Puppy Class Begins

We were rained our last Saturday, so yesterday was our first Dog Obedience Class, (aka Puppy class). There are a lot of people in the class so they split us up into "puppy" and "adult", but there were still too many puppies so we got to learn with the big kids.

All in all Joey did really well. Most of her errors were due to "handler ineptitude" or fear. She is still shy around people (but getting SO much better) and she tends to growl, bark and leap at dogs. It seems to be play drive, and that's what the trainers thought too, but still an inappropriate behavior. Roy came with the camera and the video camera to document the day. Joey has "Sit" down better than any other student. She did really well with "Heel", "Down" and "Stay". I was very proud of her to be so brave in a park full of people and dogs and still be able focus on her studies.

It's only a Matter of Time

As advertised, Joey is VERY interested in water. An much to my dismay, the weather around here has turned cold so our pool is, well, cold. I was hoping that I could get her interested in water while actually in the pool too. So such luck and I don't think I'll have the luxury of waiting 'til next spring when we heat the pool up again.

So we did the responsible thing, we bought a life vest for Joey. She loves to chase the buckles on it which results in many, many Joey circles and a dizzy stumble at the end. When I can finally Velcro and clip her in, she isn't thrilled about the vest, but she is excited about what it means - running in the back yard!

Call me Snagletooth

Joey is quite the enthusiastic pup. She has a signature waggle when she is excited or happy that is too cute for words. It is akin to a full body wag, but it's much more. It's an expressive dance really. The Big Finale is the Leap of Love where she leaps at you in order to plant a kiss or nudge on your lips. As cute as that is, I don't want her leaping at people, nor do I want her trying to put her mouth on others (without being invited to do so - it's a lesson for you too).

This morning the waggle-leap was in full bloom. I've been pushing her off me and correcting her by stating ferociously "Off" and then rewarding her when all 4 paws are on the floor with the love she so desperately wants and deserves. Well, this time we met in the middle. I was on my way down to her level and she was on her way up. As a result, my front left tooth is a little smaller than it was moments before. I'm sure my parents are pleased they spent thousands of dollars on orthodontics only to have and exuberant puppy mar my perfect smile in one fell swoop.



You anticipate and expect injuries when you get a puppy. It is assumed and understood that there will be skinned knees, scratches and leash burn. But black eyes and broken teeth is more than I was able to imagine.

If she weren't so cute, I'd....

Joey has Arrived

As many of you know, Roy and I were crushed by Sammy's departure last year (notice I didn't say Sophie was crushed). Off and on over the last year we have talked about getting another dog, what type of dog, what age, what breed, etc.

We went through the process of adopting a puppy that was rescued off the streets in Mexico City, which didn't work out because she was part pit bull. We found a miniature border collie one weekend that we thought might be staying for the long term, but she bit Sophie and her parents eventually claimed her. I called the number I got off a flier at The Pet Place in Menlo Park for a 6 year old male Vizsla who, it turned out, had already found an outstanding home. A few weeks ago I found a beautiful chocolate lab on Petfinder.com that had a "very manageable medical condition" which turned out to be Addison's disease (requiring very expensive medical treatment).

A few weeks ago, we were up at Sancho's enjoying a tasty fish taco and decided to walk through the Emerald Market across the parking lot. I saw the flier at 50 paces. Pure Labrador puppies and there was one left, a girl and she was black. I tore off a tag and took a picture of the flier with my phone. I didn't want to bug Roy with being too excited since we had just said we needed to stop torturing ourselves. But Roy said the minute we got in the car, "So are you going to call them or what?". I made him call.

Angela and Dan and their beautiful dog Sierra had created a wonderful litter of 9 labs, 5 yellow, 4 black. They are keeping two (which will bring their total to four - not to forget Amy their 8 year old lab). When we met them they were all a crazy bunch of wags. Joey, then known as Turq (short for turquoise, the color of her collar), was a sweet, joyous participant. Angela was kind enough to bring her to our house for Sophie to offer her approval, and on their second meeting she did.

Joey is a sweet, smart, fun little 20 week old girl who loves water (oh no). She loves Sophie already, but realizes that she needs her space too. She is fantastic walking on a leash, and hilarious discovering all her toys. Sophie had long since forgotten how fun many of those toys could be.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, Joey!
Click photo to enlarge.

A Kiss is not a Contract

Foux Da Fa Fa