Day of firsts

 Today, I bought my very first LaraBar.  Yes, I realize I am WAY behind the times.  I also realized I started making something similar at home before I tried the real thing.  And let me say that I am very glad about that last fact, because I never would have started to make them at home if I'd tried this first.  I am hoping I just selected a bad flavor, because I did not care for this at all.  I ate enough bites to steady my blood sugar and discarded the rest. 

 It was also Riley's very first day at Doggy Daycare!  I took her Canine Courtyard in Flower Mound.

 

 This is how she looked when I got her back.  

 
She was struggling so hard to keep her eyes open on the way home!  She finally gave in and collapsed on my hand, half falling off the front seat.

Immediately upon coming home, she did this.

Then relocated for this.

 

Which resulted in lots of this.

She perked up for about an hour in the evening while I was cooking, but then she curled into so tight a little ball that I decided to cover her up.

And this was the result after she's realized it was cozy and warm.

I'm very pleased with the daycare!  She never exhibited any fear while I was there.  The lady at the counters said that she and her husband run it together, and you can tell she loves dogs and knows how to handle them.  They put Riley in a separate run where she could "sniff out" the doggy she'd be playing with later and acclimatize herself to the area.  They match the dogs by size first.  So, she told me Riley was paired with a pit bull.  Hey, she's THAT big now.  Anyhow, the pit proved to be a bit too aggressive.  She said that as soon as Riley showed that she was scared (usually it's her tail that will let us know), she was put with a group of smaller, extremely hyper dogs.  She fit right in there!  When I returned, I got to see Riley and her playmates in an indoor play area via closed circuit cam.  She was playing happily and even sprawled out on the floor to rest at one point.  Her tail was wagging nearly nonstop.  She was happy, happy.  YAY!  Our half day trial was free, and you can bet we'll be back soon.  It's totally affordable, and having a calm dog all evening was well worth the cost!  As a bonus, they board.  So hopefully, we've found a kennel as well as a solution for very busy weekends.  

Have you ever taken your doggy to daycare?

Riley's first snow

I'm a little embarrassed to say exactly how much time I spent yesterday watching this.....

The snow fell in thick, fluffy flurries.  And when it was done, this beautiful sunshine came out and glistened on all the fallen snow....and my romping puppy.  It was a perfect day.  I watched the snow fall from my kitchen window while I cooked and took trips outside to giggle at Riley's funny "snow run".  There are bars, pudding, and a stupidly simple and delicious lunch to share, but this was a much better way to start the week, don't you agree?

Oh, and there's also this.....enjoy! 

Destructo Dog

So, I've lamented a wee bit about Riley and her chewing ways, but I don't tell you everything she destroys.....like THREE potholders.  To say the least, finding toys that interest her and keep her from destroying our good stuff isn't exactly easy.  The toys have to be extra durable.

We've had great success with Nylabone and Kong, so we tend to turn to their toys when we want to get Riley something new.  Occasionally, though, even those brands fail us.

We've had two Kong failures.  But at least they took the course of a couple play sessions to fail, so I haven't complained.  When I came home with a new Nylabone and she destroyed it in minutes, I complained.

Thankfully, the good folks at Nylabone stand by their products.  Their customer service got in touch with me very quickly, and after a few exchanges, offered replacements or a refund.  I chose replacements.

They came in today!  They doubled down on our replacement, giving us not one but two new toys.  They gave us a more durable bone and a plush toy.  Knowing glances were exchanged by the hubby and I as we held the new plushie toy.  Then the glances gave way to wagering on exactly how quickly she'd dismantle the plush.

We were pretty spot on, sadly.  Before the hour mark, Destructo Dog had two "antlers" torn off, squeaker removed and stuffing strewn all about.  Yes, I was watching...taking away bits as she tore them off so that she couldn't hurt herself.  Obviously, the Nylabone folks underestimated her chewing capacity.

Still, I very much appreciated the replacements, and Riley is happily chewing the replacement bone in her Kong bed now.

Hey....when you find a product worthwhile, you stick to it!  Right?

Weekday mornings

Weekday mornings are sort of nice for me.  Riley and I have a very "strict" routine.  Once we leave the bedroom, we both have to take a walk around the backyard.  See, she's spoiled rotten and will not go out and potty by herself first thing in the morning.  I have to go with her.  Once the walk is done, it's time for her to eat.  I make my breakfast and coffee, then it's couch time! 

She and I curl up together on the blue couch in the front living room while I eat my breakfast.  Seriously, it's the best part of my morning.  She picks a toy very excitedly, then bounds onto the couch into my lap.  She'll get as close to me as she can the entire time, which generally means that she's sprawled across me.  She stays there until breakfast is done and I tell her to get off the couch.  I get to pet her ears while I eat, and that right there makes me one happy puppy momma. 

For about ten minutes every morning, I'm quite happy we have a puppy.

Milestones

Lil Miss Escape Artist (Yeah, she did it a second time on Saturday, but this time it was human error.  We forgot to shut the gate after making the repair.  Um, oops!) managed to accomplish something even more impressive....

She graduated from Intermediate Dog class at PetSmart!  Pretty darn impressive for a seven month old puppy!

She was far younger than the other graduates, but she pulled off all the requirements well enough to pass.  Now, it's up to us to make sure those skills are refined and made even more consistent.  After all, the Advanced class will be far more difficult.  I think she can do it though.  They're training Canine Good Citizenship in that class, and I really want Riley to have that.  I don't want a dog that I have to worry about mauling anyone.  I want a well-behaved little lady.  And I think she has the potential. 

Maybe she's worth it

The dog that ate Christmas

What does a $300+ vet bill do to the holidays when incurred the day after Thanksgiving?  It cancels it.  We’re not huge gift buyers, as I usually make all of the gifts that are handed out, but this year we were going to at least exchange gifts.  Now, I really doubt that we will.

And no, it wasn’t anything related to the thanksgiving festivities.  It was the hose she ate in the backyard.  Or maybe the sticks.  Or some other such thing that she ate in the backyard, unbeknown to us.  I think that officially makes me a really horrible puppy parent.  The x-ray to find obstructions did indeed find one.  It happens to be very small and very low in her intestine, so the vet recommended that we wait and see before flaying her open needlessly.  She’ll be on meds for the diarrhea and vomiting for the next few days.  Ah, the joys of dog-parenthood.  Definitely time to look into pet insurance, else this beast it quickly going to become far too expensive.

The 21st again

First things first: Here’s to our first 8 months of marriage!  

 

This year is flying by.  We’ll be celebrating our anniversary before you know it.  Too bad last year didn’t go as quickly as this year seems to be.

My workdays crawl by but my free time goes by in a whirlwind.  I love our weekends far too much.  I just suffer through the week to get to Friday night….where there is usually beer, a puppy, and my baby waiting for me.

What’s that you say?  Don’t I also have two cats waiting for me when the weekends (or even the week night) call?  Well, you’d think so, wouldn’t you?  I do still possess to fuzzy little cat babies.  Sadly, though, they chose to be completely excluded from us at this point because of the dog.  Oliver hides in his room.  Stinker hides on the counter-height chairs that are pushed under our kitchen table.  I have to seek them out if I want to pet them or even say hello.  

 

Perhaps someday they’ll reappear and rejoin the family.  I do miss seeing them.

Dog Tired

 This is what the puppy has looked like since class this afternoon. 

 

She's learning some really complex skills that take a lot of concentration.  Far more concentration than a six month old puppy can easily exert.  She had to come to us through an aisle in PetSmart with "distractions" in her patch like toys and treats on the floor.  She also started to learn how to heel today and stay while a toy was being squeaked by her head. 

 

Clearly, it's hard work.  She's been awake maybe an hour since 5:30 this afternoon.  It's 9:20 as I type this.  Yeah, my little girl is TUCKERED!  She's so cute when she sleeps.  And she did such a good job!  Seriously, training is the best money we've spent.   Not only did she learn something new.....she gave us an utterly peaceful evening!  

Huzzah!

Vacation delimna

I realize I didn’t post anything yesterday morning.  Somehow, in the fun that was taking Riley to the dog park and cooking a kicking dinner, I managed NOT to post anything the previous night.  Then in the morning, inspiration just didn’t hit.  Since I didn’t want to post mere trash in the two minutes I had to spare, I thought I’d just post late.  And onto the post….

Since we’ve had Riley, we’ve only been out of the area once.  It was to Turner Falls, and she came with us.  Well, we have a possible trip coming up soon, and Riley can’t come.  So, we’re stuck with trying to figure out what to do with the puppy while we’re away.  

Now, I know the easy answer is find a kennel or ask someone we know to watch her.  Simple, right?!  Well, yeah, it should be, but we are finding that it is not at all that simple.  

On the friends and family option, the issue is that Riley is still a puppy.  She still has accidents.  She’s still teething and therefore tries to chew on things.  ’m afraid we’d send her to someone’s home, and she’d destroy something.  Possibly something valuable that would put a strain on us to replace.  Also, Riley still tests boundaries to see what she can get away with.  We’ve worked very hard to be very diligent and consistent with her.  I can only imagine what someone else would let her get away with because of those oh-so-cute puppy dog eyes and little whimpers she lets out!  I am not sure either of us are willing to retrain the dog if she’s allowed to run amuck for two whole days!  I shudder at the thought!

So, board her, right?  Simple.  Lots of places have boarding services.  Just drop her off…..with strangers….to live in a hole….and miss us.  Drop MY BABY off with STRANGERS.  Um, does anyone else see an issue here??  Yeah, apparently I am one of “those” pet parents.  I don’t want to leave her with just anyone!  I want to make sure that she is allowed out of a cage and that she gets daily attention.  I want to make sure it’s clean and that the workers are all friendly dog loving people.  

We’ve been looking at kennels all day.  The reviews for some of these places are just wretched.  If the reviews are mostly good, then we probably can’t afford the place because it’s a “weekend retreat spa for dogs” with services that I don’t even treat myself to!  

The other thing?  We can’t pick her up on Sunday for many of these places, and I am simply not willing to board her for longer than necessary.  Can you imagine picking your puppy up on Monday morning only to put her in her kennel so that you can now leave her and go to work?!  Yeah, that’s just begging for her to seriously destroy something to spite you.  And I don’t want my little Ri to spite me.  

I’ll be stopping by one of the possible contenders tomorrow to see if it is sufficient for our pup.  If not, we aren’t going to be able to take this trip…..or any trip for a while.  And that’s not a great solution either.

Has anyone else run into these issues?

What I didn't know

  I love this little monster…..

 

….but I had no idea how much like having a child she would be!

Seriously, my husband and I lean toward the “no thank you” side of parenthood, and we even took about four good, solid months of debate before we decided to get a dog.   I’ve always had pets, mind you, but they have always been cats.  I grew up with dogs in our home at all times, but they were other people’s dogs!  They were either my mom’s dog or my brother’s dog, and aside from helping out once in a while, those dogs were not my problem!  Just like my two terrors – my lovely chocolate Siamese – were not their problem.  Well, that is until Mom and I decided that it would be best if they stayed country cats when I moved into the city after high school.   But to get back to the subject of dogs, suffice it to say that neither my husband nor I took the decision lightly as we knew that a dog would be more work than any cat I could ever own!  In the end, we decided that while it would be more work, it could also be far more rewarding!  I rushed right out and brought Riley home.  Ahh……

 

Well, you know the story doesn’t end there right?  She was SO adorable.  She was even smart!  She curled up in her new little bed the moment I put it on the floor.  She was quiet.  She played happily with the toys we gave her.  Her favorite nightly ritual was sleeping out our feet during dinner.  

 

And of course, it doesn’t end there either.  She didn’t like sleeping in the bathroom.  So, we bought a kennel and brought her in our room at night to combat the separation anxiety she has.  This meant getting up any time she needed to potty because her little bladder wasn’t big enough yet, and we couldn’t allow her to soil her kennel (unlike the bathroom floor which had puppy pads, and I was fine with her tinkling on them).  My husband and I switched off taking her out at 2-3am every night.  Soon, though, his daddy radar turned off, and her whines no longer woke him up.  Luckily, about that time she started sleeping till I get up at 5am.  That was better.  Then she started teething. 

 
Now, teething has been horrid.  That bears repeating…..HORRID.  She hurts so much.  She lost at least four teeth within three days.  She whines incessantly.  She can’t sleep through the night for the pain.  We’re surviving by frozen carrots and rawhides alone.  Without those tools, we would not make it through this phase.  Oh, and when her mouth hurts too much, she can’t be bothered to stop chewing to let us know she needs to go out.  She just pees in the front room.  Monday was the first day since about the 11th of September that I’ve actually gotten to sleep till 5:15 (when my alarm goes off in the AM).  The last two weekends, I’ve been up by about 4:30 and unable to go back to bed because the dog hurts so much that she’s making too much noise for us to sleep through.  She literally curls up in my lap and gnaws on her foot while whimpering.  Now tell me, how much more like a child can that be?! 

 

None of that even touches going to puppy class!  And thank God for puppy class.  We cannot wait for the intermediate training that starts October 10th.  See, we probably would have given the dog back by now if it weren’t for the behavior modification that the training classes provide.  She is a willful pup!  And she tests her boundaries.  The classes help us to correct the behaviors in a constructive way while also providing the dog the correct response so that all of us are on the same page about what she’s expected to do (or not do as the case may be).  

But even good training cannot get her to behave while in pain.  We’re tired.  Our nerves are raw.  We’ll be happy when she’s done with this phase.  Can it be soon please?  That’d be an awesome birthday gift!

Also, who knew this little nine pound pup with tiny paws would gain 20 pounds since July 17th?!  I certainly didn't.  Even her trainer is shocked!  Puppy on the grow!  Any guesses at how big she'll be??

Teething pains

I’ve never had a dog before – like, as my own as an adult.  We had them in droves when I was a child, along with a slew of cats and various small critters.  Yet, somehow, I managed to not know a darn thing about the trials and tribulations of a teething puppy!  How did I miss this, even as a kid?  

Riley is in full-on teething mode.  She’d had a few days when you could tell her mouth was bothering her, but nothing like this week.  I was starting to think she was just a demon dog and that I’d made a horrid, horrid mistake by selecting her – or even wanting a dog AT ALL.  Then Sunday, I came home with a new small, bone-shaped rawhide to help with the teething.  

This isn’t because I realized she was in pain or anything.  No, nothing that sympathetic or motherly.  I brought the bone home in the hope that 1) she wouldn’t eat it as quickly as the spiral-style rawhides and 2) that she’s stop destroying my sh*t!  Last week, she managed to chew her way down the length of the wooden window ledge behind the couch in the front room.  It pissed me off to NO end.  This isn’t because it’s unfixable.  It’s wood; it’s totally fixable.  It’s because it will be a HASSLE to fix!  Then Sunday morning, she chewed through my laptop charging cable in about 30 seconds.  My laptop is unusable without that chord since the battery never managed to hold a charge, not even when brand new.  

I pouted.  I wouldn’t talk to the dog.  She was on my poop list big time.  She was now costing me even more money….more than the vets and the training and the expensive food that she inhales at 4 cups a day right now.  My inner accountant (and we all know what a little miser my inner accountant is) was in utter turmoil over the mounting expenses of Dog.  

I came back from the grocery store, unwrapped the rawhide, and thrust it at the dog proclaiming that if this doesn’t STOP the destruction, the dog was in serious jeopardy of me never speaking to her again.  Ever.  (Yeah, I was miffed.)  

She ran off with the bone, oh so happy.  She gnawed and gnawed for hours.  The husband went to check on the dog and the bone.  (He wasn’t nearly as miffed.  His laptop chord was still intact!)  He found blood on said bone.  Turns out she managed to lose one of her lower incisors on the bone.  She was the happiest, most lovable pup after that!  

I softened big time.  And felt bad.  My poor little baby had been in so much pain, hence the being rotten and not sleeping this week, and now she was being such a good girl!  What kind of a mother am I?!  

She ended up losing another tooth that evening at puppy class: an upper molar.  Still, the other lower incisor was giving her fits.  She’d managed to chew the small rawhide bone in half.  So, we had to remove it Monday night as a choking hazard.   I brought home a medium rawhide bone on Tuesday.  Less than an hour later, the other offending baby fang was gone.  You could almost sense the relief from the dog.  She was an absolute angel all night.  

And my miser was also happy.  The puppy trainer extraordinaire had told us if she didn’t lose the other incisor by the weekend, we should have it pulled.  Her adult fang was already coming in and could be damaged by her baby fang.  Now, I don’t know for certain, but I think a vet visit to pull a tooth would have to be in the $100s at least, yes?  So, a $2 bone and a $20 chord replacement weren’t looking so bad at this point!  My miser was a happy camper after that!  

And so is Riley.

Riley camped.

To say that Riley enjoyed herself would be a slight understatement.  She hiked, ate a tree, and slept in a tent with us!  She played SO hard.  That lead to sleeping equally hard.

She has such a good time.  Can't wait to take her again!

Riley camped.

Wussy Alert!

We had a little issue last night. Riley got excited, jumped up on me, fell and bumped her head. It didn't seem like anything at all (aside from the usual clumsy puppy). Half an hour later, my little girl laid down on her blanket and couldn't get back up. Her whole back leg was curled under her, and she wasn't able to uncoil it or stand up. Her whole body was shaking, because, of course, this really scared her.

Well, thank God for my husband, because I FREAKED! I burst into tears. I'd let her fall off me and something horrible has happened to my puppy! The husband, on the other hand, was calm and soothing and stretched her leg out manually and massaged all over her.

She popped RIGHT BACK UP! And started jumping and running around just like a happy little puppy should. I have no idea what happened, but she seems right as rain today. She PULLED me all over the lawn this morning, so her legs definitely seem fine. I might schedule a vet appointment this week just to check, but she's back to her usual self.

As I sighed a huge huff of stressful relief over not having to have an 8pm emergency vet visit, my husband teased me mercilessly for being such a wuss! Totally unhelpful to sit on the couch and cry instead of taking action. Yeah, yeah, I know. Mommy up!

I'm off to see what she's into. Have a great Sunday.

More on Ms. Riley

.



.



We're lovin' or new lil puppy! She's so cute, and I am really impressed with her behavior so far. I'm not saying she's had ZERO accidents, but she's learning quickly just the same. We're trying to follow the "rules" and tips we've read so that the pup, husband, cats and I are all on the same page. We're hoping that leads to far less frustration than raising a pup can be!

Here's some adorable shots from her first two days in her new home.

She took to this bed IMMEDIATELY.

Oliver is freaked out!

AWWWWWW!!!! Melts my heart.

My old baby, Stinker, plotting the pup's demise!

Failed family summit. That black blur is Stinker vacating the area.

Tuckered puppy couldn't even go for a one block walk! Just too big of a day on Sunday.

And as I type this, she's happily laying in her kennel on her bed....sulking because Oliver took a swat at her. Don't you just love family dynamics?!