On May 26, Kate Gosselin posted an emotional update saying day 12 of integrating her rescue puppy Koda into the household had become "a lot" as she struggled to manage the dog’s energy alongside her other shepherd, Meika.
Gosselin, 51, told followers she had been "on watch constantly" and that the past week of mixing the two dogs had been stressful. "I was just crying this morning," she said, adding: "I'm tired. It's getting to be a lot, which makes me sound like a baby, but the truth is, I've just been on watch constantly hoping nothing, you know, happens and watching them all the time." She warned that Koda's temperament and stamina had been overwhelming: "Koda is a humongous personality," and "she is now very obsessed with her ball, equally as Meika, and she could run forever."
The scale of what she is juggling matters: Gosselin is the mother of eight children and said the logistics of managing two high-energy dogs felt different now that she is older. "I am 51 now. I'm not 29, 30. So it's just gotten to be a lot," she said, noting the physical and emotional toll as she cares for the pair while her boyfriend, Steve Neild, works outside the home.
Gosselin first announced she was adopting a rescue puppy in April and said she had secured adoption papers for Koda, then named Chiqis, with plans to bring the dog home in mid-May. The introduction has not been seamless. She described ruined household items after the first days together: Koda chewed through a rug and destroyed Nanuq's bed, which Gosselin called "our favorite bed" that she'd had "for, gosh, 15 plus years or more." The damaged bed carried extra weight because Nanuq, another German shepherd Gosselin loved, died in December; Gosselin has said she will "spend the rest of my life missing you NuNu" and that "Life will never be the same. I loved you more than life itself. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."
That grief frames why Gosselin has been determined to bring Koda into the home: she said that "probably no one else would have saved her" and that the adoption feels "very special." Still, the practical friction is clear. Gosselin said Koda needs "a lot of mental and physical stimulation," and that her companion Meika has similar obsessions, creating a nonstop cycle of activity that leaves her doubting whether she can keep up. She described spending the day alone with the dogs while Neild was at work: "Steve went to work, and so I'm with them today," she said, adding she tries to keep them calm by turning on a painting program on TV and taking them on walks.
Gosselin also said the household will soon begin formal training with Koda, a step she framed as necessary and imminent: she promised she "would be starting training with Koda soon." The pressure has weighed on both her and Neild, she said, calling it "strain and stress" but stopping short of second-guessing the adoption itself. "So I know that we're doing a good thing. We just have to hang in," she said.
For now, the answer to whether Gosselin will keep Koda is unambiguous: despite the ruined rug and the nostalgic loss of a long‑loved bed, she intends to stay the course and begin training the puppy. Her next move is concrete and public — start training, manage high energy with structure, and ask followers to watch the process as the household adjusts.
