I just researched what a Spangold Retriever is, and they are adorable! This was such a cute chapter! Murphy is adorable! I think he definitely failed on purpose as well. Dogs are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. Great chapter, as always. Thank you!

Such a funny image still to me: Owen cocooned. It’s extremely satisfying that, while Claire doesn’t mind sinking into him, she *will* bring up the issue in the morning. Sharing is caring, tooI completely relate to Owen’s predicament with getting repairs done during the summer months. It really sucks. And, his poor pride. Not feeling man enough to fix what needs fixing (outside his skill set or not, he’s “failed” his family). Sleeping hot is the worst. I can’t blame him for shoving Claire off, but he could use a lesson in finesse. Oooh, I’m living vicariously through Claire’s dropping the b-word. I could never do it, but I love that she gets away with it and Owen doesn’t get upset. In truth, he has more pressing concerns :P I’m glad she takes pity on himoffers the fan. This was such a cute Drabble duet. So glad you posted them.

Another nice little snapshot! Enjoyed Owen and Claire's battles over the bed. Sympathised with both of them, as I wouldn't want to be that hot or cold when trying to sleep. Liked that bit at the end when Claire told Owen about the fan; wonder how long she was keeping that to herself. :) Looking forward to the next few snapshots, as well as the next updates for The Missing Years and Three Steps Forward, One Step Sideways!

I pick up dog crap

I'm now trying to get caught up on all your stories. I've been swamped. I say POOP. But just like Claire-Grady143, I'm from America. It's probably a Canadian/British thing. This chapter kinda hit home for me, because I havea therapy / service animal - a dog named Isabelle. She's a pomeranian / chiauhauha mixed. She's 3, and she's my absolute world. She helps me with my anxiety and depression. Great chapter, as always!

I’m squealing with delight that one of the little things we’ve long-bonded over has made it into one of your fics. Hehe. This is so delightful.

Aww, to Murphy’s ritual with Claire despite holding Owen above all others. A well-trained dog, in and outside of “work.” Very very glad the bedroom prohibition remains intact. LOL to Claire half-expecting Owen to forget. Vanity. We all show it under certain circumstances. I have flutters in my stomach, putting myself in Claire’s shoes. Should this be classified as a “kink”?

I’m grinning ear to ear. This drabble actually contains 2 things we’ve bonded over. What a perfect balance. Thank you so much for posting it.

Question: What's FC stans for?

Nice little snapshot! Loved how Murphy went searching for Claire to greet her, and how he led her to Owen when she asked where he was. Liked that Owen needs glasses now. I've had reading glasses since I was six. Agreed with Claire about the student-teacher fantasy, yuck.

It’s so nice to see Owen fully into the role (and dealing with the consequences) of the job that caused such tumult for him in Full Circle. I love that it’s worth it for him and the family in multiple ways. I’m smiling to myself thinking about all the early convos we had about Owen’s career path when you were writing FC. This Snapshot contains so many quality FC callbacks.

I can’t helping imagining exactly how the ruined dinner situation would happen in my kitchen. My heart bleeds for Claire. It’s so important (not just narratively but realistically) that Claire has “loyalty” to the ruined dinner over Murphy at the start. No matter how beautifully he is, she made that dinner for her family dammit. Owen is pretty perfect here with how he handled the salad. LOL to “It’s me or him.” Totally with Claire on keeping Murphy out of the bedroom.

I continue to relate to Claire with her longing for alone time. It’s become totally sad these days what I “accept” as alone time. Murphy keeps making it hard for me to like him by knocking down Fred, with whom my loyalty will always lie. LOL to Owen deflecting by focusing on Fred. I so appreciate Claire’s thoroughness with regard to having a dog. I absolutely think that’s how she’d be, treating her anxiety by researching and then “the more you know” ends up being even more anxiety-provoking.

LOL to Maisie’s supposed tandem-watching with a friend. Focusing on both is tough at any age. REpoop bags,” there can be only one way. Even you recognize it now. “Poo bags” is just wrong. Hehe.

Aww to Owen’s watery eyes. Good on Claire for not commenting. They are doing much better than they were in FC times and knowing each other so well. Claire’s perspective in the post-training scene is wonderful. How to replace a beloved pet is to so challenging. No one else is the same. I really relate to Claire’s being won over by a pet who “belonged” to Owen first. It *is* amazing how quickly pets can become integrated into your life. I feel all gooey inside with Claire’s soothing motion for Owen. Then you make me gag at Hawaiian pizza. Cruel.

Poor Owen, doubting himself and also trying to treat his anxiety by looking at the videos. Owen’s scoff at Claire’s suggestion always makes me chuckle. The great behaviorist, not able to perceive that.

I always love a hammock reference. LOL to Owen’s playful gasp. Perfect. Claire’s rationale for keeping Murphy, emotional and practical, is also genius. “Second batch” still feels a little weird to me (I think of cookies, not dinos or dogs) even after we’ve used that phrase countless times in fics and discussions of the films. Glad that Murphy hasn’t really changed by the end and that there are still growing pains. Haha, to the single corner book hold.

Another great snapshot! I fell in love with Murphy too. I hadn't known about that breed either, but I just searched them on Google Images and they are adorable. Dogs are awesome! :)

I used to have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Harry (until he passed away at age 14 years in 2018), and I loved him. He's on my profile image if you want to see. We also currently have two black Labradors, both of which are from the group that I recently got a job with and are the reason I found out about them. Chrissie (5 or 6 years old) is a service dog for my autistic sister, and Amber (1 and a half years old) was meant to be for someone with epilepsy but couldn't quite get the hang of what she was meant to do, so she was put up for adoption and my parents got her for me for my 21st. They're adorable! :)

Enjoyed how Murphy became part of the family here. Can definitely see how Owen and Claire got attached to him. Glad they ended up deciding to keep him, as they and Maisie would've been very sad to see him go. Felt bad for Owen over his frustration when Murphy failed the test, though glad the other dogs passed. :)

Excellent snapshot! Looking forward to the PUP sequel and The Missing Years!

This Snapshot starts off making me long for pre-COVID times when everyone in the house left for work/school before I had to start my day. (I want to get back to that point, but I digress.) This is such a relatable moment for Owen. Finally getting to the part of the job that’s what he wanted to do. Confronting the fact that even the jobs you *want* to do aren’t necessarily without downsides or threats to your confidence/security. A reminder for us all. Also, does every sought-after job have excessive paperwork? You know you’ve “made it” when you spend a certainof time buried in it? Hehe.

Owen gets it about service animals. I would love to chat with him over lunch at work. Thank you so much for highlighting this “controversy” that really begs for a nuanced discussion.

Carpooling. Ever something that sounds like a good idea for professionals but isn’t usually realistic. An exact 40-hour work week just doesn’t happen. So important, however, that Owen and Claire get that 1:1 time at lunch to keep up that continuous process of improving their communication AND maintaining their relationship separate from the demands of work and parenting. “Similar entanglements” gets me every time. It’s a great descriptor and not just for romantic ones. People really need to better understand the complexity of Owen’s feelings about the animals/dinosaurs. The films just glossed over it, but (one can hope?) maybe they’ll be more explicit about this in the final film.

Awesome insight into Claire and Owen’s dynamic immediately post-JW incident. I can totally see this. Makes perfect sense. LOL to “rickety bleacher structure.” I love love love the line about Claire getting a glimpse of the man he used to be. Simultaneously powerful and sweet for their relationship.

Their exchange in the car is PERFECT. The visual is fantastic and works so well for the conflict/angst. Awww, to “half smile, half grimace.” Too real. In addition to your just knowing their relationship dynamic effortlessly, you also know Owen. His thought processes here for training are on point. “We’ve got time.” Famous last words. Hehehe.

You know I’ll be forever Team Poop. Not even you can change my mind, and I’ll ignore your effort to throw me under the bus. I know our friendship will survive Poopgate.

I enjoyed this chapter! As for your question, I'm familiar with both "poo" and "poop", but I would say "poop". I'm American, though, so it may very well be a "separated by a common language" thing.

Keep writing!

Another good snapshot! Quite enjoyed this one, as I really love dogs. In fact I'm trying to get a job involving training service dogs. Agreed with these characters that it's hard to spend that much time with animals without getting attached. Also agreed with Owen that it's probably easier to manage and monitor all those dogs and trainers if you're not also training a dog yourself.

As for your question at the end; I tend to say dog poo, not poop. And most people I know tend to be that way as well. I live in Australia, so that may have something to do with that.

Good snapshot! Looking forward to the next one!

I'd love for you to keep posting about this family! I really like that its a whole series of snapshots into their world as opposed to one large arc.

Such a beautiful father-daughter comment (and general one) for Owen to muse that he wanted the secret to Maisie’s resilience. LOL to Owen automatically checking Claire for a fever... both times. I love love love Claire’s awkwardness over taking the day off. She is trying to do things differently, but change is tough. Owen’s insecurity is also great. You know I love exploring the “After the HEA,” so this is a needed Snapshot and really well done. Very realistic (and amusing, for these characters who I feel so close to) that the trauma to Maisie from the events of FC would hamper her parents’ intimacy. Great job describing Owen’s more profound reflections during the “action.” The raw honesty more than makes up for the lack of explicitly described action. Ah eyebrow waggling. The. Best. LOL to the crumbs on the counter. The reality of kitchen sex is always glossed over in other stories and novels. Their postcoital banter feels so real and in-character. I’ve missed them.

My heart aches for this maternal Claire. The fear of being a source of pain and being a failure for her kid are too real. I very much appreciate the POVs you chose for the 2 scenes in this Snapshot. Oh, the rings. I’m wistful for their significance in FC. Such a shocking but key moment when Owen relinquished his. This is just so awesome to revisit it, and how heart-warming for Claire to say that her work wouldn’t be as meaningful without Owen to share in it. That really resonates. The parallel process in revealing how similar they were feeling, each on the outside but differently, is so poignant. Nailed it. They complement each other to a T. I don’t think Claire *truly* treated Owen like an assistant, but her realization of the similarity there is a real gut punch/wake-up call for her, and I’m here for it. Also here for more Owen insecurity. Perfect depiction of his perceived inadequacies. LOL to dumb male behavior, suggesting the cabin for a getaway. Glad he recovers quickly. I love this family so much. It’s like going home to read a new Snapshot.