On Wednesday, Mommy gathered up her bag containing Moleskin, tape and I don't know what else and me. We piled in the truck and drove about 20 minutes to Janet Lewis' house where Janet would tape up my droopy ears. Surprise! Janet says we should wait another week because my ears are starting to stand up on their own. Yippee! Back at home, I am still having a time with house breaking. I just don't get it yet. Outside walks are for grass sniffing, antagonizing Kitty, horse staring, and maybe a little pee pee. The kitchen floor is for unloading #2. If that's being house broken, I have it down pat but from the response I am getting from Mommy and Daddy, I think I still have some learning to do. I am doing better about not yelping and crying up a storm when left in my crate. Guess I'm getting to be a bigger girl pup every day!

I've Grown!

Its been a week and a day since I arrived at my new home. When I got here, I weighed about 17 pounds. Daddy weighed me today. I've gained 4 pounds! It must be those Purina Chocolate Covered Lard puppy cookies! Just kidding. I've been chowing down on Purina Puppy Chow and drinking good well water. Pretty soon, I'll be bigger than Chaser. Much bigger. I pee when I go outside. Thats good. But, I still pee inside. I do most of my #2 inside, in the kitchen on the vinyl floor. It seems easy enough to clean up there. Of course, if Mommy and Daddy made me clean it up, I might start taking it outside but, I have no thumbs. I can't pick up things like loaded paper towels. We'll just have to wait and see how long it takes me to become completely house broken. I also have a difficult time not nipping at the hand that tries to pet me. I'll get over that. I've got a lot of growing to do. BTW, on Wednesday, Mommy is taking me to Janet's house where my floppy ears will be taped up so people will easily recognize my pure bred German Shepherdshipnessismmentness.

Doin' the Puppy Paddle

Jen, my Daddy's 18 year old daughter and her boyfriend Matt visited over the weekend. I was excited to meet them and I think they loved me at first sight. I was carried, petted, and picked up all day. I sat, gave paw and kisses until I could barely lift my little paw. I lay under the kitchen table, on the cool vinyl floor and listened to my pack talk about how cute, adorable and calm I am. On Sunday, Jen and Matt were still there and Daddy's son Rob and his fiancée Tanya arrived for a visited. We all piled in the truck and went down to the boat ramp so I could go for a swim. Matt carried me into water that was a little bit over my head. Without even thinking about it, I started to paddle really fast with all four of my legs. I was out of the water in no time and headed for the truck. That was enough for me. Out of no where, somebody picked me up. I think it was Daddy who handed me back to Matt. Back out in the water I went. I paddled back to the boat ramp. This went on for about 20 minutes. Matt also held me up in the water and let me paddle in place. That was fun.
After everybody went home, I was exhausted and snoozed for a while on the kitchen floor. Sunday night, Mommy left me and Chaser in the kitchen. Daddy was very pleased when he woke up for work early Monday morning. There was not one spot of pee or poop in the kitchen. But, after Daddy went to work, I was wide awake and got bored. By the time Mommy woke up and came down stairs, I had pulled stuff off the kitchen table and chewed it, peed and pooped several times (Mommy told Daddy 5 times but I don't recall all of that)...Daddy is going to bring home more toys. I need to occupy my high intellect with something that either squeaks or chews well. Talk to you later. Love, Holly

A mysterious beast in our midst

This morning Dad was ready to take me directly outside as soon as his shuffling around in the kitchen wakes me up. Out of my crate he carried me, right out the screened porch door and outside to let me go potty. So, there I am in the pre-dawn stillness. Wandering around the front yard with Daddy instructing me, "Come on, Holly, and go potty..." But, wait...what is that thing over yonder, too close for comfort? It’s HUGE and it’s looking at me. I am captivated and sit down to gaze at it. "Come on, Holly, that’s Josie the Horse, she's a horse and she is part of our pack. Now, go potty!" I am mesmerized. Never in my young life have I seen such an immense creature. "Holly, go potty," Daddy says again, having little effect on my amazement with this brown, furry animal called Josie, the horse. Daddy picked me up and carried me to the fence only 30 feet away. "See, Holly, this is Josie. She's a horse and she is part of our pack."
Something told me that Josie had heard that drill before. Maybe other puppies have been here. By the time Daddy said, "See Holly, this is..." Josie had already put her barn-wide behind toward us and walked away. I guess this horse-animal is not ready to make my acquaintance. Daddy set me back down in the damp grass. "Okay now Holly, time to go potty. Daddy has to get going here," he instructed. So I squatted and peed a little bit.
"Good girl!" he commended like only he does, making it sound almost like a song. Back in the grass I go. "Now, go potty." I have to get going," Daddy says. But, his words fall on floppy, deaf ears. I sat and gazed. In the shadowy distance, I could make out the thing called Josie as it paced toward the barn. Who can poop when you have a beast on the loose? Daddy swept me into his arms and up the stairs we went. In the kitchen, I watched as Chaser, on command, sat and gave paw for a puppy cookie. I did the same (I seem to be left pawed like Mommy) and chewed my puppy cookie as Daddy retreated to the bathroom. I thought he would never leave! There was a doughy loaf at the ready and plenty of kitchen floor to choose from.

I see, I chew

When Mommy got up yesterday morning, she discovered I chewed up a roll of paper towels and also the seat of a dining room chair. Mommy told Daddy that from now on, put me back in my crate on the screened porch when Daddy leaves for work. I had a big day yesterday. Mommy took me out to socialize me. We stopped by Janet Lewis's house and visited Janet and Lem. Janet liked me, said I was sweet and not too hyper. Janet says I may need to have my ears taped up if they don't stand up on their own in a couple more weeks. Grace the farm sitter visited too. I got to meet her. Last night we had fun in the living room while Jasmine stayed on the couch with Mom and Dad. (Not my dog mom and dad, I mean my new mom and dad, Steph and Richard). When Dad went to bed, Mom went upstairs with him to check the email. When she came back, Jasmine was gone and did not come out of hiding until this morning.
When Daddy got me out of my crate this morning, I was sooo excited. Dad, still in his underwear, carried me to the bathroom where he put me down long enough to grab a pair of pants. He was going to slip on the pants long enough to take me outside to go potty. How was I supposed to know what he was doing? I peed right where he had me hanging, over his current Sun Magazine. Boy, Daddy sure can move fast when he wants to. Anyway, by the time he got his pants on, I had alreay peed and pooped in the kitchen, in front of the stove where I like to go for some reason. Tomorrow morning, Daddy will get his pants on first, take me out my crate and directly outside. We are all learning to adjust to my presence. All in all, things are beautiful.

Getting settled in

Last night was family night with my pack. Mommy, Daddy, Chaser, Jasmine and me gathered in the living room. Jasmine mostly stayed in Mommy's lap. I think I'm too rough for her. Chaser and me are becoming real pals. She lets me eat out of her food bowl and sleep on her bed if I want. We roll around on the floor, play chase and wrestle. Chaser scolded me once by growling and barking a mean bark. I forgot what I did but it wasn't much. She scared me when she growled and I retreated for a few minutes. Then, we were pals again.
Daddy makes me watch him tell Chaser to "sit" and "give paw." After each command, Daddy gives Chaser a puppy cookie which she devours like there is no tomorrow. I'm learning to sit very well but I don't quite get the "give paw" thing yet. But, give me time cause I'm only 9 weeks old.
Another thing I don't get is this house breaking stuff. I'll go when I get outside but I'll also go inside. Anywhere I want.
Daddy goes to bed early but the rest of us stay up for a while. I spent most of the night in a big doggie crate on the screened porch. Mommy put Jasmine in her cage right in front of me to keep me company. I fell asleep okay but when I heard Daddy getting ready for work at 4: 30 a.m., I woke up and started making a major ruckus. I cried, yodled, screamed, squealed and yelped at the top of my lungs. I also jumped around in my crate so as to tip over my bowl of dry puppy food. Mommy woke up and called down to Daddy on the intercom and asked him to let me in with Chaser. That was all I wanted, just some company. Daddy left for work probably wondering what I might get into. I saw him lugging the vaccum cleaner into the parlor. Too bad because that black, plastic cord looked yummy! Oh well, time for a nap.