My Moose

After browsing through the Paw Prince pet shop and showing G various toys that I thought seemed intriguing and getting no interest from her, I was checking out with the pet shampoo I came for when I heard a "honk" behind me.  I turned around and saw G with a huge squeaking moose toy, bigger than her whole body, dragged off the shelf.  She went all around it, squeaking each foot, the nose and the body, as if to show me how cool the toy was with its multiple squeakers and why she wanted it.  Of course, it came home with us...and it is way more popular than anything I've selected.

Babies get the best toys!

After a visit with a friend with toddler, Gemma is totally excited about that old baby standby, the plastic stack of rings on rocker base toy so I went out to find her one of her own.  So many games in one!  So far the possible range of games with this toy resemble hockey, kick the can, toss the ring, and off course, fetch.  She can even toss the rings to herself.

Actually, any toy with a ring shape is a good thing.  Gemma's crinkle ring is still a favorite.

Nature girl

Turns out I didn't need to worry about checking all my house plants and yard plants for toxicity to pets.  Gemma has a better nose than I do.  She is batting 100 and is totally reliable as far as I can tell.  She eats the tender shoots and buds of wild roses, dandelions, fiddle head ferns, horse tails, birch, spruce -- all of which are safe and healthy for people to eat too.  Every dangerous wild plant we have run across is well sniffed, then ignored.  Ditto the house plants.  I panicked when she wolfed down a dropped leaf from the jade plant before I could grab it from her mouth, but turns out she was correct, not toxic to pets according to most internet sources and the fact that I still have a healthy dog! 

Unfortunately, rabbit pellets and moose nuggets also have a high plant content and are highly desirable to her, too.  Yuck!

Happiness is a Warm Puppy

While I've learned lots of practical things in the last month, here are some of the more esoteric things Gemma has taught me.

Puppies can sleep anywhere

Puppies don't let anyone else sleep more than two hours at a time

Socks are better than the most expensive dog toy from the store

Puppies hold no grudges

Puppies live in the present

Puppies seize the day (the broom,the snow shovel) with both paws

Puppies want to help

Puppies know where their food comes from

Puppies are always optimistic

Puppies are not subtle

Nothing looks as pathetic as a wet puppy

Puppies love togetherness

Sun Dog

Ah, basking in the spring sun....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Coming from high elevation New Mexico winter, Gemma had a great fur coat but hasn't had very much experience with snow.  We've had two big snowfalls since she has been here and snow is now her favorite thing ever!  Snowballs to chase, snow berms to burrow in, bounce in, and piles to play queen of the hill.  She rolls down slopes and likes to slide on her back.  For a short legged dog, she can still move fast in snow higher than her head.  She is a great winter pup!

Things I like to nibble on

"With my sharp little puppy teeth I have to be very careful - they are like razors.  I try to be very dainty with them as Mom yelps horribly whenever she feels them on her toes or fingers!"

On the plus side, Gemma isn't (yet) a destructive chewer, she likes more to nibble and suck on things, with a bit of tearing apart reserved for tags and cardboard tubes.  After breakfast in the kitchen we have some playtime and practice our skills.  "Sit" has been solid since 10 weeks, but "down" still puzzles her.