our first condo, so our pet policy was our own.

I told my husband I’d “just go look” at some dogs at the pound. We didn’t want a puppy. But then, of course, I fell in love with a puppy.

It was Valentine’s Day 2008. Snoop was my Valentine’s gift from my husband.

In the coming months I snuck him into work with me, schedule puppy playdates, and dreaded potty training. Quite similar to some of the things I’ve done with my kids years later.

We just got back in town and my 19-year-old sister Lauren pet-sat Snoop for us while she was gone. She’s always been one of his biggest fans, and as we were driving home from the airport she told me kids “Oh I got a new dog, his name is Loop!” my kids laughed and yelled the whole way home saying she was trying to steal their dog.

Needless to say, he’s well loved.

Now he’s classified as a senior dog *sniffles* but we love him just the same. We buy him presents for Christmas and Valentines. We pamper him with treats and practice his tricks, sometimes we even include him in our family Halloween costume. And lately we’ve even got quite lenient on our “no Snoop on furniture policy.” He sleeps with Lil’ J, snuggles with us on the couch, and when he sneaks on our bed we don’t kick him off.

On a recent trip to the pet store Lil’ J picked up a Valentine’s gift for him. His favorite toys are stuffed squeakers but he always rips them to shreds. The one she picked for him is tough enough to last awhile. He hasn’t managed to rip it apart just yet. Aside from challenging him in a game of tug-o-war, Lil’ J loves dressing him up. Bandanas, bows, hats, you name it, she’s tried it.

My son prefers to get him to do tricks for treats. Snoop appreciates that too, but his favorite activity is a walk with the family, or going for a ride.

He doesn’t love baths (do any dogs? Or is my dog like a cat in that regard?) but it’s hard not to love how good he smells once he’s done. Most of the time we take him to the groomers, but there have been a handful of times we’ve taken on the task ourselves in the back yard (remember when he got skunked?) or in the bathtub.

The savings is great but the downside to doing it yourself is that pet hair is one of the main causes of clogged drains. Between leg hair, and all of our curly hair we’re washing and detangling that end up down the trains, plus a dog that sheds during its bath… Liquid-Plumr is great to help fight clogs and prevent new ones from forming.

How do you pamper your pup? Share photos of your dog pampering or doggy dates on Twitter and Instagram using #VDayDoggyDate for a chance to win a free Bark Box full of BarkBox treats to shower your pup with love this month! Here are the rules. Good luck!

If you want a good laugh about doggy grooming and the aftermath check out this video.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Liquid-Plumr. The opinions and text are all mine. We love pampering our pup, and our drains, which is why we partnered with Liquid-Plumr on this post.

Tags: snoop, valentines