We took Elway to the dog park at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park today. It is quite a bit smaller than the Reid Park dog run, but I liked the smaller size. There were only three other dogs there and Elway got along well with all of them. They were all calm and playful, and the vibe was so much nicer than our last trip to the dog park. Elway is very submissive to other dogs which sometimes makes me nervous. But it is better than being dominant or aggressive. He lays down as soon as other dogs approach him, which is kind of cute. Jeff and I were very happy to have such a positive experience, especially after last time we went to a dog park.
We went to Agua Caliente Park for the first time in forever today, for a BBQ with Steph and friends. It was freakin windy, which gave me one heck of a headache and wore me out. Elway behaved well, until we tied his leash around a tree and he saw another dog and he took off running after the other dog. He broke his collar (the snap broke) and hurt his paw. He's fine now, no worries! We're going to try to get back to the park on a nicer day :)
Kerri swears up and down that I'm insane for thinking this, but I can't help but think that our dog is giving me the hairy eyeball for some reason. Stop giving me dirty looks, dog!
We've been having a hard time with Elway on his walks. He constantly pulls, and it hurts my fingers and my whole arm. Not to mention it can't feel good on his throat and neck to be pulling like that all the time and from our corrections.
So we enrolled in training classes that start next Sunday and we also bought him a backpack. We put some weight in the backpack, that way it slows him down and he uses more energy. He looks sooooo cute in the backpack. And he was almost perfect on his walk. He did a lot better. It will take time for him to get completely used to it though.
UPDATE: We accidentally left Elway alone with his backpack and he destroyed it. So much for that idea!
The Kruszewski family came over today to hang out for a bit. While Dan and Christian played Wii sports, Gabriel played with Elway. At first he was a little hesitant, but pretty soon Gabriel was running all around, playing catch and racing. Elway is just the right size to completely take out Gabriel's legs, but some how he managed to stay on his feet. By the end of their hour play session, Elway was laying down exhausted and every time Gabriel threw the ball he'd get up slowly and walk to go fetch it. Then Gabriel started moving around a bunch of the patio chairs and sitting on each of them in the new position.
Elway's sick. He was regurgitating last night (several times, in copious amounts). And then last night he vomited in his kennel. So Jeff decided to take him to the animal ER this morning at 5:45. They couldn't find any obstructions in the x-rays, and his blood work looked ok, so they think he just had an upset stomach. They pumped him full of fluids, which is awful cause they inject it right over his shoulder blade, so now he has this HUGE hump on his back. It's the saddest thing I've ever seen. No food and water for 24 hours and then he has a special diet. He is not being himself, he's acting calm and weird. He came home and went right to sleep. I hope no more vomiting, or we'll have to go back to the hospital, probably for an over night stay :(
We've been watching "the Dog Whisperer" (and when you say that, you have to use Cesaer's accent) and we're trying to pick up tips for Elway. Elway is a wonderful dog, but we have trouble on walks, which we weren't too concerned about because he is a puppy. However, we realized we need to get control of him now before he's impossible. So this was our fourth walk with him using our new knowledge and techniques. The first walk was frustrating and almost angering. The second was a little better, but not much. The third was still improving, but still not there.
Tonight's walk- fantastic! We took a 45 minute stroll and it was really very nice. He pulled a little every now and then, but still did pretty good. Jeff and I bundled up because it's been freakin' freezing lately, we stepped outside and it's gorgeous. By the end of our walk we were a little warm!
So for now on, if you come over our to our house, you need to be calm, and the dog needs to be calm before you pet him. Also, he's not allowed on the couch if you're on it, unless you invite him on. We're trying not to make him hyper and crazy!
Elway loves sleeping on the couches, even though he has two beds of his own... I think we're going to regret our decision to let him on the couches when he's bigger, but now it's so cute!
I took Elway to the park by our house this morning. He liked to sniff, but he mostly just laid down and watched the cars drive by. He was relatively calm. I thought he'd be like Chaz, and be sniffing every where.
Elway cam is up and running again! He chewed through the cord on the other one, but we borrowed a web cam from Jeff's parents so all is right in the world. Enjoy.
Kerri and I have decided that we wanted to keep an eye on the Elway the dog while we're at work. We started the ElwayCam 1.0 so we could access the image from our phones.
You too can track every bowel movement, every drink of water, and every nap. Just click here to spy on our dog. Like George Bush. Jerks.
On Saturday we adopted a puppy, his new name is Elway. He is a siberian husky, but he looks an awful lot like a german shepard, I think. We will be picking Elway up at the Humane Society tomorrow after work. We are so excited! I only have this photo from my phone. It's not great, but we will be taking lots more once he's home. Check back tomorrow night, I'll try to post some!
Kerri and I have decided that we wanted to keep an eye on the Elway the dog while we're at work. We started the ElwayCam 1.0 so we could access the image from our phones.
