pup-n-stuff, MD

It was wonderful to see my aunt and grandmother on Sunday... they even brought new puppy presents! I know! I should be pretty set with puppy food for awhile. Am very lucky, no? :)

My poor pup. My lil guy poked her in the eye the other day, and since then the eye has been swollen and the inner eyelid is red/bloodshot-looking. I have been bathing it with a warm, wet washcloth frequently, but so far that doesn't seem to have done much but keep the eye goop to a minimum and help soothe what is surely aching. And I knew within a day that she should probably see a vet, because while it wasn't getting worse, it also wasn't getting better.

But then it was Sunday and I figured vet offices would be closed but for emergencies, and if vet's offices are anything like human emergency rooms, it would cost an arm and a leg, and she was otherwise doing just fine, happy, even.

And then I tried to take her yesterday, however, the vet's office is too far away to walk, and the brakes are completely toast on my poor car. So I waited for my husband to come home from work, figuring he could either drive me or we'd go together. Except he didn't get home until after hours, so that was a bust.

So today for sure, we need to get her in. I asked him to please make sure he was home at the normal time today so we could run her to the vet and get her checked, and he agreed. No clue if he'll actually come home when he's supposed to, but I am trying. My only other option for getting there is my MIL, and she is, unfortunately not returning my calls. Meantime, I will just do what I can for my poor, sweet pup.

In other news, Maizie's housetraining is going pretty well. Last night was the first time I am sure she didn't pee in her crate in the night, and she is having fewer and fewer accidents in the house. Also of note, her temper tantrums about being placed in the crate are less intense and less-frequent. It is not as though she spends all her time in there, far from it. only when I absolutely cannot watch her like a hawk or at night. the rest of the time she can be found either in the kitchen or outside or snuggled in someone's arms.

I hate to sound like a groupie or something, but Cesar Millan's general advice for dog-ownership has been spot-on... first excercise, then assertiveness/discipline, THEN affection. It just makes sense to me, I guess. My experience with dogs is that they are generally eager to please, but when they don't have a "pack leader" they try to step up and take control and that's where the problem behaviors come in.

I couldn't begin to predict how Maizie will turn out, but I feel confident that she will be the kind of dogger that most people will enjoy having around. (provided, of course, that we train her right) She's smart and sweet and sometimes a little too stubborn, but we are really enjoying her puppyhood and the experience of raising a pup.

I had mentally prepared myself for some worst-case scenarios, and she has not shown me any of what I expected in that way, and has instead surpassed my ideas of how awesome dog-ownership would be. I'm so very glad we adopted her.