Fixed?

 

I wonder if Kyle will think the same thing after tomorrow?

Bathtime Antics

Today Kyle got his first bath since being transferred to me. After all, we have evaluations with our CFR tonight, so he needs to look spiffy.

While he didn't enjoy the bath, Kyle was great at standing still while I soaped him down. He even let me spike his hair. Unfortunately, I forgot to take the camera in the bathroom, so the spike pictures will have to wait for Kyle's next bath.

Kyle was hilarious after the bath. He ran back and forth between my bedroom and spare room. Afterward, rubbed against the carpet for several minutes. Even after I distracted him with dinner, Kyle returned to the spare room and continued trying to rub off any trace of water. Silly dog!

The following three videos are of Kyle running around and rubbing himself against the floor.

After all of his antics, Kyle decided to curl up in a sunny spot. That wasn't a bad idea since the sun will finish drying him.

(Kyle is curled up in the sunny spot on my spare room floor and looking at me will puppy dog eyes. I can almost hear him saying, "Aw mom, why did you have to go and bathe me?")

Data Review Crunch Time

Next Wednesday I have a data review meeting for my thesis. The good news is that means I am only about two months off of finishing graduate school and having a lot more time for Kyle. The bad news is that means Kyle gets to be bored while I frantically type my thesis.

Last week my thesis chair told me I have to work on my thesis at least 12 hours a day without ever answering my cell phone. Then she added, you cannot do anything but work on your thesis and maybe walk your dog. Since she's not a dog person, that shows how much Kyle has won her over.

Daily walks aside (which three days a week we interpret as hikes), Kyle has spent a lot of time lounging around. One evening when he couldn't cuddle with me, he decided to cuddle my backpack.

(Kyle is curled in a ball and resting his left shoulder on my backpack.)

Later Kyle decided to lay in an extremely weird, and what appears highly uncomfortable, position on my backpack. You have to realize that bag is full of books and has hard water bottles in each side pocket. Odd puppy!

(Kyle is on his back with his front half on my backpack slanting downward. His legs are curled up so that he looks like roadkill. Sad.)

Since the backpack adventures, I've moved my work to my spare room/office, where I am much more productive than I am on the couch. This has caused Kyle to get creative again. My desk isn't that big, but he manages to curl up in the little space my feet and trashcan don't take up underneath. He is always happiest when he is touching me.

(Kyle is sleeping between my legs, which you cannot see, and a leg of my desk chair. His legs are extended to take up the last little bit of free space.)

Tonight it got to be way past bedtime, and I was still hours from submitting the draft I promised my chair before the morning. I finally took pity on Kyle and brought his bed alongside my desk. Of course, Kyle had to pick an odd way to sleep on it.

(Kyle is asleep on his back with his top half on the carpet and his bottom half on his dog bed. His legs are out to his sides. The left front leg was wrapped around my chair until I moved to take the picture. Even in his soundest sleep, Kyle likes to be near me if possible.)

My mom was on the phone to me when Kyle started barking in his sleep, so I put the phone up to him, and she got to hear it. He has the funniest little barks, whines, and groans when he dreams. Thankfully, they aren't very loud, and I'm a sound sleeper.

Yes, you did notice that I was breaking the no cell phone rule. That is because I have one of the best mom's ever. She stayed up until all hours editing chapter four of my thesis. When one of my professors told me her dad wouldn't even read the bound copy of her thesis, I had to brag that my mom reads and edits every word of my thesis. I sure am loved!

Back to Kyle... Lest you fear that he isn't getting socialized, we had a wonderfully fun puppy-filled weekend that is a large contributing factor to our crunch time now. That post will have to wait. In the mean time, I have to admit that Kyle has gotten three new toys lately to somehow makeup for asking him to entertain himself for hours every day. Isn't that a bad parenting technique...buying your kids toys instead of giving them attention? Does it count for dogs? I'm afraid so. Sigh!

(Kyle is happily chewing on his new XXL red Kong. He actually got this toy because he got his large red Kong stuck in his mouth, and it scared me. I was nice and resisted my temptation to find my camera and take a picture before I pulled it out. Now he only gets his large Kongs when I'm in the room.)

Becky's Wedding Festivities

This week Kyle and I got to attend all sorts of celebrations for one of my good friend's wedding. Becky and I were grad school classmates for two years and roommates for over half of that time. While we were roommates, Becky, Rachel, and I made Porter's Place our hangout. They are an old Western themed restaurant named after Orrin Porter Rockwell. They are known for church history named dishes and great virgin drinks. Any momentous occasion, be it good or bad, called for a trip to Porter's Place. For Becky's last girls' night out, we couldn't go anywhere but there.

(Becky, Me, Trisha, and Rachael slurping our virgin drinks at Porter's Place.)

Even though were were on a girls' night, one boy did get to come along. Kyle behaved like a perfect gentlemanly escort. Most of the time he slept under the table. Truth be told, Kyle is wonderfully behaved in restaurants and sees them as a great napping spot.

(Kyle lying on his side and sleeping under the table at Porter's Place.)

Before we moved on, Kyle had to sneak in a little time with the bride-to-be. The first time Becky and Kyle met, he decided she was alright, curled up in her lap, and went to sleep. They've been friends ever since.

(Becky kneeling down with Kyle next to her just before we left the restaurant.)

After the drinks, we headed to Rachael's parent's house so that we could have a large backyard to grill dinner and watch and outdoor movie. Instead of the movie, we ended up watching the dogs. Kyle rarely gets to play with other dogs or be off leash, so he had a blast. He and Jasmine, a seven-year-old Australian Shepard/Lab mix played for two and a half hours almost nonstop.We are definitely going to have to set up more play dates for these two.

(Jasmine nipping at Kyle's neck while he jumps in the air.)

Since Kyle and Jasmine wouldn't hold still together, I had to get one of Jasmine alone when she took a break to watch the young buck run laps.

(A pretty shot of Jasmine looking off in the distance.)

Rachael's parents have a trampoline sunk in the ground. At first Kyle didn't know what to make of the bouncy surface and avoided it.

(Jeremiah bouncing on the trampoline while Becky lies on it. Jasmine and Kyle are looking on.)

It didn't take long for him to decide he liked to bounce. Kyle spent a good amount of time jumping on and off with Becky and Jeremiah.

(Jeremiah is lying on the trampoline while Becky sits next to him. Kyle is jumping on the trampoline with his ears flying in the air.)

Wednesday was wedding event free, but we sure made up for it today. In our church, weddings are performed in temples. This is the only place I don't take Kyle because everything inside is pale colored or white. As a result, while I went to Becky and Jeremiah's sealing, Kyle got to go to our club leader's house and play with her two puppies, Sugar and Mara. Mara, her female black lab, is headed to Oregon tomorrow for harness training, so this was a great opportunity for Kyle to say goodbye. Good luck Mara!

With Kyle at the puppy sitter's, I had a stress free day. It was weird to have an empty left hand and not worry about what my dog was doing every second. I managed though, and had a blast with friends. Becky was a gorgeous bride, and Jeremiah looked stunning in his chocolate tux.

(The single girls and the bride had to pose for a picture. Me, Becky, Rachael, and Jenny right after Becky got married!)

When all the morning festivities were over and I'd taken a trip to campus to meet with my thesis chair, I headed to get Kyle. It warmed my heart to see how happily he wagged my tale when I walked in the front door. He had just eaten dinner and gotten back from a long walk. My brave club leader is amazing. She walked Kyle, Sugar, and Mara for two miles at the same time! I know Kyle had a great day.

In return for puppysitting Kyle, I agreed to take Sugar for a couple days while my leader drops off Mara and attends a family reunion. Sugar is a beautiful white golden retriever who is only two weeks older than Kyle. She is a sweetie through and through.

I thought Kyle would be excited to have a friend along for a few days, but I think he got jealous of sharing my attention after leaving him all day. When we took off, Kyle did something he has never done before. He curled in a tight ball with his back to me. Kyle wouldn't even look at me when I said his name and patted his head.

(Kyle curled in a ball on the front passenger floorboard looking away from me.)

Of course, while Kyle pouted, Sugar looked unfazed in the backseat. So far, she has proved to be a really easygoing girl.

(Sugar sitting in the backseat with her tongue licking her nose.)

Back to the wedding celebrations... I got home with the puppies, relieved both of them, kenneled Sugar, and raced out the door with Kyle. He shouldn't have pouted because I had already chosen him to attend the reception with me. Since Becky knows him, Kyle was the obvious choice for the outing.

Becky and Jeremiah have tons of nieces and nephews, so there were adorable children running everywhere at the reception. About halfway through the evening, one little five-year-old, Louisa, came and introduced her self and asked to pet Kyle. She was my shadow the remainder of the night.

(Louisa kneeling in the grass next to Kyle and petting him.)

Louisa was an incredibly intelligent little girl who wanted to know all about Kyle's training. I told here the commands he knows, and she had a blast telling Kyle sit and down. However, she was disappointed that he doesn't know shake or roll over. I explained that he is only half trained so far, and that we have to teach the most important commands first. Louise proceeded to explain that concept to all her cousins for the remainder the evening.

After several rounds of puppy push-ups (successive sits and downs), Louisa wanted to try something new. I taught her lets go and let her walk Kyle along the edge of the yard. Kyle did pretty well until he found the wood chips and tried to eat them. After that, we avoided that section of the yard.

(Louisa walking Kyle around the edge of the yard on a loose leash.)

After a while several cousins noticed that Louisa was having all the fun, and they wanted a turn with Kyle. At one point he had four or five kids trying to walk him at once. That didn't last long because it was too overwhelming for Kyle. As a result, all the kids ran away except Louisa. She stayed at Kyle's side until Becky and Jeremiah drove off. Once again she proved that kids and puppies belong together. I also think she is convinced to raise a puppy in ten years or so.

(Two flower girls walking Kyle into the tall grasses at the edge of the back yard.)

Becky and Jeremiah were pretty busy all night, but Kyle and I snagged a few minutes of their time. I'm so happy for the two of them. They make an incredible couple who had a beautiful wedding.

(Me giving Becky a hug while Jeremiah looks on. Kyle is sitting patiently in the foreground.)

Weeks like this one make you believe that happily ever after does exist!

Discovery Academy

Saturday our puppy club gave a presentation at Discovery Academy, a residential treatment school. In addition to our puppies, we had two career changed dogs, two puppies from other clubs, and one working guide at the presentation.

The presentation started with a sweet man sharing his story of how he became blind, how blindness affects his life, and the benefits of working with a guide dog. He brought goggles, blindfolds, and braille cards to make everything more interactive for the kids. My favorite part of the presentation is was when he took a short walk with Mariah, his guide, to demonstrate how they work as a team. Whenever people ask me how I can give my puppies up, I just want them to see a team working together. Their unity makes my loss completely worth it!

(Mariah is a 3 1/2 year old yellow lab. She and her partner are just starting their demonstration walk in this photo.)

During the presentation we spread all of the puppies among the teens who were watching. At times Kyle just relaxed, but he really enjoyed himself after on student decided to let Kyle climb into his lap. Kyle rarely turns down the opportunity to cuddle.

(Kyle is completely flopped over on his back with his tongue hanging out. The student who is holding him is scratching Kyle's belly. Spoiled dog!)

After the presentation, students grouped around the dogs. We explained training techniques to them. Kyle and I demonstrated how to play tug and how to do a food induced recall. The students then had fun doing these two things with him. For the most part Kyle was on his best behavior until the exact moment another raiser decided to snap a picture of us.

(Kyle jumping up and putting his front paws on me. We are making progress with this bad habit, but it isn't curbed yet.)

Kyle wasn't the only puppy getting tons of attention. Each dog was thoroughly loved on Saturday. For my sister, I have to highlight one puppy in particular. When Katherine, another raiser in my club, found out she was getting a female yellow lab with a B name, I hoped she would get a puppy named Becky. Becky is my sister who raised Mesa (and I was the co-raiser). Well, Katherine ended up with Breeze, but Breeze has a sister Becky who went to a nearby club. I got to meet Becky on Saturday. These pictures are for my guide dog raising sister who shares her name with an adorable puppy. :)

(Becky being loved on by five kids at once.)

(A closeup of Becky's face. I love that she always has such a goofy grin. This is a dog who knows how to enjoy life.)

After the meeting I had the chance to hang out and visit with people from my club while Kyle played with his friends. I love this puppy raising group!

(Kyle sitting next to Spike. Spike is a handsome red colored lab!)

(Kyle staring up at the camera with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. His head looks huge at this angle.)

(Finally, Kyle worn out at the end of the meeting. He is ready to call it a day.)

Visitors Galore

While Kyle has almost impeccable manners in public, his behavior at home still leaves something to be desired. He doesn’t have any destructive habits (thank goodness), but he does like to jump on people, mouth people, and bark when he is being ignored. Since I live alone, these are hard habits to work on. My friends and neighbors are stepping in to help though.

A few days ago, Katie came over for a visit before we headed out to lunch. Kyle is getting much better at not bouncing everywhere when I answer the door, so Katie’s visit was the first time I let Kyle off leash with another person here. Kyle knew that Katie needed some puppy love and laid his head in her lap. Really, who doesn’t need puppy love every now and then?

(Kyle with his head in Katie’s lap while she looks down at him.)

After a while, Kyle did something that amazed me. He wandered off to the side of the living room and entertained himself before falling asleep. That is a first! Kyle always wants human affection and never settles if not contained by a leash, tiedown, or kennel. Yea for major progress!

(Kyle and his red Kong lying off to the side of the room.)

The next day two other friends, Liz and Luke, stopped by to show off their new pet. Never fear, Kyle was back to his old antics. For some reason he is always on his worst behavior around Liz and Luke. Sigh! Thankfully they have seen him work in public and know that he can be wonderful.

Liz has a Russian tortoise, Clyde, for a classroom pet. While we were roommates, I loved to play with Clyde, but Clyde never loved to play with me. He preferred to hide in his shell and pee on me. Now that Clyde is home again for another summer, it was time to get him a female friend…Bonnie. Is it possible to call a Russian tortoise friendly? If so, Bonnie is. She is the opposite of Clyde. Bonnie climbed up to my shoulder to have a look at the world and stuck her neck out farther when I petted her head. The best part is that Bonnie never even considered peeing on me.

Kyle’s reaction to Bonnie was hilarious. At first he pulled to the end of his tiedown to get a look at her.

(Kyle straining on his tiedown with Bonnie a few feet away.)

When Bonnie started to head toward Kyle, he turned into a chicken and hid around the corner of the couch. Liz, Luke, and I had a great laugh over that one. Silly Kyle!

 

(Kyle is hidden around the couch corner while Bonnie crawls toward him.)

After a bit Kyle decided that maybe Bonnie wasn’t dangerous after all. His curiosity nudged him out of his hiding place, but he still didn’t want to get too close. Instead, he chose to just stare at Bonnie.

 

(Kyle has his ears perked up and is intently looking at Bonnie while she continues creeping his way.)

Finally, I picked Bonnie up so that Kyle could give her a good sniff. They touched noses and became friends. I was impressed that Kyle didn’t even try to lick his new friend. He earned a few brownie points for that.

(I’m sitting on the couch holding Bonnie while she and Kyle touch nose-to-nose.)

Yesterday, a seven-year-old neighbor girl and her five-year-old friend asked to play with Kyle while I visited with the older sister. Kyle’s favorite people are kids, so he was in his glory. Eventually I taught them how to play tug and Kyle got a good amount of play time in. When it was time for them to leave, I told my little neighbor that she is welcome back to play any time she can see me and Kyle through the front window.

She took me up on my offer and came back twice last night. My young friend even helped me carry in my groceries so that I could hurry up and get Kyle out to play. I love my new neighbors and neighborhood! Kyle is going to get plenty of attention here.

To add to Kyle’s socialization, two of my college friends, and their three daughters (ages 6, 4, and 2) got here at 11:00 last night. They are on a trip to visit grandpa and made a half day stop to visit me and meet Kyle. They don’t have a dog, so at first the girls were scared of Kyle. However, before they went to bed the two oldest, H and E, were cuddling Kyle on his dog bed.

Kyle had breakfast before any of the kids came downstairs. When he saw them, he was ready to play for the day. However, his barks sent them running with hands over their ears. H, the six-year-old told, me that I really need to teach him to be quiet. You’ve got to love children’s wisdom. Anybody out there have any ideas how to teach a dog not to bark for attention when he is on a tiedown?

After I reassured the girls that Kyle was just saying good morning, the girls clamored for his attention. He was one well loved puppy today. They gave him all his toys, played tug, petted him nonstop, helped me measure his lunch, and fed him. They even enthusiastically took him out to do his business and proudly announced that he was peeing.

Kyle was the center of all the day’s activities. The girls wanted to walk Kyle before they headed down the road for their grandpa’s house, so we decided to take a quick hike to a local waterfall. The girls’ energy didn’t hold for the duration of the hike, and with three adults, three kids, and a puppy, there weren’t enough big people arms to carry all the little people. We might not have made it to the waterfall, but we had a great time playing alongside the stream.

 

(H, Kyle, me, E, my friend, and M standing in front of the stream. If you look closely, you can see sister number four who is due to arrive in September. I love her name—Amanda.)

I am a firm believer that kids and dogs belong together. H proved that once again. She asked to walk Kyle, and since he had his gentle leader on, I decided it would be fine. Boy was it ever! Kyle trotted alongside H like she was the one who always walked him. He even kept a loose leash. I have to admit that I was astounded to watch a six-year-old girl who has rarely been around dogs and a six-month-old puppy work as a team. I adore that girl and my boy!

 

(H walking Kyle down the trail with a loose leash. I love her red pigtails paired with Kyle’s wagging tail! This is a picture of pure happiness.)

When we stopped for a break, I had to get a front shot of the happy duo. If you look closely, you can see that H is missing some of her baby teeth. We had a great conversation about how she and Kyle are both working on getting adult teeth right now.

 

(H smiling at the camera while Kyle smiles with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.)

In the entire time my friends and their girls were here, Kyle didn’t try to mouth a single one of them or jump on anyone. I was so proud of him because I really wanted the girls to have a great dog experience. They sure did! In fact, Kyle was such a hit that we are going to visit them on their farm in Idaho in a few weeks.

Never fear, this isn’t the end of the chain of company. Why was I worried about getting Kyle help with house manners again? Next weekend I will be hosting one of my sisters and possibly my mom and grandma. I love visitors, and so does Kyle!

On a side note, I took Kyle to the vet yesterday. He now weighs 42.2 pounds. That means he gained 5.1 pounds in 19 days. The Tylan powder and change in dog food along with adolescence are definitely working to make him a big boy!

Mirror, Mirror

Today Kyle found a cute guide dog puppy that stole his attention for a minute. For a pup who is rarely dog distracted, this made me laugh.

(Kyle staring at himself in the full length mirror of a public restroom.)

Kyle refocused quickly and we went on our way. I'm interested to see if his own reflection ever captures his eye again. He is a good looking boy after all.