Sam in pre-bark mode

Sam in pre-bark mode
Originally uploaded by Julep67

. Sam can go from zero to bat-shit crazy barking in the blink of the eye

. other times, he's on a slow boil and I can tell when he's going to get loose and bark

. he doesn't bark for the sake of barking

. Sam barks with purpose, usually to let folks walking on the sidewalk in front of our house know that they don't have his permission to be on his sidewalk

. Sam also barks at our asshole next door neighbours

. I think he knows that we don't like them any more than he does

. his fur is starting to grow back. he is looking a little bit less like a baby lamb every day

. our office barbecue yesterday was fun. the weather was gorgeous, I laughed a lot, it was a nice break from the usual Wednesday afternoon stuff

. I was saddened to hear about this this morning. Going through the process for an international adoption is difficult at the best of times. What's going to happen to the 500 families and potential adopted children, who are now in limbo?

clouded over

I'm not overly thrilled by the clouds which have gathered and are currently hanging out over my office right now. I'm working at some events this afternoon / evening and tomorrow and I really had hoped for sunny and warm. If we're lucky, it'll clear up!

I can not get over how quickly the week has gone by. The whole month of May actually. I knew, because of what we had going on at work, that the month would zing by but even still, it feels like I'd be hard pressed to remember May at all, in a couple of months.

What with the working and all, I suspect the weekend will fly by too. This week, we managed to get the bins of summer clothes upstairs (they hide out in the basement during the winter). I haven't unpacked everything (and then packed up the winter stuff) yet but it's upstairs, so that's a good start. Everything that will be packed away is clean so I just really need a couple of hours to sort stuff out, do ironing, that kind of thing. I'm the world's laziest iron-er and love the winter because I don't really have to iron anything. My only genuine complaint about summer is the ironing. I'm a whiney baby and hate to do it.

This morning, I would have paid cash money (up to and including $10 CAD) to stay home with the dogs instead of going into work. They are so awesome and cute and, did I mention, Awesome?!

Here's a video of them wrestling on the deck on Sunday. We were waiting for Mark and Andy to get back from the lumber store and this a rather low-key version of what they usually do. Enjoy!!

i love this face

on the ferry, heading home
Originally uploaded by Julep67

If Sammy didn't like to play out on the deck when I was leaving for work every morning, I think I'd never leave the house.

Speaking of our deck, I'm really excited about the plans Mark and Andy have made for it. We're going to remove the old deck boards, reinforce the frame and put new floor boards in. The guys are also going to add a 10' x 10' extension to the deck. It'll be about a foot higher than the rest of the deck and we'll put our gazebo on it (we'll be reusing some of the wood we purchased to build our little gazebo platform last year).

Originally, we'd planned to put this off for a while but we decided that we would take advantage of the cash back deals that the home improvement stores are doing, as well as the tax credit thing that the feds introduced. We should be able to do this relatively inexpensively if we do it this summer. Sammy will have a lot nicer space to roll around on all summer once it's done.

Today I'm at work and am freezing. My hands cannot warm up. We tried to get by without having to turn the heat up in our office but about an hour ago we had to break down and do it. These old hot water rads take forever to kick in though so it's just starting to feel like heat as I type this.

I think that after the weekend, we were fooled into thinking that it was actually going to stay warm and things like furnaces and sweaters can be pushed out of our tiny pea brains for a while. How wrong were we!? Pretty wrong it would seem. I'm trying hard to not complain though. As long as the snow stays away, I'm a happy kid.

introducing sam

introducing sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

A year ago today, Sam came home with us to stay.

It's hard to believe that he hasn't been with us forever because we can't remember what it was like in our house before he came along.

We've learned a lot about him and dogs in general over the past year. Looking back at it, we thought we knew what we were doing but clearly, we didn't. Sam was very patient with us though. He's the sweetest dog I've ever met and both Mark and I love him so much it hurts.

Over the weekend, we're going to do something special to celebrate his "adoption day" but we haven't figured that out yet. Extra visits to the dog park will be included and possibly a ride on the ferry to visit the not yet working (but still impressive looking) wind farm on Wolfe Island. Whatever it is, Sam'll have fun. He's a good natured boy who is never happier than when the four of us are all together. I have to say, I feel the same way!

doggie week

sam and a dog park friend
Originally uploaded by Julep67

We've been having a great, dog-filled week this week.

On Monday afternoon, when Marked picked me up at work, both Sammy and Gracie were with him in the van. This might not seem like a big deal but it was huge for us. This was the first time that Gracie rode in the back, in the doggie hammock, with Sammy. Ever. Every other time that she's been in the van, I've had to hold her because she was so nervous.

It was the cutest thing, she loved looking out of the window and when she got tired, she just curled up on the seat and watched Sam be his silly self. We had a couple of errands to do so they were in the van for probably 40 minutes (I'd run in places and Mark would stay with them - I will not leave dogs unattended in a car for any length of time).

Last night was Westminster night in our house. We had DVR'd the Monday night coverage and we watched it last night (don't tell me who won - we're watching last night's coverage tonight). It was so much fun. The Eskie who won best of breed is from Caledon, Ontario. Very cool.

Tomorrow night, I'm off to the focus group for our off leash dog park pilot project. It should be interesting to see how the discussion goes. Part of me isn't looking forward to it but I really want to make sure that the best interests of our dogs are being considered. I feel it's really important to have an area for smaller dogs (our dogs are easily intimidated by some of the really big dogs at one of the parks).

So yeah, this week has just about completely gone to the dogs but I don't mind it one little bit. Honestly, I can't imagine it any other way!!

monday funk

I would have loved to have stayed home with the dogs today. I'm at work and my day is going well but I would have loved a long weekend. Next weekend is a long weekend, I know, and wanting 2 in a row is just greedy but still, some days I'd just rather hang out with the puppies than face the world.

The weekend was good. We stayed close to home and got some chores done, which was nice. It was really mild around here over the weekend and a lot of our snow melted. yesterday, Mark was able to get a lot of the ice on the deck chopped away so it's almost bare/clean right now. I think that Sam and Gracie actually liked the icy snow but they also like to chew on rocks so they don't always have the best judgment / taste when it comes to stuff like this.

Yesterday we watched a couple of movies "Zach and Miri Make a Porno" and "Milk." Zach and Miri was a little disappointing. We're both big time Kevin Smith fans and usually see his stuff in the theatre but, for whatever reason, we didn't see this one there. It was funny enough, typically Smith. Given that the cast spends the bulk of the movie trying to make a porno, we were given totally classic Smith and company coined film names (the parody names of the Star Wars movies were my favourites) we both laughed a lot but something was missing for me. I will say this, if you're not a fan of his movies or you have a "delicate ear" and cannot laugh at really filthy, stupid jokes, this is not a movie for you.

Milk, on the other end, I enjoyed. I thought that Sean Penn was brilliant in it. The story was compelling and the film looked like the 1970's. I particularly liked the use of new footage from the era (I love when movies do this, one of the best examples of this I can remember recently would be the media coverage of the death of Princess Diana in "the Queen"). I think it tells an important story that not everyone is familiar with, it documents a struggle for gay rights that continues to this day.

On that note, I'll share this little video with you and encourage you to go sign the online petition at the Courage Campaign website.


"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

bed voyage

on his new bed
Originally uploaded by Julep67

In this picture, you can see Sam sleeping on his bed. Sam's a big fluffy dog and he has a big fluffy bed. It's pretty large actually, probably 4 feet by 4 feet. He sleeps on it, in our room every night. Every morning I put it into the kitchen. Sam and Gracie spend their days either in the kitchen or outside (they now have access because of the cool doggie door Andy made us). They both like sleeping on it during the day. It's big enough for both of them to stretch out with room to spare - like I said, it's BIG. Now, I would never have imagined that it could fit through the doggie door - I think that the doggie door is about 18" across.

Yesterday, before I left for work, I closed the kitchen door because it was too cold for the dogs to be out. When Mark got home in the afternoon for a break, the sun was out so he left them with access to the doggie door.

Recently, when we get home at night, I've been finding one or two of my rag rugs from the kitchen, outside on the deck (or in the yard) along with doggie toys. Last night when we got home, 2 rugs and a couple of toys were outside and so was Sam's huge ass doggie bed. I have no idea how they got it outside, there is no way that it went through the doggie door. We think that the latch may not have been on the door so they were able to push it open and drag the bed outside.

It was quite a feat however they did it. They were both pretty pooped last night so it had to have taken a lot of effort for them to get it done. I guess they're really wonder dogs!!

don't make me tap the sign

don't make me tap the sign
Originally uploaded by Julep67

As you all know (if you're regular readers), we love the off-leash dog parks here in Kingston. Actually, we love one particular park which is very close to our house. The property it is on is being redeveloped and we're not sure how big the dog park will be.

The dog parks in Kingston were part of a pilot project so last fall, the city asked for feedback from folks who use the parks. I participated in the survey and last night was invited to a focus group meeting later this month. I'm really happy to have been asked because, having two dogs, we've got a lot to say about the parks and have a vested interest in keeping them.

My hope is that the city will allocate more resource toward them and they will become like the park in Trenton. We took Sam there last summer and it was awesome. The Quinte West park was divided into two areas so that smaller dogs could have a safe area to play in without the big dogs. Sam loves dogs his size and smaller but the really big dogs seem to intimidate him.

Since the weather turned really cold, we've not been going to the dog park but (despite the minus 20 something windchill this morning) I can feel that spring is just around the corner and I've been thinking a lot about road trips and dog parks. It'll be a little different this year with Gracie. Sam is the king of the road. He loves to go in the van because he knows that the van = something really fun. Gracie is still pretty nervous in the van. Even when we're going to the park, she shakes like a leaf and I have to cuddle her in my arms the whole way.

I'm confident though that by the time the beginning of April rolls around, she'll be fine. Gracie is probably one of the smartest dogs I've ever met. She understands most commands on the first try, Sammy definitely takes longer than that... although, there is a possibility that Sam understands and ignores it to see if he can avoid doing it. Gracie is a high energy dog but we've learned that with time and patience, she is capable of doing amazing things.

coldish

snowy sammy
Originally uploaded by Julep67

The wind was a lot colder this morning than I expected it to be. You watch the weather channel and see that it's a minus 20 windchill but until it actually takes a bite out of your face, the number doesn't mean a lot.

On cold days, such as today, every smell is stinkier. Our over-the-fence-kitty-corner neighbours have the most smelliest fireplace ever. I think that they heat their home with it and we're convinced that they either burn garbage in it or that they have never cleaned their chimney.

Either way, I'm constantly surprised that they haven't burned down the neighbourhood. One evening last fall when they were getting it going for the first fire of the season, the entire neighbourhood was full of smoke. It was really gross. This morning, the stinky smelly stench was drifting into our house. I felt bad for the doggies because the back yard was polluted. I don't think that they minded the smell but they had the smoke smell on them when they came in from their morning wrestling on the deck session.

Campus is a bit of a sad place today. Over the weekend, a second year student died. Apparently, his housemates found him on Saturday. I met a student earlier today who was a friend of his and he seemed pretty numb. Whenever a young person dies suddenly like this, it's a shock and a tragedy. I'm not sure though why it takes something like this happening for us to say "hey, make the most of every day" to each other. We should probably remind ourselves of it every day.

a little off

late january storm
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I am happy-ish to report that our pathway has finally been shoveled. When I arrived at work this morning, it was still a mess, a frozen mess this time. The fluffy snow of last week got wet over the weekend and froze overnight last night. I did see the guy out there with his shovel this morning though so at least it's passable again. I was really worried that one of the many little old folks who visit us wouldn't be able to get to the door in the state it was.

The weekend was nice. On Friday night, we did some errands and on Saturday, while Mark worked, I did some puttering 'round the house. Yesterday was a bit of a veg-out day. We had a grooming session for the doggies. It was the first time I'd cut their nails (usually we get it done by the groomer or the vet) and it went really well. I was terrified that I would cut them (you read all the horror stories) and I had some of that styptic powder at the ready but didn't need to use it. I also was able to use the electric clippers on Sam (not on his nails, on his fur) and he was really good about it. Maybe I'll have a second career as a dog groomer one day.

As is our habit at this time of the year, we watched a couple of movies this weekend: Doubt and Frost/Nixon.

I really enjoyed Doubt. I thought that the cast was terrific and the performances we all great. Amy Adams particularly shone in this one I thought. Meryl Streep's character reminded me of the stories I heard about a nun who taught my mum & dad. Her Sister Aloysius character behaved in much the same away I imagined "Hawkeye" the chalk-eating Sister would.

Frost/Nixon was a bit of a let-down. I felt that the terrific cast was under-used for most of the film. I actually remember exactly where I was when we watched President Nixon resign (I was 7 and it was my mum's birthday) and "All The President's Men" has long been a favourite film of mine. I wasn't sure what to expect of a movie about the compilation of a television interview. Overall, I found the thing to be boring. Perhaps having just barely survived 8 years of being Bush-whacked has left me with little patience for yet another rehashing of the poor judgment and arrogance of R.M. Nixon.

Today I'm feeling a little bit off. I can't tell if I'm getting a cold or just have some February blahs. Over the weekend, I'd occasionally have a giant sneezing fit. It would pass but leave me feeling a bit out of sorts. Last night, I dreamed that I wasn't feel good and now I don't feel great. Hopefully it'll pass and I'll have shaken this foggy feeling by tomorrow. Right now, I am thinking about how nice a lovely big bowl of pho would be right now and the banana I left (accidentally) at home.

puppy smack

chewy skor toffee bits cookies
Originally uploaded by Julep67

In our house, we refer to "beggin strips" and "snausages" as puppy crack. We don't buy them very often and when we do, we give them out very sparingly because the dogs just go insane for them.

If these treats are puppy crack, I think cookie dough is like puppy smack. Yesterday afternoon, Mark went out to do some errands. While he was gone, I started tidying up in the kitchen. While I was doing this, I decided to bake up a batch of chewy skor toffee bit cookies because I had some skor bits in the cupboard from Christmas. I was almost done baking (the second to last sheet was in the oven, the last one was on the table, ready to go into the oven) when I went outside with the dogs.

The whole time I'd been baking, Sam was going in and out but Gracie wouldn't go. I guess it was the cold and she kept whining so I thought that if I went out too, she'd go, do what she needed to do and the whining would stop. So I'm on the deck with the dogs, Sam jumps up on me and gives me an "eskie hug" and was being very sweet and cute. Next thing I know, he's back in the house and it's just Gracie and I on the deck. I pop my head in the door and see that Sam's managed to scarf down 5 cookies worth of dough. He was lightening fast, I couldn't believe it.

So now Gracie's back in the house and Sam's got a taste for the dough. He kept trying to get more, or get some fresh cookies, he was almost instantly jumpy. You could almost see the sugar going through him, if I wasn't so pissed about it, it would have been funny. Fortunately, he wasn't sick after eating all of that dough. The only side effect we noticed that was that he full of more "piss and vinegar" last night than he normally is. Weiner.

Movie Review: So, on Saturday, we watched "In Bruges." I loved it! We laughed and laughed. I can see why the screenplay is nominated for an Academy Award. The dialogue was fast and witty and the story has some nice twists. I figure it's a good movie if I never stop to see how much time has elapsed/is left. This film just whizzed by. Very enjoyable. On Colin Farrell, I can't say that I'm a massive fan of his. The only other film of his that I can recall seeing is "A Home at the End of the World" and I thought he was very good in it. He's also great in "In Bruges" but the best performance (IMHO) belonged to Brendan Gleeson. Definitely worth a watch if you like black comedy.

Sam, meet Gracie

Sam, meet Gracie
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Gracie came home last night.

It was a bit of a nerve racking experience. Not wanting to make the same mistake we made when we brought Sam home, we made sure that the sun was shining when Gracie came home. She was reluctant to get into the van so I had to hold her in my arms all the way home. She was pretty nervous the whole way and shook a little bit until we were almost home.

We decided to introduce her to Sam in the backyard. This would give them both an opportunity to run around each other and also provided a safe environment should either them have any "nervous" accidents. They soon started chasing each other all over the yard, the deck, the house and we realized that they would eventually become very very good friends.

Gracie's previous owners gave us her crate which she sleeps in. It's a huge crate and Sam actually fits into it. Sam's crate, which is way too small for him now, fits Gracie perfectly. They slept in the crates, well not last night exactly, let's say "this morning." Not knowing what Gracie's normal bedtime routine is, we just went to bed at our normal time. A couple of hours later, she needed outside. Eventually, we got settled back into sleep until around 3 a.m. when both dogs decided to wrestle on our bed (while we were in it). This time, they both were put into the crates and aside from a small amount of whining for a moment, they slept there until we got up at 5:30 a.m.

Tonight should be much better. We know a lot more about dogs now than we did when we got Sam and the transition is going smoothly. She's a great dog and we love her already!

excellence in napping

mark and sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I have taken many many naps over the past week and a bit. Many of them have been taken with Sam. He's the best napper. He waits until you're almost asleep and then he hops up on the bed and curls in around your feet. Sam is a natural little foot heater and he's made the past couple of days of being home alone less lonely.

Our lives have changed in a huge way since he's been here and I have a hard time remembering now what it was like to live in this house without him. I mean, I know that we didn't have baby gates up or bowls of food in the kitchen, or little toys all over the place but it's weird to imagine coming home and not finding him here.

Fortunately, he is usually here when we get home so I don't have to think about that right now.

bark at the sun

Princess Street
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Because it's a lovely sunny morning, I've got the living room curtains open. Sam is on duty in the sunshine. He's decided to bark at, not only every person walking down the street but at every leaf as it falls from the tree on our lawn.

That is a lot of barking. Oh, yuck. I just noticed that Sam brought in an old rusty ant trap from outside. I'm not sure where he found it (possibily buried in the yard somewhere). He's been finding all kinds of weird things in the yard recently.

So I've now been off of work for a whole week. I called into the office this morning to talk to my supervisor because she was away last week when I got so sick and I hadn't talked to her (we'd been emailing). She's so sweet and concerned, I feel badly about being home, knowing that stuff is piling up, but she's made me feel a lot better about things. Fortunately, things aren't so busy at the moment that I'll be swamped when I get back. My doctor wanted me to stay home until next Wednesday but I think I'm going to try to go back on Monday and do 1/2 days until I go back to see her.

I guess I must still be feeling pretty lousy because I'm not completely bored yet. When I feel bored at being home on the sofa, I'll know I'm actually better.

barking out the window

barking out the window
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Whenever we turn the A/C off, Sam gets bark crazy. Now, barking is something that we understand to be part of the breed and we've accepted a certain amount of it. For the past few nights though, with the A/C off, we've got the windows open and Sam's decided that no one can walk down the street in front of our house without him letting them know that he's on patrol, watching their every move.

It's endearing but annoying at times. Last night, if we opened or closed a door in the house, basically made any noise that sounded close to a door knock, he went bananas.

Today, I hear that he's being quiet. Mark went home from work a little while ago. He's got a massive migraine again. I know that my head's a little wonky too right now. It's the atmospheric pressure. Hurricane season is going to be brutal for us this year I think. Hopefully, Sam will take good care of Mark this afternoon. I'll be happy if Mark's feeling better and Sam's less jumpy.

ready for a tummy rub

ready for a tummy rub
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Today is Sam's birthday. He's had a pretty good birthday-week I think. Even though we had to slide out of town for a few hours earlier today (to attend my cousin's wake - more about that later), he had an awesome breakfast of eggs and turkey, got a gigantic raw hide bone/toy to chew on and went to the dog park twice. Not bad huh?? Between trips out of town and visits to the groomers, he's had a pretty much fun-packed 2 weeks. I must say we have too, at least up until the past couple of days.

The death of my cousin has bothered me a lot more than I thought it would. I guess I figured that because she'd been so sick, for so long, that when the time finally came, I'd be okay (or as okay as you are in these situations). Right now though, I think I feel a little bit relieved. See, this afternoon, we went to the visitation and I saw her husband and parents for the first time since she'd died. I hadn't actually seen them in a while and it was tough. See, her parents are my godparents, her dad is my mum's oldest brother and I knew that when I saw him, I'd lose it. I promised myself I wouldn't but when I hugged him, I totally lost my composure on him. He just laughed when I said, "I promised myself I wouldn't do this" because I think everyone was saying that to him. He's been a rock through all of this stuff. I hope that in a few days, he can collapse into a puddle for a while (if that's what he needs - I think it's what I would need).

There were dozens of people there when we arrived. We stood in line for about an hour waiting to get into the room. By the time we were near the door way, we heard that they had started turning folks away and asking them to come back to the evening session. It was not something I'd ever seen before. Of course, all of her mum's siblings were there, with their children and grandchildren. I'd forgotten how large their family was. It was really overwhelming. Seeing my family though, did help and I feel like I'll be able to retain some semblance of cool tomorrow and keep things together. I'm not saying that I won't have dozens of tissues in my pockets but I think I'll be a little less rattled. I hope so anyway.

dynamic duo

dynamic duo
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Mark went back to work this morning. We actually got up with the alarm this morning. It was, well, alarming to say the least.

It was a little sad to see him head out the door to work but sometimes you have to do these things. Sam moped around the house a bit and I could tell he was really missing Mark. When Mark came home for a break, Sam was super excited. It was pretty cool to watch actually.

Luckily, we managed to sneak in a visit to the dog park when Mark got home. The thunder started to roll about 5 minutes after we got in the door. I'm really getting tired of all of this rain we're getting. The gloomy-ness of it all did not exactly inspire me to be very energetic today. I mean, I got a few things accomplished but nearly the number of things I'd hoped to.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day, I'm hoping for sunshine.

running sam

running sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Since the weekend, we've been taking Sam to a park every day. On Monday night, we went back to the Off-Leash Park at Lake Ontario Park but were driven away by a couple of things.

Because it was so humid and rainy on Monday the mosquitoes were terrible. After the rain, the breeze disappeared. We were trying to keep Sam in the shady part of the fenced off area and the bugs were thick under the trees. Mark and I endured being chewed alive for a while but when this big bitch named Mia started going nuts on Sam and on us, we decided to leave. It was odd actually, around the time when Mia arrived with her humans, I asked Mark, "Can you smell alcohol?" There was a very very strong smell of it, like it smells when it's coming from a person's pores (I know that's sort of gross but that's what it was). There was an older gentleman (probably in his 70's and a young woman (looked like late 20's to me) with this dog and I got a sense that the smell was coming from him.

They let their dog off the leash and she was chasing some other dogs who were closer to her in size. At first I thought, "how cool, they are really running hard." It didn't take me long to realize though, that she was chasing them in an "assertive" fashion. Sam had been off playing with some smaller dogs and had made his way over to me. For whatever reason, Mia got tired of chasing these other dogs and come toward Mark and I. Now, while this was going on, a very cool dog named Cassie was sharing Sam's water with him. Mia made a move toward us and Sam barked at her, just a little "hey back away from my human" sort of thing. Mia really didn't like this because she got very vicious and wouldn't move away, kept barking at Sam. She was actually so loud (of course by this time Sam starts barking) that a guy in the condo across street hollared at them to shut up.

Mia's owner was all "hey it's alright" to us and "you be good or we're going home" to Mia. Really, he should have put the leash on her and left. He didn't though so we did. After that episode, I think we'll wait until at least the ground dries up before we return the park. It was quite the doggie drama.

Last night, we went back to the dog park near our house. It's pretty open and doesn't have any shade but last night, it didn't have any other dogs either. Part of what is good about Lake Ontario Park is that Sam can hang out with other dogs. He doesn't really run as much when they are there though, he plays but doesn't run like he does at the M Centre. Last night, he ran his little guts out.

It's very interesting, all of this dog park stuff. I just hope that they give the go-ahead to the pilot project so that things can get settled and be permanent. It's a little embarassing that a city the size of Kingston doesn't actually have a permanent leash-off area yet.

yikes

sam and a dog park friend
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I've not officially been avoiding posting or anything, it just happened that over the past week, I've not been in front of the machine much.

Over the weekend, I was offline for about 36 hours while my computer had it's operating system rebuilt. It's up and running really well now thanks to Mark.

Mostly, it's been hot here. Humid too. It's not the kind of weather that inspires me to do much but laze around in a shady or cool spot and drink water or eat freezies.

We have been keeping busy though and having lots of fun with Sam. He's now at the point with his obedience training where he can go out in the front yard without his leash on. This is huge. We can open the car door and know that he's not going to run away. Most likely, he'll be on the porch, waiting patiently for us to open the front door if he does get out of our line of vision.

Over the weekend, we visited (or tried to visit) 3 of the off-leash dog parks that the city has opened as part of a pilot project. One of the parks is near our house so we went over there on Saturday morning. We'd been out doing errands and Sam was along for the ride. He was super well behaved so we thought it would be a nice treat for him to have a big run at the park. The park near our house is not snow fenced like some of the parks (the park has chain-link fencing around the perimeter because it's used for the town fair in the fall but the dog zone is not fenced off). It's also not shady and there is no water available. Now we did have our own water but it didn't take long for all three of us to have had too much of the hot sun. Sam had a ball, running back and forth between us as we walked around the park.

Yesterday, we went to one of the better organized parks. It's got a snow fenced/gates zone for the dogs, lots of parking for vehicles and a water supply (not to mention washroom facilities for people). We met some cool people and Sam met a lot of dogs. He didn't run around as much as he did on Saturday because he was getting to know the dogs. He stayed pretty close to where we were but seemed to really enjoyed being with the other dogs. Some of them were puppies from what I could tell. There were some really small dogs and some huge ones and they all got along okay.

Tonight, we're planning to go back on our way home from work. It's nice for Sam to be out with the other dogs and it's nice for us to be outside near the lake shore to catch a breeze!

KP Watch Tower

KP Watch Tower
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I cannot get over how spamilicious twitter is getting. I suppose that happens when an application's popularity grows but goodness it's annoying.

How's your Tuesday going so far? I'm having a good day at work, getting stuff done, learning some cool things and just generally not minding being here. Not minding being at the office is pretty important, wouldn't you agree?

Tonight we have lesson 4 out of 8 in our obedience training course with Sam. On the weekend, we bought an agility course kit for the back yard and we're going to set that up after the lawn is cut. I think that Sam will be able to do all of the stunts on the course. I'm particularly looking forward to him doing the high jump. He can jump really high, particularly if there is a treat (or the promise of a treat) involved. It's also got a stop watch and an award ribbon so, no matter what happens, Sam will win!!

pre-lesson walk

pre-lesson walk
Originally uploaded by Julep67

We had our 3rd lesson for our obedience course tonight. I say "we" because we're all learning. Sam is doing really well considering that we lost a week last week due to his "illness" and that meant that we weren't able to practice as much as we normally would.

Mark is amazing with Sam. He's really patient and Sam's learning so much. I've noticed a huge change in his behavior since we started the lessons.

Having said that, we did arrive home tonight (to pick up Sam) to find that he had partially disemboweled another sofa cushion. Eventually, I know that I'll need to get a new sofa and most likely, when that happens, Sam will either have grown out of the puppy eating furniture phase, or he'll be spending his days in the kitchen. Either way, I'm not even thinking about new living room furniture until we're well past his 2nd birthday. I can live with things wrapped in sheets generally looking misshapen until then if I have to!!

picnic basket

picnic basket
Originally uploaded by Julep67

For the first time all week, we all felt pretty much normal this morning.

Mark and I got up sort of early and got out and did errands before it got too busy. While we were out, we decided to pack a lunch and head for the park and maybe buy some strawberries while we were in the country.

Fortunately for us, the park was quiet and we found a nice shady spot by the water for our picnic. Sam really enjoyed the park and there weren't too many other dogs around for him to bark at!! After lunch, we took off to Wynn's Farm for berries. They are amazing this year. Very tiny but delicious. We dropped some off at my mum's house on our way back into town. When you find berries that good, it's bad karma not to share!

It was kind of nice to get outside and away from the neighbourhood. The musical ride is at the fair grounds up the street from us so it's kind of noisy around here right now. The horses are nice to see and the RCMP always look spiffy in their dress uniforms but boy howdy it's loud!!

countdown

catching a breeze
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Today is my last day in the office until July 7th. I'm taking next week off for vacation (because of Canada day, I can take a whole week but only use 3 vacation days) but I'm out of the office doing professional development stuff tomorrow and Friday.

I'm happy for the opportunity but I feel a little pushed for time, being away for two days before my mini-break. I shall survive though, worry not.

Last night was obedience class #2 for the three of us. Last night, the lesson was taught by the female instructor at the centre (it's a husband and wife team). He husband met with us last week but I think I liked her more (they are both awesome though). I really like her technique and general approach to things.

I think I learned more last night than Sam did. I was holding his leash wrong for one thing and I'm not very good at hand signals. I know I'll get into the swing of it eventually but so far, it's not coming to me naturally. Sam was totally stubborn with the down command. He would not do it. We practically had to stand on his collar to get him to do it. Of course, this morning, on first try, he does it for Mark. Last night though, he would not let the instructor see him do it. Weiner.

inspector sam

inspector sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Mark and Sam and I will start obedience training classes next week. The program runs once a week for 8 weeks and I cannot wait to get started.

I dearly love Sam far more than I thought it was possible to love a dog but this morning, I didn't like him very much. Once again, he started chewing the sofa. I was right there, in the next room, and he was going to town on it. When I caught him, he just smiled at me. I know that part of this is just puppy behaviour but I'm seriously considering crating him if this doesn't stop. He's wrecked three cushions in the living room and has managed to shred the edge of our living room area rug.

Here at work, an enclosure is being constructed in the basement of our little cottge. Tomorrow, asbestos will be removed from the pipes which surround our furnace. We've been assured that it is safe to be here but our Executive Director has suggested that we not be here so we'll be offsite, having meetings and the like, tomorrow. I'm not at all heartbroken about this as I wasn't 100% comfortable being here while it was going on. I mean, if they are in an enclosure, with hazmat suits and a shower, I don't really think that we should be here too.

parked in an intersection

parked in an intersection
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Some folks are surprised when they realize I carry a camera with me everywhere that I go. This photo is probably the best explanation of why I do. On Friday, we were out doing some errands. When I came out of the bank, Mark pointed out this lady to me. She had parked her car in the middle of the parking lot intersection. It's a classic in Kingston - the worst drivers around live here. Too funny. Everywhere else we went that day, we kept saying, "hey, there's a parking spot", when we would walk through an intersection.

Parking laughs aside, we had a great weekend. I got some things done around the house that were long overdue and we took Sam out to the park for the first time. We went really early in the day yesterday, before it got too hot or too busy. He was not too sure what to make of the lake but he seemed to enjoy sniffing everything and he met a few dogs while we were there.

Sam's definitely mellowing out. Both Mark and I have noticed a huge difference in his behaviour over the past few weeks. Having said that, I must confess that I caught him ripping up some carpet on the deck this morning so he's still got that chewing instinct going on. Overall though, he's less destructive than he was before his surgery.

2 mini reviews

sam waits for dinner
Originally uploaded by Julep67

1. Doggie Day Care

Last night, when we picked up Sam from the Vet's Doggie Day Care, it was a mad house in the waiting area. Lots of dogs, many concerned looking owners, lots of chaos. When Sam came out with the Day Care lady, he didn't get riled up by the other dogs and all of the people, he didn't make any sound at all and was really good on the way to van.

When we got home, he ran to his food bowl (he'd left about 1/2 of his breakfast behind in the morning) and gobbled it up. A little while later, we gave him supper and he wolfed that down too. About 5 minutes later, he was spark out on the floor, snoring. Whatever they did at daycare wore him right out. He was still pretty dopey this morning so whatever it was, he had fun and got lots of exercise.

2. Sex and the City - the movie

It was a lot of fun to go to the movies with a group of women. The theatre was full of groups of women, much like ours. Through the previews and ads before the movie started, there was chatter and giggling like I'd never heard before. Because of the rating, there were no teenagers there. Normally, I like teenagers but they ruined the last movie I went to (almost) because they kept getting up and down and just being rude. I must say too, most of the women I saw last night were carrying fabulous hand bags. It was a stylish group of ladies.

The film itself was okay. If you loved the show, you'll want to see it just because it shows you where things ended up after the end of the series. In some ways, I didn't think it was as good as the series. I mean, the clothes were beautiful, there were funny moments but the dialogue was not as snappy as it was in the series. Also, I found it odd to be watching SATC in a large room with lots of other people. Watching the show was something I always (or almost always) did on my own so I had a really personal relationship with the show. That may sound weird but it did feel strange to me.

stump

stump
Originally uploaded by Julep67

You know those little, annoying, seed "key" things that blow around the yard? Yeah, well if you don't rake them up, they can turn into a stump.

Actually, they can grow into a tree which wasn't properly disposed of. Said tree can continue to sprout branches, no matter what you might do to discourage the growth.

Sam has started to dig at this stump. He's already dug out a big chunk of dirt on the one side, I think if we leave him to it, he may dig up enough to kill the tree. That would not hurt my feelings one little bit.

Sam digs digging. I do wonder though, what he's done with the dirt he's removed.

it's official

in the new gazebo
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Sam is officially feeling better. This afternoon, he had a nap with Mark. After the nap, he started chewing on stuff and barking at nothing again. He's back!!

He's been really quiet and sleepy for the past few days and I know that part of that was the drugs working their way out of his system. I expect that he'll still be a little less than normal for a few more days but he's up to his old tricks again so I think the worst is over.

Speaking of worst, this was a very cold weekend. Today was particularly chilly. It got damp in the house to the point where I had to turn the furnace on for a few minutes. Bananas!

Fortunately, we were able to get the yard cleaned up and put back together (for the most part) yesterday. Things are really lush and green after all of the rain we've had and honestly, we probably would not have accomplished as much as we did if it had been really warm outside but still, I shouldn't have had to wear woolly socks and three sweatshirts outside this weekend.

on the leash

on the leash
Originally uploaded by Julep67

and on the mend!

For a guy who never had a leash on before we picked him up at the end of March, he's been wonderfully patient and very obedient all weekend. From the time we picked him up on Friday morning until this morning, he was wearing his harness and leash (well we took the leash off when he was sleeping but all waking time was with leash).

He's been sleeping a lot since his surgery but his incision looks good. Nice and clean actually. So long as we can keep him from licking it too much it's pretty good.

While I've been playing doggie nurse-maid, Mark and Andy constructed our new gazebo-holding-platform in the back yard. It looks great. We were able to sit out in it this afternoon during the rain and we didn't get one drop on us.

It sort of feels, sounds and smells like being at the cottage so we're really enjoying it. Given how chilly and wet the weekend has been so far, we have been able to get a surprising amount of outside stuff done. Most importantly though, Sam's healing nicely and should be back to his old tricks (although hopefully with less chewing on furniture) later on next week!

easty westy

easty westy
Originally uploaded by Julep67

According to the vet's office, our boy is doing very well.

I called the office just shortly after 3 this afternoon and he got through the surgery and came out of the anesthetic without any problems. He was going to have his dinner at 5 and we can pick him up after 9:30 tomorrow morning.

We're so anxious to see him that we are literally counting down the hours. I cannot believe how weird the house feels without him in it. It actually feels quite empty. I will, however, take advantage of his absence tomorrow morning to get some housework done. It's a lot easier to clean and stuff when he's not around.

It'll also mean that I will have that sort of thing done early and I can have the whole rest of the day to hang out with my puppy.

hello dad I'm in jail

hello dad I'm in jail
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I'm feeling nervous and guilty at the moment.

In an hour or so, we'll be taking Sam to the vet's for his surgery. He's not had anything to eat since last night and he was looking at us both with a really confused look this morning. It was like, "hey, I have breakfast when you have breakfast - where's my breakfast?"

So that's the guilty.

The nervous is just about the whole surgery thing. It'll be weird to be away from him tonight. I have tomorrow off so we'll pick him up in the morning and then I'll be home with him all day. Still, it's going to be a really long 24 hours. I miss him already.

tuckered out

tuckered out
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Mark has been doing the majority of the leash training with Sam. I'll help put the harness on and I'll take control of the leash when we are going to the van but Mark's been the patient one. Mark's worked with Sam, slowly coaxing him off of the steps and down the driveway. On his own with the puppy though, he wasn't able to get that far.

Tonight, after dinner, we decided to go out as a "family" and try to get all the way to the "far corner" of the street. See, our house is closer to one end of the block than the other. Our goal tonight was to get to the far corner and back. Mark was putting out the recycling and I had Sam's harness on him. Sam was absolutely vibrating at the door, whimpering a little and very keen to go see Mark. I stepped out onto the porch with him but was a little nervous when I saw a neighbour out with her gorgeous (and fast growing) Klee Kai puppy.

Sam was so well behaved though. He didn't bark or growl or whimper at the puppy. I led him down the driveway and we stood with Mark and I spoke to the woman from across the road. We talked about the dogs and training and both puppies were really well behaved.

Without any bother or fuss or coaxing (or treats) we took off on our walk. I walked ahead of Mark and Sam and Sam just followed me, all the way to the corner. Now, he did stop and sniff every car that was parked along the road but he didn't get distracted by kids on bikes or people walking. He was so well behaved I couldn't believe it. I think it conked him out though because he's sleeping at my feet right now. I don't care what other folks might think, I know that he's the most awesome dog around!!

surviving wednesday

lovely surprise
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I'm having a much busier day today than I thought I would when it started. funny how that happens huh?

Sam's visit to the vet last night was good. The first time we went, we met with a young female vet. Last night we got to see the vet who owns the place. Apparently, he owns three clinics here in town. He is an amazing guy, really patient and just terrific with Sam. When Sam got his first shots a few weeks ago, we had to distract him with treats while he was getting stuck. Last night, he became extremely calm and docile with Dr Ross and didn't even flinch during his shots. He even went off with him (eagerly) when they left to get some blood. I was impressed with both Sam and Dr Ross.

Sam did a little barking when we first arrived and were waiting to go in but overall, he was good. I'm glad that he doesn't hate going there because he's got to go in again next week for his surgery. He seems to really like all of the folks who work there which makes me feel good. We may sign him up for some doggie day care sessions over the summer. Apparently they have an agility course and he'll be able to play with some other dogs (which is not something he's done since he moved in with us).

So yeah, other than being busy and Sam having a good appointment, there's not much news to report.

ice water bowl

ice water bowl
Originally uploaded by Julep67

A cute little Sam story for Tuesday...

Sam loves ice cubes.

When he hears the ice maker crunching out cubes into a cup, he comes running from wherever he is in the house or in the yard.

Yesterday afternoon, we stopped in at home for a few minutes before Mark's appointment. While we were home, I filled up Sam's water bowls. On the deck, he has a big green one. Whenever I give him water, I throw in some ice cubes too.

On our way out, I called him in and was just about to close the back door when I saw that he had taken his ice cubes out of the bowl and lined them up in a row at the top of the steps to the deck. It was a very tidy line up. Of course, when we got home and he ran outside, they were gone. Someone must have stolen his cubes.

Crime is a terrible thing.

I can't believe I ate my bed

I can't believe I ate my bed
Originally uploaded by Julep67

This was what our living room looked like on Friday when we got home.

Have I mentioned that Sam's being "snipped" in a little over a week? We're hoping that some of his more destructive tendencies will be curbed after that. If it doesn't help though, we may be forced to either confine him to the kitchen, or to crate him during the day. We really don't want to do either because he loves to look out the window when we're away but if he's going to continue to wreck stuff, we'll have no choice.

The weekend was pretty good. Got many little things done around the house and realized how many more little things there are exactly which need doing.

All in good time I suppose. Had a fair amount of time for vegging out and sleeping a little more than I normally do and that felt good.

frozening

As if Monday's aren't hard enough to face, it's really dark, cold and rainy here today. At the moment, it appears as if the showers have let up slightly but it's absolutely pouring all morning. I think it was an hour or so ago, I looked outside and noticed that the street lights across the road had come on. It's bananas I tell ya! I actually had to turn the heat on in the office this morning too. I work in a little cottage and it's sort of close to the lake so can get pretty chilly down here. The dampness had crept in and my hands were frozen so I had to break down and turn it on. Last week at this time, the fellows from our physical plant department were here installing our air conditioners. Spring time is so unpredictable - what a difference a week makes!

My weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday night, Mark and I got our errands done and then on Saturday morning/early afternoon, I was able to get all of my chores out of the way. Mark worked for a while on Saturday so I didn't mind getting some stuff done around the house. Yesterday I had a pretty lazy day. The only time I really left the house was to go to the store for an oil filter for our lawnmower I didn't actually go into the store though. We brought Sam with us so I hung out in the van while Mark went into the parts place.

Sam is really behaving himself in the van. He's actually really behaving well overall I have to say. When I picked up his harness and leash yesterday, he actually stood up so I could slip the harness over his front legs and then he sat still, without coaxing, while I hooked the leash up. He still gets a little excited in the van but he's now figured out how to stand up, with his front paws on the back of our seats, and watch out over our heads. He gets the biggest smile on his face when the breeze hits him. Everyday, we just have more and more fun with him. He's so awesome, I cannot imagine what life would be like without him in the house. Just thinking about him makes me smile and now, the sun appears to be trying to push through the clouds - how cool is that!? Thanks Sam!!

back at it

Mark and I both went back to work today. It's funny how quickly you can get your routine turned around with an extra day off.

Work was really busy for me today, Mark's day was not so much. As crazy as a busy day can be, I'd rather be busy and have the day fly by than to be waiting around or looking for work. It makes for a really long day.

In today's Sam news, I may not have mentioned this before (or I may have) but Sam loves to chew on serviettes and tissues. He particularly likes snotty tissues which is sort of gross. Anyway, he used to take them out of the garbage can but he doesn't do that anymore. We've pretty much eliminated any easy access for him to these things.

Just a moment ago though, I caught him at a new thing. He had gone into our smaller bathroom (which is near the front of the house) and had been pulling the toilet paper off of the roll to chew on. Fortunately, the roll was almost empty but I have to give him some credit. Sam knows what he likes and he'll find a way to get it no matter what.

On that note, in honour of flea and tick season, here's a little video about bugs. It's an oldish cover of an old favourite tune. enjoy!

Dancing Sam

Dancing Sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Mark's Birthday Weekend flew by in a snap.

I snap my fingers a lot lately so I've got "snap" on the brain. It actually works to get Sam's attention so I'm using that as part of our training.

Saturday was sort of a lazy day. I was up early and Mark slept in a bit. I got up and hung out on the sofa in my pj's with the dog. It was awesome. Early in the afternoon we went out and did a bunch of errands which included going to costco at zero hour. All of the looky-loos were out lining up, 10 people deep for a one inch piece of cheese bread. Seriously people, it costs $6. Just buy it.

Yesterday I was not feeling good. I had some sort of weird cold all last week and I think it finally caught up with me yesterday. I'd not slept well on Friday or Saturday and I think that part of it was that I was overtired. I had a nap in the afternoon and then a really hot shower and felt much better. Mark and I went out for sushi rolls last night as part of the birthday celebration weekend.

Today, we both had the day off from work. We booked it off because it was Mark's birthday and also so that we could take Sam to the vet together. He needed to get his shots and meet the vet. I was quite nervous about the visit for a lot of reasons. Sam's still learning about the leash and I was deathly afraid that he'd somehow get out of it and run into the street (the Vet is on a really busy corner). Last night, we took him out in the van for his second drive in it. We did not want him to associate the van with going to the vet. He was really awesome in the van, he seems to be more comfortable there each time we go out.

When we got to the clinic, didn't he wiggle out of his harness (we didn't have it tight enough). Fortunately, when he did this, Sam pushed himself flat down onto his stomach on the pavement. Mark was able to pick him up and carry him inside. Once we got inside, he was pretty good. He's not had a lot of time around strange people or other animals so he barked a couple of times but overall was very well behaved.

He had 3 shots today and we are going back in 3 weeks for boosters. After that, he'll go back for his operation (yes, he's getting snipped!) and he and Mark will go to obedience school. By the time summer arrives, he'll be really ready to get out and do things with us without having any anxiety.

That's the plan anyway!

caught!

If you thought that maybe a dog couldn't feel guilty about something, I think you're wrong.

It got really quiet in the kitchen a few minutes ago. Mark had gone down to the basement and Sam quietly disappeared. I had a hunch that he might be in the kitchen so I went in there.

He was in the kitchen, trying to figure out how to get up on the counter (not an easy feat) and get at the leftover barbecue that was cooling in a container.

When I spotted him, I said nothing. He turned and looked at me and started to do his "hey I'm dancing on my hind legs" dance and then sat down, smiling and wagging his tail.

I guess it just smelled too good to resist.

loving the puppy loving

smilin' sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

When you get home from work at night, does anyone come running, full-tilt, toward the door and bounce around, all smiles and so excited to see you that they can hardly stand it?

That happens to me, every night when I get home. Sam is so cool and it's such a crazy good feeling to have that kind of greeting, every night. Makes any bad thing that may have happened in the day, just fade away into oblivion.

I think that this weird cold thing that has been bugging me is starting to go away. Maybe being outside a lot more this week has helped to kill the germs. I question it not, just be happy that it seems to be clearing up. Speaking of clearing up, the last dreggs of snow finally disappeared from our lawn today, I guess it's officially spring now!

little sweetie

little sweetie
Originally uploaded by Julep67

We had a little tea party at work on Friday and this little doll was there with her mum. Her mum is a colleague who is off on Mat leave. She's a cutie isn't she?

I worked a little bit on the weekend and spent the rest of it pretty much outside, doing stuff with Sam. This past weekend was the first really gorgeous weather we'd experienced this spring. The ice is finally almost melted on our deck and we were able to get the barbecue out of it's snowy prison yesterday. I pulled a couple of chairs from our patio set out as well. We sat in the sunshine and enjoyed the sounds of geese flying north again. Truly an amazing sign of a Canadian spring finally arrived, those geese.

Other than working and doing a few things around the house, oh and playing with Sam, we didn't get up to much. It's good though, this life of ours. Sam has brought so much joy into the house, it's just silly. He's a giant furball of fun and we really really love him. It's soppy but it's true.

giant sleeping fur ball

giant sleeping fur ball
Originally uploaded by Julep67

it's been a busy couple of days around here.

on Thursday, poor Sam was sick. Well, not sick so much as inconvenienced. When we went out in the morning for a poo, he was constipated and was really whiney and obviously in discomfort. Eventually, with the help of some olive oil and extra food, we were able to get things moving. The culprit was a piece of string, most likely ingested during the great living room fiasco of the day before.

Mark stayed home with him during the morning and eventually everything was okay although a bath happened in the process. Mark discovered that Sam loves baths so that's something at least.

Yesterday, poor Mark was sick. His kidney stone (the last one!) is on the move again and is causing him to experience all kinds of back pain. He's on the heating pad right now and that seems to be helping.

Anyway, we're up early this morning because Sam is finally on our work routine and that means everyone is up at 5! I'm thinking that later on, it's naps for everyone!!

go to work and leave me huh?

go to work and leave me huh?
Originally uploaded by Julep67

I guess Sam was a little pissed at us this morning. When Mark got home for lunch, he discovered that Sam had destroyed an entire box of tissue, two coasters and pill bottle. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that he ate any of the pills.

He's got a real thing for tissues and we should have put them up I guess. Bella was an older dog and we didn't have to worry about stuff like this. With Sam being a puppy still, he's a little rambunctious so, this isn't entirely shocking.

A friend at work suggested that I leave out some newspapers. She did this with her dog and apparently, he would shred the papers and then go off and have his day. He got his aggression and anger out on the papers and then it was out of his system.

I also got him another kong toy and will put some peanut butter in it before we go to work. I hope that if he gets a little treat before we leave, he'll not feel like trashing the place after we leave!

giant sleeping fur ball

giant sleeping fur ball
Originally uploaded by Julep67

happy monday.

I think that half of the planet, well maybe just half of our town and most of Ottawa had today off. When I got to campus this morning, I think you could have rolled a bowling ball down the middle of University Avenue and not hit a person or car. It was spooky quiet until after 11 a.m. or so.

Today, I needed to contact some folks in Ottawa for some work related stuff but that wasn't really going to happen today. Government offices were not open today. Oh well, there's always tomorrow, right?

Sam stayed home by himself today while we went to work. After much discussion we decided to let him have the run of the living room, my office and the kitchen today. Mark came home a couple of times during the day to check on Sam and he was okay. No accidents could be found and his new favourite perch seems to be on the arm of the couch, staring out the window. He's got such a happy face, it's neat to see when you drive up the street.

When we walked in the door, he was very excited to see us. It took about 10 minutes for him to calm down. His little heart was just pounding so hard. I must admit, I was really really happy to get home to him too. I almost couldn't wait for that last 30 minutes to pass before I left the office this afternoon. I think I finally understand what puppy love is all about!

Teddy

Teddy
Originally uploaded by Julep67

Today has been a very good day.

Right now, as I type this, I've got Abbey Road on the stereo and a sleeping puppy at my feet. LIfe is good.

I think it's pretty much a given that my posts will be a little puppy-centric for a while.

We had a pretty full day and it was full of firsts for Sam. Since we got him home, he's not met any new folks (although he did bark at a lady who came to the door yesterday trying to sell us a little bit of religion - it was hard to discourage him but we did).

This afternoon, my parents came over for Easter lunch. My mum always does the holiday meals but we thought that it would be a nice change for her to not have to cook or to clean up. When they arrived, Sam was really a good boy. He didn't bark too much, although he wanted to. We have been using some of the Cesar Millan tips we picked up from his show and they are working rather well. I was able to calm him down after Mark got him to sit. He was pretty nervous when they came into the house but eventually he settled down.

For whatever reason, he never really warmed up to my dad. He would go to my mum, very cautiously but even when my dad was offering him a cookie, he wouldn't go near him. I'm sure that the next time we see them, it'll be easier. Sam has had a lot of changes to experience this weekend.

He was pretty well behaved all through dinner. I gave him his kong bone with some peanut butter in it when we sat down and when he was tired of that, he had a nap on the floor in the kitchen (where we were eating).

After mum and dad left, Mark cleaned up the kitchen. We had decided that we should go out for an hour again today, like we did yesterday. I put the crate in the hallway, in, I thought, the same spot Mark and done yesterday. Sam whimpered a bit when we left but he stopped it by the time we were in the driveway. When we pulled into the driveway an hour later, guess who was smiling at us from the living room window? Yeah, Sam. He was pretty happy to see us and we realized that he had been able to get himself between the crate and the wall and therefore out of the kitchen and into the living room.

We didn't have any accidents so, no harm done this time, right? When I walked into the kitchen, Mark was holding a plate in his hand. "How many eggs were on this plate?" I looked and realized that two halves of a hard-boiled egg were missing. Mark had left them on the table. Sam also ate about a cup of cooked potato which was on the table as well. So yeah, no holistic puppy food for him tonight.

This photo is of another puppy. His name was Teddy and he was my aunt's puppy. He was a spitz pekinese and looks a lot like Sam. My mum kindly scanned her Teddy photos and I posted them with our pet photos on flickr.

here comes the sam

introducing sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

At the end of day two with Sam in the house, things are going much better. We only had one very teensy accident this morning and we even went out for a bit.

Mark went out and did errands this morning while I stayed home with Sam. Later on, this afternoon, we went out together and left Sam in the kitchen. This is what we'll do when we're at work next week. It's a really large, sunny room and his bed and his toys and water and stuff are there. it's also probably the best place to be in case he has another accident because almost all of our house is carpeted (except for the bathrooms, kitchen and my office).

He was very good when we left and was super excited to see us when we returned. All in all, next week shouldn't be too bad. Fortunately, Mark is able to come in the middle of the day which I'm sure will help too.

We're all getting used to each other and I don't know if he's having as much as we are but I think he's enjoying his new surroundings so far.

introducing sam

introducing sam
Originally uploaded by Julep67

We picked up Sam last night after dinner. We got home kind of late (for us). It was after 9:30 I think.

Last night, the first night, none of slept very well and today was busy working with the dog, doing some training and basically getting to know one another.

Of course, this meant that I got none of the things on my to do list done and the house is a bit of a disaster area but it's all good because we have a new puppy. He's sweet, basically a very good and seemingly smart dog. We've had a couple of accidents in the house which I believe are related to the transition from one house to another.

I'll write more about it later on, at the moment I'm beat and hoping to get to bed soon. The end result has been absolutely worthwhile but, if I had it to do over again, I know that there are a few things I would do differently. Having said that, I'm sure we'll all sleep better tonight than we did last night!