Happiness - Furry Friday Edition

Come on Mom, you know you want to play.

After two weeks here Buddy seems to be fitting into our home well - and he has certainly wiggled his way into our hearts.  He has a huge personality and demands lots of attention from us.He had his 2nd set of shots this week and is scheduled for his third and final set this year in one months time.  Puppies are expensive and we knew that so I am saving any way I can.  The vet offered that if I paid for this weeks visit and nexts month in one shot that I would receive a discount of 10% off.
Fortunately we can afford to do that so I paid up.  After his March visit he won't have any scheduled vet visits until March of 2016 so I can save up for that - except getting fixed in the Summer.  In the mean time I will give him his dewormer and flea treatments myself (both are issues here).  I paid extra for the rabies shot which he will get next month as it is an issue here with bats that tend to get sick and flop around on the ground where dogs can find them.  He will always be supervised outside but we intend to take him to the beach and to socialize with other dogs when he gets older so want to be prepared for everything.  The two visits and all the shots ended up being $291 after the discount.

I am not sure if Shari Lewis and Lambchop were popular outside of North America so for those who don't know who Lambchop the puppet was - Shari and Lambchop were two of my favorite entertainers as a kid - the reason I couldn't resist the Lambchop dog toy.

If I sit on your leg you can't get away!

When we got Buddy we already had one dog toy, the Lambchop squeeky toy which I had bought in anticipation of getting a puppy around Christmas time.  He dearly loves Lambchop but has already removed one eye (he didn't eat it, I watched him do it so quickly took it away) and is working on his nose and tongue.  We tied a long piece of felt (like a bathrobe tie) to it and drag it around.  He is in the chew everything mode so when I saw that Shoppers Drug Mart had Christmas dog toys on deep discount I picked up the snowman headed toy which is on a rope with a ball at the other end for $1.50.  He also has 3 small dog balls that squeek that we play ball down the hallway every night with him.  He likes to fetch but has difficulty giving it up when he brings it back.  I give him chew bones and he blows through one in about five days time - those puppy teeth are sharp.

Running circles around me in the back yard, one of his favorite things to do.

He is such a lap dog - when he is tired of playing he only wants to be near one of his humans or in their lap - that is preferable but if that won't work he curls up on your foot so that you can't go anywhere.  He now has us trained to take him outside every 90 minutes.  Some days are great like yesterday where we had zero accidents and others not so great.  He learned very quickly how to jump over the puppy fence which separates him from the safe zone of the kitchen and utility room where we have linoleum to the carpeted area.  Carpet = grass in his little brain right now so lets just say he is not allowed on the carpet unless he has just done both #1 and #2.  We intend to take the dining room carpet out later this year and we own a steam cleaner, thankfully.

So funny - the vet said Buddy smelled good.  Hubby went out and bought some stupidly expensive dog shampoo (Burts bees for puppies - I didn't even ask how much it cost lol) and he gets a dog shower once a week - something he is shockingly well behaved for.  I am taking suggestions for cheap dog shampoo/human shampoo that is gentle on dogs.

Catch me if you can!

Since the picture at the top of the post hubby has added an additional foot to the puppy gate so there is no breaking out anymore.  That puppy fence was expensive and really only works for tiny little dogs - if we couldn't alter it we were going to take it back since he is a puppy miniature poodle and can jump it no problem.  Hubby used clamps on the outside to attach the cardboard and it is working like a charm now - plus when he is older and potty trained we can sell it to get some of our money back out of it.  It is movable so we can go in and out and now gives him 600 sq foot to roam free without us being there all the time.  At night he has his open kennel in the utility room which is 100% puppy proofed.  It is working out well and he rarely whines any more except when you leave the room, and even then only for a minute or two.

Extended puppy gate

Although I have been a little housebound the last two weeks due to Buddy we are now leaving him at home for short periods of time to get him adjusted to the idea that we always come home when we go away so no need to get upset.  He seems to get it so this morning I am off to the dentist...and to get a haircut...and to the grocery store...and maybe a thrift lol.  Hubby is home working so Buddy has a minion to take him out for a burn around the yard and to make his bi-hourly deposits.

For those of you worried that this blog will turn into a puppy blog - have no fear, I will try and limit the puppy photos to Furry Fridays from here on out.  Have a great weekend everyone!