April was a fun month for us, spending lots of time outdoors, going on nice long walks each day and practicing my loose leash walking skills. Mum is really pleased with me for not trying to pull toward other dogs that we pass and she is especially proud of how well I hold it together when we see squirrels. Bunnies are a challenge, but for the first time ever, when we met a bunny on our walk the other day, I just looked at it, sat down and checked in with Mum. She was so happy with me! We don’t often go to dog parks, but we do have nice off-leash walks on the dykes where we usually meet several nice dogs to run and play with and to maybe have a little splash or swim with. Mum is really pleased with my recall – I run to her as soon as she calls me, despite how much fun I am having.
We have started gardening again. Mum won’t let me chew up all the delicious sticks I find, and she doesn’t appreciate my efforts to help her dig. She doesn’t share her tools with me either, but if I manage to snag one I’m happy to trade it for a kibble and to show her I have no hard feelings I share her gardening mat with her. I sprawl out beside her for a snooze but I let her have a small corner of the mat to kneel on while she weeds. Once in a while, I get up to have a close look at what Mum finds so fascinating, then she laughs at my muzzle full of dirt.
I helped Mum donate blood one day. Everybody said what a good boy I was as I patiently waited for her donation to be completed. One of the nice ladies there brought me some water and even gave me one of my favourite ice cube treats.
Happy spring everyone!
Submitted by: Puppy raiser Nola Chanroux
