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--