Hi, Everyone!

Happy Birthday to my Shark Litter brothers & sisters – we are, now, one year old! How did you celebrate? I wore my Pirate’s Hat, played silly games and licked Chantilly Cream off the end of my nose. But the most fun was at Puppy Class! Best Ever PADS Raiser, Sandra, brought PADS Reef and me big, beautiful chew toys and led a rousing chorus of The Birthday Song in our honour. We are so lucky to have a special friend who watches out for us and celebrates our progress every step of the way.

On reaching this milestone, I send a big hello and thank you to Shark sponsor, the John Hardie Mitchell Family! And to Tiffany Spenard, who gave me a perfect start in life (see a baby picture)! And to the Cheng-Chan Family, who gave me my very first home-away-from-home (see family photo)! You might not recognize me these days (I’ve changed a bit since you last saw me), but I know I’ll always recognize you. Thanks for everything!

Also, in July, our Trainers held a BBQ on campus for our Cohort. It was actually to give our Raisers a chance to mingle, but there was a fun novelty path set up for us, too. And I saw my brother Thresher for the first time since whelping days! We practiced our β€œchin down” side-by-side.

Okay. The most unexpected thing happened on our block. Two pretty horses from Maynard’s Stables came clip-clopping up from Southlands to visit Favourite Person Susan across the street. She quickly called us up so that I wouldn’t miss the chance to meet them. They were magnificent! One was actually a Welsh Pony. I was very, very comfortable around them (even though I was totally impressed.) After we met, I followed behind them down the block.

Mainly, I’ve just been out and about, practicing my skills and having summer adventures. I’m still going strong with my Kibble-Free Public Settling – it’s fairly routine for me, now. The other day, I rode the bus up to UBC to watch the Women’s Rugby. Now, that’s a feisty affair. But an even feistier affair is the Salsa Dancing down at Robson Square! We discovered that on our recent city centre walkabout. Also, I’ve been pretty much a regular at Women’s Hospital, our usual shopping venues, and Granville Island…O! I recently ran into PADS Muffin and PADS Sheen at Granville Market! We were all out practicing and enjoying the sights. But my summer favourite has to be walking the trails up by our house.

Thank you so much for checking up on me! Before summer’s over, I’m going on a field trip to Maynard’s Stables with Susan to meet all the animals. So, maybe next time, I can tell you all about that. Until then, remember: Chantilly Cream tastes best off the end of the nose.

Submitted by: Mikal