Crazy how quickly life can go by!
It can be measured by how big my dog is getting. He is 24.8 pounds at 14 weeks:
A long dog (14 weeks!)
At 14 weeks, he is getting pretty large to sit in my lap.
Since the H1N2, I managed to find a job that I started last Saturday. It’s home healthcare, and I’m currently with a pediatric patient. I got oriented during the day nurse’s shift, and next Saturday I’ll be on my first night shift (the schedule is Saturday + Sunday nights 11-7pm… ouch!) The patient is pretty stable, so I will find things to keep me awake!
I got my new driver's license!
I picked up a cold somewhere…. ughh… colds in the spring and summertime really are a drag. Luckily I implemented the Zicam right away, and I think I’ve passed my worst day.
Last weekend, we were brainstorming ways to help Colby burn off energy, so I poked holes in a gatorade bottle and dumped his meal of kibble in it. We are now feeding him all his meals in that fashion… it helps him slow down his eating and gives him some mental and physical exercise 3x day! Here’s a video of the first day we did this:
Colby went on his first trip to Boeing Creek Park (1 block from our house). We stayed away from it for awhile because lots of dogs frequent that park, and Colby was still pretty young/not far in his vaccination series. He’s a little over 14 weeks now and he’s had 3 rounds of shots, so we decided to go for it. OH MY GOSH it was fun!! There are creeks + trails + hills + new smells + birds… we walked 2 hours each day Saturday/Sunday/Monday. There’s a lake where I picked him up, waded in, and set him down in the water to swim back to shore. He’s still a little unsure of that!
Walking with Derek
He must learn that pulling gets him nowhere!
Try the steps, buddy!
Down the steps!
On Monday we tried letting him off the leash when we got deeper in the woods (less people around). We used “heel” to keep him from running too far ahead, and “come on!” to keep him from lagging behind, and he did a great job – often “checking in” with us with quick glances. YAY! Well-trained off-leash walking + running is the goal!!
ALSO, in our efforts to maintain a calm dog, I am taking Colby for a 15 minute run each morning as soon as we wake up. There’s a field a block away that we do laps around (right now he gets too distracted on the roads so this is the most efficient way to get the exercise in).
On Tuesday, I took the kids I babysit to Edmonds Marina Park on Puget Sound. Edmonds is a ferry take-off point, so it can be quite busy in the summer.
After lunch, we headed to the sand!
Ready to play in the sand!
Avery was a busy girl with the sand toys
Avery
This is my brother Mark in 1980 or '81... 30 years later, boys have the same expression at the beach!
I like Garnett's face in this!
This park has beach walks with driftwood to sit on, a play structure for kids, a sunny picnic area, and a huge off-leash dog area that goes right down to the water. We had a great time, packed a lunch, played in the sand… next time we’ll bring boots so we can go wade in the shallows.
Playing by the driftwood log
Driftwood log
Yesterday I got Colby his first plush toy. It also happens to be his first experience with a squeaky toy, which drives him CRAZY! I’m going to use this toy to make a “pig on a string” to train him not to adjust his mouth-grip when playing tug (which can be dangerous if his teeth get closer and closer to your hand!) When I find a stick to use, I’ll post a photo or video of the final product.
Please don’t forget to comment! I <3 comments, and it’s fun to get some feedback or even a conversation going!
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