Dog Day 2013

Happy 4th Dog Day to me!  Today marks the four year anniversary of the day I decided that I was going to be adopted by my two legged family.

Last year, I shared the story of my adoption experience: how my brother and I were woken up from a nap to meet the family that would eventually become mine, how I rose to the occasion and convinced that family that I was the perfect dog for them, how I threw up on Sister on the ride home, and how I happily slept the whole night alone in my crate without so much as a whimper.

This year, I've decided to tell you about my first full day living with my family:  Monday, July 27th.

The day started off very early.  Pa woke up and quickly took me outside to do my business (I have many puppy memories of my humans scooping me up out of my crate, holding me at arm's length like a baby, and hurrying down the hall and out of the house frantically saying "out, out, out!").  After that, I ate, went out again, and played with my new family.  Then Ma and Pa left for work.

To say I wasn't alarmed by my family's sudden departure would be a lie.  After all, I was a little puppy in a brand new house with brand new people who looked and sounded nothing like me and all of a sudden everyone seemed to be leaving me.  But everyone wasn't leaving me.  Nope.  Sister had the day off from work and she was going to take care of me and introduce me to a number of new people and experiences.

Adventure Number 1:  My First Trip to the Library

Right after Ma and Pa left for work, Sister put my leash on, picked me up, and set me down on the front passenger seat of her car.  Right off the bat, I was not happy with the arrangement:  I did not want to sit in that big chair all by myself.  I gave a whimper and started scooting over to where Sister was sitting in the driver's seat.  "Do you want to sit on my lap?" she asked me as she helped me climb over the center console and find a comfy spot between her and the steering wheel.  Once settled, Sister drove off.

Before I could even get in a quick nap, Sister parked the car and carried me toward a big building with lots of windows.  "You're going visiting," she told me as we walked through the door.  The first thing I noticed was a cool rush of air conditioning blowing through my fur (hey, it was July in New York, I was wearing a fur coat, and being held by Sister who is her own little furnace).  The second thing I noticed was all the people; all of Sister's co-workers came running over to greet me.  I met Diane, Rita, Faye, George, and a lot of other people whose names I can't remember (don't forget, I was struggling to learn my own name at this point).  I spent 40 wonderful minutes being passed from person to person and being told that I was the cutest thing ever (even at such a young age I knew they were right).

Introductions are very exhausting for a little eight week old puppy so after meeting everyone, Sister put me back in the car and we drove home.  Once at home, Sister let me do my business again (house training is hard work and requires many trips outside) then put me in my crate for a much needed nap.

Adventure Number 2:  My First Piece of Bling

An hour later, I woke up from my nap and was quickly carried outside (with the "out, out, out" command) to do business again (I'm telling you, I spent a lot of time outside doing business).  Then Sister and I came back inside the house.  "I've got another surprise for you" Sister told me and pulled from her pocket a bright blue shiny piece of flat metal.  "This is your name tag; Rigby's name tag" Sister told me as she wrestled the metal tag out from between my sharp as needles puppy teeth (hey, it was her fault for holding it so close to my mouth) and hooked it on my collar.  I turned my head to try to see it hanging from my collar, but I wasn't able to and had to take her word for the fact that it made me look quite distinguished and handsome.

Adventure Number 3:  The Stairs

"Pretty soon," Sister told me, "you're going to be much too big to carry around."  I cocked my head to the side with a quizzical look.  "You're going to have to learn how to climb down the side steps to go outside to do your business" (I know, I know, it's only about 11:30am and I've already gone out a dozen times or so).

Wagging my little whip-like tail, I followed Sister into the kitchen and to the side door.  I looked out and saw two rather steep steps, a landing, a door, and two additional steps to the driveway.  "Okay, let's go!" Sister said as she marched down the first two steps then turned to face me.  From my perch on the top step I shifted anxiously from paw to paw and wagged my tail.  "Come on," Sister said with a smile while producing a cookie from her pocket, "you can do it!"  I shifted uncomfortably again then bounded down the two steps and landed at Sister's feet.  "Yay!" she screamed and tossed me the cookie.  Then she opened the door and, without hesitation and without having to be told, I scurried down the final two steps into the driveway then turned around and climbed back up them.  I looked up and smiled at Sister who was laughing and clapping her hands.  I had learned how to climb up and down the stairs.

Adventure Number 4:  Exploring the Backyard

Checking Out the Hastas

The First Stick I Ever Ate

After breaking for lunch and another nap (plus the obligatory after nap "out, out, out" session), Sister released me into the backyard to explore.  I trampled the hostas, ate some grass, chewed on some sticks, and checked out the perimeters (I was too overwhelmed the previous day to explore my new digs).  Then Sister and I played a game that was supposed to teach me to come when called (yeah, still working on that) which, when it failed, turned into a round of "rub the belly" (mine, not hers).

The outdoor adventure continued, on and off, for the rest of the afternoon until eventually Ma and Pa came home from work.  By that time, Sister and I were totally exhausted and decided to take a much deserved nap.

Sister and I Taking A Nap