Living the puppy dream...

We're having our Halloween party tonight so everything here has been running on a schedule for the last few days. The reason for that is so every little detail for the party can be finished way before the start of the party so I can get myself dressed up and ready at least an hour before six o'clock tonight.

That schedule included Savannah's feeding and walking times, because I needed to walk her (which I did just now) and have her 'do everything' (which she did) so she won't need a major walk during the party. Anyone who has a dog (and who's paying attention to that dog) quickly learns how much time is necessary between food in and food out.  Every dog is different, and unless you drastically change their food or their schedule, or the dog isn't feeling well, you can just about bet the farm on the inner workings of your dog.

I've got the gate up between the breakfast room and the kitchen, and I think Savannah believes she's being punished because she can't get into the kitchen or the TV room. Sweet Pea can easily jump over this gate, so I've kept him in the TV room all day, which is the rule for that cat anyway once I start setting up for a party.  I polished my nails earlier this afternoon, with the intention of having Savannah eat her food while I was doing my nails, then by the time my nails were dry, she would be ready to go out, and then I could start doing my hair and getting dressed for tonight. I had taken Savannah into the TV room with me, thinking that we could keep Sweet Pea company while I did my nails, and Savannah would have a different room to be in for a little while after being kept in the breakfast room since early this morning.

There's always a puppy-fly in the planning, though. When I put Savannah's food bowl down for her on the floor of the TV room, all she did was look at it, give a loud exhausted sigh, and jump up on the sofa. Telling her that I needed her to eat a little earlier (and in a different room) than usual wouldn't have helped.... and when she jumped up on that sofa, she seemed to be watching "The Cake Boss," which I had turned on to give me something to look at while I was polishing my nails.

Well.... what if I put Savannah's food bowl up on that sofa with her? It could work.... and that's what I did... and there was my Princess Puppy, munching on her Flint River Ranch Kibble and watching Buddy and his family decorate cakes.  I polished my nails... Savannah ate her food... Buddy made some beautiful cakes (one of which was a replica of a wedding cake with spun sugar for a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary).

I just thought it was the funniest thing.... Savannah was doing what people do--- mindlessly munching on food while watching TV. And funnier still was that when Buddy raised his voice in the bakery, Savannah stopped chewing and stared at that television as if Buddy was right in that room with her. And in her puppy mind, I guess he was.

I was telling my husband about Savannah watching TV and eating her food and he said "This puppy is a Prima Donna!" and I know he's absolutely right. A southern belle-ish Prima Donna. Our other dog Gracie was a guy's dog... perfectly fearless and ready for anything, and Gracie would have followed my husband off a cliff had he jumped first. Savannah is the exact opposite... she has to study a situation first, think about it, and then decide if she wants to join you... and I know darn well that this puppy wouldn't be jumping off a cliff, no matter who jumped first.

My nails are done.... Savannah has been (successfully) walked, and now she's in the breakfast room putting all of her stuffed animals into her dog-bed. I'm hoping that she will be extra-good tonight during the party, and not bark (or roar!) at anyone in costume. And as I type these words, Savannah is sound asleep in the midst of her monkeys and her toys... and it's the perfect time for me to get ready for tonight.  Savannah may be a Prima Donna, but I'm thanking my lucky puppy stars that she is so well behaved, and very predictable. My old soul of a puppy.

Sherlock Savannah Holmes

Talk about finding a needle in a haystack.   My husband has these little 'Wedgees' that are made out of very thin foam-fabric to fit on the backs of the ear-pieces of his eyeglasses so the glasses won't slip down to the bridge of his nose, which is especially common when it's hot and humid. Gary found them on the Internet as he was searching for something, anything, to control the slipping-glasses problem when he does yard work outside in the summer heat.

The Wedgees work perfectly, and they're so small at the ends of the glasses that they're not even noticed because they're hidden behind your ear or under your hair. Problem solved, with a simple purchase via their on-line web site. The other day when my husband was mowing the grass, however, one of the Wedgees slipped off and he didn't notice it falling. (After months of wear, the Wedgees tend to get a bit loose.) When Gary came into the house for lunch, he took off his glasses to clean them and that's when he noticed the missing Wedgee.

"Can you do me a favor?" my husband said.
"You want me to sweep up the grass clippings?" said I.
"No. Easier than that... can you find my other Wedgee the next time you're walking on the grass?"
"Not a problem," I told him.... and we laughed... and he went upstairs to get on the computer and order extra sets of Wedgees.

Yesterday, I was walking Savannah up and down the road and she was sniffing around in the grass and picking up a pebble here, a dead butterfly there, a lump of grass over there. Savannah will pick things up and just hold them in her mouth until I notice she has something, and then her head goes down towards the ground in an effort to protect her latest prize. I will tell her "Savannah, drop it!" and she usually does... only to pick up something else two or three steps later.

When I told Savannah for the third time yesterday to "Drop it!" out came that little Wedgee from my husband's glasses. I only noticed it because Savannah chose to drop it on the road.... had she let go of it while walking on the grass, I probably wouldn't have seen it.  So there it was, that tiny Wedgee, sitting on the road. I just laughed out loud. I did pick it up and bring it back to the house and washed it, and sat it on the counter to show my husband.

I thought of telling my husband that I searched through every inch of the lawn until I found that little thing, but I knew he wouldn't believe me. Plus, I'd be stealing Savannah's thunder because she was the one who found it.  I don't usually bother my husband at work with silly phone calls, but I knew he would be out of his office and at a meeting, so I did call to leave him a message:

"Just wanted you to know that Savannah found that little Wedgee thing for your glasses, so don't throw that odd one away because now you have a pair again." Even as I was leaving the message, I was laughing because it was just so funny to me that out of all the acreage that my husband mowed the other day, Savannah found just the spot where that Wedgee fell into the grass. I told Savannah that she had just earned some extra "Brownie Points" with her daddy.

It is raining again today, and I'm hoping that it rains itself out today so tomorrow will be dry and nice and humidity-free for our Halloween party. I will have to walk Savannah in the late afternoon tomorrow before I get dressed for the party, and I'd rather not be walking in the rain. (A subtle plea to the rain gods who control such things.) I'm hoping that Savannah will be as quiet during the party as she usually is for my weekly Wednesday tea parties, and not have to go out until the party is over. (A subtle plea to the puppy gods who control such things.) And I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that no one shows up in a hideous costume that scares Savannah to the point where she either starts barking at everyone or feels she has to hide under the table in the breakfast room. (A subtle plea to the Halloween gods....)

Savannah's Puppy Diary

I Must Not Chase Sweet Pea.

I Must Not Chase Sweet Pea.

I Must Not Chase Sweet Pea.

Momma says I need to Remember that because she's Good And Tired of telling me Not To Chase That Poor Cat.  I don't Chase Sweet Pea all the time just when he Runs in Front of me. A running Cat is Hard for a Puppy to Resist and maybe Momma should be telling Sweet Pea that he Must Not Run In Front Of Savannah.

There is a Gate across the doorway to my Breakfast Room now. Momma says it needs to Be There for the Halloween Party this weekend. I don't know what a Halloween Party is but Momma says all the Neighbors and Friends will be here for the Party and I had better be on My Best Behavior Or Else. I don't know what Or Else means but when Momma says that she Points Her Finger at me and I guess no one has told her that it's Rude to Point to a Puppy but I don't think I'd better mention that right now because Momma has been Too Busy getting Ready for the Party.

I heard Momma telling Daddy that she Hopes no one comes to the Party in a Costume that will Scare me because I haven't been Scared of Anything in a couple of weeks now and Momma doesn't want me to Go Back to Square One because someone decides to wear a horrible Mask that looks like it's Dripping with Blood.

Momma and I have been Walking up and down The Road with Miss Judy and Bella every day and Momma keeps me on my Leash and Bella gets to Run and Walk wherever she wants and I don't think that's exactly Fair but Momma says Bella Comes Back when Miss Judy calls her and I don't always Come Back when I'm told to. Momma says I am Too Independent for My Own Good and I need to Think about Trucks and Cars in the Road and when Momma says Savannah Get Back Here she Means Business and That's That.

Today I found a Dead Duck up at the Corner of Our Property and it Smelled Nasty and Interesting and I wanted to get it but Momma pulled my Leash and kept me away and Miss Judy went for a Close Look and told Momma that the Duck had no head and it must have been a Raccoon that did that and tonight the Coyotes will come and Feast on that Poor Duck. Momma said that was the Most Disgusting Thing she's ever heard and that's what you get when you leave the City and think you're getting a Peaceful Quiet Life out in the Country. Momma said you don't get Peaceful you get Dead Ducks. And then Momma looked at the Headless Duck and told me You See What Happens Savannah That Duck's Momma Called Him To Come Back And He Didn't Listen And Now He's Dead On The Side Of The Road And His Head Is Gone. I wanted to tell Momma that her Story didn't make Any Sense At All but I've learned to Keep My Mouth Shut when Momma gets Crazy over the Wildlife.

Puppy-Gate

There is now a baby/puppy gate closing off the breakfast room from the kitchen, in preparation for our Halloween party on Saturday night. Being that Savannah's safe place has always been the breakfast room, I thought it best to keep her contained in that room for the party. With thanks to our friends J&J up the road, we now have this very nice and wide white metal gate which will keep Savannah away from the food, our guests, and the party in general.

With the glass doors of the dining room, Savannah will be able to see into the dining room during the party, and she can look through the gate and into the kitchen to see what's going on in there without getting underfoot. Although, Savannah's usual method with company is not to get underfoot... she immediately goes into the breakfast room when anyone walks through the door.

I put the gate up a few days before the party so she can get used to it, and I could tell right away that Princess Puppy was not pleased. Even with the door to the gate wide open, she stares at that gate as if it's Mount Everest. There is a metal threshold along the bottom of the gate, which is exposed when the door to the gate is open, and when Savannah steps over that threshold you would think it was two feet high rather than barely two inches high. The first time she went through that little door, it looked as if her feet had to clear a hurdle in a high-jump. Such a drama queen at times, this puppy. I will leave the door of the gate wide open between now and party time, and then close it a few minutes before everyone is due to arrive on Saturday night.

While I was in town today, I bought two more soft toys at the thrift store for Savannah, being that the population of her stuffed animal zoo has dwindled down some. I found a black and white 'Sylvester The Cat' and a pink and purple monkey. I put both of the medium-sized plush toys into Savannah's toy basket, so she would know they were indeed hers...... she sniffed both of them and picked up the pink and purple monkey first. This puppy has a thing for monkeys... with of course the blue monkey still being her play-with-it-first favorite toy.

I was exhausted most of yesterday, after having not slept much the night before courtesy of one puppy who seemed to want company rather than seclusion the other night. After watching twelve innings of the first game of the World Series (and no one scored till the 14th, with Kansas City ultimately winning the first game), my husband and I went upstairs to bed last night thinking that Savannah could possibly sleep through the night being that I had taken her out to the grass later than usual because we were up later than we usually are.

Well, think again.  At two o'clock in the morning, Savannah barked to go out..... I came downstairs and brought her outside and she did her routine quickly....... back into the house we came and no sooner had I gotten back upstairs and she barked again. I came flying back down those stairs and put my face about one inch in front of Savannah's face and told her that if she didn't shut up and go to sleep I'd either send her back to Puppy #1 or I'd go there myself because I'd probably get more sleep in an outdoor kennel.

After that outburst of mine, Savannah put her head down on the floor and I didn't hear a peep out of her for the rest of the night. I woke up at 7:45 (which is late for me) and even when I came downstairs Savannah didn't raise her head or move from the spot where she was sleeping. (Puppy guilt at its finest.)

Today is a gorgeous day... sunny and clear and the kind of day when you'd like to just walk and walk and not stop for much of anything, except a bookstore. Savannah has been outside three times already, I've gone into town and back, and this afternoon is the weekly Wednesday tea here at our house. Savannah is quite used to the tea ladies... she watches everyone come in while she's in the 'safety' of the breakfast room, and then she will peek into the dining room from time to time to see what everyone is doing.

The tea ladies will see the puppy gate... and someone is bound to say "Oh you poor thing, Savannah!" and this puppy is going to put on her best sad-puppy face and take full advantage of the moment.

Moonstruck

There is a full moon tonight, making me think of that movie "Moonstruck," which I positively love.  As a result of tonight's moon, the coyotes are howling, Savannah is barking, and this is the second time I've been out of bed and down the stairs... and as I type it is 3:15 in the moonstruck morning.

Savannah's first bark started at 1:45 so I came downstairs and took her outside. Because of the coyotes howling off in the woods, Savannah took two steps and then stopped and listened for what seemed like a full five minutes before she would take another two steps. This went on and on up and down the driveway, which was so bright with moonlight that I didn't even need the flashlight.

What I do need on such nights is more patience. I get very frustrated with this puppy when she wakes me up, supposedly to go out, and then plays around out there, listening to wildlife and chasing crickets and eating leaves and looking up the road and doing everything else except finding a spot in the grass on which to pee. The moonlight was so spectacular tonight that I even walked up and down the road a bit so Savannah had plenty of choices for that perfect spot of grass. Because of all the rain we had this weekend, there are bunches of white rain lilies popping up all around, which looked very pretty in the moonlight. (The things one notices in the middle of the night.)

Finally, finally, Savannah found that perfect spot outside and then I quickly brought her back into the house. Sometimes I think she really knows that she will have to go back into the house right after she pees, and maybe that's why she takes her sweet time. After 47 trips up and down the driveway, I was wide awake by then, so I turned on my laptop in the breakfast room and browsed through Pinterest... and found a bunch of great ideas for making covers for a dog crate. My sewing consists of buttons and hems and very simple pillows, so creating a cover for a crate is not going to happen. Savannah's puppy crate is fully covered with a plush afghan (no sewing required) and Sweet Pea has claimed it as his cat cave in the TV room.

I got back in bed at 2:50... and I know that because the little numbers on the alarm clock in the bedroom make a very nice night-light. At 3:01, Savannah barked again (more coyotes howling, following the progress of the train going through the next town, both of which I heard because I was still wide awake). My husband heard Savannah barking, turned over in his sleep, and said out loud "Why don't you go down there?"  I resisted the urge to tell him I'd already been "down there" plus outside and on the computer and had come back upstairs to possibly sleep for the rest of the early-morning hours until the sun came up.

When I got back downstairs to the kitchen for the second time, at 3:02 according to the little clock on the microwave, Savannah was sitting by the back door, growling under her breath. I looked outside expecting to see a pack of coyotes on the porch but nothing was out there but the moonlight. I told Savannah to hush... and here I am. Definitely wide awake, and probably will be for the rest of the morning and the rest of the day. The book I'm currently reading is "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton, and being stranded in Shangri-La somewhere in the Tibetan mountains sounds quite good at the moment. I would imagine there are no coyotes, train whistles, and barking puppies in such a place. Nor husbands.

And where is Savannah right this minute as I'm typing? In her dog bed, not only sleeping, but snoring. I think she's dreaming as well, because her back legs are moving just a teeny bit as she sleeps. How did she fall into such a deep sleep so quickly? That dog bed looks very comfortable. Plush and soft with an 8-inch soft ridge all around it... maybe they should make mattresses for people like that... one would feel more contained and protected while sleeping... how could a person roll out of bed with a high (but soft) edge all around you. (The things one thinks about in the middle of the night. Or in the middle of the early morning.)

Savannah's Puppy Diary

!!! It's Raining !!!  !!! Rain !!!  !!! It's Raining !!!  I don't think Momma likes the Rain but I Love It. Love it! Love it! LOVE IT!!!!!

Momma gets All Bundled Up in a Coat with a Hood and she holds a Big Round Thing over her head so her Mascara doesn't get Wet and Momma tells me to Hurry Up Savannah Please Hurry Hurry Hurry Up but I don't Listen to Momma because It's Raining!!! It's Raining!!! It's Rain-ing!!!

The Puddles are Big and Wet and I can Splash and the Harder I Jump in a Puddle the Higher I can Splash the Water and sometimes Momma says I Swear Savannah You Are Trying To Drown Me With All Your Splashing Now Cut That Out Or We're Going Back In The House. Momma told me that she ordered me a Pink Hoodie Sweatshirt but what she Should Have ordered me was a Yellow Plastic Raincoat to keep me Dry in this Godforsaken Weather That Just Won't Quit.

Momma said that I need to act like a Lady Puppy and not a Hobo Puppy and if I keep Splashing her with Water then she's Not Going To Walk Me Until The Sun Shines Again and Heaven Only Knows When That Will Be At The Rate This Rain Is Falling In These Godforsaken Hills.  I tried to make Momma understand that the Rain is like my Little Blue Pool where I Splashed with Puppy #1 and maybe with all the Puddles outside Puppy #1 will Come Here and Splash with me again.  Sometimes I remember Puppy #1 like when it's Raining and Sometimes I forget about Puppy #1 like when I have my Bed and my Toys and my Momma and Daddy and even Sweet Pea all to Myself.    

Daddy told Momma that I would Probably Like A Plastic Puppy Pool to play in if I like the Rain so Much and Momma said No Way Savannah Gets Wet Enough In The Rain And Giving Her A Pool Would Be Like Giving All Of Manhattan To Donald Trump.

I saw the big Ocean of Water in the Pasture but Momma thinks I don't know it's there. Momma calls it a Pond and she said yesterday It's About Time We Got Some Rain To Fill That Up Again But Enough Is Enough Already. If Momma would just let me Run Into The Pasture I could Jump into that Ocean and Splash and Splash and Momma wouldn't have to Get Wet At All because she could Stay On The Porch and keep her Mascara good and dry.

Momma says that Sweet Pea is the Lucky One because he Never goes Out in the Rain and Never Gets Wet and Never has to worry about the Weather at all but I think I'm the Lucky One because I get to Jump in Puddles and Splash in the Rain and Chew on Wet Leaves and Chase Frogs and watch Momma holding the Big Round Thing over her head and when the Wind turns it Inside Out Momma says They Don't Even Make Umbrellas The Way They Used To and then if her Mascara gets Wet she says a Bad Word and then tells me Hurry Hurry Hurry Up Savannah Will You Just Hurry Up So We Can Get Out Of This Blasted Rain.

Momma doesn't hear me singing It's Rain-ing! It's Rain-ing! It's Raining!!! because if she did she would probably say another Bad Word and then say What Was I Thinking To Get Such A Big Dog In The First Place.

Walking in the rain...

I hate the rain. And I hate it even more now because Savannah seems to love it. Not only does this puppy love the rain, but she splashes in the puddles, chases the little frogs, chews on the wet leaves, picks up soggy pecans and tosses them in the air, and does all she can to make a middle-of-the-night pee-in-the-grass moment last for twenty minutes.

The result of that: while I am soaking wet on the porch and my own coat is dripping, I am rubbing Savannah down with a huge bath towel, and she loves both the towel and the attention and it's all I can do not to lose my patience with her during these middle-of-the-night potty trips.  And believe me when I say that all the while I'm rubbing her down in an attempt to keep the rain from soaking into her fur, I'm questioning my reasons for wanting another dog.

As I type this, it is five o'clock in the morning. Savannah barked at 4:10 and by the time I got changed from pajamas to slacks and got her out the door, I was already wide awake and right this minute there's no way that my head is going back on my pillow because I'm as far away from sleep now as one could possibly be. And where is Savannah? Curled up in her bed in the corner of the breakfast room, just as content as can be. And no matter how many minutes I just spent drying her off with that towel, I can still smell that 'wet dog' odor that's so unmistakable.

We haven't had rain in more than two months, and this is certainly the heaviest of rains that we've had all year long. (The rain gods waited till we got a puppy to let loose with the rain clouds.) The grass outside is just soaked and parts of it are beyond puddles, it like small ponds have sprouted up all over the yard. And speaking of ponds... our pond has been dry for most of the summer because it hadn't rained, but we've had so much rain these past two days that our acre-sized pond is now filled to the top. I guess I should be thankful that Savannah isn't aware of that pond because she'd probably be jumping right into it and trying to catch the turtles and frogs.

I am thoroughly sleep-deprived this week, and my lack of patience is proof of that. It seems that whenever I sit down with a book in the middle of the day my body begins to relax and the next thing I know I'm waking up with Savannah's head resting on the open book that's fallen to my lap.

These late-night/early-morning potty trips are part of a puppy's life, and I knew that going into this puppy adventure. I am missing the warm (and dry) nights that I was able to just walk down the stairs, change from slippers to shoes, and go out into the driveway with my pajamas on so Savannah could 'visit' the grass. With this rain, I know that driveway is just filled with long worms that have come out of the ground to escape being crushed by the rain-soaked soil, and you can hardly see them in the dark... and the puddles are too deep to be walking around out there in silky pajama-bottoms. So out come the boots (more of a barrier between my feet and those worms) and out come the slacks (my puppy-walking attire) and out we go, into the wet and somewhat-cooler night so Savannah can splash in puddles and chase frogs and pick up leaves... and oh yes, if she has a minute to spare, she can also pee.

Savannah's Puppy Diary

Momma says I must Like The Rain because she has Never Seen any Puppy take So Long to Get Things Done when it Rains.  Momma said that Rain means a Bad Hair Day and I don't know what That means but after we come in from the Rain my Momma will look In The Mirror and say Oh Savannah I Have Forgotten What It's Like To Walk A Dog In The Rain. Momma said we haven't had Rain all Summer long and now it's All Coming Down at once because now She Has A Puppy To Walk.

My First Rain was the other day and Momma called it a Drizzle. She was holding this Big Red Thing over her head when we Walked On The Road and I didn't know what That was but one minute it was Straight Up And Down and the next minute it was Big And Round and I didn't Trust it so I Did What I Had To Do Real Quick and Momma and that Big Red Thing brought me back to the house and Momma said Good Girl Savannah That Didn't Take Long At All Good Girl and then Momma left the Big Red Thing out on the Porch.

But then we had More Rain and Momma and the Big Red Thing had to Walk me Up And Down The Road again and Momma seemed to Like that Red Thing so I guessed it was Okay and the Rain was Nice And Soft and I knew that Momma would Rub Me Down With A Towel when we got Back To The Porch so I kept Walking and Walking and then Momma said The Cows Would Come Home By The Time I Did Everything I Had To Do In The Grass and I didn't know we even had Cows so I Peed in the Grass so I would Be Ready when The Cows Got Home and Momma said Finally Savannah Finally You Sure Took Your Sweet Time In This Rain. I tried to show Momma that the Puddles are More Fun than the Rain but Momma kept walking Around the Puddles and I was trying to Walk In The Puddles and Momma said I should be more of a Lady Puppy and Not Splash in the Puddles like a Duck.

I stuck my head in my Toy Basket today and my White Bunny is Missing and my Brown Monkey is Gone and my Green Chicken wasn't there and my Pink Fish is Missing and my Pink Peep Bunny wasn't in the Basket either. Momma saw me looking in the Toy Basket and she said that some of My Toys are History because I am Teething and my Puppy Teeth are Tearing My Toys To Pieces and she was So Happy that Most of them came from The Thrift Store because if she's going to Throw Money Away then it Might As Well be on Toys that cost Fifty Cents Each and not Five Dollars Each and besides that Walmart is getting Enough of Daddy's Money because that's the Only Store that sells Blue Monkeys and we have Enough Blue Monkeys in the Closet now to Open Up A Zoo.

Momma is Typing Typing Typing right now and I think it's because we were just Outside walking in The Rain in the Middle Of The Night.  I barked one time and Momma came Flying Down The Stairs to get me Out In The Grass but the Wind was Blowing The Leaves around and I tried to Catch some before I Did What I Had To Do because I know that Momma brings me Back Inside right after I pee so I tried to Get Some Of Those Leaves First but Momma says the Leaves are Nasty Savannah Nasty because Who Knows What Has Peed On Those Leaves Before I put them In My Mouth. So then I just Did What I Had To Do and then let Momma Rub Me Down with my Towel when we got Back To The Porch and Momma said I Look Like Mother Theresa with that Towel wrapped around me and I don't know who Mother Theresa is but I guess she must like to Walk In The Rain too while she's Waiting For The Cows To Come Home and maybe she also knows where History is so I can find my Missing Toys.

Rain, rain, go away...

We've been waiting for rain here for the past two months.... and now that it's here, I'm wishing for the rain to quit at least four times a day when I have to take Savannah out for a walk. Actually, she doesn't seem to mind the rain, and she didn't take so long to do what she needed to do outside this morning, but still, rain is still rain and rain is wet and who wants to be out there getting wet?  (Not I, said the Puppy Momma.)

Earlier this morning (before dawn) we had thunder and lightning, and I came downstairs because Savannah barked just once. I thought she had to go outside, which she did, and we made it back to the porch just before the rain-clouds really opened up.  Savannah still got a little wet and I wrapped her up in that big towel that I got at the thrift store.... she looked like Mother Theresa and didn't seem to mind being covered from head to tail in terrycloth while I dried off her paws. This puppy is so content that at times it seems like I could do anything at all to her and she would just sit there smiling at me. Trust is a beautiful thing in puppies.

I'm hoping that Savannah will be just as cooperative when I dress her up for Halloween, and I've also ordered a hooded sweatshirt for her, in bright pink to match her pink velvet leash. (Yes, I've lost my mind, but it's fun.)

Back to the rain, though... I've not made a big deal about the rain or the thunder and lightning. When the loud thunderclaps hit, I made believe I didn't even hear them because I don't want Savannah to be afraid of that noise. (Not that we get all that many rain-storms up here.)  I've read in the dog books that your dog will pick up on your own reactions so I figured if I stayed calm, so would she, and it worked.

When we had Gracie, I would open up the back door and send her outside in the yard by herself when it was raining. I'd stand by the door and tell her "Hurry up, Gracie, hurry up!" and she knew what that meant (another dog book training tip) and she would do what she had to do and then come to the back door to be dried off with her towel.  Savannah is not at the point yet to be sent out in the yard by herself. And with all the wildlife walking around here, especially at night, I don't think I'd want to do that anyway. Our old house in Clear Lake was very convenient with Gracie because the yard was all fenced in. Not the case here, and I wouldn't want to be searching 23 acres for Savannah if she got loose in the middle of the night. Or in the middle of the day, for that matter. For now, Savannah needs to be kept on a leash, and that means I am attached to the other end of the leash, come rain or come shine. I've been telling Savannah to "Hurry up!" when we're out there, but I'm not sure she understands what that means yet.

Our stash of extra monkey toys continues to grow. My husband came home from Houston last night with a plastic bag filled with two blue monkeys and one bright pink monkey. We didn't let Savannah see the bag or its contents and I hid the plastic sack in the cabinet with her other monkeys and the supply of treats and chew-bones that I've been buying. I told my husband that we can stop looking for the monkey toys now. I think we have enough of those soft monkeys to last Savannah for the next six months at least. (No, this puppy is not spoiled. And yes, I have lost my mind.)

Our Halloween party is next weekend and I'm thinking that I may just keep Savannah in the breakfast room during the party. That's been her safe place since her first days here, and it still is, and by keeping the French doors closed between the breakfast room and the dining room, and then putting a borrowed double-sized baby gate between the breakfast room and the kitchen, Savannah will be able to see the party but not become part of the party. I'm hoping that none of the men's costumes will be scary enough to frighten her because she's afraid of men as it is. (The exception being my husband... Savannah has gotten over that now, thank goodness.)

I'm hoping that Savannah will be as quiet as a mouse during the Halloween party, just as she is when we have our Wednesday afternoon tea parties. Hope floats on that one.

Oops....

Well. I take full responsibility for this one. Savannah had too many treats yesterday, followed by an entire rawhide chew-bone, topped off by the Fancy Feast that Sweet Pea and Mickey didn't eat, and then ending with her own puppy kibble.

And then, the cherry on that sundae was this morning's rain... the first we've had since we brought Savannah home. All of the above, plus the rain, was not a good combination for this puppy's digestive system.

I was surprised this morning that Savannah did not wake me up with her usual four o'clock in the morning potty-bark. When I came downstairs at 6:00, I took her right out in the grass by the driveway and she did what I thought was all she had to do. Then at first light this morning, which was about 7:15, it was raining outside and up went the umbrella (Savannah paid no attention to it at all) and once again, I thought she did all she had to do out there during our walk and I was surprised that she did as much as she did. (Only dog lovers can tolerate these details... to all others, I apologize.) The after-sunrise walk was shorter than our usual walk because of the rain, but I thought it would be enough since she had already did enough out there in the grass. Or so I thought.

Back upstairs I went, to get ready for this morning's errands, which included a stop at my space at the antique shop, a hair trim, the thrift store, the dry-cleaners, and then the HEB supermarket to get the things I couldn't find at Walmart yesterday. (Can't one store ever have everything on a shopping list?

When I got home, it was about 12:30 and as soon as I opened that back door, I knew something was not quite right. First of all, the air was pungent, to put it mildly, and Savannah was in her bed in the breakfast room, not wanting to come out of there, not even wagging her tail, and just barely looking at me. Definitely not right on all counts.

A few steps around the kitchen island and there it was... a nice soft mushy pile of puppy poop all the way in the corner, as far away from her dog-bed as she could get, and blessedly not on the area rugs, just on the ceramic tiles. Well, it was a messy clean-up, but an easy one, and I must have told Savannah ten times that she was a good girl and it was not her fault. Even with that, she wouldn't come out of her dog bed until it had been thoroughly cleaned and the kitchen aired with the breeze blowing in through the back-door screen. When Savannah finally did come out of her bed, her head was down, her tail was down, and she nudged my knee with her big Pyrenees nose and sat down by my leg. (Go on... tell me that dogs don't have emotions and feelings...)

This was Savannah's first mishap in the house, and after a quick review of everything she ate between yesterday afternoon and last night, it shouldn't surprise me.  Had I been home, Savannah would have let me know that she had to go outside.... and had it not been raining the morning, I would have walked her more thoroughly in the first place. (Note to self: Do not skimp on Savannah's walks!)

With this morning's rain, which was indeed more of a downpour than a drizzle, I realized that I didn't have an old towel to use for drying off Savannah before she came inside from the back porch after just such a rain. That prompted me to go to the thrift store this morning, and now Savannah has a very pretty towel that's nearly the size of a beach towel, for less than half the price of a brand new washcloth. Before I let her into the house after that rain this morning, I was trying to dry her fur with an old kitchen towel from the stack of cleaning rags. Using a kitchen towel on a dog her size is like trying to mop up a puppy mess with a tissue. (But let's not go there again.)

It's 4:00 in the morning...

...do you know where your puppy is?

Yes, I do. She's downstairs in the kitchen barking very quietly to let me know she has to go out to the grass as soon as I can get my sleepy self down the stairs.

Four o'clock seems to be the designated puppy-hour of the morning in this house. Savannah has consistently barked in the early morning hours to be let out, except for the first two or three nights she was here and I think only sheer exhaustion from her previous life plus her car-trip up here led to those initial nights of solid sleep.

When Savannah was getting quite comfortable here, knowing full well that this was her home and she wasn't going back to her old puppy life, she was very vocal during the night: barking and roaring to let us know that she heard every blessed sound from either inside the house or outside on the property.  Those bark-filled nights ended when I took her to the vet's to get her spayed. Either the spaying calmed her down a bit, or her puppy mind was thinking that we took her to the vet because of all that barking. (I really don't think dogs are capable of such cognitive thinking, but it does sound brilliant, doesn't it?) Actually, not putting Savannah into the crate at night probably did a lot to end that night-time barking... clearly, she was getting too big for that crate and I know she's happy to be able to stretch out and sleep wherever she likes in the kitchen and/or breakfast room.

I truly believe that Savannah has gotten used to all the usual sounds of our home and the property. She isn't barking in the middle of the night when she hears an armadillo out under the bushes, and I know that for a fact because I can see the armadillo holes in the morning so I've no doubt that they were out there digging in the moonlight. And the trains still run along the tracks in the next town every night, followed by the howling of the coyotes, and Savannah has ignored those sounds as well this past week.

One sound that Savannah does not appreciate is our goat-raising neighbor from across the road. When he yells out to his livestock in Spanish, Savannah's ears perk up, her facial expression goes from smiling to serious, and she turns herself right around and will not walk further down the hill towards that neighbor's property. Of course, I'm thinking back to her previous life now, and the two women that we met when we got Savannah were a mother and daughter, both Mexican.... so most likely the husband and/or father in that family was Mexican as well. Therein could be the piece of the puzzle as to why Savannah does not feel comfortable with men. And in her puppy mind, a Mexican man who might have yelled at her in Spanish is no different than our male friends up here, as well as my husband, all of whom fall into Savannah's puppy catalog of 'men.'

Needless to say, our friends have not yelled at Savannah, and neither has my husband. And except for the goat-raising neighbor, no one else up here in our very contained community happens to be Mexican. It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to conclude that the Mexican man in her previous life was the crux of Savannah's fear and hesitation around all men.

But... back to four o'clock in the morning. At that time, I hear one or two very low barks coming up from the kitchen and I know that I can either ignore them (at which point they will probably get much louder) or I can get myself out of bed and down the stairs and take Savannah out the back door. I've been choosing the latter option. On go the slippers, down the stairs I come (very slowly, as I'm still just barely awake and we've already discussed my not wanting to be a heap at the bottom of the stairs) and Savannah greets me with a wagging tail and a big smile when I get down to the kitchen.  I turn on the outside lights, then the slippers come off and the shoes go on, the leash and collar go on Savannah, and out the door we go... me, Savannah, and the big flashlight.

What usually happens is that Savannah will take advantage of the grass right along the courtyard by the back stairs. (And that's when I smile, because I don't have to walk any further.) But there are those four o'clock calls of nature that have Savannah pulling me towards the grass along the driveway because she needs more options of greenery. That's where the flashlight comes in handy... I shine the light along the concrete driveway to make sure nothing is going to surprise me out there, and then I walk along the edge of that driveway while Savannah is walking in the grass. Usually, she truly needs that little bit of extra walking and extra grass.... and those are the times when I'm out there saying "Good girl, Savannah, good girl!"  But then we have nights when Savannah plays her 'How many leaves can I pick up?" game.... and she walks along in the grass, picking up leaves that have fallen from the pecan trees, and with each leaf, I'm telling her "Drop it! Savannah! Drop it!"  And, lo and behold, she does indeed drop the leaf, but only to pick up another one. By the fourth leaf and the fourth "Drop it!" I know she has just been playing with me and it's time to go back into the house.

And Savannah does indeed go back to sleep after her under-the-stars outing... and the other day she slept till 7:45, and blessedly, so did I.  In time, this middle-of-the-night adventure out on the lawn will cease and Savannah will sleep through the night. And so will I, of course.

I had to throw away Savannah's original blue monkey toy this morning. The tail of that poor monkey had been taken off by Savannah's constant chewing on it, so it was already disfigured, poor thing. But then she got started chewing on one of the monkey's ears and very quickly, that little blue ear was in the middle of the kitchen floor. When I showed the monkey to my husband, he told me it was The Van Gogh Monkey.  My response should have been "Well, it's the Van Gone Monkey now," but I was laughing too hard at his joke at the time and trying not to let Savannah see me putting that dismembered monkey into the trash can.

So into the trash went the first blue monkey, and out from the Walmart sack came one of the 'extra' blue monkeys that my husband had bought for Savannah. Honestly, I could swear this puppy knew that the second monkey was indeed a brand new one because she sniffed it very seriously when I gave it to her, then she carried it into the TV room (prancing all the way) and then she rolled around on the floor with it as if we had given her the Keys to The Puppy Kingdom.

The Puppy Kingdom? Any house with a puppy in it quickly becomes the domain of that puppy, and this house is no exception.

The puppy crazies...

I have just called a time-out for both Savannah and Sweet Pea. There are days when Savannah just watches Sweet Pea without moving an inch from her spot, and then there are other days when this puppy constantly is on the look-out for any move that Sweet Pea makes and then she pounces.  And Savannah doesn't pounce on Sweet Pea... she jumps towards him in that play-with-me pose that all puppies have, and she will do this within an inch of Sweet Pea's nose, which starts Sweet Pea meowing in such a pitiful way that one would think his whiskers are being pulled out one by blessed one. (Sweet Pea has always been a drama queen, feline style.)

So that's been going on between those two for most of the afternoon... Sweet Pea trying to walk from the kitchen to the TV room without his paws touching the floor (which is indeed possible, given the furniture placement in these rooms)... and Savannah has followed that cat's progress for the past few hours. The only break was during dinner-time when my husband and I were having shrimp quesadillas and Gary kept giving Savannah the edges of the tortillas (all bread, no shrimp or cheese). Of course, Savannah didn't leave his side during dinner, and Sweet Pea was free to come and go without interruption and without having to be a Flying Wallenda to accomplish his travels from one room to the next.

While I was clearing away the dishes, however, Savannah got really brave and jumped up on the sofa and just by the look in her eyes when I walked into that room, I knew she was planning to leap over that sofa to see if she could catch Sweet Pea on 'his' side of the TV room. No way, Savannah, no way. So I made Savannah come out into the breakfast room and I shut the door to the TV room, giving Sweet Pea some alone time to just be a cat.

Along with the rule that said 'No dogs on the furniture,' the rule about 'No feeding dogs from the table' is now history as well.  My husband used to do the same thing with Gracie. There wasn't a meal that we ate that Gracie didn't get part of.... and if there was nothing left for her, my husband would (excuse this, please) let her lick the plate. I would cringe at that, especially if the licking occurred on a vintage china plate that couldn't be replaced.  My husband would tell me "Germs are germs are germs, and Gracie doesn't have any more germs in her mouth than we do in ours." (Well, tell me that when Gracie was in the park and she picked up half of a dead squirrel.)

Speaking of picking things up, Savannah has started to do just that during our walks along the road. And heaven only knows what horrible things are out there in the road after all the night-time creatures have walked up and down in the moonlight. Raccoons and coyotes and foxes and bobcats, and heaven-only-knows-what-else is out there. Savannah has quickly learned the meaning of 'No!No!No!' however, and she has dropped everything out of the ordinary that she has picked up. As if there were anything at all ordinary out on that road to begin with?

Our walks up and down the road are eventful at times, especially on the days when Savannah picks up some sort of scent along the way. Her nose goes down to the ground, her tail goes up in the air, and she begins to sniff and pant and sniff and pant as if she is on the verge of discovering the tomb of King Tutankhamun's dog. (Pupankhamun?) Once Savannah is on the trail of whatever she's smelling, there's just no turning back to the business at hand. There have been times when I've had to wrap that leash halfway around my waist to get her to walk in the direction I want her to go. One thing about Savannah is that when she is bound and determined to sniff and search, it takes a lot of pulling to get her mind back to why we're out there walking in the first place.

We have not had a drop of rain since we brought Savannah home, and these frantic searches of hers have me wondering what our walks will be like if I have to walk her when it's raining. I can see myself now, soaking wet in the rain and trying to hold an umbrella in one hand and her leash in the other, telling her "Hurry up, Savannah! Hurry up!" (She has no idea whatsoever as to the meaning of that phrase.)

I also have to wonder if Savannah is going to be afraid of an open umbrella when she sees mine for the first time. My husband had suggested a couple of weeks ago that I open that umbrella on a sunny day while I was out in the yard with her, but of course I didn't remember to do that on any of the days we were out in the sunshine. As comfortable as Savannah seems to be in this house now -- and she does know exactly where she lives and will turn into our driveway on her own -- she still gets frightened of unknown or unexpected noises. My umbrella with that pop-up button that sends the top of the umbrella up into the air with a 'whooooop' sound just may have Savannah running back to our driveway at lightning speed. And if it's a windy day, I'll be out there like Mary Poppins with one hand holding a bright red umbrella and the other hand grasping a hot pink velvet leash.

The contents of Savannah's toy basket has taken a drastic population decrease.... the pink Peep bunny had to be tossed because Savannah discovered the plastic Peep label on the back and she managed to separate the label from the velvet fabric. The green rubber chicken with that horrible duck-squeak is now history because Savannah bit through one of the chicken's legs. (I won't miss that particular toy.) The fluffy white bunny is being thrown away tonight because Savannah bit off its tail and she was pulling the stuffing out of it. The pink rubber fish is gone because Savannah's adult teeth are sharper than her puppy teeth were and she was able to pull the fins right off of that pretty little thing.

I had stopped buying those very hard rawhide chew-bones for Savannah because every time she worked at one of those, I'd be picking up a puppy tooth from the kitchen floor. The supermarket had bags of pig ears for dogs to chew on (all protein, but totally disgusting) so I bought those and she loves them. When I take one out of the bag for her, I try not to think of what it really is, and just tell myself that it's only a chew-toy for a teething puppy.

It may be my imagination, but I could swear that the carpet in the TV room is starting to smell like a barnyard after a week's worth of Savannah chewing on the dried ears of pigs in there.

Savannah's Puppy Diary

I haven't Slept in my Crate for Days and Days now. Momma moved my Crate into the TV Room and Sweet Pea is sleeping inside the Crate now and Momma calls it The Cat Cave because that Cat sleeps more than Anyone Else in this House and he is Always In That Crate. Momma covered the Crate with a Pretty Blanket and the little Door is Always Open and Sweet Pea goes In And Out of it All Day Long. Momma never closes the Door on the Cat Cave so Sweet Pea can Come And Go as he pleases and Momma says He Is A Cat And That's That. I think I would have liked the Crate a lot Better if Momma hadn't closed the Door every Night with Me In It.

Momma goes Upstairs at night and Leaves Me in the Kitchen and the Breakfast Room and my Big Bed is in a Corner of the Breakfast Room and it's very Soft and very Warm and it doesn't have a Door and I can Come And Go As I Please just like Sweet Pea but Momma isn't saying I Am A Puppy And That's That.

I am Careful Not To Touch anything that isn't Mine and there are a Lot of Things in these rooms that are Not Mine. Momma said the Black Cat Halloween Decorations are definitely Not To Be Touched By Puppies no matter how Stinking Cute they are. When Momma turns off the light at Night I can still see the Black Cats on the Table and I keep Watching Them to see if they Move. So far they haven't Moved at all but Just In Case one of them happens To Fall off of that Table I will Be Here to Catch it. I am also Not Allowed to touch the Pumpkins. Momma says they are For The Halloween Party and I don't know what that means but I think it just means Do Not Touch The Pumpkins.

Momma had to Throw Away my Big Brown Monkey because I pulled a leg off it and Momma said she would be cleaning up Monkey Guts all over the floor and there was No Sense in trying to Sew Up the Big Brown Monkey because I have Other Toys to play with. I watched Momma carry the Brown Monkey outside and she opened up a Big Can and put the Brown Monkey inside of it and then put a lid on the can and That was That.  Momma said it was a Bad Week For Puppy Toys because she had to Cut The Ears Off The Blue Cow and Cut The Tail Off The Blue Monkey and Throw Away The Brown Monkey. Momma says my Teeth Are Sharp and I Am Teething and she is Very Happy that I Know The Difference Between My Own Toys and her Halloween Decorations.  I keep looking out the window at that Big Can where the Brown Monkey is but I guess he Can't Get Out and if he stays in there Tomorrow then the Trash Truck is going to come and Take Him Away and That's That.

I learned a New Trick and Momma didn't even have to Teach Me this one. After we go Up The Road for a Walk, we come back into the Kitchen and Momma gives me a Treat. I know that my Treats are in Glass Jars on top of the Kitchen Counter so I sit there In Front Of That Counter until Momma changes her Shoes and put away her Sunglasses. Then Momma sees me Sitting Down and Waiting for my Treat so she Gives Me One after telling me What A Smart Girl You Are Savannah and I take my Treat to the Breakfast Room and eat it. But then I go Back Into The Kitchen and Sit Down again and keep looking at my Jars filled with Treats. Momma will See Me and say You Are So Smart Savannah You Know Right Where Your Treats Are Do You Want Another Treat and then Momma gives me a Second Treat without asking me to Sit Down First because I am Already Sitting Down  so then I give Momma my Paw just so I don't Get The Treat For Nothing because she Doesn't Want Me to Get Spoiled. Miss Gloria and Miss Judy tell Momma that I am Already Spoiled but That's Okay because That's What Puppies Are For.

Momma says she Has To Go Shopping to buy me a Doggie Sweatshirt because Miss Janice sent Momma a picture of a Brown Dog Wearing a Pink Sweatshirt and Miss Janice told Momma that she could see Me in one of those sweatshirts because Savannah Will Be A Casual Puppy. I don't know what that means but Momma keeps Measuring Me and saying that she Needs To Buy A Size Larger so I will Grow Into The Sweatshirt instead of Out-Growing The Sweatshirt. Momma says my new Sweatshirt will be Pink so it Matches My Leash. I don't think Daddy knows what That means because he Just Sat There Shaking His Head and telling Momma that he Wouldn't Be Walking me Up and Down the Road with a Pink Leash and a Pink Sweatshirt in This Lifetime.

Sunday Puppy Stuff

I came downstairs this morning and Savannah was sleeping right in the center of the area rug that's in the middle of the kitchen. That's the same exact spot that our dog Gracie used to like, and the very same spot where Gracie would choose to sleep when I was busy cooking or baking.

More often than not, I would lose patience with Gracie as I tried to work around her, going from one part of the kitchen to the other and trying not to trip over her as she slept right smack in the center of that rug.  I can distinctly remember saying time and again: "We have 23 acres here, Gracie, and you are always right under my feet!"  And that dog would look up at me with her eyes, not even lifting her head, and the expression on her face would be so sad. Possibly, she did indeed understand my words. Or maybe she was just picking up on my impatient emotions. Gracie didn't ever move out of my way when she was in that spot, unless my husband happened to come down the stairs and then she would follow him into the TV room or out into the yard.

On just such days, my husband would tell me "Don't get mad at Gracie... she just wants to be near you."  Which I never believed... that dog was Gary's dog from day one, and Gracie just tolerated me when he wasn't home.  Gracie was indeed a great dog, but she was a one-person dog, and my husband was forever and always her one person.

I don't think Savannah is going to be that way. Now that she has finally learned to trust my husband the way she trusts me, she is showing us that she isn't playing favorites. When I'm on the first floor and my husband is upstairs, Savannah will stay close by me and be perfectly content.  If my husband comes down from the second floor and goes into the TV room to watch a ball game, she is right there on the sofa next to him, head in his lap, and loving all the extra petting and attention. If I'm in the TV room as well, she is on that sofa right in the middle of us, frequently turning herself around so we each get a turn with her head in our laps. When I'm working on my laptop in the breakfast room, Savannah is in her bed in the corner of the room. She can watch me type, and I can see her in my peripheral vision on my right side. Sometimes she's sleeping, sometimes she just watches me.

In the late afternoons, I've been taking Savannah outside for a walk when Judy and little Bella are also out walking. Savannah clearly likes that tiny Chihuahua and whenever we get up to the top of the hill, Savannah will be looking for Bella and turn herself to stone, not moving a puppy inch until she is certain that Bella is not there. I can see now that Savannah clearly recognizes Judy and is happy to see her out there on the road, greeting Judy even before she bends down to see Bella.

There has been so much progress since the first day we brought Savannah home... makes me wonder even more about her previous life. Just the fact that the previous owner didn't name the two puppies is bothersome... and Puppy #1 and Puppy #2 weren't names, they were just convenient numbers doled out to identify one puppy from another when they were taken to the vet for vaccinations.

During one of Savannah's first weeks with us, when Savannah wouldn't go near my husband, and would indeed walk the other way to get away from him, Gary was sure that he had made a mistake with this puppy.  He told me that he had 'felt sorry for her' and didn't want her to have to 'ride back to Houston in the back of that truck' on such a blistering hot afternoon. Gary said that she was 'damaged goods' and would never be as good a dog as Gracie was.

That phrase about 'damaged goods' hurt me to the core that day... I remember telling my husband that in one way or another, every person on this planet is damaged... and it's not the damage to our souls and/or bodies that's damning, it's our reaction to it and our rise above it that counts. Clearly, Savannah has put her puppy past behind her. She is no longer just Puppy #2 in a fenced-in kennel with Puppy #1 and a family who clearly had no time at all for raising one puppy, much less two.

I don't know if it was the long stretch of time that passed without having a dog in the house, but I can honestly say that I'm enjoying puppyhood with Savannah even more than I did with Gracie. In all fairness, we brought Gracie home when she was just two months old, and the crate-training and the potty-training was more than I had wanted to handle at that time because we had just moved into a new house. All that work and effort I put into Gracie, and it always seemed that I was just a shadow in her life who only came into focus when my husband wasn't in the house. And then, just barely.  I was happy for Gary, because he really wanted a loyal dog after having a bad experience years ago with a dog who never bonded with him and barely bonded with anyone else, but it was truly the pits for me, after having put so much time and effort into caring for that puppy.

Savannah has been an unexpected gift... we set out to get ourselves a puppy but I didn't expect to get such a vibrant and vital personality as well. That vibrancy took a while to shine, but it's definitely there, and it's getting brighter with each day, each week.  Having this happy puppy in our home has changed the entire aura of this house. In these past five weeks, Savannah's confidence is continually expanding and her sense of trust is nearly palpable in its intensity. And I really believe that the best of this puppy is yet to be.

Puppy Rules Were Made to Be Broken

Oh well, so much for our pact not to go downstairs if Savannah barked in the middle of the night. On the night of her surgery for spaying, Savannah slept straight through the entire night. It was so quiet that I woke up twice and tip-toed down the stairs to make sure she was okay. Savannah was fine, of course, just exhausted from the trip to the vet's and she was still coping with the effects of the anesthesia.

Last night, Savannah barked at two o'clock in the morning. I clearly heard one bark near the back stairs, followed by one whimpering sound. I was out of that bed like a shot, putting on my slippers as I walked from the bed to the hallway. I took a scant second or two to make sure I was sufficiently awake before I started going down the stairs... no sense in tumbling down a wood staircase when walking down is so much more appropriate.

When I got into the kitchen, Savannah was quietly sitting by the kitchen door. It took me about five seconds to get out of my slippers, put on the shoes I keep by the door, get her leash on her, and out the door we went into the grass.... and Savannah quickly found a spot for her after-midnight sprinkling of the lawn.

The temperatures overnight have been in the low 60s here now that we're in mid-October, so the blast of cooler air woke me up right quick as soon as my feet hit that porch. When Savannah finished and walked away from the grass and back to the courtyard, I gave her a big puppy hug and told her what a good girl she was. Now honestly.... in regard to those chapters in the puppy training books that tell you to ignore night-time barking... well, pooh on that advice. When people wake up and have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, would they be pleased to find all the bathroom doors locked so they couldn't relieve themselves?  Sometimes a puppy just has to do what a puppy has to do, and they need their people to help them.

I stayed awake for about half an hour after bringing Savannah back into the house, being that the fresh air gave me a jolt that made any sort of sleep evaporate from my system out there in the dark. While Savannah carried her blue monkey from the kitchen to the breakfast room, I checked my eMail (nothing at that hour, of course) and then checked my Pinterest page (three new followers, one of whom I blocked) and also checked 'Humans of New York' on Facebook (love that site, and have just received Brandon's new book).  By that time, Savannah was asleep again, the blue monkey under her chin, and her body stretched out on the rug in the breakfast room.  Back upstairs I went, trying very hard not to make a sound on the stairs so I wouldn't disturb the Puppy Princess.

Speaking of those stairs.... I'm thinking now that maybe we should carpet the staircases, both the one going up from the foyer and the one going up from the kitchen. Something with a Victorian pattern, covering the middle part of those extra-wide steps and leaving a border of wood showing on each side of the runner.  Of course, it would make the staircase softer for us to walk on, and eliminate the sound of shoes going up and down the steps, and a runner (with nice brass accents holding down the carpet where it creases) would make it very easy for Savannah to walk up and down the stairs. She has not tried climbing the stairs yet, and I think the slippery feeling of the wood beneath her paws has a lot to do with that.

I know that sooner or later, this puppy is going to want to follow us upstairs, especially at night. And just how safe is a polished wood staircase for a dog with long legs and a body weight that could break one of her legs if she fell down the stairs and landed in a heap at the bottom? Not safe at all. When we had the third floor library carpeted a couple of years ago, we had looked at staircase runners and there were quite a few that we liked... surely my husband and I could agree on one of those patterns.

Savannah's puppy crate has now been turned into Sweet Pea's 'cat cave.'  That crate was originally in the kitchen by the back door when we first brought Savannah home. She took to it well and slept through mostly every night during her first two weeks here. When her night-time barking at every little sound from the outside wildlife was keeping us awake half the night, I moved the crate from the kitchen to the breakfast room, thinking she wouldn't hear every raccoon and armadillo and skunk that walked by the pack porch. I don't think Savannah liked the crate being in the breakfast room... for whatever reason, the breakfast room became the playroom for her toys and her 'safe place' when neighbors and friends came into the house through the back door in the kitchen. By that time as well, Savannah had grown higher and longer and that old crate of Gracie's was just a bit small for her and she couldn't stretch out for sleeping.

My idea was to put the crate in the TV room, just in case I needed it for Savannah again in the near future. So into the TV room went the crate, in front of the windows looking out at the side porch. There had been a carpeted cat-tower in that spot, but I had recently moved that out to the garage for Mickey and Gatsby to sleep in at night. I didn't want to be looking at a metal crate in the TV room, so I covered it with a plush burgundy afghan, arranging a plain old blanket under the afghan and directly on top of the metal crate, knowing full well that Sweet Pea would jump on top of that crate and I wanted him to have a comfortable place to land.  Inside the crate, I put Savannah's bright pink and very soft blanket, thinking that she would recognize her blanket if she wanted to get inside the crate for whatever reason.

Well, think again. Savannah has not only forgotten about that crate, but she barely gives it a glance when she's in the TV room. Sweet Pea, however, has claimed that crate as his own.... he sleeps on the bright pink blanket inside the crate, and he sits on the top of the crate and looks out the window to watch the birds during the day. At any given time of day, Sweet Pea's toys are inside that crate, everything from a long piece of yellow ribbon to a small white stuffed dog that's half the size of a Beanie-Baby. Hence, Sweet Pea's Cat Cave.

And where does Savannah sit when she's in the TV room? On the sofa, of course. Usually, she is right between my husband and me... and if I don't give her enough room, then she will stretch out onto either my lap or my husband's, and the one who gets the back half of Savannah in their lap is usually the one who leaves the sofa and goes to one of the chairs to sit alone. What is wrong with that picture? (Savannah would probably say 'Not a thing!')

Years and years ago when we first brought Gracie home from the shelter, my husband and I agreed that "Dogs are not allowed on the furniture."  That rule lasted long enough for Gracie to grow out of her small-puppy stage and discover the ability to jump from the floor to the bed, landing on Gary's side and sleeping there throughout the night. In the fifteen years we had Gracie, she never got up on the sofa... she preferred the bed for sleeping, and did so until she got very old and her legs just wouldn't let her jump that high.

Savannah has already broken the 'No dogs on the furniture' rule and if we decide to get those staircases carpeted, the 'No pets on the second and third floors of the house' rule will be history as well. Personally, I'd be at Home Depot right this minute ordering those stair runners, but my husband takes longer to make up his mind.

Savannah's Puppy Diary

Momma kept telling me that yesterday was Spay Day and I thought it would be Fun but it really wasn't. Being that I've only been Speaking Momma for a little over a Month I thought that Spay Day sounded a lot like Play Day and I thought they were Both The Same. So Wrong. I didn't get to Play at all and I didn't even get to Eat Breakfast before Everything started.

We got in the Car very early yesterday and Momma forgot my Blue Monkey in the House and she didn't want to Go Back and Get It but I got In The Car anyway. Momma said Off We Go To Spay Day Savannah and next thing I knew we were at The Vet's Office where Everything Smells Like Dog Breath And Cat Medicine and before I had a chance to Sit Down someone came and Took Me Away and left Momma in the Lobby and then she had to Drive Home without Me and I had to Stay with People I didn't know and I wasn't wearing my Collar with the Little Pink Heart that had my Name on it so I could have been Any Puppy At All and Who would know I was Savannah. Momma said See You Later Savannah and I had to Believe that she was Coming Back because Daddy says the Same Thing when he Goes To Work and he Always Comes Back.

The Girl at the Office said You Have Gained Weight Savannah You Are 41 Pounds! and she sounded very Happy about that but I told her it was Easy to Gain Weight because Momma makes sure I eat all my Kibble every day and then lets me eat the Fancy Feast that The Cats leave in the Bottom of their Bowls and I haven't figured out yet Why Cats Do That.  I don't think that Girl was able to Speak Puppy because she just kept writing on the Chart that said Savannah Border Collie Great Pyrenees Female.

Then a Man came in and gave me a Shot and told me that I'd Be Sleeping Like A Baby Soon HaHaHa! and the next thing I knew I was Waking Up and a Nice Girl was telling me Hello Savannah Are You Awake Now Savannah.  I wanted to tell her that Of Course I was Awake because she Just Woke Me Up but I was Too Dizzy to make her Understand me so I just Went Back To Sleep until the next time that Nice Girl said Hello Savannah Are You Awake Now Sleepyhead.

I don't know what Sleepyhead means but I wasn't Quite Ready to Wake Up for that Girl even though she was Very Nice and she was holding my Paw and telling me how Pretty I was and she said my Momma would be coming to Take Me Home Soon so I needed to Walk Around a little bit so they could Make Sure that Nothing Was Wrong. I looked around for my Blue Monkey but I didn't see it and then I remembered Momma saying Oh My Savannah I Left Your Monkey In The House And We Really Don't Have Time To Go Back For It So Get In The Car Without That Monkey Please Savannah. And that was how I Ended Up in this Place with this Very Nice Girl saying Are You Awake Now Sleepyhead.

The Girl took me out in the Yard to use The Grass just like Momma does at Home so I did what I do at Home and the Girl was Happy about that and Clapped Her Hands and then she said I needed to Rest until my Momma Came To Get Me. Well I was Resting Very Nicely until she Woke Me Up but I was very Polite and didn't tell her that. While I was Waiting for Momma I heard lots of dogs Barking and Barking and Barking. So annoying. I just wanted to Sleep. And then I remembered Momma flying Down The Stairs when I Bark in the Middle Of The Night and I understood why Momma didn't want me Barking like that because Who Can Sleep with all that Barking Barking Barking going on.  I was Really Missing my Momma by then and my Daddy Person and my Blue Monkey and the Extra Just In Case Monkeys that Daddy put in the Plastic Bag. I looked around the Vet's Office and knew I Was Not Home and that's what I was Missing Most. Home.

I fell asleep again because I was So Tired and the Next Thing I knew the Nice Girl was Waking Me Up and saying Your Momma Is Here Savannah And You Can Go Home Now and then she put my own Collar and Leash back on me and we walked out of the Little Room and into a Big Room and there was my Momma!  I walked to Momma and Sat Down like a Lady Puppy and put my Head on Momma's Leg and she said Hello Savannah Savannah I Missed You We Get To Go Home Now Savannah and I just Sat There and leaned against Momma's leg and I saw that Momma's eyes got Really Wet like when I Drip Water after drinking from my Bowl  and I was wondering if Momma was going to leave Drops Of Water on the Vet's Floor like I do in Momma's Kitchen and would that Nice Girl have to come out with The Mop and Clean It All Up.

I was So Happy to get into Momma's Car again even though I still didn't see my Blue Monkey in there and after Momma got in the Car with me she said that she Forgot The Monkey Again And She Didn't Know Where Her Mind Was Today Because She Was Worried About Me All Day. Momma kept saying Savannah Savannah Savannah most of the Way Home and I kept Looking At Momma because I hadn't seen her All Day Long and I wanted to Make Sure she was my Real Momma and not an Extra Momma that might have been Hiding In That Plastic Bag with the Extra Monkeys.

Momma's Car got to our Driveway and when I got Out of the Car I wanted to Run Up The Steps to my Blue Monkey and my Bed and my Toy Basket and my Cats but even though my Mind wanted to Run my Legs just Wouldn't Let Me and Momma said I would have to Take It Easy for a few days before I could be a Real Puppy again and throw my Toys in the air and Run Around The Kitchen with my Blanket in my Mouth.  When I walked into the Kitchen I saw Sweet Pea drinking Water from my Bowl and I wanted to tell him he was Doing It Wrong because there wasn't any Water On The Floor and didn't Sweet Pea know that Momma Likes to Mop The Floor after Water is Taken Out of that Bowl but I was still Tired and Sleepy and couldn't figure out how to Speak Cat so Sweet Pea would Understand me.

I went into the Breakfast Room and saw that my Big Dog Bed was in the corner where my Crate used to be and Momma told me that she took the Crate out of the room because I was a Big Girl now and didn't need to be Confined In A Crate anymore. I would have Jumped Up And Down and told Momma Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! but I was sill so Sleepy from Spay Day so I stopped to pick up my Blue Monkey and then I just Curled Up in my Big Girl Bed and Went To Sleep like The Princess that Miss Judy says I am.

When I Woke Up Momma was Typing Typing Typing and she said Hello Savannah Savannah It's So Good To Have You Back Home Savannah Savannah. I wanted to tell Momma that Home Is Where My Momma And My Daddy And My Blue Monkey Are But I Just Went Back To Sleep and Momma kept Typing Typing Typing and when I Woke up This Morning Momma was Still Typing Typing Typing.

Spay Day

This morning started very early... I had set the alarm for 5:30 so I would have time to get dressed, have some fruit and yogurt for breakfast, take care of the cats, walk Savannah at the first hint of daylight, and then leave the house at 7:00 so we could be at the vet's office at 7:30.                        

I had fixed up the front passenger seat of my car last night-- a thick leopard blanket on the leather seat, and a soft and plush pink afghan on the floor. Both blankets have Savannah's scent on them because I used those in the car for her first vet visit, and now they're the official puppy blankets for the car, no matter which car we take.

Savannah balked a little bit when she realized I wanted her to get into my car this morning, and it wasn't until that moment that I realized I had forgotten her blue monkey toy. The last time in the car, I tossed her monkey into the car and she jumped in after it. I didn't want to go back into the house to get that monkey this morning so I just picked up her two front paws and put them in the car and she followed with the rest of her.

Off to the vet we went, and I could already see how much she's grown since her first ride in my car. When she sits on the floor of my two-seater Thunderbird, she can see right out the window on the passenger side. Savannah watched the cars and school buses going by this morning for a little while, then curled up on the floor for the rest of the drive into town.

Instead of turning herself into stone at the door of the vet's office this morning, Savannah walked right into that door just as she's been doing at home. She sat down very nicely in front of the counter while I signed the papers for the spaying (and also micro-chipping) and she didn't seem at all anxious until the attendant put a 'house lead' on her and gave me her leash and collar to take home. As he started walking her towards the back, that's when she turned herself into solid cement and wouldn't move. She looked back at me with the saddest puppy eyes I've ever seen.  I got in front of Savannah and smiled big and told her to come to me, and she did, but then I had to back away when she reached the door going out of the reception area. Off she went and I stood there holding her collar and leash and also holding back tears.

It was so early in the morning that I came straight back home and did some chores around the house, then got dressed all over again to 'really' go out, and back to town I went for grocery shopping and other errands, with the intent of getting it all done while Savannah was out of the house, driving back home to put everything away, and then driving into town again to pick her up.  After four weeks of having a dog-sized puppy in this house, the quiet was enough to deafen me as I walked into the kitchen. Sweet Pea came out of the TV room and did his tip-toe-in-slow-motion routine through the breakfast room and the kitchen that he has adopted since we brought Savannah home. Not finding the puppy anywhere, Sweet Pea settled himself in front of Savannah's water bowl and took his time drinking and drinking and drinking. (And not a drop of water was on the floor afterwards.)

With today's mail came a note and a newspaper clipping from my friend Janice in Clear Lake. The 'Houston Chronicle' had a small article (in the Business section, of all places) about fashions for canines... "Haute Hounds Flaunt Noses For Fashion."  In one of the photographs, a dog is wearing what looks like the most comfortable of sweatshirts, complete with what looks like either a hood or a wide collar, and the 'sleeves' of the doggie-sweatshirt even have those double-ply cuffs that sweatshirts usually have.  Janice's note said "I see Savannah in the casual look. Remember, winter is coming!"  I laughed so hard at the idea of Savannah wearing a sweatshirt (in pink, of course, to match her velvet leash) that I called Janice to tell her that I just read the article and I intended to search for that hooded sweatshirt for Savannah. I forgot to ask Janice if Savannah should wear pearls with that hoodie, but I guess adding such an accessory would take most of the 'casual' out of the outfit.

The girl at the vet's office said I could pick up Savannah after 3:30 this afternoon and I was there promptly at 3:28.  They told me that Savannah did very well during her stay, didn't bark or carry on, and let everyone do what they needed to do before and after her procedure.  (Translation: she acted like a Lady Puppy, not a Hobo Puppy.)  I settled up the bill, asked how much Savannah weighed this time (41 pounds) and then gave the girl Savannah's own collar and leash to avoid having to do an exchange of leashes in the reception room like we did when we got there this morning.

When the girl came out into the lobby with Savannah, I could see a little bit of unsteadiness on that puppy's feet, poor thing. She was very quiet, very calm, not even tucking her tail way underneath her belly the way she did on her first visit to that office. Savannah's eyes were scanning the room and when she saw me, her tail wagged a bit and her serious puppy face turned into something like a grin, and she walked right over to me and sat down and leaned against my leg.  I could have just cried for that moment of Savannah knowing who she belonged to and the cuteness of that slightly sleepy grin on her puppy face.

As soon as I got Savannah out into the fresh air, she stopped on the wood decking of the building to get her bearings and I think also she liked the feel of the breeze that was out there in the shade of that porch this afternoon. I let her stand there a few minutes while I petted her and told her what a truly special puppy she was and how proud I was that she behaved herself today.  When I walked her into the grass to get to my car, I purposely took the long way around the lawn so Savannah would have a chance to 'use the grass' if she needed to. And she did just that, and I was happy for that moment as well because I really didn't want any sort of mishap in the car during the drive home.

And once again, when I opened the passenger side of my car to let Savannah in, I realized that I had forgotten the blue monkey! Again! I had taken that monkey out of her toy box and put it near my purse... how in the world could I have overlooked that?!  Solution to that problem: from now on, I will leave one of the 'extra' monkeys in my car at all times so it will be in there and ready to be Savannah's traveling companion. You've heard of 'security blankets'?  Well, Savannah has a security monkey!

I had to lift Savannah's front legs onto the floor of my car, and then she propelled the rest of her forty-one-pound puppy self in there... and off we went towards home. Savannah curled up right away on the floor, didn't even bother looking out of the window. All the way home -- a 25-minute drive --Savannah just stared at me. I thought of that commercial where a person takes their second and third fingers and first points to their own eyes, and then points to another person, giving that silent phrase "I'm watching you..."   That's how the drive home felt to me... as if Savannah had pointed her paw at me and silently said "I'm watching you, Momma, I'm watching you."  For most of the ride home, I kept talking to Savannah, saying her name over and over again, telling her the house was too quiet without her, and telling her how happy I was that spay day was over and within a couple of weeks she probably wouldn't remember much of today at all.

Savannah got herself slowly out of the car when we got to the driveway... I can see that the stitches underneath her may be tender and she's being very careful when she walks. The girl at the vet's office said Savannah needs to be a "couch potato" for the next two weeks. I laughed at that and said "Don't you mean a couch puppy?"  The girl laughed, and I just know she'll be using that line in the future.

We got into the kitchen and Savannah stood there and looked all around the room, then walked into the breakfast room and laid down next to her big bed... she put her head on the soft edges of that bed and the biggest sigh came out of this puppy.  My eye caught the blue monkey--- right on the little chair by the door where I had left it... so I brought the monkey to Savannah and put in on the floor next to her.  I went to put away my keys and my purse and when I came back into the room, Savannah was fast asleep with one paw on top of that little monkey that truly needs a good washing.

She will probably sleep for a while now, but I will have to wake her up before it gets dark so I can take her outside in the grass. I doubt very much if she'll want to eat anything tonight, but if I hear her tummy growling with hunger, I will give her a little bit of Sweet Pea's Fancy Feast instead of the crunchy puppy kibble. It's been a long tough day for Savannah... she deserves a little extra treat, and if she needs to be hand-fed tonight, then so be it. That's what puppy-mommas are for.

And I need a good cup of tea. I am so glad this day is over and Savannah is fine. I love this puppy. I truly do.

Savannah's Puppy Diary

I have a New Monkey! Momma went to The Store today and when she got Back Home she unpacked the Plastic Bags and there was a new Brown Monkey just for me. It's bigger than My Blue Monkey and it doesn't Squeak when I play with it but it's Still A Monkey.

Momma says I have a Thing For Monkeys and I don't know What That Means but in my Toy Basket now I have a Small Brown Monkey and a Big Brown Monkey. My Blue Monkey is Never in the Toy Basket with Everything Else because he is Always With Me and Momma says he is Made of Half Blue Corduroy and Half Puppy Spit and he's Getting To Look Disgusting and may need to Go In The Washing Machine When I'm Not Looking.

When Momma gave me the New Monkey she said it was a Special Treat for being So Good Last Night and Sleeping Outside The Crate. And when Momma left for The Store this morning she let me stay in the Kitchen and the Breakfast Room instead of Making Me Go Into That Crate. Before she took that New Monkey out of the Bag today, I saw her Looking All Around the Kitchen and the Breakfast Room. I don't know What she was Looking For but when she was All Done Looking she said Good Girl Savannah Good Girl and then she took the New Monkey Out Of The Bag and gave it to me for Being So Good.

I also have Two Extra Monkeys that Daddy got from The Store. He showed them to Momma last week and they didn't notice that I was Looking At Them too and they put the Extra Monkeys Back In The Plastic Bag and put them away Just In Case the Store Runs Out Of Monkeys when I need one. I was Worried about those Two Extra Monkeys but they seem to be Okay because when Momma opens that Closet I don't hear the Monkeys Screaming To Get Out of that Bag.

Tomorrow is Spay Day For Savannah. I don't know What that means but Momma says it's Important that I don't have any Food tonight Not Even Treats because we have to Go To The Vet First Thing In The Morning. Momma told the Ladies at the Tea Party this afternoon that Tomorrow was Spay Day For Savannah and the Ladies said Oooooh and Uh-Oh and I don't know What that means because usually all the Tea Ladies talk at the Same Time and it's hard to Understand half of what they're saying in the Dining Room.                                                                                                               

Momma and the Tea Ladies think I'm being Very Good by Staying In The Breakfast Room when they have Tea but they Don't Know that I'm Being Very Quiet in there because I'm Listening To Every Word They Say. One of the Tea Ladies asked Momma if Savannah Knew She Was Going To Be Fixed and I don't know What Momma said because I was Too Busy looking All Over Myself to see if Anything Was Broken. 

Tonight after Momma ate her Dinner she brought my Food Bowl to me and told me to eat my Food because I couldn't have Anything Not Even A Treat after eight o'clock Tonight. I looked into my Food Bowl and Nothing Looked As Interesting as what the Tea Ladies were eating in the Dining Room so I took my Blue Monkey and dropped him On Top Of The Kibble and told him he Had To Eat Because We Couldn't Have Anything Not Even A Treat After Eight O'Clock Tonight. Momma said That Wasn't Funny Savannah and then she Picked Up my Bowl and took the Blue Monkey out of it and then she Fed Me my Kibble Piece By Piece because I wouldn't be able to Have Breakfast Tomorrow and she didn't want me to Be Hungry in the Morning and she told me Not To Expect to be Hand Fed Like This after Tonight.  Then I tried to tell Momma HaHaHaHaHaHa! but my Mouth was full of Kibble.

Every few minutes Momma looks at me and says You're Going To Be Fine Savannah Just Fine I Will Bring You First Thing In The Morning And Then Pick You Up In The Afternoon And You'll Be All Fixed And Ready To Go. Momma told me that I have to Get In The Car Without A Hassle because now I'm Too Big for her to Pick Up and We Can't Walk To The Vet's Office Now Can We HaHaHa! 

I told my Blue Monkey that he Lost His Chance to have Something To Eat when I dropped him in my Food Bowl and now Momma has put my Bowl away and if the Blue Monkey gets Hungry he will Just Have To Wait until we Get Back From the Vet's Office tomorrow afternoon when He's Fixed And Ready To Go.

Think Outside The Crate

Last night was Savannah's first night of not sleeping inside her crate. I had a feeling that because she couldn't really stretch out and get comfortable in that crate, maybe that was the reason for her sleepless nights this past week.  I realize that the sounds of the trains and the coyotes added to her barking, but those sounds have been here since we brought Savannah home, so the medium-sized crate had to have something to do with the middle-of-the-night barking of this soon-to-be large-sized puppy.

When I first went upstairs last night, I made sure that Savannah saw me going up the back stairs. She is familiar with that sight, but has no idea what's up there. All she knows is that we disappear up the stairs and she can't see us. The back staircase from the kitchen has a 90-degree angle to it with a door on that landing, so she can't see us when we get past that threshold and go up to the second floor hallway. The front staircase has two small landings before it gets to the same second floor hallway so Savannah can't see us from the bottom of those steps either. She just has to learn to trust that when we go upstairs without her, we will indeed come back down the stairs.

I haven't encouraged Savannah to try walking up either staircase... neither one is carpeted and I think her paws will slip on the wood. Last thing we need is to have one or more of her legs hurt if she falls on those steps, either going up or coming back down.  When we moved here, Gracie was an older dog already and she couldn't navigate those stairs so she slept in the kitchen for all of her nights here in this house. Not an easy thing for Gracie, and not easy for us either because we were used to having her in the bedroom with us every night.

Savannah only barked once or twice when I first went up to the bedroom last night. I came right back down, reassuring her that everything was okay, giving her one of the toys and telling her goodnight. All was fine (and quiet) until about 1:30 in the morning when a train went by in the next town and the coyotes started howling in our woods.  I woke up quickly and got down the stairs just as quickly, letting Savannah know that everything was okay and she needed to be quiet and go back to sleep. Which she did, until four o'clock when the coyotes were howling again..... back downstairs I came to tell her that everything was still okay. I noticed that her water bowl was empty at that point, so I took her right outside into the grass. All she did was listen to the coyotes, pick up leaves, and look at the stars. Back into the house we came... I gave her the little monkey toy she likes, and I went upstairs.

Next thing I knew, it was seven o'clock and the sun was coming up.... I quickly changed from PJs to capris and down the stairs I came, and there was Savannah sound asleep in the middle of the kitchen floor which was filled with her toys. Nothing else in the kitchen and breakfast room had been touched or disturbed... Savannah had apparently woken up, played with her toys, drank her water and went back to sleep. Now if this isn't a great puppy...

I have already taken that crate and moved it into the TV room... there's a thick puppy pillow on top of the crate (courtesy of JAS's daughter L) and I covered the entire thing with one of the velvet blankets that I had bought for that crate. Our cat Sweet Pea likes to go inside the crate and now he also has a soft mattress on top of the crate if he wants a higher view.  Savannah saw Sweet Pea inside her crate the other day and about all she did was walk up to the crate to retrieve her little blue monkey toy and she walked away as if handing over the keys to the crate to Sweet Pea. (Take it! It's yours!)

Savannah's safe place in this part of the house seems to be the breakfast room, and that's where I've put her big pillow bed... the one that's twice her size at the moment, but she will indeed grow into it by next year. Savannah goes in and out of that bed with her toys, and uses the raised edges of that bed to rest her chin. (This puppy does indeed like to have a pillow under her head as much as possible.)

Personally, I'm thrilled that Savannah doesn't need the crate anymore. I will keep it in the TV room for a while, and longer if Sweet Pea uses it a lot... which is why I took the time to cover it with the velvet throw and make sure both the inside and the top of the crate were comfy enough for one very spoiled cat.

I've already been into town and back this morning, leaving Savannah in the kitchen and the breakfast room, just as I did last night. Once again, I made sure she saw me leaving so there were no surprises for her. When I got back home, her toys were all over the kitchen floor again, but nothing that does not belong to that puppy was touched. And believe me... she did have choices: Halloween decorations, books on tables, pillows on chairs, and all sorts of kitchen knick-knacks that are within her reach.  I've asked Savannah time and time again to act like a lady-puppy, not a hobo-puppy, and I truly think she understands every word I've told her.

Savannah's Puppy Diary

Momma told me this Morning that I am as Quiet As A Mouse all day long and then I Save Up All My Barking for the Middle Of The Night. Momma told me that I need to Quit Barking At Night and Bark During The Day to Keep In Practice but I shouldn't Over-Do it because I am Making Daddy Nuts And You Know How Men Are.

When Momma unlocked my Crate this morning she gave me an Extra Hug when I Stretched My Legs and walked out of that Crate. She said Savannah Savannah Savannah Never Forget Who You Are Because There Is Only One Of You And You Are Savannah Savannah Savannah. I looked back in that Crate and didn't see Any More Puppies in there so I guess Momma Was Right and There Is Only One Of Me and Miss Gloria says Savannah Is Stinking Cute and Miss Judy says Savannah Is A Princess and Daddy says I am a Good Smart Girl but Momma says he Forgets That when I Bark in The Middle Of The Night.

Sweet Pea was in the Breakfast Room this Morning and he Walked Into My Crate and Laid Down in the Corner. He got in there Before I could get My Blue Monkey out of the Crate so I Walked Real Slow up to that Crate and grabbed my Blue Monkey by his Tail and got him away from Sweet Pea because I didn't want my Blue Monkey to start Smelling Like Cat Breath.  Then I told Sweet Pea he could have that Whole Crate if he Wanted it and he Didn't have to Squeeze Into The Corner like that but I don't know if Sweet Pea knew what I was Saying because he may not Speak Puppy.

Momma said that it may be the Right Time to Think Outside The Crate. Momma told Daddy that maybe I'm Barking in the Middle Of The Night because I'm too Cramped in The Crate and I can't Stretch Out like I do when I sleep On The Floor and Maybe I've already Out-Grown that old Puppy Crate of Gracie's.  Daddy said it was Worth A Try but Momma had to Be Consistent so I don't get Confused because Sometimes I act like I am Already Confused.  Momma said maybe she would let me Sleep Wherever I Landed when it was Time for them To Go Upstairs tonight.                                              
I don't know what Upstairs means but maybe that's where Everyone Goes when the lights are Off in The Kitchen and it's Very Quiet and I don't know where Momma and Daddy are so I Bark once or twice to Let Everybody Know I am Still Here. Momma used to come Down The Stairs when I Barked At Night but now she doesn't do that. I thought maybe Momma couldn't Hear me, so I Barked Louder but that Didn't Work. Now I just Bark for a Little While to see if Momma comes to See Me in the Dark and when she doesn't I just Go To Sleep and Dream that Sweet Pea is in The Crate and I have the TV Room all to Myself.

Momma said that this week is Spay Week For Savannah. I don't know What That Means and I wonder if it is also Spay Week For My Blue Monkey.  Momma also said that I have to Get Into Her Car Without A Hassle on Thursday Morning so she can Take Me To The Vet For Fixing. Last Time I got into Momma's Car I ended up at the Vet and he gave me a Puppy-Shot and he Clipped My Nails and Looked At my Eyes and Ears and my Blue Monkey was With me In The Car but Momma wouldn't let me Carry him into the Vet's office because she said my Blue Monkey would end up Smelling Like The Vet's Office. I guess me and Momma ended up Smelling Like The Vet's Office that day because my Blue Monkey was Face-Down on the Seat when we Got Back In The Car.

I am trying Very Hard to be Very Good but I am Still A Puppy even though Momma says that I am an Old Soul Covered In Puppy Fur. I don't know what that means because I only Learned how to Speak Momma four weeks ago.

"Where's What's-Her-Name?"

I knew there could be a little bit of trouble here when my husband walked into the kitchen yesterday and asked me that question as he looked for Savannah.

"Savannah is in the TV room with Sweet Pea," I told him. I reserved comment on the what's-her-name thing.  The night before, Savannah had barked for nearly an hour before she settled down and went to sleep. My husband was not at all happy about that.  Last night, however, Savannah barked in her crate for just 15 minutes before going to sleep, but she also woke up at two o'clock in the morning and started barking at something. Once again, as Gary and I agreed, neither one of us came down the stairs to see what the problem was. Savannah kept up her barking for another 15 minutes or so and then went back to sleep and didn't wake up until I came downstairs at 6:30 this morning.

In the dark of our bedroom at two o'clock in the morning, however, the conversation went something like this:
"We should have just bought a gun instead of a dog. That damn dog can sleep out in the coop from now on so we won't hear her barking at night."
"She's not a dog, she's still a puppy, and I'm not putting her in the coop."
"Then she can sleep in the rooms over the barn or in the guest cottage."
"I don't think a six-month-old puppy needs a two-bedroom apartment over the barn and the guest cottage is for guests and besides that, this is where she lives."
"I don't remember going through all this puppy stuff with Gracie."
"That's because you were gone for 12 hours every day when we got Gracie and I set my alarm for the middle of the night every night for four months so I could get Gracie out of her crate and out to the grass before she started whimpering and barking and waking you up."
"Why didn't I hear the alarm?"
"Because you were tired from such long days back then and I had the alarm clock under my pillow so your puppy would not disturb you in the middle of the night."
"Oh."

This morning, I'm asking myself how my husband can so quickly forget the progress that Savannah has made in just four weeks. She has been bringing her toys to Gary and wanting to play, he throws the ball and she brings it back to him, she sits and gives her paw on command, she gets up on the sofa in the TV room and puts her head on his lap and goes to sleep while he's watching a baseball game, she plays with the cats as if she's been living with them for all of her puppy life.  In all of her days with us, Savannah has not chewed on anything but her own toys, she has not has an accident in the house, and she has shown us that she has learned to trust us even though a hint of her old sense of caution comes into her eyes when she is faced with something new.

Four weeks ago, on the way towards Houston when we went to meet this puppy and her previous owners, I reminded my husband of the extra work and attention a puppy needs and I told him right then to turn the car around if he wasn't willing to deal with that. And since we've had Savannah here, I've not even asked him to do anything except call her by name, give her treats, and not ignore her when he walks into whatever room she is in.  And I don't think that was too much to ask.

This morning I went into my husband's office upstairs and sat down in the chair by his desk. There was one question that had now become the huge pink puppy in the room and I just had to ask it:
"I have a feeling that you really don't want this puppy anymore and if you really don't, then let me know now, before we get her fixed this week, and before I invest any more time and emotion into her."  (As if I hadn't already?)
"She's gotten better than she was but I still don't remember going through all of this with Gracie."
"That's because you weren't involved in all the puppy-care and training of Gracie. You left the house at 6:30 in the morning and didn't get home till 7:30 at night. You got all the best of Gracie--- her play-time, and I got all the rest of it. And by the time you weren't working those long hours anymore, Gracie was trained and confident and a great dog."
"But Gracie didn't have all the hang-ups that Savannah seems to have."
"That's because she was only ten weeks old when we got her and with puppies that age who have no bad memories, everybody is their best friend. So just let me know what you want to do here about Savannah."

My husband looked at his computer. "We'll keep her," he told me. And that was that. I won't ask that question again, or give any other comment on the issue.

There has not been such a doubt in my mind about keeping or not keeping Savannah, and I know I took a big chance there, but had my husband said he no longer wanted this puppy, then I would have left it up to him to pack up her crate and her toys and her bed and take her in his car to wherever he thought she would have a better life.

At this very minute, I can't help thinking of a comment my husband's mother said to me years and years ago:  "Men are such work."