Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Snow for the holidays in Minnesota...


Mia's family has been very been very busy, so this post is long overdue. There has been much socializing and many field trips, now that she is in "Big Dog Class". We can see many ways in which she is growing up. She is calmer around guests, we have moved the wastebasket to the floor, and we can open up more of the house to her. We work on her skills in our daily living, including wait, stay, hold it, leave it, carry, look and many more. She still likes to find things on the floor, but now she usually just holds them proudly rather than eating what she finds. She also knows she has to bring whatever she finds to us when we say bring.

Mia had a nice Christmas Day, with a new bone, tennis balls and treats from one of her main sponsors. She says Woof Woof, which is dog for Thank You.

The snow has been fun. There are fewer sticks to eat and she is more willing to give them up for a piece of kibble. We think she was bit by a mouse she found under the snow, as we have never seen her move that fast. We go to our favorite nature center where she can
safely play with well behaved dogs and that both keeps her in shape and tires her out. We also practice her really reliable recall every time we are there.

On our field trips she continues to learn and she seems to be genuinely curious about the world outside our home. She went to a Timberwolves game and sat on the cool cement floor intently watching the game and the lights below us. People still ask if she is a puppy, since she is so small. We cheerfully tell them about Helping Paws.

So to all of you,

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for Twenty Ten !