Friday's mail included Duncan's APDT Rally Level 1 certificate. I knew he would eventually be getting that, but what I didn't expect was a second certificate. Duncan also received an APDT Award of Excellence - Level 1. How cool is that? I checked the rules, and its because his qualifying scores were above 190. Poor pup, he has no idea how high he's set the bar for himself. I don't see why he can't get an Award of Excellence for Level 2 in May....
First, THANK YOU, JOHN! After much pulsing, grinding and thwaping (the truck, not me), John came over Sunday and replaced the brake pads and rotors. Once the grinding started, John told me to just keep driving the truck until he had time to work on it. But, as he said, he forgot what an over-achiever I am. One of the brake pads still had a little bit of pad left, but on the other three I'd gone through the pad, past the rivets, and down to the backing plate. At least no one can say we got rid of perfectly good brakes...
Second, Reyna had her Hospitality Pet training session at WakeMed today. Reyna is officially a therapy dog, complete with her own photo ID. We've been assigned to the cardiac floor and the pediatric floor, and we'll be going once a week for two hours (currently Thursday mornings). One thing I noticed today is that the sicker the patient appears to be, the more worried Reyna is. I'm sure she'll start to relax as she becomes accustomed to her new job.
Third, since Reyna had to have a bath in preparation for her hospital visit, everyone else got baths, too. Reyna was not enthused, but she was a good girl.
Duncan was even less enthused, but hey, its Duncan.
(My camera started fogging up here....) Kodiak either enjoyed the bath or was just too petrified to move. Either way, he was the easiest of the three.
They were all much happier once they were outside in the sunshine.
Reyna and Duncan took hours to dry. Those darn undercoats may protect them from the elements, but they also hold the water like you wouldn't believe.
For a little bit, Kodiak reminded me of those dogs that look like they have dreadlocks. He was dry in less than an hour - no undercoat at all on that pup.
Fourth, some cuteness. A few days ago, Duncan inserted himself on the couch between me and Kodiak. Kodiak wasn't too sure how to handle that. He tried resting his head on Duncan, but that didn't work.
He kept popping up and shifting around to try new positions.
Kodiak was also worried about Reyna, because I was fussing at her about chewing on her tail. That didn't help him settle down any, either.
He finally tried to go to sleep leaning against the back of the couch. No joy there.
After a while, Reyna got tired of the whole thing and kicked both boys off the couch so she could take a nap.
Fifth, group herding, which will be posted later...
It's official - Kodiak is the newest member of the family! His adoption is final on Valentine's Day, so we just had to celebrate.
As we always do when we have something to celebrate, we got a pup cake from Gourmutt's Bakery. Its the perfect size for the pups to share. We went with Valentine's Day colors in honor of the holiday (even though we had our party a day early). From now on, though, we'll celebrate Kodiak's Gotcha Day on December 3rd, as that's the day he came into our lives.
Kodiak wasn't too sure of the new and scary item at first. He finally decided he liked the cake, but he was never very comfortable with the plate.
See how he's leaning away from the plate? Silly puppy...
But he makes up for his silliness with some serious cuteness.
Duncan came over to offer his support (and to help eat the cake).
Finally, Kodiak was almost relaxed even with the plate so close.
Getting my pack together.
Don't kid yourself - this picture was hard to coordinate.
Thanks to the pups' Aunt Mary, everyone got to open presents! Kodiak thought he was scared of the plate - turns out the gift bag and tissue paper were absolutely terrifying! The squeaky toy was good, though...
I'm really excited about having Kodiak join the family. Reyna and Duncan like him (well, Duncan has a bit of sibling jealousy, but that's normal considering he was the baby of the family for 5 years) and he's definitely wriggled his way into my heart. I have high hopes for this pup, once we get him past his terror of cars, thresholds, packs of toilet paper, paper plates, gift bags, chairs, tissue paper, neighbors, plastic bags, stock sticks, loud noises, fast movements, and a few other odds and ends. He's come a long way since December 3rd and I have no doubt that he'll go even farther.
Well, actually, it was under my sink. The other day, I noticed a few things under the sink that weren't there before. I didn't spend three and a half years investigating crimes scenes for nothing, you know. I know evidence when I see it. It took a couple of days, but last night I heard the snap of a successful mouse trapping. All three dogs glanced over towards the kitchen and then went back to what they were doing. I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed in them. Duncan is the Mole Eradicator, after all, but maybe mice are too small to interest him. And with Reyna's personality quirks, I figured she'd be ripping the cabinets off the hinges to get to a warm snack. As for Kodiak, well, he can't find a hot dog on a bare floor...
Poor Reyna's just having a rough go lately. I'm glad the temps are warming up for the next couple of days because she's definitely having some hip trouble. Two incidents today certainly aren't helping. She was outside playing with her basketball this afternoon and she stepped wrong when she turned - her foot got stuck in position and didn't move with her like it should have. I actually heard her yelp, which is very unlike her. Not much later, she was inside chasing her tail and her foot got snagged on the television stand. Once again, her foot didn't move with the rest of her body and she yelped. She even cried a bit trying to get on the couch after dinner, it was such a struggle for her. I'd get her some steps for the couch and her chair if I thought she'd actually use them.
In other Reyna news, I was pleasantly surprised by her behavior this afternoon. I was putting away groceries when I heard the cats start yowling and growling in the back of the house. I figured they were snarking at each other (as they so often do), so I took my time getting back there. As I turned down the hall, I realized the baby gate was on the floor and Reyna wasn't with the other dogs. When I turned towards the bedroom, I saw what was going on. Reyna was sitting very quietly just at the bedroom door. Loki, Belle and Mikey were all growling at her from various locations, but she wasn't responding at all. She was just watching them. I was so pleased with her that I gave her lots of praise and a cookie for being such a good girl.
Poor Reyna, she's having a rough time with me back at work. Of course, I'm having a rough time with it, too - so glad it ends April 18. Don't even get me started on what I'm dealing with every day...can you say "entitlement attitude?" I knew you could.
Anyway, back to Reyna. She's really enjoyed having me home and a lot of her behavioral issues have gone away or toned down considerably. Unfortunately, some of those issues are coming back now that I'm gone a lot during the day. She's started chewing on her tail again, and the spinning and barking is getting worse. I'm not sure what to do about this, since I do need an income. I guess the best choice would be a job where I could take her with me or have a scattered schedule so that I'm not gone for 9 hours at a time. Anyone need a dog walker? I'm sure we could work out a fair rate.
Kodiak had his pediatric wellness exam Friday, and I'm pleased to report that he's a very healthy pup. Well, Doc actually said Kodiak was hideously sick and probably wouldn't survive the trip home and so I should really leave him there. But I'm pretty sure Doc just wanted to keep Kodiak. The pup does have two slightly discolored teeth, which could be enamel hypoplasia or the result of getting knocked in the face on his way out of the birth canal. Doc initially thought it was the enamel hypoplasia (which could mean bad things in the future), but he decided that since its only two teeth, it was more likely to be the knock in the face (definitely the preferred option). Kodiak was nervous about going in (all those doors!) but once I put him up on the exam table he relaxed. He tried to help the vet tech type his info into the computer, and he was wonderful about tolerating the exam. He even ate the cookies Doc gave him. So, Kodiak's about 7 months old and he weighed in at 29 pounds. Doc said he'll be anywhere between 30 and 110 pounds. But he's guessing closer to 50. We'll see how much he grows over the next month.
In other news, Kodiak has finally figured out how to get on the couch and he's taking full advantage of that. He still has to get a running start, but he's slowly gaining the skill to jump up from a stand. He's a nice middle ground between Duncan and Reyna - he doesn't need to be in my lap like Duncan, but he also doesn't get up and leave when I pet him like Reyna. The downside of his new-found ability - he has to learn to leave everything on the end table and counter alone. He'll get there.
Yesterday was a lovely day - warm and sunny for the first time in ages. The pups and I spent a couple of hours outside, just sitting in the sun. I don't know why, but it took nearly an hour before it occurred to me to get my camera...
I think Kodiak's going to be a real camera hog.
This is my favorite picture of Kodiak - mostly because its the best one I've taken. There's no snow, its not cloudy, he's standing up, and you can actually see his coloring (except the white bulls-eye on his butt). I love the mane and the light spots at each eye. And hooray, his tail has filled out!
Kodiak bringing his tennis ball back to me.
And a nice shot of Duncan.
All three pups, and the sun's rays making a neat streaky effect.
This is a pretty common sight - Duncan rolling Kodiak while Reyna waits for me to throw her ball.
Kodiak in motion.
Another common sight - Duncan chasing Kodiak. This is a favorite game of theirs. Kodiak runs circles around the yard and then heads for the honeysuckle vines along the back fence with Duncan in hot pursuit.
Kodiak instigates most of the rough and tumble games.
He may be little (only about 25 pounds), but Kodiak can hold his own with Duncan.
Just ignore the fact that Duncan has Kodiak's face in his mouth...
Kodiak has learned that its hard for Duncan and Reyna to get to him if he's actually sitting underneath them.
Check out Kodiak's half-purple tongue.
This was my favorite of Reyna from yesterday.
What better way to end a series of photos than with a cute pup?
Duncan had two days of APDT rally trials this weekend. It was at the Durham Kennel Club, so at least we didn't have too far to drive this time. I've been sick most of the week and I don't seem to be improving, so I almost didn't go. I'm glad we did, though, because I had a good time, Duncan did a great job, and Kodiak got tons of great exposure.
There were four trials over the two days, which meant Duncan had the opportunity to earn his Level 1 title. The Saturday morning run went well, except for one thing - that darn left pivot. I thought he moved enough when I gave him the pivot command, but he apparently just shifted a little bit. The ended up NQ'ing us. Sigh. The Saturday afternoon run went a lot better. We had another left pivot (hateful things) and Duncan got up when I gave the command. Then he realized we weren't going anywhere and sat back down in almost the exact same place. We lost points but he got air under his butt, and that counted as attempting the exercise. Duncan earned 200 out of a possible 210 points for that run.
Today went a lot better. For one thing, there were no left pivots in either course. Duncan took third place in his group this morning, and first place this afternoon! That gave him three qualifying runs, which gave him his RL1 title. I was really surprised at how bouncy he was today - he's usually more tired on the second day of trials, but he was peppy and ready to go. He did a wonderful job.
Duncan's wearing his third and first place ribbons on his collar in this picture, and the other person was the judge for both afternoon trials.
Here's Duncan at home with his loot from the trial (three qualifying ribbons, one first place ribbon, one third place ribbon, one title ribbon, and two placement prizes).
Kodiak didn't earn any ribbons this weekend, but he got a lot out of it. After some early stress, he decided that all those people were really neat - after all, everyone kept giving him treats. He got comfortable going in and out of the building through loud, heavy doors, and he even went in to the ring a couple of times (accepting ribbons on behalf of his big brother). Everyone had fun guessing about his heritage and potential size, and the general consensus was that he's freakishly cute.
The pups and I were thrilled when we got home early enough to enjoy some time out in the beautiful weather. Pictures from the afternoon will be posted later...
I know the week isn't over yet, but its already been a long one. I'm working 12:30-9:00ish pm at the temp job, which makes for late nights followed by early mornings because some puppy just has to go out and potty (or some cats decide to have a spat).
Speaking of some puppy, Kodiak was finally neutered Tuesday. I dropped him off at animal control that morning, and I may have hinted about how miffed I would be if I were to discover he'd been forgotten again. Thankfully, they remembered him this time. John picked him up and brought him home, since I was working. Apparently, Kodiak had an accident in his kennel at animal control and they didn't clean him up very well, so poor John was stuck with that, too. Kodiak's incision looks great and he seems to have completely forgotten that anything unusual happened Tuesday.
Last night at work I wasn't feeling too great, and I jokingly told my coworker that the place was making me sick. Turns out I was right. Woke up this morning congested, my eyes feeling blechy, coughing, and with a midget sitting on my chest mocking me every time I try to take a deep breath. Unfortunately, I can't call in sick because there's no one available to cover my shift. So I'll just spread the nasty germs right back to the people who gave them to me. Or people just like them, anyway.
The other bad thing about this sickness is that I had to cancel Reyna's first therapy dog trip. Obviously, we couldn't go visit sick people with me toting around a ton of germs. The poor girl suffered through a bath and nail trim yesterday, all for nothing. And Duncan's got his Rally trial this weekend. He's going to have trouble following instructions if I'm hacking up a lung while we're running the course. I think I'll be picking up a large bottle of vitamin C after work tonight.
Kodiak was scheduled to be neutered today. I got up early, listened to him cry because he couldn't eat breakfast, and got him to animal control on time. They confirmed that he would be neutered and get his rabies shot. Keep in mind that I rearranged my work schedule so that I could also pick him up on time. I got to animal control this afternoon, asked how he was doing, and was told that they'd forgotten about him. They forgot?? They forgot a dog that was on their schedule for surgery?? The forgot a dog, which means he was left in the cage all day, no water and no bathroom break until they realized they'd forgotten him, which happened shortly before I got there. But that's okay, they're perfectly happy to neuter him next Tuesday.
Before we get into the details of this past Friday, I thought we'd start off with something really cute:
And now, on to Friday...
Duncan had a vet appointment first thing in the morning. He's been digging at his ears a lot, and occasionally trying to grind them into the ground. I knew it wasn't the same problem he had a few months ago, because he didn't have any of the crud in his ears. Dr. Lapham agreed that it wasn't a standard infection. The only thing he could figure is that Duncan's having an allergic reaction to something that's inflamed his ears a bit. My poor pup is on meds for a week or so, and they'll hopefully ease the irritation. Duncan doesn't mind the pills, but I'm pretty sure he's put a hit out on me because of the ear drops.
Kodiak went to the vet with us, just for the exposure. Dr. Lapham did an quick assessment on Kodiak's age and potential weight. Kodiak's a bit older than originally estimated - he's at least six months old already. This means that he's going to be smaller than originally estimated - at most about 45lbs. This confirms what some of the GSD breeders said at the club meeting a couple of weeks ago. He's basically going to be a cute little fuzzy teddy bear. He handled the vet visit pretty well, except for those pesky doorways that still terrify him so badly. He actually walked up to one of the techs, and was quietly interested in what Dr. Lapham did with Duncan. He was definitely ready to go home when it was over, though.
Friday afternoon was training for all three pups. Reyna has her first therapy visit coming up in a couple of weeks, so we worked on her basic manners for a bit. Mostly just to remind her that she has them... We also worked on her object name recognition. We've been using a squeaky toy and a tennis ball, and she definitely knows which is which. She refuses to pick up the correct toy, but she's pretty willing to smack it with her paw. The funniest moment came when Duncan distracted her with a bunch of whining, then when she turned back to me, I asked, "where's your Duncan?" I thought she might go over to him, but instead she immediately put her paw on top of the squeaky toy. Suzie and I agreed that the squeaky toy was an accurate substitute for Duncan...
Speaking of Duncan, he has an APDT Rally trial coming up at the end of the month, so we've been working on his speed. APDT actually times for qualification, so Duncan has to get through the course in less than 4 minutes. He's definitely walking faster, and surprisingly enough, he's even sitting faster. I think he stands a pretty good chance of meeting the time requirements.
Kodiak's time was spent on confidence building exercises. We worked him on some agility equipment, and he surpassed all of our expectations for the day.
Here he is going through the chute tunnel towards Suzie. He wasn't thrilled about the moving canvas, but he plowed right on through.
Coming towards me in the regular tunnel.
On the dog walk. This one just shocked us. Once he'd traversed the dog walk once, he kept turning around and going back the other way with no encouragement from us.
The last exercise of the day, the tire jump. He was the most uncertain about this one, but once he finally got over it the first time, he was totally fine.
Before we wrapped up the session, we had a group activity. I tried to get them to shake paws at the same time, but that was not happening. They're still pretty cute just sitting there looking at me.
Reyna spent the ride home watching traffic, Kodiak passed out a few minutes after we left, and Duncan was definitely tired. I love the fact that Kodiak curls up next to Duncan, and I really love that Duncan's so tolerant of it.
One last thing....a video of Duncan and Kodiak playing tug with a long squeaky toy. Notice how Kodiak is doing most of the work...
