Curious Georgia

I am considering changing Daisy's name to Georgia because she is curious about everything!  We had a doggy DNA test done on her to find out what kind of mix she was, and I was just sure that she would be part blood hound because she sniffs everything.  No such luck there, she was 70% Collie, 20% Great Dane,  and approx. 10% Australian Afghan.  I still think that if she didn't have a name when we got her (and we didn't have friends who have a super cute daughter with the name) I would be calling her Curious Georgia today.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself!

 Hi! I'm Daisy and I am all worn out from all of the bad things I've done today. 

Let's take a look:

 I chewed up my toy-box, because toys weren't fun enough...

I chewed mommy's shoelace, because I don't want her to leave...

And I chewed a hole in the bed-skirt because mommy was on the phone and not paying attention to me!

Trust me, being bad isn't easy!  I've gotta get my beauty sleep now so I can do it all again tomorrow!

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

As a little kid I remember hating when my parents would leave to go somewhere.  I was a little paranoid, but I had this idea in my head that when they left they would never come back. Now I had nothing to base this thought on, but it still scared me nonetheless.  I grew up in a loving home where neither of my parents ever talked about leaving, but I guess I thought that if us kids were not there with them all the time they would forget about us!  Now that I am older I realize that this is not the case, but I can understand where children get this thought process from.  When little kids close there eyes they think that no one else can see them, so therefore, if someone they love leaves and they cannot see them the only logical conclusion is that the child has been forgotten by the adult.

Dog's have this same mentality.  Whenever we are getting ready to leave the apartment Daisy can sense this.  She starts following us around and putting on her sad eyes as if you say "please take me with you."  She hangs out by the front door as we gather up our things, and when we tell her to kennel up she waits a minute to see if we will change our mind.  Even though we always come back, I think she thinks "out of sight, out of mind," just like I did when I was younger.

You're Never Too Big to Sit on Mommy's Lap

Last night when I got home from work and started unloading my pockets of the day's contents, I discovered that I had an important piece of paper in my pocket that needed to go in a patient's chart.  So, after dinner Adam, Daisy and I went back up to the hospital to return the paper...and go get some Curley's Frozen Custard afterward : P

When we got back in the car after custard Daisy decided that she wanted to sit on my lap.  It was sooo sweet!  She just curled right up and leaned her head on my shoulder during the ride back home.  Since she is not much of a cuddly lap dog this was a special moment...and we caught it on camera to share with the rest of you!

To gauge just how much she has grown since we got her:  on August 2nd Daisy could curl up on my lap and have a little extra room to spare, now "curled up" up means taking up all of my lap and most of my torso!

Try a Little Tenderness

I am not really sure how I am going to relate this post's title to what I am going to write about yet, but I am going to try my best!

Today was one of those days with 12+ hours on the job that nurses are subjected to.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job!  Being a nurse is even better than I thought it would be, and I get lots of satisfaction out of what I do (something I am learning not everyone can say).  However, the long hours lead to barking dogs...in both literal and figurative terms.  On weeks that my husband is home, he gets back from work before I do; this means that I don't really have to worry about Daisy being stuck in her kennel from 6am-8pm.  He is out of town this week though :(  

Luckily I have some great friends who come ambulate my dog on days like today.  So while her bladder may get relieved, her energy doesn't quite get used to its full potential.  This fact came into play about the time I sat down eat my dinner at 8:15.  I used to (okay, sometimes I still do) get extremely irritated at Daisy for being an energetic puppy. This is completely senseless in retrospect, but seems perfectly rational at the time.  I am learning, though slowly and surely, that the best way to react to Daisy's energy is not to discipline her for not working on my time-table, but rather to try a little tenderness (see, I told you I would get this in here somehow!).  

Now trying a little tenderness with a puppy has nothing to do with what Michael Buble sings about, but it still works magic ;)

By trying a little tenderness, I really mean getting down on her level and giving her the attention she needs (okay, so maybe it is a little like what Mr. Buble sings about).  Instead of griping at her for an hour for being a nuisance, a simple 5-10 minute game of fetch or her new favorite - keep away, followed by a good old tummy rub, works wonders.  All Daisy really wants is for me to acknowledge that she is there and show her that yes, even after being gone all day, I do still love her.

And after this I can get the hour that I wanted in the first place while she happily entertains herself with a chew toy!

So, here we are 9 days into October and I haven't posted anything this month.  It is not that we have frozen ourselves in time for the past 10 day, but rather that I haven't thought of anything noteworthy to blog about.  Our lives have been fairly routine lately with few(er) dog adventures to write about...at least on my part.  I think that my husband might have a different opinion on the matter.

Since I have started working more of the home and dog care duties have fallen on Adam's shoulders.  I can't say that I really mind this at all.  It is nice to come home to dinner on the table, the dog already walked, and any mess she made during the day cleaned up (ish).  I think I could get used to this...

But back to the messes part.  Because we feel sorry for our dog who has to stay in her kennel during the day while we are gone, we have tried on two separate occasions to leave her on the porch during the day.  On days when we are home Daisy spends countless happy hours on the porch simply watching the world go by below, however, when we leave something horrible must come inhabit our animal.  She poops, turns over her food and water and then tries to shred the bowls, and who knows what else.  We tried this a few weeks ago and then again this week with no improvement :(  

So it is back in the kennel while mom and dad go to work.

Maybe we should just get a life sized doll and stand it up in the doorway so she feels like she is being watched...not an entirely bad idea!

I will try to post more frequently for the rest of the month!

About the Only Time Daisy Obeys

Pet Rocks

Daisy has been out on the porch a lot today (due to the arrival of fall...finally).  The porch is also where we keep our "pet rocks."  The pet rocks came with the marriage and since I couldn't really find a good way to decorate with them I just set them out on the porch to be part of "nature."

Daisy has a slight obsession with roughhousing the rocks around and letting them know she is alpha-pet.  There used to be 3 rocks and I think that one met its inevitable fate of being pushed off a 3-story porch.  I have already rescued a second rock a few times today and thankfully the third is too big to fit under the railing.

The rocks have provided many hours of content fascination, and I am truly grateful for the sacrifices they have made for the sake of Daisy's entertainment.

Table Manners

 

Daisy wanted to join me for dinner :)

 

Ingenious little pup, isn't she?

Peanut, Peanut Butter (No Jelly)

Yes, that is a jar of peanut butter.  It is pretty much empty and I was about to throw it in the trash.  While I was putting something else away Daisy came and got the jar out of the trash can and started chewing on it.  So I thought: "why not?" and just took the lid off so that she could lick out the inside.

She is loving it.  Best idea I've had all day!

Momentary Peace

 

 

God gives me moments like these so that I can remember that my puppy is not always a royal terror and there really is HOPE  that someday she might actually be well-behaved all the time!

Someday....

 

Puppy training fosters patience, perseverance, and teaches me how incredibly selfish and short-tempered I can be.  So maybe the real goal here is that I rid myself of sinful ways and learn to be more loving, understanding, and long-suffering.

Someday...

P.S. Remember when I wrote about the Glade carpet powder I bought a few weeks back.  Well I used the rest of it tonight and just for the record it did not smell any better the second time around.  Hopefully my apt will air out by tomorrow! Glad to be finished with it, will not be repurchasing that product in the future!

T-I-R-E-D

Tired: this word sums up exactly how Daisy and I feel, except that we are not tired for the same reasons.

I started work this week so I have been gone from 7-5 due to orientation.  While I have not gotten into the actual nursing part of my job, sitting in a classroom trying to absorb details about what my new job will be like is extremely exhausting.  I am a creature of habit and any time I am faced with change (even if I have been anticipating and looking forward to it) my body responds by going into shut down mode.  This means that I get extremely tired and want to sleep all the time.  I knew this would happen when I started work because of the change of routine, but I am currently experiencing the effects of this.

Daisy is tired of staying in her kennel for extended amounts of time during the day.  For a dog that is used to being in her kennel only a few daylight hours at a time, mommy's new work schedule is just as trying on her as it is on me.  When I get home at night she has TONS of pent up energy and an appetite for attention.  So while I want to come home and veg out, she is raring to go!

I know that things will settle down in a few weeks and we will get into our new routine.  I won't have to work every day of the week so my dog won't be so spastic...but I can't wait for those days to get here.

What a depressing post!  When I have time to gather my thoughts and put my life back in order this weekend I'll post about more interesting and entertaining facts of life :)

Poor Puppy :(

Doesn't she looks so sad :(

This morning we went on our walk/run (due to rain we hadn't gone the past two days...needless to say we were a little out of practice, but that is another story)  and when we came back home Daisy took her usual post walk nap.  Usually she sleeps for a couple hours after walking and plays/lays around for the rest of the afternoon.  Well today she seemed a little more mopey that usual.  She kept following me around with these sad eyes and laid down at ever chance she got.

I figured out what was up about 2 pm as I was sitting down to lunch.  I walked into the dining area and saw Daisy standing over a heap of regurgitated breakfast.  Poor thing, no wonder she was so down.

Now that she has gotten that bug out of her system she is back to her normal self:

Random wish of the day:  I do not want Daisy to get very much bigger because then I won't be able to pick her up any more.  Tonight when we went outside to make a potty run something spooked her and she didn't want to go down the stairs, so I picked her up and carried her down.  She put her head on my shoulder and leaned into me...so sweet!  She weighs 25lbs now and is supposed to double that by the time she is full grown.  Can I just freeze her the ways she is now? I don't want my baby to grow up.

I'm pathetic, I know :)

Adventure Dog

We spent Labor Day with some friends at Mineral Wells State Park.  

Daisy got to tag along and she had a great time being outside, playing in the dirt, hiking and watching us rock climb!

Here are some pictures of our adventure day:

 

Isn't she a beautiful dog?!

News Flash!

I could have included this in the last post, but this news flash deserves a post all its own: 

DAISY WENT IN HER KENNEL OF HER OWN FREE WILL!!!

We put Daisy in her kennel at night and when we are not home, but during the day when she is out and about the apartment we leave the kennel door open because we have been hoping that she would go in her "room." We want here to realize that being in her kennel is not a bad thing, but that it is a place where she can go to be left alone.  While she does not ever whine or bark in her kennel, she doesn't exactly love to go in it.  

But I sense that times may be a changin' folks!

As I was writing the last post Daisy walked across the living room, plopped down in her kennel, and fell promptly asleep.  While she only stayed in there about 10 minutes before moving to her other "room" (a.k.a the entry way), it is a start!  And I'll take baby steps of progress any day of the week!

Dogs are Boys and Cats are Girls

I had some complaints from my male followers after my last post so I thought I would redeem myself by actually writing about dogs in this time:)

For some reason when I was little I thought that all dogs were boys and all cats were girls.  This had me thoroughly confused as to how each species managed to procreate, but I just took for granted that this was "how it was."  Thankfully I outgrew this mindset and have everything figured out now (obviously, I have a girl dog).  But I have noticed that this mindset pervades in many people's thinking.  Cats are perceived to be much more feminine creatures by the majority of our population, while dogs (maybe because they are more "sturdy" creatures) are more manly.  Don't get me wrong, I know of (a few) men that own cats, but the majority of cat owners/lovers are women. 

All this to say that when I walk Daisy with a pink leash (much to my husband's dismay) I always get asked by passers-by "how old is he?" or "what is his name?"

Know I know that it is not always obvious whether an dog is a he or she (for example we met a bulldog named Abby on our walk today...and in my mind bulldogs always look like boys) but I think it is courteous to ask the owner what the sex of the dog is before making any assumptions, especially if you are stopping to have a conversation. 

 

Enough of my venting!  

The weather in Fort Worth was delightful today! We turned off the AC and left the porch door open.  This is a picture of Daisy enjoying the view from the third floor:

Fall and Fabulous

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with Daisy at all.  In fact the only way she pertains to this post is that she slept quietly on the closet floor while I played dress up.

This is post is where the "other stuff" portion of this blog comes in.  I am a sucker for before and afters.  I am a self-proclaimed What Not To Wear junkie, love home-makeover shows, and even watched Rachel Ray this morning because she was doing a make-over on her show (and I really can't stand Rachel Ray on most days!).

That being said I also really love to shop and clothing/fashion has always interested me (this can, almost solely, be attributed to my paternal grandmother and her love of the same things).  But being a newly-wed and having to pay back school loans, save money, etc. I really can't go shopping as much as I would like.  While this has been a lesson in self-control it has also made me re-think my wardrobe and try to come up with ways to diversify the clothes I already have.  I was inspired by this morning's cooler weather to go through my closet and see what summer clothes I could transition into fall!  Since I know I am not the only one in the "trying to save money" boat and also because I personally find inspiration for my wardrobe by seeing what others do with theirs I decided to share some of the outfits I came up with.

This is a top that I got at Forever21 at the beginning of the summer.  The sleeves can either be rolled up or left down as in this pic.  I paired the shirt with a belt from Target and jeans from the Gap, both which I already had in my closet.  Put on a cute pair of flats with this and you are ready to head out the door!

This outfit is great for work or church.  The pants are gray linen slacks that I have had for several years and love.  I paired it with a top I got on sale from The Limited a few seasons ago (and have hardly worn till now!) and a sweater I just got from Target for 50% off.  I added the belt (also from The Limited this summer) to tie everything together and give the whole outfit some flair!

This last outfit is great for a get-together or just if you want to look a little nicer during the day (sometimes it is fun to dress up for no good reason!).  The dress is from Ann Taylor Loft and is a simple white linen sheath.  I paired it with this yellow cardigan (again from Target) but really any color would work great!  I added the belt (evidently my accessory of choice today) to give the dress some definition and included some brown tights to cover the legs on increasingly chilly evenings :)

That is all of my fashionista adventures for today!  I hope you all enjoyed this post and are able to take some of the tips and apply them to your own wardrobe!

Now I have to go put everything back where it belongs and clean up the apartment before hubby gets home...but keep your eye out for more outfits in the future!

I am the Human Popsicle

Yes, this is true.  Daisy thinks that I am a human Popsicle...of the orange blossom variety.  

Now that I have fully confused all of you, let me explain myself.

Everyday when I get out of the shower Daisy comes into the bathroom and likes to lick my legs.  This is really kind of gross and makes me feel like I need to take another shower now that I have received a thorough licking-over.  I am currently using Nivea body wash which smells wonderful, but evidently it tastes pretty good too.  I am almost out though and bought a different brand of body wash so maybe Daisy won't find this new flavor so delicious.

And just another random note on body washes to all of my couponing friends out there: how come there are always buy one get one free coupons for men's body wash but never any for ladies?  I use just as much soap as my husband and would appreciate a free-bee every now and then.  I guess I could break down and use some Old Spice body wash, but I like to exert my femininity by smelling like vanilla, or coconut cream, or orange blossom :)

Get It

First up:  I have been doing some laundry this afternoon and had a few items that needed to hang dry, so I set up the hanging rack in the bedroom.  A few minutes later I noticed that Daisy was running down the hall with her tail between her legs.  She would not go past the kitchen and kept peering down the hall and making this weird "muff" barking noise that she does when she is scared. I decided to investigate what was going back there and this is what I found:

I know laundry scares some, but really?  I have seen worse.

I think my pup may be going a little stir crazy...What do you think?

Timing is Everything

Timing is everything when you are puppy training.  How long has it been since we last went out? When would be a good time to go on a walk? If I give her a bone right before I sit down to eat can I avoid her barking? Will she stay asleep long enough for me to use the computer for a few minutes?

These are just a few of the questions I ask myself multiple times during the day.

When it comes to walking I  am learning that time of day makes all the difference.  For example: we have been taking walks in the morning between 8 and 9 o'clock.  This works great because Daisy has the most energy in the morning and walking is a great way to channel all of her excitement.  While walking in the morning keeps her calm for most of the day, she is usually ready for a hard-core play session by the time dinner rolls around.  Yesterday I thought I would try walking her around mid-day since I had errands to run in the AM and I also had hopes that she would be more calm during the rest of the day. 

Did my plan work? Ehhh, not quite like I had hoped.  Evidently the heat of the day is not conducive to a 3 mile walk (at least in Daisy's mind).  I think she walked backwards the whole way out, trying her hardest to get back the the car and some AC.  Once I had decided to give up the fight and head back she pretty much ran the whole way...which meant I had to run too!  I don't mind taking walks any time of the day, but running in 95 degree heat is not in my top 10 list of things I love to do.

Needless to say this morning we went back to our morning walking schedule with much greater success!

Here is a pic for today:

Daisy will pick anything up and chew on it (okay not anything, she is pretty good about leaving furniture, shoes, and power cords alone...thankfully!)  But she loves to find "treasures" outside to bring in.  This pic is of a carton that she found outside.  She brought it in and promptly went under the table (where she goes if she wants to be left alone).  This carton was quickly replaced with her bone after this picture was taken.

It's the Simple Things in Life

Today was grocery day.  This includes grocery shopping for both humans and four legged creatures.  During my trip to Petsmart I picked up a tug-toy for Daisy.  We have been talking about getting her one for a few weeks, seeing as how she has all but devoured her stuffed animals.  Also, we pretty much use the stuffed animals as tug toys as it is and we decided it would be nice to have something more sturdy to play with.  This was a great decision!  Ever since coming home and giving her the new toy it has not left her side, much less her mouth!

I am glad that she loves it and I hope that the "new" doesn't wear off for a long time!

Stretched to the Limit

Last night our friend Ben came and spent the night in our guest bed (a.k.a  futon) since he and Adam were riding in the Hotter n' Hell Hundred  bike race this morning.  We moved Daisy's kennel from the living room into the bathroom so that she wouldn't keep anyone up during the night.  Here is what I found when I walked in the bathroom to get ready for bed last night:

I think that she might be outgrowing her kennel? 

Daisy and I went on a 2.5 mile walk this morning and she did so well!  Having a dog is a great way to lead a more active lifestyle.  I would probably never have started walking everyday, but now that I have a reason to get my lazy butt out of the apartment everyday I am really enjoying it!  The sweet lady who lives below us told me the other day "you sure do walk your dog a lot." Yeah, but I don't mind.  It is saving my carpet from accidents and my mind from insanity...plus it is getting me back in shape.

One thing that I do have to say about Daisy is that she is a shade fiend.  She would run in front of a  moving vehicle in order to get to a 6 inch patch of shade on the opposite side of the street (this is not an exaggeration, she tried this several times today).  She may be a smart dog but I think she is lacking a little common sense.

Having a dog to love on you when you don't feel so great is a wonderful feeling.  Here is a pic of Daisy keeping a watchful eye on Daddy while he recovers from his bike ride:

Daddy's Home!

Remember as a little kid the anticipation of waiting for 5 o'clock to roll around.  This meant that dad was due to show up any minute.  I 'm not sure who looks forward to this more: the kids or mom, but that doesn't really matter; as soon as the garage door opened someone would shout "Daddy's Home" and then you would rush to the door and attack your father with stories about what you did that day.

Welp, it is almost 5 o'clock on Friday and guess what...daddy is on his way home!

Daisy keeping watch out the patio door for the first sign of Daddy:

My husband's job has required that he be out of town M-F for the past 4 weeks which means that I've pretty much been a single dog-mom and let me tell you...it gets tiring!  I have a growing appreciation for real single parents who have to be both mom and dad to their kids.  They don't have anyone to tag-team with, bounce ideas off of, or just give them a break at the end of a long day.  Kudos to all you single parents out there, you deserve a lot of respect!

But back to my main point...Daisy does much better discipline-wise when Adam is home, there is just something about a man's commanding presence that has much more of an effect at getting her to stop doing whatever destructive task she has set her mind to at the moment.  Don't get me wrong, I can get my point across too, but it is so much nicer when I don't have to do all the disciplining myself.

In other news, when we got Daisy we went to Goodwill and got some stuffed animals for her to play with.  They have served us well, but here are their remnants:

Both animals have been totally gutted, shredded and in some cases turned inside out.  But Daisy still loves to play with them, so until there is only a sliver of fabric left I'm not buying new ones.

Walking Alternative

I have found an alternative way to wear Daisy out.

And it comes with the added benefit of a clean home.  Here is how it works:

Step one: pull out vacuum - strikes fear in the heart of the puppy

Step two: plug vacuum in- this sends Daisy in a beeline for the bedroom closet (i.e. her 'safe zone')

Step three: make way down the hall with running vacuum

Step four: vacuum bedroom - this sends Daisy in a beeline for the couch (i.e. 'back-up safe zone') and looks something like this:

Finish by putting vacuum up and admiring your nice clean carpets as you console a traumatized puppy.

After she has been assured that the horrible blue machine is not going to make another surprise visit in the near future, Daisy then goes around an inspects the apartment to make sure that everything is still intact.  Once peace has been established Daisy sleeps like a baby!

I know what I'll be doing on rainy days from now on!

And I just have to post this pic because I think it is too cute :)

Sneak Attack

All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

Yep, that's right. Daisy is teething.

I noticed a few days ago that she was missing one of her bottom teeth but today as we were having some quality mommy/Daisy time I saw that she is now missing her two lower front teeth. 

I would take a picture to show you but I can't for the life of me figure out how to hold her down and get a picture at the same time.  And who really wants to look a picture of a dog's mouth anyway...even if they supposedly "have cleaner mouths than humans."

BTW, I don't know if dogs mouths are cleaner that humans but I sure hope so because I come in contact with a lot of dog slobber during the day.

One Small Step for Dog, One Giant Leap in Dog Training

Okay, the title may be a bit of an exaggeration, but today was a much better dog training day.  Last night ended with Daisy in trouble and getting sent to her kennel and me going to bed almost in tears.  It seems that after I posted about potty training Daisy needed to test her limits once again, and again, and again. After having just been outside...ugh!

But, every day is a new day with a fresh start. With a little more puppy time, two pretty long walks and regular bathroom breaks we have been accident free today and most other mischief has been kept to a minimum as well.  There is hope!

The next two bad behaviors at the top of my training list are: leash walking and barking.  

It would be safe to say that Daisy is a bit of a home-body.  She doesn't mind going outside, but if you take her out of her element (i.e. the park) she kind of freaks out at tries to run back to the car.  This morning on our walk I basically had to drag her because all she wanted to do was go back home.  Despite the frustration we kept plugging alone because I am sure that consistency pays off sometime, and I know that she is due for a good long nap after we get back home (thus allowing me time to get other things done).  Since Texas has been blessed with a cool front and Daisy was furiously digging at the carpet this afternoon I decided it was time for another walk.  However, this second walk was like walking a different dog!  She actually walked the entire time, no dragging required, save for a little re-direction back on the path. AMAZING!  I hope she keeps this up tomorrow!

As for barking I am still kind of at a loss for this one.  Daisy doesn't bark at people outside or other animals, she barks for attention...during meal times.  I can pretty much count as soon as I sit down to eat that she will be at my heels putting on her sweet face. After of a few moments of the sweet face not getting her the attention she wants she decided to voice her opinion.  Not happening.  At first I tried ignoring it, she didn't get the message.  I tried the "No Barking" command to no avail.  Then I resorted to the pacifier (rawhide bone).  This seemed to work, but how do I get her to realize that she should just go find her bone in the first place?  And where do dogs learn to beg?  It is not like we have ever fed her food from the table, so why does she think she is entitled to some?

Oh, well! Just a few more things to work on!

So Fresh and so Clean, Clean

Puppy potty training is an ongoing process. Most of the time Daisy does well, as long as we stay on schedule.  However, it never fails that as soon as someone asks me how potty training is going and I say "great! we are almost accident free!" that Daisy feels the need to prove me wrong.

This happened yesterday after having the above conversation with my mom.  No sooner had I hung up the phone than Daisy was popping a squat in the middle of the room!  However, I am always armed with Nature's Miracle pet stain and odor remover so have no fear!  I cleaned up the mess and moved on.  I even took an extra measure and used some Glade Carpet & Room odor eliminator carpet powder when I was vacuuming up last night (which I will review later on).  

But this morning as I was sitting on the floor near where the aforementioned accident happened I found myself thinking "I smell urine." Gross.  I take great pride in having a clean home so I really, really, really do not want my house to smell like dog or even worse: dog urine.  This led to me viciously smelling all the carpet (a sight to see I'm sure) and then getting out Nature's Miracle again and pouring, not spraying it all over.  Pouring is a much more effective method and I think that I have conquered the smell...for now.

Now back to Glade...My former roommate used some sort of carpet powder in our apartment and I thought it smelled wonderful.  So, I was super excited when I had two coupons (courtesy of Couponing101) and was able to get a great deal on it.  I got the fresh scent for pet odors because, duh, I have a pet.  At first it does have a fresh scent, which then turns to old cigarette scent.  Can't say I am a fan of it, but that being said I have a whole container left and I'll probably break down and use it again...maybe the second time will smell better.

And because every blog post is better with a picture:

A Blog about a Dog

Welcome to the Driving Miss Daisy blog!  I am Erica and my wonderful husband Adam and I recently adopted our first "child" a.k.a. a short haired collie mix named Daisy :)  

 

Cute, huh?  This pic was taken the day I picked her up (and right after she had gotten spayed so she was all drugged up).  This was also the first, and last time she got to ride in the front seat of the car. 

We have been pet-parents for 3 WEEKS now! (sometimes if feels like longer...)

Daisy is approximately 4 months old so we are in the "terrible two's/teenage years" of dog training, but we are working on it! 

I decided to start this blog not because I am a blogger (i.e. avid writer who is either trying to change the world via blog posts or keep up their writing skills in between publishing books and thought provoking articles for the AP), but because I think that pet-parenting is an adventure and Daisy does some crazy/funny stuff that I thought others might enjoy hearing about.

So, follow me as we learn, train and love on our dog!