The proof is in the puppy

Anything that can hurt a human baby can hurt your puppy, too. Puppies don’t have hands, so yours is going to explore his new world with his mouth. Anything he can sink his teeth into is fair game, and it’s your job to be sure he stays safe. That means puppy-proofing your home.
                                                                   -Your Labrador Retriever Puppy, Month by Month

As soon as she was able, Gracie went for the books on the bookcase. I lost more than a handful of paperbacks, before it dawned on me to box up the surviving books and store them until this phase of puppyhood passed.

Gracie found a better use for the bookcase after that.

Instead of fighting the losing battle against my Lab’s need to explore her world with her mouth, I adapted. I closed bedroom and bathroom doors. I crated trained for the times when I couldn’t watch her. I put away favorite knick-knacks. I cleared off my kitchen counters. I taught Gracie important commands like “leave it” and “spit it.” And I kept an endless supply of toys on hand, rotating them every few weeks so it appeared they were new.

Sure, my house looked pretty bare for about a year, but as a result, I lost only one TV remote and suffered only minor damage to the corner of the coffee table. Eventually, I was able to have nice things again.

I’m a proponent of puppy-proofing. I want to spend my time with my puppy playing and having fun. Plus, life goes on in spite of the puppy and I don’t have time to be constantly chaperoning his escapades.

When Gus arrives in 10 days, the house and yard will be ready for his puppy explorations. I’m sure he’ll throw some new tricks at me. So I’ll need to stay sharp.

 

Father's Day

Just as we were reaching the car, we heard a commotion coming from the woods. Something was crashing through the brush – and breathing very heavily. Then in a flash the thing burst into the clearing and came charging in our direction, a yellow blur. As it galloped past, not stopping, we could see it was a large Labrador retriever. But it was nothing like the sweet Lily we had just cuddled with inside. This one was soaking wet and covered up to its belly in mud and burrs. Its tongue hung out wildly to one side, and froth flew off its jowls as it barreled past. In the split second glimpse I got, I detected an odd, slightly crazed, yet somehow joyous gaze in its eye.  “I think,” I said, a slight queasiness rising in my gut, “we just met Dad.”

                                                          -Except from Marley & Me by John Grogan

I remember reading that paragraph in the Marley & Me and thinking it described perfectly Gracie’s sire, except he was a black Lab with a little Rottweiler mixed in. His name was Chopper. His owner said they were big fans of the popular Discovery Channel show Orange County Choppers about a father and son who spent more time yelling at each other than building custom motorcycles.

It should have warned me off, but sweet little Gracie, just four weeks old, had fallen asleep on my lap with her mom’s head resting serenely nearby. “Maybe she’ll take after her mother,” I remember thinking.

In reality Gracie must have been more like her dad with some of Marley’s dad mixed in because I’ve definitely seen that “odd, slightly crazed, yet somehow joyous gaze” in her eyes.

I didn’t get a chance to meet Gus’s dad, Odie. I was so excited to meet Gus it never crossed my mind to ask to see his parents. But the breeder told me that Odie couldn't be a sweeter boy and that he is very gentle and loves affection. I also hear he loves water and chasing balls.

Today is Father’s Day and I’ve been thinking about my dad. Most people think I take after my mom, but I think that’s only because I spend a lot of time with her. My mom is the family planner, organizer, and realist. People see those qualities in me, but it’s only because I’ve always had jobs that require me to use those skills. At home, I’m anything but. No, I’ve always thought I took after my dad. We shared a similar sense of humor and even now some of my best jokes were his jokes. My dad was a visionary – able to see the possibilities in life and people, but he had a harder time executing on those dreams. Yep, that’s me too.

Sometimes children rebel or resist the things of their parents. “I’ll never be like that,” they say. But I’ve learned many lessons from Gracie over the years. One of the biggest lessons is to embrace life and be content with who you are. She may have been a difficult puppy and a challenging adolescent, but Gracie has become a faithful companion who makes me laugh every day.

Gus won’t have his father around to show him the joys of swimming and getting petted by the neighbors, but I know Gracie will happily step into that role and will lead Gus and me on our next joyous adventure.

Sleeping arrangements

One question I've been getting lately is "where will Gus sleep?"  My friends and family know that Gracie sleeps in bed with me. Or rather, I sleep in bed with her. Most nights I have a narrow strip of the queen size bed and she stretches  out on the rest. Over the years we've made it work, but this isn't how it always was.

I believe in crate training. For the first year of Gracie's life with me, she stayed in her crate at night. Her crate was her sanctuary, a place she could rest completely without feeling compelled to watch for errant neighbor cats violating the Smith property line or to follow me each step as I puttered around the house. Her crate was also her time-out zone when she pushed me too far. 

We expanded the crate concept to include a luxurious 9 by 12 foot kennel in the garage. As Gracie got older, this would be where she would spend her days while I was at work. Initially, the kennel sat on the the concrete garage floor. 

And I felt bad about that, so I bought Gracie a dog bed.

But not just any dog bed. I bought a bed from Orvis called a Tough Chew durable bed.  The description promised the beds were chew-resistant with a double-layer construction that would stand up to the most persistent chewers (e.g., Gracie). What sold me was the final sentence: If your dog can chew through one of these durable dog beds, we’ll refund your money. No questions asked.

When I ordered the bed, this was my expectation:

In reality, this is what happened. 

But true to their word, Orvis did refund my money after I stuffed the sad remains of the tough chew bed in a box and sent it back to the company. 

So back to the question at hand: where will Gus sleep?

Gus will also be crated trained. I will have his crate in my bedroom at the foot of the bed. It will be his sanctuary and, when needed, his time-out zone. 

But expectations are hard things to release, so I recently ordered a new Tough Chew bed from Orvis for Gus to use. 

Although, I'm saving my receipt and the box it came in, especially after reading this warning on the box:  

Hello, my name is Gus

Hello, my name is Gus. 

I met my new person yesterday. Although at four weeks, I'm not sure what that really means. I just know this lady held me up and said "are you the one?" and I responded by wagging my tail to let her know I was. 

Then one of my brothers interrupted us by pouncing on a toy. I had to get in on that action, so I squirmed to be put down. 

There were lots of people wanting to hold, pet, and play with me. I loved that! 

I few minutes later, the lady clamped a big red collar around my neck. I did NOT love that. In fact, I tried to get it off straight away. I may have even cried a bit, but then again I'm only four weeks old. 

Then all of a sudden me and my brothers got sleepy, so we found a cozy blanket. Little bro got cranky when I tried to lay on top of him for added cushion, but because I'm a nice guy, I moved over. 

Maybe when I wake up this collar will be gone.