I am 1 Year Old!

Hello everyone.  I am so sorry that my daddy has not posted much in a long time.  His work has kept him very busy which we are all very thankful about.  His and mommy's jobs keep me enjoying great toys and treats and the occasional trip to see my favorite Vet, Dr McDreamy, as my Aunt Kelli calls him.

So much has gone on the past few months.  I got to play with a bunch of sheepy friends at an Old English Sheepdog round up.  I was sent to this nice man's place where he kept me and trained me while mommy and daddy were down visiting some mouse named Mickey.  I have had loads of fun walking the neighborhood and playing with lots of things.  Some of the things I have played with apparently were a no-no according to daddy.

Yesterday was so much fun. Mommy even got me a special treat and put a candle in it.  And TOYS...I got lots of toys.  Well...why don't I just show you some things I have been up to in this video that daddy put together for my birthday and Christmas present since I was born on Christmas day.  Hope you enjoy.

It's My 6 Month BurfDay!

I know I know...it has been a long time since I (my daddy) has posted anything.  I think his day job has kept him kind of hopping because I see him doing a lot of talking on the phone and typing things and printing things etc.  I usually try to interrupt him by jamming toys up against him when he is on the phone with a client, but he attempts to ignore me.  His attempts are usually thwarted by my consistency though and he has to take a break and come play with me.  I am doing for his own good...too much work and no play makes him appear more gray. Heehee!

Anywho...today marks 6 months from the time I was brought into this good old world.  Mommy and daddy tell me that I am growing like a weed even though I know nothing about weeds so I am unclear of what they mean.  Nevertheless, I know I am growing a lot and growing fast because I feel the need to stretch all the time.  And sometimes I just feel the need to run as fast as I can through the house and make mommy and daddy chase me while they yelling "give me that, give me that" or "off, off, off" when I am using the couch for a springboard to new jumping heights.

So let's recap, through pictures, some of my journey over the past 6 months so you can see how much I have grown as well.  Let's start with the day mommy and daddy picked me up from my breeder.

Me and my breeder. :)

I was cute wasn't I??

That was me getting used to my new home. I took lots of naps which mommy and daddy tried to discourage because apparently they preferred me to sleep past 4am.  They are lazy! 

How about another one of my puppy shots?

My favorite sleep position

Now here I am getting a bit older and bigger with mommy at my first vet visit.  Remember that one?  Remember what I did on daddy's leg?

First puppy training class

And who can forget how terrified I was at my first puppy class.  Those young dogs were so unrefined. :)  I actually miss some of those classmates, especially Remo!

My first bath

Ok...so I don't bore you to tears...let's fast forward to how much bigger I have gotten.  I will just post a few picks and end this novel there and let you see how much I have changed.

Happy birthday to me!!

"I Gwaduated"

Today was such a great day!  All of my hard work and listening to mommy and daddy paid off.  The trainer had mommy and daddy put me through some tests to see if I had learned what we had been practicing during our training sessions.  First she had me sit for a few seconds.  Then I had to lay down and stay down for a few seconds.  Then I had to sit and stay while mommy walked away from me for a few seconds and then the biggie...I had to follow mommy on her left side as we walked around in front of everybody else.  The trainer lady said I did great and look what she gave me...

And then the news got even better.  Mommy and daddy were given an autograph book at during my first training day.  I was supposed to meet as many people as I could between the first and last class and have them sign my book.  The doggie that got the most autographs won something on the last day.  Guess what??  I won!  The very nice trainer lady gave me a new toy as a prize (which I have already torn to shreds).

But maybe even a bigger story is how much more comfortable I am around my classmates.  Daddy put together this short video to show my progress.  

I have come a long way huh?  Well if I heard mommy and daddy correctly, I will be taking more training classes very soon so stay tuned for more updates on my behavioral progress.

Not So Fun Friday

The day seemed promising.  Slept through the night and woke up to a beautiful spring morning here in Tennessee.  Daddy decided to take me on a morning walk which I was thrilled about. It was such a pretty morning for a stroll with my daddy.

But then I noticed that I started to feel the need to pee every so many feet that we walked.  Daddy kept saying, "you are peeing nothing but air Maude."  I just felt like I needed to go.  Daddy got me back home and the feeling didn't stop.  I ran to the back door and let out a few whimpers to let daddy know that I still felt like I needed to go.  I would walk and squat, walk and squat, walk and squat.  My actions seemed to alarm daddy because I heard him on the telephone talking to someone about me.  Next thing I knew, I was in the car and headed back to that place where I seem to get poked and prodded every time I show up.

Dr McDreamy came in again and asked daddy a few questions, stuck something up my butt and said I would have to stay until I peed so they could test my piddle.  Daddy looked very sad and I was too because I have not been taken from them since they got me a few weeks ago and I was unsure of what was going on.  He kissed me on the nose to say bye bye, but then I heard daddy say..."maybe she will pee right away so can I stay to see if she does?"  He loves me very much.  They took me outside and I knew what I had to do, I sniffed to find that right spot and gave them what they wanted.  You should have seen his face when they brought me back inside and let daddy know that I had peed.  They told daddy to wait a few minutes while they tested my pee pee sample.

It did not take long before Dr McDreamy came back in and told daddy that I had a pretty bad bladder infection.  Daddy and he and exchanged a few questions and answers and then they took me back and stuck a needle in me and then sent us home with this very strange bottle full of these funny looking things.  Next thing I know...mommy and daddy are shoving one of those things down the back of my throat.  I was able to avert swallowing it the first time, but then mommy got more determined and shoved practically her whole fist in my mouth forcing that ill-tasting thing down my throat until I was forced to swallow it.

Needless to say that those things have an effect on me because I felt very sleepy most of the day.  Whatever a bladder infection is...I don't like having it and I can tell by the looks of sadness that mommy and daddy don't like me having it either.  But boy howdy...I am getting lots of extra petting and loving now so I guess I can take the bad with the good.  That is what us sheepies are all about...always looking for something to be happy about.

Wordless Wednesday...Sleepy Head

Can't you see that I was asleep???

Training, Grooming and the Vet...Oh My!

Can a day get anymore dramatic for a pup like me?  First...mommy and daddy took me to my 3rd training class this morning.  I have to admit, I am starting to warm up to some of my classmates.  One of my cool new friends is named Remo.  He is a Great Dane and I am pretty sure he will be a big dog like me...probably even bigger.

Remo and his daddy

I am really starting to break out of my shell as you can see in the picture below and I have the "sitting command" pretty much figured out.  I like to sit.  I like to simply sit and watch the other dogs going crazy.

Ok, so you get a sense that training is going well and it is not as stressful as it was to me on day one.  Next week is my final puppy class and, if all goes well, I will be receiving my "puppy good manners" certificate at the end of the class.

So, we leave class and head to a nice little park area where mommy and daddy let me out of the car for a bit to walk around, poop and pee.  The day was really looking pretty good.  We got back in the car and I assumed we were headed home, but my keen sense of direction told me we were on a path that did not lead back to my bed, food and toys.  A turn here and a corner there and the next thing I knew, we were right back somewhere that I had been about 3 weeks ago that had prompted me to use every defense mechanism in my arsenal (pee on daddy, drop a poop bomb near the door's entrance etc).  You can refer back to my "Dr McDreamy" post for full details.  

This time was not as bad it seemed.  I was in and out in about 20 mins.  They took me back and weighed me again and said I was a healthy 32.5lb OES.  Dr McDreamy put some more shots in me which I was not particularly fond of, but overall, not a bad visit.  I think mommy had a worse time than me because she got back in the car and told daddy that there was a mean old coot in the waiting room that commented on my name, and not necessarily in a positive way.  I think mommy wanted to trip the poopyhead on her way out of the office.  

Anywho...things were better so I thought.  I made it back home where daddy and I headed immediately upstairs and had some quiet nap time.  life was good once again.  But then the doorbell rang.  I jumped up excited as I usually do because that usually means food being delivered or someone has come over to see me and ooooh and awww over me which I love dearly now.

Two nice people walked in and introduced themselves.  They seemed rather harmless and very friendly.  But then daddy picked me up and put me into the arms of one them and they whisked me off to some big van looking thing.  Next thing I know I am sopping wet, they got their hands in my ears, in my mouth and I am pretty sure someone got to know me well in my nether region.  Then the furious drying and obsessive brushing and this is what they made me look like...what in the world??

Well...that is how my Saturday has gone which is NOTHING like I pictured it when I woke my mommy and daddy up at 6:30am this morning.  Maybe I will play possum on Saturdays for a while and see if these things can somehow be avoided.

Wordless Wednesday...Cuddle Time