Something Special

That's ME! Today mom worked for a while in the morning, and I was very bored. I was so bored that I started lapping the woodwork. Mom made me stop. She STILL has no sense of humor. I gave up and laid next to her in the office again. She promised me an outing, so I agreed to nap.

After she was done working, we went to the Farmer's Cooperative Exchange for grain and shavings and dog food (YUM!). I had never been here before. The people liked me a lot. Mom got me a training collar and a raincoat.

Really, a raincoat! It is very me, don't you think? Mom says that rain is coming and she says she is not having a soaking wet stinky dog in the house, and we're not stopping walks just because of rain. Apparently a thing called "spring" brings rain. I think that's ok, although it also apparently means that the snow goes away and really, I am not sure where I will pee when there is no snow. She also says that it is something called "hi-viz" with reflector stripes, which apparently makes it less likely that I will be mistaken for something huntable when we hike in the woods around here. I don't really want to get shot, so I wear it when she says. It isn't bad, really. Better orange and shiny than dead, I guess.

After we shopped at the feed store we went to The Arbors to see Nana and drop off some recipes for her. I met a bunch of ladies. I don't even remember all their names. I met ladies who live there. like Nana does, and I met ladies who work there. Some of them answer the phone and some work in the kitchen and some help the people who live there.

Nana holds my leash most of the time. I think it reminds her of Dazee. I didn't ever meet Dazee, but mom has talked to me about her.

She also calls her friends over to meet me. They all say that they love me. There was one lady that she did not call over. The lady does not like dogs. Imagine!

I liked this lady's socks. It turns out that she has seven or eight pair, and her daughter knits them for her. Her daughter also has mom's first book. Small world!

Nana has a lot of friends. Some of them walk on their own, and some have walkers and wheelchairs and canes and things. I also meet a lot of family members of people who live there.

After we visited for a bit mom had me walk around the building a little. I went to the elevator, and into the living room and the pub. There were normal things, like tables and chairs and sofas, and strange things that I wasn't sure about at all, like big orange signs that said "WET FLOOR". I barked at the sign once, and my hair stood all on end. Then mom made me go and see it up very close. She walked me around it in circles until I stopped looking scared and the hair laid smoothly on my back.

When we got in the truck to come home, I hopped in the back and laid down in my crate. The shavings make a sort of a safe den around my crate so it's even more comfortable than usual. I slept all the way home.

We also practiced all my commands today, and we did some walking on the leash in the heel position. Apparently when mom says "Halt" I have to stop AND sit down. If she says nothing, I just stand beside her. I hope I can remember this. It is important, she says, that I not always sit beside her when she stops if we are walking. There will be times when she just wants me to stand and stay, not sit and stay. It's all very confusing and I am very glad that she takes her time with all of this. We practiced turns too, and I am getting much better at them. And she's stopped giving me treats every time I do something right. This annoys me, because I LOVE food. As long as she throws something my way now and then, I guess it's OK, though.

Like I said, growing up around here is a lot of work. But I am more and more certain that I am up to it!