Moving!

Sorry guys! Epic and I have been busy moving. We'll post something good soon. We promise!

Busy Busy Puppy!

Makes mommy very very very tired! The good news is he makes himself tired as well. Yesterday was my birthday, and Epic and I spent it running errands. It did, however, take us out to Grandma and Grandpa's where baby Epic got to run around their HUGE yard with his pals.

And this plastic cup.

Showin' off his lines.

Callie! Callie! It's Narnia!

This morning he was driving me NUTS so we worked a lot on reacting to his name, his sits, and downs. We also learning 'spin'. He and I also took a very short leash walk (just up and down the block) to work on our leash skills and to overcome his general uncertainty about the world. He tends to get overwhelmed and sit down, or sniff heavily in one area. As such, I'm trying to put into practice the idea of "1,2,3... Let's Go!". He is allowed a moment to collect himself, he has "1,2,3" to finish up, and on "Let's Go", I start walking again. He gets a treat once he catches up to me. The idea is that he learns it's okay to take a moment, and this way I won't yank him off his feet trying to move us forward. Obviously, learning this will be a long process and is something i'll have to be very consistent about if I want him to associate those words with our walks.

All our running around and work these last two days has made him pretty gosh darn tired. Last night he slept from 11:00pm to 8:30 this morning! I was the one who decided his little puppy bladder needed to go outside. He was toast most of the morning, but could use a good romp this evening.

Happiness is...

... having a puppy who does both businesses on his bedtime trip outside! Hooray!

Red Bed of DOOM!

The Red Bed... where all good toys go to die.

Birthday Presents!

Today was an advanced birthday celebration (for me!), so Epic got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa and the whole family ALL day. I was very impressed with the way the little man was able to fit himself into the pack. I thought there might be more problems, as the dogs at Grandma and Grandpa's are all fairly large and Epic is about the size of a disappointing dessert.

My little family

Both Epic and I did very well with birthday presents. He came away from the 'party' with a new dog bed that is not only good for sleeping in, it's awesome for rolling as well! He also received an awesome toy... it's a cylinder with four holes, with four plush snakes inside. The snakes are attached to the inside with elastics, so when he pulls them out they fight back a little. He also can't make off with them this way.

Below is a video of Epic playing... rather lazily... in his red bed. Sorry the quality isn't better. And yes, he did snort.

There was one last present for Epic... his own custom ride!

I have this crazy desire to teach Epic to skateboard, so I was given a handpainted kid's skateboard for my birthday. How cool is THAT?

He's Here!

Sorry... I didn't get updating yesterday because I was busy on my puppy mission!

He's here, he's beautiful, and he's currently chewing on my computer desk. At nine weeks old, he's much smaller than I imaged (which I like!), but otherwise, he's certainly everything I dreamed of.

He and his Aunty Kit had a bit of a rough meeting, but after a leash walk last night and an offleash walk this morning Kit now recognizes him as a playmate and Epic is head-over-heels in love with her.

A lesson in car etiquette: Do what Kit does.

For some reason I had great concern that Epic wouldn't like me, or would bond to one of the dogs instead. Doesn't seem to be an issue... yesterday he was constantly under my feet as he was so out-of-sorts and confused. He's still looking to me for guidance today, but he's very VERY ... uh ... busy. Actually, he's.... uh .... disappeared...

Countdown

1 DAY

UNTIL EPIC ARRIVES!!!!!!

Countdown

2 DAYS

UNTIL EPIC ARRIVES!!!

Countdown

3 DAYS

UNTIL EPIC ARRIVES

Countdown...

4 DAYS

UNTIL EPIC ARRIVES

Countdown

5 DAYS

UNTIL EPIC ARRIVES

Introducing the Cast... or.... Why are we Here?

For the last nine weeks I have been anxiously, ANXIOUSLY waiting for a tiny little Jack Russell puppy to grow up, be weaned, and become mine, ALL mine. As of today, there are only 8 days left until I meet my little boy and bring him home. In the interest of getting ready for puppy I have been... well... nesting. We have the crate, the food, the attire, and a whole lotta' toys for the little guy to tear through. All I'm missing is the puppy.

The Jack Stash

It occured to me today that there was one last thing I could do before entering puppy prison ... I could get ready to tell you all about it. Thus the blog was born! Following in the footsteps of friends and teammates I hope to use this space to update you all on our upcoming adventures. Epic represents something 'new' for me. Although I have loved and cared for Bentley for (almost) 7 years.... Epic will be the first dog that's all mine. Yes, technically Ben was a Christmas gift from my parents, but we have shared him as a family and Ben loves us all freely in return. As such, Ben splits his time between two homes with my parents getting the lion's share of his snuggles. Epic? Well Epic will be the last guy I say goodnight too, and the first one I see come morning. I haven't even met him and I already love him. How does THAT happen?!

Anyway, so I'm blogging now, and I hope to update regularly (cross my heart!). This means you should become familiar with the cast of characters.

Ben and Epic you've already met ... their bios are to the side.

Co-starring in this journey are Sammy (6 y.o Border/PapillionX), and Kit (1.5 y.0 Border), my sister's dogs. While we all live together right now, in two weeks the household splits and the girls will be moving to my sister's farm.

Sammy

Kit

Living with my parents and Ben are; Sonny (4 y.o Beagle) and Callie (3 y.o PittyX).

Sonny

Callie

And that's the lot of them! Together, maybe we can entertain you.