Settling in

Well, the first two weeks were challenging ones for Miss Coco. The day after we moved in, workers came to re-pair the roof. They banged and banged all day! Also, Coco had to get used to sharing theoretical outside space with two terriers. At first she was in a state of panic, barking at each noise and freaking out when she heard one of the terriers next door. However, with alot of clicking and alot of treats, Coco is learning that barking dogs means noms! Now she perks her ears up and might grumble, but an outburst on her part is becoming rare. Also, the roofers are gone, so she can laze about during the day in her castle. We decided against locking Coco up in a room during the day. We did at first, and I think we would do it again if we went on vacation, but she seems content to snack on her peanutbutter kong in the living room while we are at work or play. She is getting used to being in rooms by heself, where previously if I went to the kitchen she would come to the kitchen and so forth. Now, she'll stay on the couch while I go from room to room, unless I am gone too long and she gets bored. Coco's smiles have been more extravagent as she rolls over for belly rubs. I'm finally convinced that the move to a condo is a good one for her, and we're hoping that she continues to enjoy her new life in "Coco Palace". Good for you, Coco!

Home sweet home!

We did it! We made the big move to our new condo. Coco watched me in concern for a week while I packed up everything we owned into boxes and bags strewn all over the old apartment. We moved on Tuesday with the help of a moving company and a good friend. Coco was on best behavior through out the whole thing, donning her puppia harness with cool calm. I think her favorite part was the multiple car rides she got to take, driving back and forth between the two locations. Now, a few days later, we are settling in. She has a new toy and is getting used to the house enough to want to take naps. It's not all sunny news, as there are many more dogs here in the complex then we anticipated, but in the end, it will be good for her to hear a dog bark and not freak out. Good luck, Coco, in your new home!

Molecule ball

We just got molecule ball from Ogdog. It's great!

Happy Independence Day!

This was a really fun fourth of July for me, as well as my first with Coco. In the morning, I left her snoozing with Miguel and I ran a race in a nearby town. It wasn't so much a race as a parking lot, but it is always an experience to run with a thousand people. A couple of friends came with me, which made for a couple of laughs.

Later that day, Coco and I went over my friends' house to hang out. This is always a big deal because Coco hates other dogs and so my friend has to hide her pups. I was armed with my doggy diaper bag equivalent: a bed, some treats, and two toys. When we got there, Coco went nuts and the other dogs went nuts until we had them properly separated. I used a technique with Coco that I saw on t.v.; i.e. Victoria Stillwell's show "It's me or the Dog". If Coco barked at one of the dogs (who were safely in the other room), I would take her aside to a spare room and make her sit inside for 10 seconds. When I let her out, she would walk calmly back to her toy. It worked pretty well, and with my friend working with her dogs at the same time, we had fun playing rock band while Coco tried out every dog bed in the house and promptly chewed the feet off of one of their AKC dog toys. Here are some pictures of Coco, the maurading guest munching away in someone elses bed. How funny!



What was also funny, was that the house had wood floors, and Coco decided to chase a tennis ball. It was like an ocotupus on ice skates. Coco would go flying across the floor, miss the tennis ball by an inch, but successfully knocking it with her paws; then she would skid to far ahead of the ball and try and double back, barely missing the ball again but giving it enough momentum to skitter futher... It was so funny. Our new place that we are moving to will have wooden floors, as well! The fun won't stop unless we find a rug!

Coco is sacked out now on one of her make-shift pillow dog beds that she "acquired" when I was lazy enough to leave a spare pillow on the ground for too long. I've been home all day packing for the impending move and doing some chore like odds and ends. We had a ride to the pet store for more food and Coco was the darling of the store. She of course got a big stuffie when we got through the door which she carried around, her head held high and bat ears at attention. Everyone stopped and cooed her.

So, no fireworks or apple pie this weekend. But I think it was a great fourth of July, with friends, dogs, and fun. Hooray!