Sunday, January 25, 2009

Hanna's Grand Day Out (UPDATED)

So here we are, at the end of Hanna's first week in residence here at Casa IVG ... and so far, she's been settling in remarkably well, though there have been a few missteps on her and our parts, but nothing truly dramatic or game changing (meaning, she's here to stay if it's all up to us), mostly just puppy blunders, which are bound to happen with any young dog. After all, Hanna is probably just barely 9 months old and is still a total pup, despite her oh so adult demeanor ... Personally, I think she's just exhilarated with how she's been living large the past week, and she has developed a quick taste for it! Sure, there will have to be some rules and boundaries laid down and enforced, but that's what she needs ... and the pack is just getting itself organized at this point.

Hanna's had a couple of piddling accidents in the house, which I attribute to us not all communicating on the same signals just yet, but that will come quickly in time, I think. In any case, it's just all a part of puppyhood ... she's still learning and has had an awful lot to take in and process in the last week! Overall, if I had to grade her, it would be a close A-. Now, there was the toilet paper incident on Thursday when I had to be away (her first time alone) for several hours for meetings ... when I returned after her having spent
about 4 hours alone, I found that she had found the extra rolls of toilet paper we had stored on a marble shelf in the bathroom ... think of that commercial with the terrier who drags the toilet paper from the bathroom all over the house, and that was pretty much the scene I found when I got home. Part of me had to laugh, while the other took on the role of the stern daddy who expressed his deep disappointment with the errant child ... no physical retribution, but stern words of dissatisfaction, mixed with reassurances that this little incident by no means jeopardized her status here, just that she had to learn boundaries. Having raised terriers previously, I know we'll be reinforcing that for many years, but they do respond and learn their manners. And where Hanna's concerned, she's way beyond most pups her age, so we have no reason to believe she won't be a star very soon!

So, in celebration of her first week and incipient Star status, Hanna got to experience her first dogsumer shopping experience at Petco today! We had a lot of things on the list, most importantly durable rubber squeaky toys that she couldn't destroy in about 20 minutes, like those previously given ones we started out with (they've since gone to the trash). Hanna had a blast at Petco, meeting other dogs and playing in the squeaky aisle, even if the ones we got her weren't her first choices, but the two we did choose for her have been real hits since we got home. She's now the proud owner of a Puppy Squeaky Kong (practically indestructible) and a bizarre heavy rubber bug eyed mouse. So far, she hasn't been able to leave as much as a scratch on either one, despite the heavy play ... whew, one issue resolved.


Here's about a minute of video I took tonight as she retrieved, and then proceeded to attack the squeaky mouse toy at length ... pardon the darkish exposure, we've got to work on the lighting still for indoors video! Anyway, check it out as she brings forth some downright eerie cries from her new squeaky mouse....



And here she is working on her squeaky puppy Kong, almost as popular as the mouse, but less strident in its squeakiness, but apparently no less fun for her ... even though she'd already been playing with both for several hours ... I think she came out well from her excursion with two great new toys that will last her quite a while. Whew. We were worried she'd wipe us out with her appetite for destroying the cheap squeakies, so we raised the bar quite a bit, and she seems even more pleased with the results so far. So here's fun with Squeaky Puppy Kong!




After we picked up some new dog necessities --which probably weren't as exciting for Hanna-- including her own new bowl, a stylin' jogging jacket (for those increasingly chilly walks around the neighborhood here lately), a new collar, new food and treats (Science Diet Puppy Food and treats), we headed to the checkout, where one of the cashiers gave her a treat.... She got to leave the store in a joyous mood. She was soo good on her visit, I think we'll be taking her back when we need more supplies, but after today (and all we spent) that may be a while, but a dog can dream, eh? In any case, her visit to Petco was certainly sensory overload for her ... all the great smells, the presence of other dogs and people to make over her (and there were several!), I'm sure she's eager to go back as soon as she can!

Once home, she got to play --incessantly-- with her new squeaky toys, had a quick walk around the neighborhood she's just getting to know, (it had to be quick because of the cold, even with her jacket), she started winding down (as much as terriers ever do), and for the first time since she's been here, she took possession of Pepa's old cushy bed. This was a big step for me, because it most surely smells of Pepa and she has avoided it until today ... Somehow, she felt the proper permission to use it today and I'm glad to see that happen. Most of this week though, she has spent the day lounging on the futon couch in my office that Pepa used to frequent ... and what's more, in almost the same spot on the blanket Pepa favored. Make of that what you will. No matter what the case, she obviously had a Grand Day Out, and as you can see in this last (very typical tonight) shot, she ended the day quite contented. So ends Hanna's first week here ... where she has witenessed the inauguration of a new president, gotten acquainted with the sights, smells and stimulations of a new home ... no wonder she was exhausted with all this processing!

It looks like living large agrees with her here ... and we're certainly remaining thrilled to have her along for the ride ... there's a lot of good things to look forward to in the future, not to mention spring! We're betting she's really going to enjoy spring and summer here as the new garden mascot! So stay tuned, and be ready to indulge our currently endless puppy love!
Sunday night Pupdate at 11:10 PM.
Hanna's foster mom called us tonight to see how Hanna was doing, and of course we gave her a glowing report about how great she's working out with us. She was very happy and gratified to hear how thrilled we are to have her, and appreciated hearing the squeaky Kong in the background, lol. She thought that Hanna's expedition to Petco sounded like lots of fun and was glad to hear she's getting to go places with us (she's great in the car!), so there will be lots more of that, especially as the weather gets warmer. Anyway, we have the last "official" paperwork to take care of next weekend, but that should just be pro forma at this point, as neither she nor we have any reservations about her staying here for good. At this point, I think she's as good as ours for her "forever" home ... and she sure seems to be loving it here living in the lap of doggie luxury!

--end puppy gushing--

24 comments:

Larry Kollar said...

So far so good, looks like. A friend of mine in SC has a Kong that he puts peanut butter in for his dog. Same deal here? I'm not up on the latest dog toys.

Lighting: a lot of video cameras, even the consumer ones, support lighting accessories. A cheaper solution would be to get a clamp lamp and aim it at the ceiling. BTW, that squeaky mouse did sound distressed right at the beginning!

You might have seen where I had to chase a bird out of my garage already, so that's got me wondering if we'll have an early spring. Good luck with your garden this year… but if you could train Pepa to not dig up everything, you can do it with Hanna too.

Shady Gardener said...

I'm so happy for the three of you. This is very good. :-)

CONEFLOWER said...

Oh WOW!!! Hanna is lovely!! I'm so happy for you and Fernymoss and Hanna too, of course. Looks like you all were made for each other. That last photo is priceless...snoozing in utter elegance and at peace. Love and joy all around.

boran2 said...

I'm glad to read that things are going well. She looks pretty comfy in that photo of her sleeping. Give her a hug for me.

Gail said...

Congratulations on your new family member. She's adorable... I know the three of you will have a marvelous time together. You already are. Gail

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hey FAR,
Yep that's the same thing your friend has, and our instructions say you can do that as well as some other "pastes" they sell. Hanna just loves her squeaky Kong and when we were at Target today, we picked up another one that you can stuff the treats in. That's going to keep her busy for quite a while but she's already figured out ways to get at them more quickly.

Actually, that video is from my digital cam ... we just need to get more light going, but this was impromptu because she was being so cute, so I just shot away, knowing it would be a bit dark.

I have to get over to your place to read that post, just noticed it was on my followed blog list just now. An early spring would be more than welcome here! We just got another 4 inches of snow again last night, so it's getting a bit deep again for a little dog with short legs!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Shady!
We're glad you share our joy and excitement about our little girl! When nicer weather is here and you pass through, you'll have to stop by for some more plants and meet her! BTW, will you be wanting some coneflowers this year? We'll have our usual bumper crop of seedlings if you're interested!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Coneflower!
I'm so glad you got to see her finally, after all the chattering and worrying about whether we'd get her for real. She has brought oodles of love and joy to our house, and she's only been here just a week (today!)

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hey B2!

So far, she's been fantastic, except for those little transgression-ettes and is fitting in so perfectly. She was totally wiped out after all the activity yesterday ... the shopping, 2 walks, lots of play with the new toys and lots of treats. She slept like a log last night and didn't even get up to come to bed with us, that's how tired she was!

Hug, check. Will give her a kiss as well!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Gail,
She seems like she's been a member of the family for a long time already, and she's barely been here a week! She's definitely making this house her home and is starting to show her protectiveness of her space (a good thing) by keeping a close eye on everything.

I don't know if your son has a Kong for his little girl, but you might suggest one to him if he doesn't ... everyone (Hanna included!) says their dogs love them, and they're practically indestructible to chewing! Exactly what we/she needed!

olivia said...

As our dear BNF would say, wunnerful, wunnerful!! ... :D

I'm so happy, and what a great start to 2009. We'll be expecting lots of photos of Miss Hanna ... :)

Roses and Lilacs said...

I'm glad she's settling in so well. You are doing a wonderful job with her.
Marnie

Shady Gardener said...

IVG, I can't handle any more coneflowers, but I'd love to take a few off your hands for a friend. I'm trying to design a grandiose bed in their nice sunny yard! ;-)

Anonymous said...

Wow what a pup!!!

Hey, you can leave the radio on for her when you leave. Sometimes that helps with the "lonelies".

My cat, Kitty, used to not like being left alone so we'd leave the tv on for her. Worked till she found that she wasn't in another foster home and was home for real. Then she settled down.

I wonder if ... Hannah likes hockey games :)

xoxoxox

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Marnie,
Thanks! She's making it really easy for us, the more accustomed she becomes to our routines (and we establish hers). There's so much of the puppy woes we've been able to avoid because she's almost 9 months old and many of the hassles are past (well most of them)!

She's really ready for warmer weather! She hates getting her little tootsies cold out in the snow!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Shady,
You're more than welcome to any coneflowers you want for your friend, just let us know. I'll let you know when they're running rampant and we can arrange for you to plant them up! I hate having to pull so many every spring!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hey Janet!
You snuck in on me as I was tinkering with the new look of the blog. Lots of cleaning up and editing to do!!

We already thought of leaving on the XM radio (Bluesville station) when she has to be alone, but we're going to try to take her everywhere we can, but there will be times... We may have to get a pet carrier for her to stay in during those times until we can totally trust her. But it's only been a week, so she's still getting used to everything, even as comfy as she already is!

As for the hockey, ahem, she'd have to convince the humans to have that on first, lol. At this point, she'd probably just chase the puck!

Anonymous said...

I love the photo of the snow dusted "crocuses" is that what they are?

I finally got to cutting down the rose bushes. They look.... dead. But neighbors say that's how to do it.

It's snowing here again. But is supposed to rain away by the afternoon.

I like the "Always in our Hearts" placements and photos. xoxo

Anonymous said...

Hey btw (that rhymes)

My hockey friend had his pop art picked up by the magazine The Nation. It's of the inauguration. I think it will be a part of American for a long time. There's a key to see who is who. We're very proud of Johnny Mavs.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090202

CONEFLOWER said...

Hanna's progress and boundless love sound perfect.

However, on the poll you posted on this new design blog..... you don't list a choice that is positive enough. I really like what you've done, but I didn't vote because none of the choices were good enough.

boran2 said...

Hay, you've gone and changed things! I thought that I had come to the wrong blog. It looks great, IVG!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Janet,
Yep, those are Dutch Giant Crocus (purple, my fave!) ... didn't you get some planted last fall at your place? You'll see yours before we do ours, I bet!

You sure have had a wacky winter this year ... Sorry I can't advise you on roses, because we avoid them! Too much fuss, and I'm not the Carolyn Burnham (American Beauty) type, so I hope you enjoy yours!

Gotta check out your friend's art when I get a chance! Thanks for the linkie, dearie!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Coneflower,
We're just thrilled with having Hanna here ... she's a perfect fit and such a sweetie!

I was going to change the poll because of your kind comment, but I can't do that if people have already voted, but thanks for the kind sentiments!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hey B2,
That cracked me up! Glad you like the tinkering I've been doing, and don't hesitate to chime in with suggestions if you have some. They'll be appreciated coming from you, a painter after all! :-)