Day 35 Dog Days of Summer

We've been holding onto summer and enjoying time outside as much as possible.

Soon it'll be too cold for me to lie on my Mom's lounge chair and I won't get to spend afternoons napping in the sun.  You can already see the leaves turning on the tree and this photo was taken last week.

Willie is enjoying the warm weather as well.  He spends a lot of time frolicking around the yard.  He bounces around like a little colt jumping here and there or running full speed around in circles.
















Willie especially likes a 'toy' that he snitches off the table outside.  I'm pretty sure he knows he shouldn't be playing with Mom's hat.  I know enough not to join in on this game.  And as you can see, it was all fun and games until someone knocks over a table.  And really, did Willie think if he jumped up onto the chair and pretended like he'd been there the whole time we wouldn't know he was the one who knocked over the table?

Willie went to the Vet yesterday to be vaccinated.  The Vet says he's doing really well and he's up to 30 lbs.

As you can see he's bigger than I am now.  Thankfully he doesn't know it yet and I'm still the boss.  I win our wrestling matches and can still pin him down.  Willie is the gentlest puppy that we've had so far.  He constantly chews on my legs or my tail or anything he can put his mouth on, but it's very, very gentle.  I don't seem to mind at all; although sometimes I'd just like to lay around and do nothing all day.

Day 28 No More Mange!

Wednesday Willie went to the Vet and she said he doesn't have mange any more!  Let's hear it....YAY FOR WILLIE!!  Willie will still be on his medication for a few more weeks, but he goes back to the Vet next week to get vaccinated.  Then the Vet will decide when Willie can be neutered.  Willie is making huge progress and Mom says later today we're going to celebrate with a special treat.

Yesterday Mom talked to Nicky from AARCS who gave her some suggestions to help Willie learn that it's OK to be by himself.  So now we're doing some new things around the house; like eating in the dog room.  We're trying to show Willie that it's a great room to be in so that when he's in there by himself he's not unhappy.  Mom and Willie have been hanging out in the dog room as well.  Nicky is a professional dog trainer so if you'd like to learn more about her she has a business called Pet Potential and a facebook page.  Stop by her page, say Hello and let her know that Willie sent you. 

It's not always craziness around the house.

There is some nap time fit into the daily schedule.  Thank goodness because this puppy is going to be the death of me.  I'm exhausted.  I don't know where he gets his energy from, but I like to have several naps during the day and Willie needs to learn the value of a good nap!

He is super cute though so it's hard to stay mad at him.  Mom tries to entertain him so that I can have a much needed rest.  See me napping in the background?

Day 25 House Training

This week we've been working on house training.  Willie's last foster house said he hadn't had an accident in the house, but that's not the case at our house.  We started over from scratch and Willie is doing really well now.  So good that the gates are all down and Willie is free to wander the house.

Now that the gate is open Willie is making sure it's not going to get closed again!  Even if that means sleeping on it.  This really can't be very comfortable.












Willie still goes into the dog room when Mom goes to work, but maybe soon he can be in a carpeted area of the house.  Yesterday Mom had to go out for a short time so she left us together upstairs with some paper on the floor if Willie needed to pee.  When Mom came home Willie had peed; but on the mat by the door, not on the paper.  Mom said she couldn't really be mad at him because going to the door is what Willie is supposed to do when he needs to go to the bathroom.  Mom says next time she'll just put  paper by the door. I don't know why she didn't think of that in the first place.

Willie is getting pretty big too.  Tomorrow he goes to the Vet so we'll see how much weight he's gained.  He isn't skinny anymore and best of all he's got all of his hair back! 

Hopefully the Vet finds that he's mite free again.  If so, then he'll be officially clear of mange.  Willie will go off his medication and then can be vaccinated and neutered in a few weeks.  After that he can go up for adoption.  With such a cute face he's sure to find his forever home in no time!

Day 20 Bath Day

I must apologize for not posting for almost a week.  Mom keeps track of the days and she said she didn't think it had been that long.  I guess I'm going to have to learn how to read a calendar so that I can keep her on track.  Not a whole lot happened over the past week so I haven't had much to update on either.

Today was bath day.  We all got one whether we wanted one or not...and not everyone wanted one.  Willie has been doing pretty well with having a bath.  He still doesn't want to get into the tub, but once he's there he stands still the whole time.  Mom even managed to get in a quick picture before he hopped out.  Then he had to go back in again because he hadn't been rinsed off.






Mom says a bath helps with Willie's itchy skin.  He doesn't scratch much any more, but it'll still make him feel better.

We've been going for walks around the neighborhood and Willie continues to be great on a leash.  Willie's never been a puller, but there was a lot of weaving from side to side and back to front.  Mom says I'm as much to blame as Willie is because I can't walk in a straight line either.  Anyway, Willie's learned that he needs to walk on Mom's right side (because I walk on the left) and there's rarely anybody getting tangled up when we walk.

Yesterday we stopped to chat with the lady that lives a couple doors down.  I think she fell in love with Willie!  She has a dog, but we didn't get to visit because Willie isn't vaccinated.  She asked for us to stop by again once he has been vaccinated so that Willie can meet Sadie.  Hmmm...maybe Willie's found a new home?

Willie is being a bit mischievous when Mom goes to work.

OK, he's being a LOT mischievous!  It's not as bad as it looks.  It's mostly paper towel and newspaper.  But still, it's alot to clean up.  As you can see, Willie has a nice big dog bed and box full of toys.  Even so, he seems to be spending a lot of time trying to get out of the room and/or trying to get stuff off the shelves.  Obviously he can get to the shelf that has the paper towels on it, so Mom's going to have to do some rearranging to move stuff higher.

Day 14 Mite Free!!

Yesterday Willie went to the Vet and he was mite free!  He'll go back again in two weeks to be checked again and if he's still mite free then he'll be considered cured of mange.  He's already getting fur back in some of his bald spots and his coat is getting thicker overall. 

Willie was weighed at the Vet and he's gained another 4 pounds.  Weird how Willie's Vet thinks this is a good thing, but my Vet thinks it's a bad thing that I haven't lost any weight.  I'm trying to convince Mom we need to switch Vets, but she said that's not how it works. 

Willie, as most puppies are, is full of piss and vinegar when he wakes up.  He wants to go to the washroom, eat and play!  Not necessarily in that order.  Willie is getting big enough that if he puts his mind to it, he can jump on the bed.  This is 'my space' and as a general rule Willie is not allowed on the bed but today I was OK with a good wrestling match so Mom let him stay.

As you can see, there's a whole lotta crazy that went on.











I also forgot to mention during my last post about how it went at LTs with my best buddy Gord (and my new buddy Duncan).  Willie and I spent about 6 hours in the back yard and the lane supervising the construction of a portable car shelter.  It was super hot and we were exhausted by the end.  Don't think we're hard done by; there was shade, cool grass for us to lay on, toys and lots of water...but not where we could supervise.  What is important to note is that neither of us were confined by any means and Willie did an awesome job of not wandering away. 

Today is another hot day but Willie still won't go into the pool.  However he has decided that the hose is great way to get cooled off.  Even if it's just his head.

Day 12 Trying to Stay Cool

First off, I'd like to say I find it pretty hot outside.

Look at me...do I look like I'm enjoying all the hot weather?  Mom says I'm not allowed to complain because soon it'll be really cold and I'll have to wear my booties when I go outside.  Then I remember I don't really like my booties.  OK, I'll put up with this weather for awhile longer.














We've been trying to get some long walks in, but it's been pretty hot after Mom is finished work.  Even Willie is panting before we're too far from home.  Mom brings a water bowl so we can  have a drink but we're still pretty hot.

Today we played some fetch in the yard to see if short bursts of energy would be better.  It worked out pretty well, except Willie is terrible at fetch.  He only brings it about half way back.  Willie's not really into chasing after toys so he sees no incentive to bring it back so he can chase it again.  He is pretty good at tug o war though.

Willie still isn't a fan of water.  Using the pool as a water bowl is about as close as he gets to going in.

He does seem to be putting on some weight though.  His previous foster home said he'd up on 4 pounds in the two weeks he'd been with her.  He must have been really skinny before he came to AARCS because he was still quite thin when he came to stay with us.  Mom didn't think he'd been continuing to put on weight but she's noticed in the past few days he seems to be bulking up a bit.  Tomorrow Willie goes to the Vet for his 2 week check up to see how his mange is doing so we'll see how much he weighs.  Paws crossed that he doesn't have any live mites.  If not then that'll be a huge step forward in his road to becoming a healthy puppy!!

Day 9 Ahh...Summer Days

Since Willie did so well at the off leash park Mom decided it was safe for him to be off leash at the park near our house.  Willie didn't stray at all.  He would either walk beside Mom or chase after me.

Here he's trying to decide which of those two things he should do.  It's hard to see me in the small pic, but if you click on it you can see me up ahead on the right checking out the long grass.

Willie decided he should check out what I was doing.  He still likes to go back to Mom and make sure she's OK.

Mom also decided to take some pictures along the way.  We saw lots of ladybugs, which Mom found unusual as she doesn't recalling seeing ladybugs in Calgary before.  Maybe she just hasn't been looking.  Anyway, even though we went for a walk in the morning it was getting pretty hot so I liked all the rest stops we got along the way.  Willie even waiting patiently until it was time to move along.





We went for a long walk yesterday too and I was a bit pooped today.  Like the trooper I am, I made it the whole way.  I'm not going to be shown up by a puppy!  I even managed to stay awake longer than Willie when we got home.  He was asleep as soon as we got in the house.  We both had a long nap, played in the yard and now it's almost nap time again.  Mom says we have to rest up because tomorrow we're going to LTs house.  And if that wasn't exciting enough, my best buddy Gord is going to be there!

Day 7 A Bit About Me

So I know the blog is about my wish but I have some stories to tell and they don't make sense without you knowing about what's been going on with me so I'm going start with that.  A few weeks ago Mom noticed that I was scratching A LOT.  We went to the Vet, who said I was allergic to 'something'.  Could be food, could be environment, could be seasonal.  The Vet said he couldn't change the season (sometimes he is funny) so we'd start with food.  I got new food, which I really like.  The part I don't like is the fact that I don't get any treats (gasp) or any bones (gasp!) or peanut butter in my Kong when Mom goes out (GASP!!!!!).   The good point part (according to Mom) is that 1.  I'm not scratching any more.  2. I had a rash that's gone away.  3.  I've almost completely stopped shedding!  None of this is better than treats and bones and peanut butter (according to Me).  Mom got some new treats by a manufacturer recommended by one of her friends.  They are the same protein as my food and Mom said she knows she's breaking the 'rules' but they are the same ingredients so she's hoping I'll be OK.  Now...on with our regularly scheduled program....

Mom went into the office on Tuesday, so Willie spent the day in the new and improved dog room (I said she's been busy around the house while we haven't had a foster).  Mostly this was to see if Willie could hold his bladder through a work day without have an accident in the house.  He can't.  Willie had most of the toys with him so I figured I better check things out when Mom got home.  Guess what I found?  A Kong with peanut butter in it!!  Willie didn't even clean it all out.  Silly puppy has a lot to learn.  I grabbed that and took off to make sure it got properly cleaned.  Mom was right after me and took it away.  Boy was I mad!  To make up for this we had some treats.  I use the term 'treat' kind of loosely because we have to work for them. 

Willie is learning to 'sit'.  He's really good at it too.  Almost too good.  He 'sits' all over the place now, looks at Mom with a look that says 'OK, I'm sitting, where's my treat?'










It's been raining in Calgary for the past few days so we haven't been outside much.  Yesterday was nice and Willie and I enjoyed running around the backyard.

I'm teaching Willie how to play a good game of chase!











This morning we went to the dog park before Mom started work.  Willie hasn't been vaccinated so he can't be around other dogs.  So we went really, really early when the park is almost empty and there wouldn't be any dogs around us.  Willie got to go off leash with me.  He stayed pretty close to Mom and only ventured away from her when he was chasing me.  Now when we go to the off leash park close to our house Willie will be able to go off leash and Mom won't worry about him running away.

Since this post is (mostly) about me I figured we should end it with a picture of just me.