coconut retriever

kim: we've had a few debates about peanut's heritage. puppy porch billed her as a terrier mix. i think she definitely has a terrier's ears and face. however, if i had more carefully looked at the paperwork i received when i adopted her, i would have seen her breed right in black and white: coconut retriever.

that's the best breed name i've ever heard of!*

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peanut: i love being a coconut retriever.

*it means "mutt"

socializing

kim: we went over to karen and lash's, and peanut got to meet val and tara and raleigh. there was lots of ball tossing, tearing around and photography.

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peanut: good thing i wore my best collar, because the paparazzi were everywhere.

lots of new faces

kim: today was another big day for peanut. we went to visit karen and lash, so we both got some socializing in. peanut learned how to go down stairs; she is officially bi-directional now. then we went to petco for some new toys and more socializing.

my mom left for australia today, so we received lucky, her cat. just when the poor cat thought it was safe to come to my house...

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peanut: i'm only going to engage the new guy from a distance. he looks like he could kick my butt!

night night bedtime

kim: every day has a close; that's called bedtime. sometimes little dogs aren't sleepy at bedtime. sometimes they are in full-on play mode. this can be a little dismaying to a sleepy owner. however, i discovered a way to make this particular canine assume the sleeping position. i simply shut off the lights. darkness is mother nature's way of saying, "go to sleep!" try it with your pup - it just might work.

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peanut: there are dust bunnies the size of kansas under the bed.

routine

kim: morning. outside. pee. inside. eat. outside. poop. inside.

that's start to the day we've established. it's a good one. now, if i can gradually remove my presence from this equation (pretty soon it'll be too darn cold to go outside!), mornings will be awesome.

peanut is a great coffee shop companion. she sits nicely in the passenger seat during the drive, and when i go in, just curls up and waits politely with no fuss.

so far, the power cord for my laptop is in one piece. she is good at not chewing on cords.

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peanut: tennis balls are fun!

downgraded to really good

kim: peanut is obviously getting settled in and starting to expand her horizons. she has pooped in the den (luckily, i caught her, so hopefully lesson learned). she started gnawing on the dining room table and chair legs. she is finding all sorts of things to chew on in the back yard.

she did really good in the thunderstorm.

she's learned how to climb up stairs, although she's a little klutzy yet.

she's learned how to climb up on the couch. it's her new favorite nap spot.

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peanut: i wish they served dinn'r ten times a day.

this dog is amazing

kim: peanut is an amazing puppy. in two days, she has not had an accident (of course, she is kenneled when i'm not home, and i let her out often). she rarely barks or whines. she has learned the words outside, inside, pee and poop. good job, cookie butt!

this dog is going to eat me out of house and home. she is constantly checking her food bowl. at 15 pounds, she eats more than my 35 pound dogs did. mercy.

we have met the close neighbor dogs lulu, belle and dakota.

she has started to like digging, but at the locations where the burrowing critters (voles?) are. i'm torn between yelling at her for this. i wouldn't mind it if they weren't in my yard.

she immediately made the southwest corner of the fence her 'home base' and will go there after a round of zoomies, or when she doesn't want to come back in.

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peanut: i have a squeaky octopus that is fun to chew on and toss around and pounce on.

first impressions

kim: i'm talking to a brick wall.

peanut: the only word this lady knows is "no."

the time is now

the exterior remodeling project was finished, the weather was still nice, summer sports were winding down and winter sports were a ways off yet. the time to get a puppy was now or never.

so i scoured craiglist, petfinder, the animal humane society, etc. for my new dog(s). i came across the sad story of one rescue puppy named peanut, thought she looked pretty cute in the photos, and e-mailed about her.



as luck would have it, she would be at a petco across town on saturday the 20th. i told my mom about it, and she promptly came over to ride along for the puppy meet-n-greet.

i came home with a sweet puppy named peanut.

peanut

one summer day in sint maarten, a litter of puppies were found boxed up on the side of the road waiting for the trash pickup. luckily, someone heard them in the box and they were rescued. one of these puppies was peanut.

thanks to the animal rescue group puppy porch, she is now my girl.

in the beginning...

my first 4-legged kids were bonkers and uffda.

they were great dogs, and are now in doggie heaven.