Upside Down

Joey loves to sleep on his back. Of course that sentence would be just as true if it ended with the word 'sleep.' I can now easily gauge how boring or interesting I am being by his level of consciousness. Here he is considering a nap, but I am willing to intermittently rub his belly so he's holding off. I took the picture upside down 'cause he looked so hilarious. Its like he's jumping up and laying down at the same time. He also looks like he's smiling. I like that. He often has a serious, steady look -see the Halloween photo- and we watch the tail wag (tiny blur) to assess his excitement. Right now he is curled up on the couch waiting for me to do something more interesting than type at the clicky-shiny thing and take him for a walk.
Gotta go!

Cone Free!

Yes the cone is gone. He is feeling much better and I am so happy to see my whole dog! It was weird to have to choose between his head or his body. This is his shirt. It isn't a costume, but it is what he wore for Halloween. I thought we might be decorating his cone like a flower of something. This was much nicer! He loved seeing all the kids. He got lots of petting and admiration, and yet his ego seems relatively uneffected. We were relieved to notice that he isn't too interested in chocolate. I guess its not too surprising, since the candies we handed out didn't smell like the inside of a chicken or the back of another dog. Small blessings I guess!

Special Patrol Unit has a rant.

I'm pissed. You know me, I'm Special Petrol Unit, a.k.a. 'Slimey,' a.k.a. 'S.P.U.' I'm a fancy-shmancy A.K.C. brand beaver-shaped doggie toy. I have a squeaker inside, which I know you love. Don't deny it! I am meant to be licked and chewed on for squeaky, chewy fun. Yes, even grabbed by the head and shaken violently. I am not a tug of war toy - NOT!! You think that cone-collar is humiliating? My insides are on the outside, okay!? I had to have a bath and so am no longer coated with a thick film of your drool. This is not cool. Now I sit, languishing in the sewing bin, waiting for my turn to get stitched up and back in the game... (sigh) ...I miss you, Joey.

The Cone!

Never let it be said that there isn't a consequence to licking one's own privates. Poor Joey. It has been a long evening, and he was totally unsuspecting. We drove in the car (he loves it), we went to the pet store (very fun, lots of other dogs, got to pee inside without anyone getting too mad), and then swung by the vets (yowzer!). He's had a weird reaction to his neutering stitches. I noticed it and thought I was over-reacting, but when it got inflamed and red I took him in. Vet says antibiotics and no licking for two weeks (two weeks?!?! What the...). He took the med with no problem. He's sulking a little bit in the cone. You know, honestly its not a bad look. He keeps getting stuck on the carpeting though... Its going to be a long two weeks.

Week Three!

Okay. So he's gained a little weight (2 whole pounds - we're shooting for 3 more) and grown a bit of hair. He just gets cuter and cuter, if I do say so myself. As I look at this collection of pictures I realize that he looks like he sleeping or lounging all the time. This is very nearly true, but not the whole story. We run around and have lots of fun too. I just haven't figured out how to run around with Joey and take pictures of him at the same time. Plus the digital camera is still throwing us a bit of attitude. The cool thing about October is that dogs are allowed on the beach starting now until next summer. I'm excited to see him run around in the water and sand. Otherwise don't worry. He does lots of fun doggie things. He walks, barks at dogs outside, mock-hunts cats, vigorously greets visitors and licks his privates. I think its a pretty good life.

That Face!

He looks at me like this all the time! It makes me kind of long for lickable postage stamps.

Three-year-old Puppy

We brought Joey to this huge park this weekend and met lots of dogs and their humans (only one humping incident - yea!) Everyone asked us if he was a puppy. We thought this was strange. We chalked this up to his hair - which is making his head and paws look cartoonishly large compared to his body. To us he just looks like Joey. I guess I would rather have a dog that looks like a puppy, and acts like a dog, than an ugly old-looking puppy. Are there ugly old-looking puppies? Here is our most puppy-ish picture, what do you think?

Week Two!

Well, it is the end of the second week and tomorrow will begin our third. I have come to see our whole house from a doggie perspective. This, for example, used to just be our entry way. You know, a good place to shake off dirt and mud before walking on the carpet. Little did I know it is the coolest place (besides the bathroom floor, of course) to lay around if you're hot or tired. The canvas chair is a hammock. The couch is a whole landscape of sleepiness. The windows are vital portals to the outside world. He has taken it as his household duty to observe and catalog all the people and creatures that wander across his radar screen. Don't worry, he doesn't keep the information to himself! We're learning a lot from him. Did you know there is a pair of cats that hang out by my garbage can at midnight? Joey told me about them. He finds their behavior audacious. So here he is, chilling out amongst our shoes after a long Saturday of running around. Happy two week-iversary, Joey.

Play Time

Finally Joey is showing some interest in his toys. I am hoping he will like them and play with them when he has to be home alone. I read about how other dogs love their Kongs and just go crazy for them. When we gave one to Joey he was kind of like, "cool color" and left it alone. He was willing to lick out some peanut butter, but not if it was too much effort. Cream cheese, on the other hand is worth some serious work. It may be hard to see, but in Joey's world this is what being extremely busy looks like.

You can see the sore on his shoulder in this picture. This was a result of poor past grooming and has been on the mend since he entered the shelter. It looks worse than it actually is, and is healing nicely. What is interesting about Wheatens is that when new hair grows in, it is the color of their puppy hair which is typically darker than their mature shade. So he'll have a brown spot there even after the skin has totally healed, until the hair lightens.

Meditating

Okay, I don't know if Joey can meditate. This is him listening to Shinzen Young's The Science of Enlightenment. You could argue that in this moment, I was not really listening to The Science of Enlightenment, but that I was instead photographing my dog. It's on my iPod. I'll hear it again.

Not that you asked, but I am really enjoying Shinzen Young's work and recommend him to anyone interested in meditation or mindfulness at all. His website is also excellent. You can find him at http://www.shinzen.org/index.htm.

In other news, I now know, through Joey, every domesticated animal on the block. I have met some of their owners. I am learning who picks up after their dogs and who doesn't (I do! I do!). I am also learning that people know me that I don't know. A woman started chatting with us when we were outside. She wanted to know if we had a new dog or were just sitting for one. I had no idea who she was, but she obviously knew we didn't have a dog before. I'm guessing she lives across the street... I gotta pay more attention!

Favorite things to do...

Joey likes to sleep on the orange chair. He also likes sleeping in front of the front door or in front of the back door. He likes sleeping on the couch (either end is fine with him) and any patch of carpet pretty much anywhere is good for a nap. He likes his squeaky toys, particularly a small stuffed beaver named Special Patrol Unit (a.k.a. 'Slimy,' a.k.a. 'S.P.U.') The poor thing has already needed minor surgery to keep its head on. Joey likes him a lot. Of course he likes his walks and knows all the dogs and cats on his normal route. He likes looking out the window and barking at little dogs. Peanut butter flavored snacks are okay, but liver is the bomb. Let's not even talk about cheese. Maybe the most fun, outside of cuddling, is sitting with fellow house humans on the front step, watching the street life go by and enjoying the weather.

Joey: Week One!

So this blog is mostly to keep friends and family up to date with the newest member of our family. We adopted Joey from the Humane Society last weekend. It was not our intention to get a specific breed of dog, but apparently Joey is a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. He does not currently have a very 'wheaten' haircut, but his personality seems typical for the breed: steady, curious, friendly (very very friendly!), and energetic. We have been having so much fun with him and marvel at how lucky we were to meet him and get to take him home!