Awoo! Hi, furiends. Welcome to March, and there is a change in the air. I have been a busy puppy and have been getting out for longer walks and checking out different places.
I went back to the big park with PADS Freya for a long walk. There were lots of things to sniff and water to play in. I stayed close to my hooman and left most of the pine cones alone. And when I thought I found a tasty one but I spat it out when my raiser told me “drop” or “leave it.” I got lots of treatos when I did that. Afterwards, I went to a really big building called a mall. I stayed with my raiser in the busy parking lot, focused on him when we walked close to the busy road. And even with all the noise, cars, trucks and squawking birds, I toileted when told to!
Another day I went to the biggest bathtub ever! My raiser called it the Fraser River. It was great. I walked on round rocks, sand, perched on a stump and ignored the trumpeting geese. I didn’t even care about smelly fish bits. I splashed in the shallow pools, ran around and snoofled all the smells. It was lots of fun.
On a different day, I went with my raisers for their appointment and an epic outing! I got to meet new people and did a “go in” for the 1st time. Then I watched lots of big trucks and cars go by on a really busy street. Later I went inside a really, really big building with lots of stores in it. It was just like the other mall, but this time I went in and checked it out. I stayed near the door while I snooffed the air and watched people walking by. Then finally I saw the bobblehead man! It was the 1st time I saw such a huge head. Then he took his head off! Can you believe that? He pulled his head off?! That is when my raiser told me it was a helmet. He said I could check him and his helmet out. He was a nice man, and I let him pet me for helping me with my training. What a day!!!
Then on a nice sunny day, we went for a drive. I like driving in my car. Most of the time, I sleep by my hooman’s feet. This time when I got to the highway, we went right. We never go right! Where were we going? Well, I went to Hope and walked around the big park and sniffed lots of new smells. At first, I almost lost my mind with all of the smells, but I quickly settled and had a nice walk with PADS Freya and my raisers. I even posed for some photos.
My raisers like to go to a place called Starbucks. I have been there a few times, but it has always been in the car. This time it was nice, sunny, and the patio was open. So I figured it was the perfect day to check out the patio. I settled nicely on my blankie while my hoomans enjoyed their drinks. I even ignored the other dog waiting for their hooman.
But it was not all walks, sniffs and fun. I had serious stuff to do too. I had my vaccinations at the PADS Campus and took my shot like a pro! While I was there, I got to see my sister Trillium. It was fun to see her and quickly tell her about my adventures.
I also met PADS trainer Tracy for my Walk n Talk. I walked with my raiser along the busy parking lot, and then I went into the mall. Not a quick visit and sit by the door like last time. Like really in! I checked out the clothing section, toy aisles, wandered by the food court, looked down at the tiny people from the 2nd floor, rode in a glass elevator and did a couple of “go ins.” It was really neat! There were sooo many people and things to see, snoff and sniff. Most of the time, I kept my cool, focused on my raiser and ignored most of the distractions. I even behaved when I saw PADS Cleat! Trainer Tracy told me to keep up the training and the good work! It was hard to stay focused, but I did it, and when we were done, I was happy to get into my car. I was snoring away even before we had left the parking lot.
And I finished the month off with not 1 but 2 adventures. My raisers sent me to PADS raiser Suzanne for a quick visit while they went for a walk with their grandchildren. I had a great time, settled nicely and got belly rubs. Now this country puppy is off with PADS raisers Avril and Doug for a long-term sit to get a taste of city life. I can’t wait to tell you how this adventure goes…
Submitted by: Veronica & Ross Spenard
