Serra’s Story

Rather suddenly, in nine days we’re going to have a puppy. Right now his name is Purple.

He walked out of the crate at the airport and saw a hundred friends and a million interesting things. Not a moment of doubt in his mind about anything.

It’s official – I’m just as tired sitting in the car as I am if I’m driving. It’s been a long 3 days for Spider, on the leash all the time or in his crate. I took him for a walk as soon as we got home…

Old Stitch walked in, shrugged, and told him that he better not sit in her chair. He spent 10 minutes being a dick to Syn but she finally made him yelp and he became suddenly very polite.

Ron said “I made a paper airplane for him and it was lots of fun until he caught it…” I’m thinking it was lots of fun AFTER he caught it, too!

Loved on the staff, loved on the vet – and she had a couple of tongue-depressors worth of CANNED CAT FOOD OMG to reward him for being present.

Please note that I’m aware of how I switch tenses all the time. Sometimes I’m talking in the present, sometimes I talked in the past, and I switch with no apparent reason. I’m sorry.

Ron reported this morning that Spider went out both dog doors after Syn and Stitch this morning. EE HAH. That’s a HUGE step.

He has the Gator thing figured out, no problem. As long as he stays out in front of it following the ladies where I can see him, I’ll follow along and he can run or walk or collapse in a heap or sniff or chew.

This morning I gave him a treat ball that drops kibble when he pushes it. He pushed it near his crate, kibble fell out, and he was thrilled. So now he’s pushing his crate all over the living room obviously hoping for a ham to fall out, or a turkey or other roast beast.

When Syn and I were done, I Released The Hound and he followed Syn back down to the water. With a wiener I got him to walk in far enough to float.

I decided to try grinding his nails while he was lying down instead of sitting him up in a death grip. And he lay, and he stayed loose and calm while I did all 16 nails. Good boy!

I’m done. It’s 7 PM and I’m going to bed.

I learned – remembered, actually – an important husbandry point this morning. When you have a Giant Schnauzer you have to buy what we here in Saskatchewan would call the “Hutterite colony size” peanut butter, not the puny little single-family size.

Another great day. From the living room, kitchen, and carpeted TV room, he’s going through the dog door out to the dog yard to pee without being reminded. What a lovely person he is!

The good – Ron reports that Spider and Syn were out rolling and wrestling in the alfalfa...

Spider still has zero cares about what people look like, smell like, or wear. He loves them all. He loves their children. He loves their dogs. He loves loves loves goose poop.

Giants have such big jaws, and such big heads which are apparently completely empty, that when they clop their jaws together in a particular way, it echoes. His first CLOP. Baby’s growing up!

When I came back into the living room I realized that there’s really only one place for a wet puppy to be… in my chair.

And… he’s not exhausted. Unfortunately, we are going to have either a real fight, or a serious Come To Jesus.