Hank's new Activity

Today we decided to take Hank and Rudy to Marymoor Park in Redmond. It's a HUGE park and I've always heard great things about their off leash park. This ended up being beyond my wildest dreams, it was INCREDIBLE! I couldn't believe how much fun the dogs had! But, the biggest surprise of the day was that we learned Hank DOES love the water! Just not in a bathtub or in a bathing capacity. BUT, man alive does he love the Sammamish River! Rudy however, kind of a big wimp. She sure talks big, barking all over the place, but won't get more than 2 feet into the water before she panics, it was kind of funny. Hank however, had the time of his life today as evidenced by the video. It is beautiful and sunny out, so we had no clue if we were recording this correctly, feel free to turn off your volume so you don't have to listen to Jake and I ramble!

Puppy Love?

Jake, Dad and I went to see Juno this afternoon, and it was AWESOME! Go see it now! We left Jeremiah home alone with the dogs, and it seemed to go OK. Dad & I took them on a walk before we left to get them all tired and to go pee, etc. Things seemed to go really well...

Hank and Rudy, Junior High all over again

My dad, brother, and dad's dog Rudy arrived yesterday for New Years. It is officially a ZOO in my house! And more like an escaped Tiger in San Francisco than a petting zoo. Actually, it's going pretty well. Rudy's a barker and Hank still gets scared of himself when he barks, so it's pretty entertaining. AND, Hank is HUGE compared to little Rudy. So, it's pretty entertaining. But, they get along alright for being two dogs who have never lived with other dogs and are both use to running the show.

However, Rudy is totally enthralled with Hank's crotch! It's really funny! I know that dogs like to sniff each other out in the crotch to check each other out, but this is BEYOND it, this is more of a penis envy kind of thing. It's really funny. Case in point:

And like a true junior high boy, Hank has NO clue what she's doing, but she's enamored with him, and he just keeps walking around like it's nothing. She is BEGGING for his attention and he has no clue. It's pretty entertaining to watch. BUT, the good news is, we think Rudy's over her lesbian phase now...I'm sure there will be more to come. My cousin and their three kids are coming over tonight for dinner, then is really will be a zoo!

Christmas Vacation Pictures

Just in case you needed more...here's the photo album of Hank's Christmas vacation:

http://picasaweb.google.com/HankandElizabeth/HankSFirstChristmas

Too Many Toys!

Hank is such the spoiled puppy! He had a GREAT Christmas, and was very excited to get home today. The trek home started earlier than anticipated. Uncle Josh called about 7:30 this morning to let us know that there was a major snow advisory, so we left about 9 AM, saying goodbye to BOTH Grandma's who continued their visit, but sure missed their grand-puppy!
The drive over the pass wasn't too bad (Jeremiah drove the whole trek) and we made it home in about the same time we usually do. But we were glad to have left when we did, since the pass is supposed to accumulate 10-20 inches by noon tomorrow. YIKES!
Hank is getting settled back into home life and having ALL his toys to play with! We even had to move some stuff around so he has a toy box that's about 3 times the size of what we had! RIDICULOUS! Thanks for Spoiling Hank, he sure liked it!

One Spoiled Puppy!

What a Christmas! I have never seen one puppy have so many presents delivered with such thought and care. This dog is SPOILED! I wonder what will happen when Josh & Jaimie have kids!

Hank had a great Christmas, and got a cool candy cane shaped bone from Grandma Paula that he devoured (there's still some flakes on the carpet today) However, we think that it may have made him gassier than usual, which honestly, was kind of funny (since I usually wasn't in the line of fire)...

Treats, and squeaky toys just kept coming in! Hank was digging into his present bags downstairs for balls and stuff, so I finally had to go hide it upstairs in our room and just leave a couple toys out for him. Auntie Marjo got him a squeaky Hammer to go with the squeaky wrench from Grandma. It's very cute, and Jeremiah's excited to find a place in the garage for Hank's tools!

Today Grandma Nancy comes! Hank sure is excited to see her! I bet she brings presents too!

Hank, the Christmas Pimp

So, clearly Hank is the first grandchild in the house. He was SPOILED! Uncle Jeremy got him yummy treats, including a dental bone that he ate in about 5 minutes (it's supposed to last a LITTLE longer...) Grandpa Peter got him a cool jar of dog biscuits that he loves. Uncle Jake got him a cool elf hat and collar set. The collar is way to small, but the hat makes him look like a Christmas pimp, it's hysterical! Here's a picture for your viewing pleasure.

Uncle Josh & Aunt Jaimie got Hank reindeer ears that Hank will wear for a few moments at a time before they fall off. These are them, he looks ADORABLE! And Grandma Paula bought him two chew bones (one, again, almost devoured) and two squeaky toys that he LOVES!

More family is arriving this afternoon, and I think, there may be more. And, Grandma Nancy comes tomorrow and is excited to see her grandpuppy!

Christmas Vacation, day's 1 & 2

Well, we've made it 600 miles into our trip so far. Hank's doing OK and is glad to be at Grandma's house with her big backyard for running around. We left Saturday morning and drove to Portland. He got to meet Rudy, my dad's dog, and we realized that either Rudy is REALLY small, or Hank is ENORMOUS! He did OK at the PetsHotel, and they were super busy but the girls who worked there said he did GREAT.

He slept in the car the drive over to Pasco, and when we arrived he drank a TON of water. We tried giving him water at the rest area, but he wouldn't drink out of the little container we have, so we're done with that contraption. He had a great night at Grandma's house, and we had family friends over who LOVED Hank and thought he was a great dog. He slept most of the evening, although was VERY curious about what was going on at the table and what we were eating (yes, he does know NOT to do this, but new house, maybe he can get away with it...). Mostly he lounged and slept like usual after he's away from us for a night.

Last night he slept on the aerobed with us in the middle. I'll be glad to sleep in my own bed on Thursday night with Hank asleep ON THE FLOOR!

Hank's Holiday Vacation plans

I know everyone is DYING to know what Hank's holiday plans are, so I thought I'd share his itinerary. He had a great time at Doggy Day Camp today, and is pretty lazy this evening. Although, no amount of playing and running around can stop him from wanting his squeaky chew toys!

Saturday 12/22--off to Portland, Hank gets to spend the night at the Pets Hotel in Tualatin, and mom & dad get to go see Uncle Jeremy coach basketball in Silverton, and then stay with family in Portland.

Sunday 12/23--off to PASCO! Hank loves going to visit Grandma, she has a great back yard to run around in, and rumor is that there's little kids to play with!

12/27--return home to Issaquah. He'll probably be pretty tired at this point and ready to be back home. Hank LOVES being home with mom & dad, it's his favorite.

12/29--Grandpa Peter & RUDY (dad's dog) are coming for New Years! It should be quite the adventure for all of us, having TWO dogs in the house, but Rudy is great gal, and plus, they're both fixed, so there's nothing TOO traumatic to worry about. Plus, rumor is, Rudy goes for the ladies.

1/2--mom & dad go back to work and Hank returns to living in the lap of luxury. January & February are really busy with daddy, so it'll be lots of mommy & Hank time, and day camp time!

Another exciting weekend at home

Well, it was a pretty uneventful weekend around the house. I got back on Monday from DC and Jeremiah came back late Wednesday night from DC. Hank sure missed us! We didn't walk him enough those few nights, so he woke up in the middle of the night, but Saturday and this morning when he woke up (about 7 and 8) he jumped up on the bed with us to make sure we knew he was awake. But, he is OK with us still sleeping, as long as sleeping includes scratching him and snuggling with him.

Jeremiah decided a couple of months ago to build a shelf for all of Hank's "stuff." it would hold his leashes and collars (yup, he has 5) and his poop bags, and have hooks for wet jackets. We decided to make the downstairs area the entrance and exit for him, so that if there is an accident, he tries to get downstairs to the tile. And with the wet, when we come and go with him, it's a good place to take of shoes and coats, etc. So, Jeremiah finished the shelf today and we got it all setup. Here's a few pictures to check out.

Hank gets to go to Doggie Day Camp TWO TIMES this week! We figured with the rain and getting Christmas stuff done, Hank would like to play with other dogs. And then on Saturday, the Northwest Christmas trip extravaganza begins! Hank only spends Saturday night away from us, AND he gets to meet his uncle/cousin/whatever dog, my dad's dog Rudy! It should be an adventure. At least they're both fixed...

OH yeah! I won 2 hours of free dog training and so we had our first hour of training on Saturday. She kept complimenting what a great dog Hank is. We worked on Sit, lay, WAIT (handy on walks!) and leave it. We have lots of practicing to do, but hopefully he'll be proficient by new years and ready for more!

Alright, time for a bedtime potty break in the rain!

Honey, we're Home!

Well, I arrived back from DC about 11 AM this morning. I went to pick up Hank a little before noon and he was still in the morning play period. Hank was the tallest dog in the group, but also probably the calmest. It was good to see him in there, because he just kind of stood around and then sniffed dogs when they came to him, but he wasn't too active.

They brought Hank out of his morning day camp, and he came right to me. We got all checked out, and into the car. He plopped up on the back seat and laid right down. We came home and he helped me unpack, by laying on the bed and falling asleep. We came downstairs to watch TV and he zonked out on the couch. I ran errands for about an hour and he looked like he just woke up from a nap, now we're watching TV and he's zonked out again. But he's SO CUTE! Nice and snugly tonight, we'll both get a good nights sleep, hooray!

Saddest day ever...

...So far with Hank. Tonight we took Hank to the Pets Hotel by our house. He's staying there until Monday when I get back from DC. Jeremiah has to go to DC for work, so we get to go visit my brother Jake and some good friends of ours in Maryland. We are REALLY excited for our trip, but it's our first night away from Hank since we brought him home. So, we got home from work, fed him, played with him and threw around his new squeaky toy from his Auntie Cathy.

We got over to the Pets Hotel and man is Hank going to have a BLAST! Day camp every day, it's going to be great. But, it was so sad to say goodbye and watch him fuss when he had to go back, he got through the first door when I went in with him, and then was just fine going through the second door. My dad always says that Rudy (his dog) is super snugly when he gets back and sleeps a lot. I have a feeling Hank will be the same. In the mean time, we already miss Hank...

One more reason not to reproduce: being a single parent

Well, Hank has been on a very mild steroid to help him heal from this mangled up paw pad that we noticed over Thanksgiving. I finally went to the Vet on Friday, and she gave him a mild steroid, to help him recover from it. She said that Hank would need to drink more water and would then pee more often (I think you can see where this is going...)

Both Saturday AND Sunday Hank peed on the carpet. We knew he was going to pee more, but man alive, he hasn't been giving the regular signs, he just up and lifts his legs. So, yesterday our house cleaner was here, and I pulled out the urine stain spray stuff for her, just in case. I got home and NO ACCIDENTS! Yay! Today...

I left at 6:45 this morning, Hank peed about 6:15 when Jeremiah walked him this morning, I got home at 4:30, so 10 hours later, which is about his limit and what we usually do and he's OK with NO ACCIDENTS!

Today...I get home. PEE everywhere on the tile downstairs. Which, I really take as a good sign that he now pees by the door where he knows he should be to go outside, and it's MUCH easier than the carpet. We took a quick walk to make sure he got it all out of his system. We come back in, and THEN I walk up the stairs...and there's PEE ON THE STEPS! Then we come up stairs, and the pee stops, BUT then it starts again, because he pulled the sheet off of the red chair and peed on it.

So, I sprayed the urine stuff on everything, and took Hank on a nice long walk to get everything out of his system. He peed a bunch, hooray!

THEN, (yeah, when does this day end!!!) We had to go to the vet to get a booster shot so that he can go to the Pets Hotel on Thursday, hooray! We get to the vet, and get Hank up on the scale (85 lbs hooray!) and then into the exam room. He is starting to not like the exam rooms which is frustrating. I can't wait till we take some training classes and Hank gets better at paying attention. The nurse comes in and pokes and prods and he's fine. THEN, the doctor comes in and he's doing OK, but she has to give him 2 shots. The first one went fine. The second one did NOT! He BARKED! Hank never barks, it's the beauty of our dog! He doesn't bark unless we provoke him. So, that was weird. And the vet said that the chattering teeth was a nervous sign. And I know he's been doing that since he's been hopped up on the steroids, and I mentioned that to her. I think it's more of a "I have to pee please" sign, instead of the whimpering he often does. So, now I know that it's one more sign to pay attention to.

Poor Hank, we finally got him finished at the vet. Since I had the paperwork I decided to walk him over to the Pets Hotel and give them the paperwork so I don't have to worry about remembering it on Thursday. We turn to leave, and get about half way to the front door, when Hank lifts his leg and pees all over Christmas chew-toys...

I spend the next minute wiping up his mess and then we're on our way home! We took a quick walk, and since he's JUST emptied his bladder, he was fine...after a big drink of water, his 'roids and some dinner, he's passed out on the floor while I watch TV.

Jeremiah's at the airport, drinking beer with his friends and waiting for his delayed flight while I clean up dog pee all night. At least it's only 24 hour trip for him. I can't WAIT till Hank's 48 hours are up and he can start going to Doggy Day camp, HOORAY!!!

Hank's Christmas List

Here is the e-mail Jeremiah sent out this morning:


Thought I would send out Hank’s Christmas list. He seemed rather irritated I hadn’t sent it out yet. He didn’t bother to do an Amazon list. He’s not a big fan of technology.

1) Any toy that squeaks
2) Dog treats with cheese flavor
3) Doggy rain jacket
4) UW leash to match his UW collar (ok, maybe this is more for me)
5) Dog shoes for walking in the snow and to avoid rug burns in the house
6) Poop bags
7) Any other type of dog treat, except liver flavor (they stink!)

SNOW! And quite the ventful day...

Hank had a VERY busy day today!

Here's the synopsis:

He woke up at 7, climbed on the bed with mom & dad, snuggled for an hour, then got up. It was a winter wonderland of white outside, very exciting. He took a quick walk to pee and check out the white. About 10, mom got dressed and took him up to the dog park. He made friends with another dog there, who DID at one point kind of growl and kind of attack Hank, but once they both saw a ball, they were fine. THEN, he was really dirty. So, he came home, and we tried to rinse him off, he was still dirty. Off to the Shampooch. The most traumatic experience of Hank's day. HE did NOT like it, but he's clean which is good. We came home, dad worked on a project in the garage and mom was on the computer. He magically disappeared for a moment and when mom came down later, she noticed he was sniffing at a spot on the carpet WHERE HE HAD PEED! We went on a walk (to pee). We came back, we laid around and watched TV. We took another walk in the snow, mom & dad had dinner, mom & Hank played with the ball while dad cleaned up. THEN, in the midst of playing, he stopped at the top of the stairs and PEED AGAIN! HE got in deep crap, and had to stand outside in the snow. Mom took him on a quick walk to pee, then back inside, now he's banished to watch the Husky game...

Luckily, tomorrow the dog trainer comes. We really think he's been doing OK inside the house, but now that we know where he has peed twice (early this afternoon and the week before Thanksgiving) we can keep a better eye on it. This is not good news! Hopefully the trainer will help and he'll STOP PEEING IN THE HOUSE!

The dog trainer comes for an hour tomorrow, and then again in two weeks. AND, Hank's favorite house cleaner comes on Monday, oh boy!

In other news, he was gnawing at his paw over Thanksgiving and we noticed that it was all gross and irritated. So, finally on Friday we went to the Vet and she gave him a mild steroid that she said would increase his thirst and make him pee more. So, we're chalking it up to the steroids, but man alive are we NOT happy about it!!!

They Haven't kicked him out yet!

Well, we're on day 3 of Thanksgiving vacation at Grandma's. Hank's doing GREAT! He's everyone new best friend, and even Josh has started to play with Hank and pet him. Hank is LOVING the big backyard and not having to be on a leash while he's here. Today we went over to Pet Smart to get a stocking for Hank, and we found an ID tag that we could get engraved, he really likes it and it's nice and shiny.

Hank & Uncle Josh playing with the ball!

We also are taking a LOT of pictures of Hank, because we're obsessive new dog parents. They're up on Picasa if you'd like to check it out.

Jeremiah & Hank napping after Thanksgiving Dinner

AND, the biggest news (oh yeah!) Hank slept on his travel bed last night and slept through the night! Hooray! Hank has been sleeping ON the aerobed with us, in between us. And, while I thought I hogged the bed, I've got nothing on Hank, good grief! So, Jeremiah and I both slept very well last night for the first time in a few days, YAY!

To Grandma's House we go!

Well, we made it to Grandma Paula's last night in Pasco. Hank did great in the car on the ride over, AND got to play in snow for a couple of minutes during a potty break. We arrived last night and Hank did GREAT! He sniffed out stuff, and Paula panicked at how HUGE Hank is. But, it didn't take too long for her to realize that he's a huge teddy bear and really just wants to snuggle and play.

And then Josh & Jaimie arrived...evidently Josh was maimed/sniffed by/saw a couple dogs when he was a kid and has been scared of big dogs ever since. So, he's gotten to the petting the top of Hank's head point, which is good. AND, they've all learned that if you tell Hank to STAY, he does. It's the miracle of having a trained dog!

Today in the light (and 20+ degrees), we have been able to take Hank out into the backyard that Paula shares with Jeremiah's aunt & uncle, they don't have a fence so Hank has a BIG area to run around in. And, it's not fenced in well at all, but he does great! We saw cats earlier and heard dogs, but Hank's one track mind has been on the balls! He's having a blast, and is now passed out on the floor while we watch Santa on the Parade! Hooray!

All my bags are packed

They opened an REI in Issaquah this weekend. It's really nice for the size of the space. Since we're going to Pasco for Thanksgiving, we decided to go and see if they had any good dog travel stuff. They did. And they had shoes, and a polar fleece. BUT, they had a cool travel bed for Hank, and a cool water bottle thing for him too. And a dog bowl for food. He's all set! And, some guy had his dog in the store, without a leash on, and this dog was REALLY calm, and stuck right next to his owner, it was kind of crazy! But, the guy got in trouble for bringing his dog in. Still, we got to see what the dog tent looked like all put together, I think Hank would like it.

So, Hank now has his own duffel bag that will hold his bed, his toys, his food dishes, and anything else we decide he needs for a trip.

I ran more errands this afternoon and Hank and Jeremiah watched NASCAR and the Seahawks. They took a walk at half time, and Hank is worn out, so he's sleeping on the couch right now. He's really the greatest dog ever!

Why Me?

We all know how much I love Hank and what a GREAT dog he is. We continue to get compliments on what a great dog he is, and for just 3 weeks, how mellow he is. Tonight, Hank met Gravy, a collie mix. And yes, Gravy's brother is named Biscuit. For as wild as Gravy was, Hank was nice and calm and politely sniffed his butt. Gravy's owner was very nice and complimentary of Hank.

But, that's not the question. The question is: Why will Hank only poop when I walk him? What does he have against Jeremiah? I don't get it. I think Hank believes I'm the pack leader, so does that mean he will only take a dump for me??? I'm happy to relinquish my pack leader abilities if it means that he poops for Jeremiah!

Something that's NOT a good idea...

...is bathing Hank yourself.

DISCLAIMER: None of this was my idea, this was ALL Jeremiah.

Earlier this week, Hank was invited to go to Grandma's for Thanksgiving. He's really excited about it, but he does not currently smell like roses. So, he needs a bath. The plan was for Hank to get an exit bath when he checked out on Sunday after Thanksgiving. But, now that he's going he needs a bath. So, Jeremiah called earlier this week to get a bath scheduled for him, and they were full through the holiday weekend. SO, my husband (really, he's a VERY smart man) decided that a good daddy/puppy experience would be to bath Hank himself. Jeremiah bought a shower hose this morning for Hank and planned to give Hank a bath tomorrow.

After we got home from the Bark Park today, we knew that Hank needed to get a bath NOW. So, we left Hank outside and Jeremiah quickly put the shower hose together. And then he put on a swim suit (Jeremiah, not Hank) and I brought Hank into the main/guest bathroom. I shut the door and did a little bit of cleaning up (Hank wasn't the only one who got mud on him). Then, I heard Jeremiah ask me to come in. This was evidently NOT a father/pup experience but a parent/pup experience. So, I changed into different clothes and ventured into the bathroom. The next 20 some minutes were mostly a blur of angry dog, a couple of times Jeremiah picked up Hank and put him in, and then two times of Hank backing out once he started to get wet. Finally, Jeremiah just hosed him off a bit, on the bathroom floor. The bathroom doesn't look as bad as it COULD have, and towels are in the wash.

Wednesday at 11 AM, Hank's getting a Shampooch at another area doggy daycare in town that doest baths. HOORAY! I don't care what it costs, it'll be worth it.

Hank is currently air drying and passed out on the floor. We brushed him off and wiped him down with baby wipes, and we think he'll survive.

The Dog park is a great place, but we need to plan for a direct delivery to the dog cleaners, he sure likes it!

Heaven on Earth

Today, Hank had his vaccination appointment. He did pretty well considering they shoved a thermometer up his butt, and gave him 3 shots! ugh! Since Hank is now fully vaccinated that means he's 100% and can go to the dog park and play with more dogs. SO, we ventured up to the Bark Park this afternoon. We did think ahead enough to throw a towel on the back seat to help the hair situation on my recently vacuumed out car thankfully. So, off to the Bark Park. HEAVEN ON EARTH. It didn't take long for Hank to realize he was FREE to run and play. We bought a couple of fun presents, including a chuck it and a Frisbee. Hank LOVED running after the balls, and there was another dog there too, and they got along pretty well.

Here's what we didn't think about...it's been raining lately, and sprinkled a bit while we were there. Having never been before we decided to let him roam free before we noticed ALL THE MUD. TONS, Hank turned a lovely shade of dark brown quickly. But man alive did Hank have a BLAST!

So, we played for about a half hour, and then in started to rain enough we decided to wipe him down and head home. We pulled up the seats and Hank laid down in the back of the car just fine.

We got home. And really, this deserves it's own post...

Oops I Crapped my Pants!

As you know, Hank is the greatest dog ever to be adopted by the Humane Society. It is clear that God brought us together. Hank is the BEST! And, rumor is, with time, he'll become even more of the best dog.

This morning, Jeremiah got up at 6 and took Hank for a short potty break/walk around the neighborhood about 6:15. When I got up at 7, we played with the squeaky ball and he finished eating his breakfast. Now, granted I needed to get to work this morning, so we took a short potty break before I left. AND, I was relieved that about 3 houses down he decided to relieve himself (but just #1).

So, I left for work, gave him a slice of cheese for being so great, and then left for work at 8 AM. Flash forward to 6:45 when Jeremiah got home. I had an evening event tonight, and Jeremiah had a lot of work to do so he could take Friday off. So, Jeremiah gets home and Hank had not one, but TWO surprises by the front door.

For those of you who have an upcoming visit that includes Hank staying over night, DO NOT BE ALARMED! Again with the Divine intervention...Jeremiah had to clean it up. Hooray! Now, I do most of the daily pooper scooper duties. So, Jeremiah's not QUITE the saint he's trying to portray. But they were nice neat piles that cleanly scooped right up.

So, Jeremiah noticed that it was NOT a warm pile of crap, which means that Hank did this a while ago. So, what we learned today was, Hank needs to poop in the morning AND evening, and when I get him riled up and eating a bunch in the morning, I need to make sure he craps it out before I leave.

Again, for those with upcoming visits (Grandma Paula) no worries, we've learned our lesson, and Hank felt bad about it. He has been so good so far, and if he was going to have a wetting the bed mentality, he would have shown it in those first 4 days with all his separation anxiety.

Hank is VERY excited to meet his Grandma next week AND all his aunts & uncles and extended family!

Hank's New Neighborhood Friends

Jeremiah and I have started to get into a routine with Hank. Jeremiah takes Hank out in the morning to go potty and feeds him. I take him out again when I leave for work. Who ever gets home first, takes him on a potty break. Then, usually later in the evening, I take him for a 20-30 minute walk. Jeremiah's plays with the squeaky toy, and then before bed Jeremiah (usually) takes him for his last potty stop of the day.

So, on my walks the past couple of days, we've decided to make friends and sniff out the other dogs. I've been curious how Hank will do with other dogs. I know he did OK at Pet Smart, although with the bigger dogs, I was cautious. Two nights ago I was out walking Hank and we saw a big Aussie-mix. The owner had complemented Hank about a week earlier on being such a beautiful dog. And he commented again, and then asked his dog if they should sniff it out. Since he offered, Hank and I crossed the street to sniff it out. Ben (the big dog) was pretty nice, although he did growl a couple of times. Hank did GREAT! I was so proud. The owner was very complementary and was amazed he was only 18 months and that we'd only had him 2 weeks. Hank is quite the Humane Society find!

Then, yesterday morning Hank and I were on a walk and met a chocolate lab, they sniffed butts and were on their way. As we walked yesterday I also noticed a cat perched up on a stoop. Hank didn't even notice and just kept going, AMAZING!

Then this morning, we were on a walk and we met a pug (twice actually we ran into them) and he scared the poor Pug, but they sniffed and were fine. We also ran across a couple of little Scottie dogs, they yipped a bit and one jumped into Hank's face, but Hank just sniffed and then we were on our way. Hank likes to act tough and gets low to the ground like he's going to attack, but he just sniffs and leaves. He's SUCH a great dog. I can't wait till this weekend when we can finally take him to the dog park and let him RUN and play, he's going to love it!

The squeaky tennis/football toy is a HUGE hit. Every time he comes downstairs he goes straight for the toy bag to play. We played for about 10 minutes this morning, he finished his breakfast and then we took a 20 minute walk. He's sleeping on the floor now, and occasionally tries to figure out where his ball is.

Hank's New Toys!

We finally found toys that Hank likes! Hooray! Yesterday we went to a pet store in Redmond and found a couple of squeaky toys. Jeremiah found a football shaped tennis ball (so it's oval, but yellow with tennis ball material) that SQUEAKS. We weren't sure about it, but Hank LOVES IT! Jeremiah throws it and Hank runs after it, but then he continues to attack the ball himself because the squeak throws him off. It's hysterical (to us anyway!)

He's eating well and pretty tuckered out. AND, he jumps with the squeaky toys, it's really funny to watch! The carpet will be worn out by Christmas, but he's having fun.

Grandma is here for the weekend and she really likes him, he's very snuggly and mellow.

Alright, Jeremiah and Hank are throwing around the balls again, MASS excitement!

We Can Never Have Children

Hank's doing GREAT! This morning when I left, I realized I forgot my laptop, so came back into the house. When I left, Hank was at the door watching me, and when I came back up the house, he was gone. I opened the door, and he was walking back over from Jeremiah's chair to greet me. He's SO GREAT! I gave him a Kong this morning, and after he said goodbye to me, I think he was done with it.

So, we can't have kids because...

(Heather, I know you will appreciate this!)

Hank didn't poop yesterday. We've been feeding him a lot of cheese lately because he likes it, and because we can stick his kennel cough drugs in it. So, no poop yesterday, and we were a little nervous. So, this morning I took him on a little longer walk before I left. Jeremiah had taken him out at 6, but just for the morning whiz. So, I took him out for about 3 blocks, and he (hooray!) pooped. So, after I finally left this morning (with my computer) I called Jeremiah to tell him. It can't be a healthy sign of a relationship when you call each other after your pet or child POOPS!

So, Hank's it. Not the first step, but the last step. Sorry Moms!

And we're good!

Yay! Hank slept through the night last night, hooray!

Well, it's day 2 of Hank home alone and inside the house. And again today, everything was just how I left it this morning! He curls up on Jeremiah's red chair and watches out the window for the day. I peeked in the window when I got home tonight, and he had heard the gate click and was jumping off the chair to come greet me. He gave me time to change, and then we went on a walk. We've found a good 25 minute loop around the neighborhood, which is nice in the dark.

THEN, Jeremiah got home, and the fun really begins! Jeremiah has decided that throwing balls in the house is OK, and I KNOW his mom taught him better, but such is life! They run back and forth and back and forth chasing the ball (yes I said THEY). Now, Hank is panting and laying on the floor. He did stop for a water break, and he hasn't eaten much today except for some ends of chicken that I had been cutting up. But, hopefully he eats when he's hungry!

Pray that we keep this going!!!

He's the dog's version of Houdini

The last 24 hours have been a CHALLENGE! Our House Cleaner was GREAT! She really liked Hank so he got to hangout inside all day with Janine and laid around and slept. The vet said that between the neuter & the Kennel Cough, Hank has to lay low, and should only go outside to use the bathroom. So, we laid low last night, watched TV, had a good rub down, and went to bed about 10. Well, Jeremiah & I got in bed about 10. Hank, decided he'd slept enough for the day and was now ready to play. Not only did he attack his bed, thinking something was wrong, which was WEIRD! He just wouldn't calm down for bed! We turned off the lights to sleep, and he'd put his feet on the bed to sniff us out and play. he was SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS! We were really irritated. I dozed off for about an hour about midnight, and back up for about two hours at 1 AM. I took him out to go potty, at 2:3o, Jeremiah took him out and ran him up and down the hill and then we finally went to bed. And we both had early morning, so we got about 3 hours of an angry nap.

We tried the Garage, and he barked too loudly for 1 AM, and with the neighbors. Oh yeah, and if the garage door to the house is unlocked, he can open it...about 1:30, Jeremiah went downstairs to get him out, and he was standing at the bottom of the stairs, proud he'd just figured out how to do it. It was an AWFUL night, we were NOT having it!

Jeremiah put Hank in the garage this morning since that was our plan for the day. He barked, and barked, and barked. And scratched at the door a lot. So, when Jeremiah left about 6:15 this morning, I decided to keep my ears on the door. By 6:30, I decided he needs to come in for the day. I put a sheet on Jeremiah's chair that Hank likes to look out the window from, and just PRAY the day goes smoothly.

The whole drive home tonight I was in terror that he'd finally lose it and the house would be in shambles. I came home, looked in the window, and the couch looked fine, I look over and saw Hank had heard me and had been quietly sitting on Jeremiah's chair and came right over to greet me. The house looked FINE! It was so weird! So, I guess Hank will be an inside dog. HE really likes to be able to see outside.

So, forget the no exercising. Jeremiah and Hank played with the tennis balls tonight, (yes, inside the house) and then we took about a half hour walk, tonight, and he's laying on the floor passed out, hopefully he continues through the night!

So that puts it at this:

Hank 3
baby gate 0
wire crate 0
garage door unlocked 0

Hank's new friend

Well, we had a new house cleaner today, and she's GREAT! I met her at a networking lunch, and really like her. She uses Eco-friendly products on the house, which I like, and the house is REALLY clean tonight, hooray!

She also has raised labs in the past, and LOVES Hank. So, I let her meet him, and then we put him in the garage. HE started scratching on the back door, and I made a comment about how sad it is. She asked if she could bring him in. So, Hank got to stay in all day and hangout with his new friend. I need to see what time she left today, but besides one pillow on the floor, and the newly cleaned windows having nose prints on them, he did OK!

So, we'll try the garage tomorrow. I also noticed that the Humane Society teaches a class on Separation Anxiety, so I called to see when the next class is. The woman who leads the class isn't back till Wednesday, so hopefully she'll be helpful. The woman I spoke to, said " oh dear, she'll call you back soon!" So, hopefully soon I hear more!

In the mean time, Hank's passed out on the floor next to me but sure was excited when we got home tonight!

Napping Hank

Here's a sampling of what you'll see online...

Pictures

I've uploaded our pictures thus far onto Picasa for easy viewing, here you go!

http://picasaweb.google.com/HankandElizabeth/HankSFirstWeekend?authkey=b3V-FDTHOqQ

The Garage?

Well, after last night, Jeremiah & I talked a lot about what to do with Hank today. We decided to put the crate in the garage and put him in there. But, as we talked throughout the night, we really don't want him to hurt himself. So, we decided to put the crate in the garage and then just leave the door open and let him hangout in the garage for the day.

We have a new cleaning lady starting today at 10, and she's dog friendly, which is nice. So, I think we'll stick him in there, and see how it goes. Hopefully he doesn't cry too much for her, and hopefully she doesn't consider it animal abuse, but I don't think she will.

My friend David has a weimaraner and ended up building a dog run in their garage out of fence materials. So, Jeremiah's considering doing that. It would mean no more parking in the garage for me, but if it also means Hank not hurting himself, I guess I'm for it!

So far we've spend $160 between a crate and a baby gate for Hank, and he's managed to break both. Jeremiah used tie-downs for the crate last night to make sure that everything but the door is secure.

AND, another feat! Hank went 9 hours without a potty break last night! Hooray! He also ate his whole bowl of food this morning, which is great. He usually leaves a bit in the dish. I can't wait till his Kennel Cough meds are done, and he's vaccinated so we can check out Doggy Day camp!

The garbage man is outside, and Hank is now on full alert, just like that out of a deep morning nap!

I'll let you know how the garage goes, keep your fingers crossed that he STAYS IN IT!!!

Hank or Houdini?

As you may know, Hank didn't care for his baby gate much. We brough Hank home on Tuesday, and Wednesday I left him for about 2 hours behind the baby gate. Mind you, I didn't set it up correctly, so he pushed it down, and ran all over the house. He didn't pee on anything, OR break anything, but the pillows from the couch & chairs were on the floor and there was dog hair everywhere.

On Thursday, I secured the gate, and went to work. Jeremiah came home 4 hours later to work from home. The gate was still in tact, BUT Hank had jumped OVER it! At this point, we were getting pretty frustated. Jeremiah had Friday off and the boys hung out.

On Saturday, I went to a pet store and got him some "puppy downers" or a natural anti-anxiety medication. When I left the house, I left him behind the baby gate and put a blanket over it, thinking if he can't see what's on the other side, he won't jump over it! Correct, he won't jump over it. JEremiah got home 10 minutes later! and Hank had broken the gate into 3 pieces!

So, we bought a crate. We tried it out for about a half hour yesterday and went to the grocery store. He was barking when we got back, but still in his crate. SUCCESS!

Today, we left him for about 3 hours to go to a Young Life fundraiser. We got home, and looked in the window to see what state Hank was in, and if the drugs had helped. We didn't hear him barking which was good, but we didn't see him in the crate either! I looked, thinking maybe the blond of his hair and the cream of the bed were blended together. NOPE! Hank was gone! Jeremiah could see that he was sitting on his red chair looking out the window. We opened up the door and he came bounding towards us, so glad his people had returned. We looked at the crate...we had missed a latch at the bottom, and he figured it out, and pushed his way out, and bent the crate at the same time. SO, tomorrow...Jeremiah will zip tie the crate's extra doors, and I"ll make sure that the door is properly locked. We've also moved him to the garage for the time being. What is a puppy parent to do!?!?!?

Only 2 more weeks till he's fully vaccinated and can go to doggy daycare! Hooray!

Here we Go!

Well, here we go. All the men in my family have had blogs for some time now, and I love hearing what they're doing. So, I figured now that I have something to write about, I should start!

Jeremiah & I adopted Hank on Tuesday. My dad was up for the weekend so we went over to meet Hank, and thought he was a sick old dog. Turns out he's 18 months old, and the greatest dog EVER! He had to be neutered, and has kennel cough, but besides that he's GREAT. Jeremiah & I brought him home on Tuesday afternoon, and are loving every minute of it!

After 3 tries at the baby gate we bought, Hank sucessfully broke it into 3 pieces, so no more baby gate...We purchased a crate for Hank yesterday, and although he looks really sad, we think he'll get use to it. AND, yesterday I learned at a dog store that there's a natural anti-anxiety drops we can give him. We tested it out this morning, and it nocked him out for about 1 1/2 hours, so we think it'll work to at least get us out the door in the morning, and him into his crate. I'm not looking forward to leaving him every morning, but I guess we all have to get use to it. Or, I'll just quit my job.