Day 33

 Here I am with Mom, doing my imitation of a German Shepherd.  What do you think?

Day 32

I've been practicing stairs with Abram.  Here, we practice inside.  When I get really good, maybe I can grab a shoe!  Abram won't let me chew shoes, but just a moment of bliss would be worth the effort.  I love shoes.

And here we practice outside.  I am still afraid but am getting much better. I get to eat treats when I climb a stair.  Food is my favorite motivator, even better than shoes!

Day 31

The joy of a belly rub!

Day 30

Look what I found in the kitchen!

Day 29

I had puppy class tonight, and it was awesome!  These are my friends, Thimble and Scooter.  They are training to become guide dogs, too, and they live with puppy raiser families like I do!  At the end of class, we got to play, and we tired ourselves out.  Our tongues are hanging in happy exhaustion.  We are all really cute, aren't we?

Day 28

I love my new stuffed duck. We play together.

And then we rest together.

Day 27

Me and the steps, making friends.  Mom says we are going to work on steps this weekend.  I need to learn to ascend and descend them by myself because I am getting really heavy and carrying me is difficult, especially since I don't much like being carried and make snarly noises and try to bite.

Day 26

 

Eli fed me this morning.  First, he let me out of my crate.

 



Then, he brought me into the kitchen where my pre-soaked food was waiting.  I eat the same thing every day and never tire of it!  I must sit nicely, Eli puts the bowl down, and then I am allowed to eat after he says "free".  If I approach my food without being freed, it's a do-over -- and over, and over, and over until I get it right.  My people are teaching me very good manners.

 



 

Success!

Day 25

I am despondent, the victim of unrequited love.  Here I am, staring wistfully at Hemi, and there she sits, out of view, on the far side of the pet gate.  I love her, but she loves me not.  How can she resist me?

Day 24

Me and Mom walked this morning and, when we returned home, we sat on the front stairs.  As you know, I am afraid of the stairs.  Mom says that with time and patience, I will overcome my fear.  This is our starting point, sitting quietly on the stairs and eating treats.  It works for me!

Day 23

So, I was chasing Muffin through the kitchen, much to my mother's dismay, and I got stuck.  Mom had to rescue me.  How humiliating, being outsmarted by a kitten.

Day 22

It's sunny today, but cold and windy.  The wind makes me crazy.  I like to chase the leaves and catch them in my mouth.  When my Mom says "out", I spit the leaf out, and I get a ton of treats and praise.  It's a great gig.  I've got this all figured out!  This is a photo of me and Abram sitting on the front stairs of our house.  I hate those stairs.  I am afraid to go either up or down them, so Mom or Abram must carry me.  When Mom pauses at the top of the stairs to see if I'll try to descend on my own, I get stressed and bark.  Then, she picks me up, and I make growely old man noises - that's what Mom calls them.  She says that in time my courage will build, and I will learn to climb up and down the stairs like the champ that I am!  I love my Mom.  I love Abram too.  Truth be told, I love everyone!

Day 21

I was a really good girl today.  Mom was not feeling so great.  You cannot tell from the photos, but Mom was one-armed today -- her left arm is in a sling that will hopefully disappear in the next day or two (the sling, not the arm).  Mom and Peter took me for my first walk into town.  Here we are, at the outset of our walk (Peter is taking the photos).

Here we are, mid-walk.  Please note that I am getting a TREAT because I am so GOOD.  

And, here we are, in town.  We posed by the flowers because we think they look good next to my fur and overall cuteness.  I am sure you agree.  There are not photos of me on the walk home because goodness only lasts so long.  I was a bit bratty.  But Mom is proud that I held out as long as I did, and so am I!

Day 20

 

Muffin and I are BEST friends (Eli thinks Muffin is HIS best friend, but I know otherwise), but Hemi would prefer if I did not exist.  She does not hate me (she hates Muffin - she hisses at him constantly, so much so that Mom thinks she must have a sore throat), but she ignores me, as if I am wearing an invisibility cloak.  What did I do?  I hate being ignored.

Day 19

This morning, Abram played with me with Archer's old rope toy.  Finally, my people have figured out that rope toys are my favorite! Just because Archer loved femur bones with peanut butter does NOT mean that I will too!  No two dogs are alike.  I am hoping that Mom buys me a NEW rope toy today, as a Valentine's Day gift.  Even though I bit her finger this morning and she had to wear a bandaid to work, I think I am still her valentine, no?  Below is a photo of Archer taken in April 2012, the night he earned his puppy jacket.  I cannot wait until I earn MY jacket!  Thanks for leaving behind the rope toy, Archer!

 

PS:  Archer sired 11 puppies and is now in harness training.  Way to go, Archer!

 

 

 

PSS:  I thought you might like to see Archer's first litter of puppies born in January, below with their dog mother, Amelia.  They look like blobs, don't they?  Amelia is a cutie.  Maybe one day I'll be a mom, too!  I am too young right now to be thinking about my career.

 

 



Day 18

Mom snapped this quick photo of me this morning while she was running out the door to go to work.  When Muffy wants to play, he squeezes through the dog gate, and when he's had enough, he escapes.  Hemi, our other cat, used to play with Archer, my predecessor, much the same way.  Mom says that Hemi can no longer fit through the gate, though, because Peter is too generous with her meals. 

Day 17

 

This is me walking Abram, one of my people.  I am a people dog.  I think humans are both loyal and great companions, but they are high maintenace.  Even in the worst of weather, when I'd much prefer to stay indoors and play with Muffy, I must drag myself outside to walk Abram.  Muffy, the cat, is far lower maintenance.  My people are worth it, though -- the pros outweigh the cons!

Day 16

Mom tries to convince me to bite the ball rather than her hand.

 

Okay, she wins.

Day 15

Me and Muffin are bestest friends. 

 



He's more fun than all my toys!

Day 14

 

Me and Peter, walking in a winter wonderland.  Did you notice that I am not walking?  I leveraged my puppy cuteness to be carried.  I am one smart puppy!

 

 YUM!

Cleared for take off ...

Day 13

Eating snowflakes with Abram, the calm before the storm.

Day 12

Me and Mom, on our morning walk.  Treat, please?

Day 11

What a lame picture.  Blame my mom.  She was in a big rush this morning because she is the Chair of the Honor Roll Breakfast Committee at Eli's school and the breakfast was this morning.  She had a BRILLIANT idea about today's photo - she planned to photograph me emerging from my crate in the usual fashion -- first, I look up from my slumber, then she opens the door, then I inch towards the door and put my paws over the edge in excruciating cuteness, then I drag myself halfway out of the crate, and then, finally, upon much coaxing, I slump out of my crate and onto her lap for a much earned belly and side rub.  I am tired just thinking about it.  So, she prepared her phone camera, opened the gate, and I ran out.  I did get the side and belly rub, but sabotaged her plans.  Now, we're stuck with a lousy picture for posterity.  I promise I'll do better tomorrow.

Day 10

Me and Stud Muffin playing at breakfast.  Eli nicknamed him Mittens, and Abram nicknamed him Gloves.  Muffin is crazy, but still not inclined to hop off the chair.

Day 9

Me and Mom practiced "down" this morning.  I think she went to work with dog fur on her pants. 

Day 8

It snowed last night.  How great is that?

Day 7

Today, I got my shots.  This is a picture of me and Dr. Jiao.  Hemi saw Dr. Jiao last weekend, and Muffin will be visiting next month for a rather unpleasant operation that will impede Muffin's future fatherhood.  No more Stud Muffin.  The Doc told my mom that, unless I am in my crate, I cannot be left unattended for more than 5 seconds.  Because I am a lab, I like to retrieve things, and I do not have very good judgment at this age and may swallow something detrimental.  He recently performed surgery on a dog just like me who swallowed two golf balls.  I will get smarter in time, I promise. 

Day 6

This is me, Eli, and Abram, taken this morning.  Eli is afraid to touch my head because I can be a bit snarky.  I nip and growl.  Despite his mother's incessant requests that he enter the gated kitchen wearing shoes, Eli takes his chances and enters the kitchen for breakfast barefoot.  I nip his toes.  He complains that I bite.  I am a PUPPY and we BITE.  Get over it!  Even though he's a bit afraid of me, I love Eli.  I know that once my frontal lobe develops and I gain the skill to control my impulses, we will be great friends.  Today is Eli's 12th birthday.  Happy birthday, Eli!