And puppy makes 4

If you are a puppy, everything is an opportunity, everything is potentially a toy.

Take, for example, the leaves on the back deck that litter Tango's path as he comes in from outdoors. Every outing brings another leaf into the house.

Or maybe you think a hemlock is just a tree, but NO! it's a den, it's a merry-go-round, it's 'pop goes the weasel!' Today Tango figured out that he fits under the hemlock and Anya doesn't. In their play, he used it both to rest and to tease Anya.

Then there are shoelaces, socks, sandals: all obviously great toys, and comforting, to boot, since they smell like the humans in the family. But off limits. I now have a considerable number of acceptable-for-chewing dog toys spread throughout the house so I can follow the advice of the Monks of New Skete and substitute an acceptable object for dealing with those itchy teeth!

Kathy thinks we got a dog in a designer color; Chuck thinks we got a doggy canvas and threatens to go to the 6Ts shop and buy bright hair dyes -- purple first! -- to make Tango more colorful.

I took them on a fairly long walk just now. We walked down to Nam's house and then came back through the woods. I'm tired, Tango is tired, and Anya isn't giving any reports. The hills let me know that I am out of condition.

Tango came in and immediately drank and ate (that order) and now is using his favorite 'cave' to rest. He gets under my desk, between my feet and the desk, and lies there for hours. I must remember not to step on him or roll over him with the wheels of the chair.



In the kitchen, Tango matches the white floor rather too well, so I have given him a bright blue kerchief as a flag that says, "Don't tread on me." It almost works.

We have a cute video of small puppy (12 lb) coming downstairs in a very puppy fashion. Also one of two dogs playing merry-go-round with Chuck. (Desk chair dog exercise.) When I figure out where to post them, I shall.

He is warm and soft and trusting. When I wake him up to go outside to 'do his stuff,' he makes sweet little sounds that make me imagine a baby looking for a place to nurse. I call them 'sweet milk-sounds,' which amuses Chuck. Surprisingly (to me) he has already mastered the concept of his peeing and pooping place. Not to say that we haven't had accidents in the house. We have. But when he is outdoors and needs to go, he heads there, and when I put him down there and say, "Do your stuff!" he squats and does it!

Right now I am using the kitchen timer to keep myself on a regular schedule: every two hours I get a reminder that it's time to take Tango out. It works pretty well.

So far -- 10 days -- we're doing well and enjoying the new puppy and he seems to be enjoying us!