Reba

Boy, it's been quite a week already.

Last Friday, I met Ben and Mary (and they're nice, taste good too) and then yesterday (Tuesday) they showed up again and I went home with them.

And now I already have an ID card and Ben tells me that my new uniform will be in by this Friday.

Front

Back

Paula and Donna (they've been fostering me and they're nice too) told me I'd have a new home but they said that Ben and Mary were acting more like six-year-olds who were getting a puppy for Christmas than they were acting like mature adults. I don't know what's wrong with being six -- I'm only three months myself -- but I guess I'll find out.

So, when we left Donna's, we started by visiting a Troll's Castle but I guess they were in a hurry because we really didn't get to explore much.

And then we went to the Snug Harbour Cafe 'cause Ben was hungry. I'm supposed to warn him when he gets too hungry but I'm not real sure how to do that yet. I guess I'll find out.

Anyway, the cafe was nice -- that's where I met Blue. He's a really big dog -- part mastiff, I think -- and has only three legs but that doesn't seem to bother him. I thought he was nice.

So was Dan who looks after Blue. But I think Blue's going to be a service dog for Dan -- he'll enjoy that too.

Anyway, we went home and that was nice too. I'm living out in the woods -- all kinds of interesting things to smell and they brought one of my favorite toys and gave me some new ones too and the food is really good as well and I can go out whenever I want and explore or I can stay in where it's warm and keep Ben company. Especially at night when I get to curl up with him.

And there's this big gray cat too. I think he'll be nice if we can be friends but he's kind of standoffish. I hope we can become friends 'cause he seems nice and it would fun to have someone else to play with. Not that I don't have Ben and Mary to play with but a girl likes someone with four legs too.

Harvey -- he's a friend of Ben and Mary's -- tells me that he'll introduce me to Mandy and she'll play chase with me so that's good too. And that Mandy and I can go swimming later.

Wednesday, 12/10: Such a lot to explore. All kinds of interesting smells, all kinds of places to hide and run and ... gee, you know, I can get tired sometimes so I'm gonna make this short.

Thursday, 12/11: Today, I got to meet a whole lot of new friends ... and some people too.

It began when Ben and Mary took me to the Food Bank at the Community Center where even the kids were nice. Well, mostly anyway. There was this one young kid who got kind of upset. All I did was bump him but he was the one running. I guess that happens but, if he didn't' want to play tag, why did he start it? Still, I did get some of the roast port that Pat fixed for lunch -- that was really good.

After we went home again, I tried to take a nap but I was just getting comfortable when Ben and Harvey wanted to go to Port Hadlock so we were off again. I met some nice people at the hardware store and then we went to the grocery. It's nice there but kind of crowded. Still, everyone was nice to me.

Ben here. Reba's blog got interrupted because I had some medical problems (see Winter Solstice, 2008). As a brief report, she's growing fast (up 5 lbs to 35 in the two weeks since she joined us), loves her dog door, wears her vest (see right) with every sign of pride, behaves beautifully when we go out together, loves playing in the snow and is a wonderful Solstice present.

At right, the vacuum cleaner is challenging her -- in fluent dog body language -- to play a game of chase ... and she's responding appropriately. But it was a good way to make her ignore the camera (and me) long enough to get a snap of her in uniform.

I'm sure she'll have updates to this blog at intervals, however irregular, so drop by and check on her when you're in the cyberhood.

Thursday, 12/25: Ben smelled funny last night so I woke him up. He hugged me and said I was a good girl so I guess that was right.

Ben here: My sugar was a little out of whack -- not seriously but better that she should warn me early. We were afraid that this was going to be the hard part to teach her but she's alerted me twice now. Not serious either time but I'd rather she did it this way than for me to have to call 911 and have them tell me that my sugar was down to 23 (which happened a few months about and is one of the reasons we decided to train a service dog).

Saturday, 12/27: Some times things are busy here, sometimes they're quiet. We had a lot of snow a week ago but they got Ben home from the hospital before it got too bad so that was okay but he's mostly rested for the past week. I've been enjoying playing in the snow but it does get cold. Still, it was melting enough today that we could go out so they took me to the library which was okay cause there were a lot of nice people. The restaurant was okay too because Ben needed to eat but nobody offered me any fish. But it's okay because then we went to the hardware store which is nice because they always give me a treat. And, when I picked up a nice rawhide bone to chew, they let me take that too.

Ben's here: She picked it off the shelf but I paid for it so she wasn't quite like the shoplifting dog that made such a splash on the news.

Oh, and we went to the grocery store too. That's okay but it sure can be crowded. Met a few nice people but I was glad to get back in the car for a nap. Kind of tiring and I think Ben was getting tired; he said the roads were okay but needed careful attention. When we got home, he wanted to rest a while so I put my head in his lap to keep him warm.

Later, Ben said that my vest has gotten too small but he knows I'm a growing girl. I mean, he saw it was tight so he adjusted it out where it was okay but he says it's time for a new one so I'm getting one. It's going to be red -- a nice color for me. I think I'll like it better than the blue. He says that he'll find someone who can use my old one so that's okay too.

Sunday, 12/28: This evening, Ben and Mary were playing some kind of a game. Ben would tell me to "Find Mary" and then Mary would call me and give me a treat when I go to her. And then I have to "Find Ben" and so forth. Not sure yet what the point is but I'll take the treats.

And they were laughing about some doggy IQ test on the news. They said I was too smart for that and they were too smart to waste money on it ... I think that was a compliment. Then Ben said something about the fact that I pick up my dish when it's empty and carry it over to show him being an indication but that's just silly. How else can I tell him? Like I should bark or something? That wouldn't be very lady-like.

Ben here: Not to embarrass Reba but Mary took her down to the greenhouse a little while ago and it seems that she grabbed a potted catnip and went chasing off with it. And that seems to explain why -- when she came back -- she was on a mad tear, shaking her doll wildly, bouncing all over and ... well, she was enjoying herself, true, but no more catnip for her -- she just can't handle it.

Wednesday, 12/31: Had to go to the vet today and get the stitches out of my ears. Not my fault that someone was playing too hard but it'll be nice to have them out. (Ben took that silly cone off nearly two weeks ago but then he got sick before he could take me in and then it snowed and we were stuck ... so, it was nice to get it done. They were kind of uncomfortable.)

Ben here: Reba weighted in at 38.2 lbs today -- 8.2 lbs (or 27%) up from the 30 lbs when she joined us only three weeks ago. At four months old, she's had her rabies shot; the vet has okayed her health; she's making friends with Smokey; her behavior (in public) is almost entirely beyond reproach ... a veritable puppy paragon. And she's learning constantly -- life is good, we're happy ...

Thursday: 1/1/09 New Years Day: Went to a party last night. Lots of people I knew, lots I didn't but everyone was nice (it was nice to have some kids to maul too.)

There was one thing that was pretty weird at first. It was this big red thing that you could see through and it didn't smell right and it kind of bounced and it was spooky so I got under Ben's chair where it was safe and watched. Then he brought it over to me to sniff and I decided it must be harmless enough. Then there were a whole bunch more, all different colors.

Later, I found out that if you poke them with your nose, they bounce all over the place but, if you pounce on them, they go POP! and then there's not much left. Just a little skin kind of. It's fun though.

Wednesday: 1/7/09 Raining outside, nice and dry inside. Ben feeds me really well but, this evening, he was eating something that smelled wonderful. He offered me one piece that was cool and crunchy but it really wasn't very good. Then he offered me this soft piece -- kind of salty -- that had a wonderful aroma, very complex tastes, lovely stuff. It's a dark orange with these blue veins. Ben says it's called Shropshire Blue. I wish he'd give me more, sure is nice.

Friday: 1/16/09 I've got a new uniform. Ben says he'll take a picture and post it here. Don't you think I look good in red?

Ben here: If the vest looks rather large on Reba ... in a couple of months, it definitely won't. The first one -- which fitted her so well a month and a half ago -- has been let out ... and out ... and out to the absolute limits. We went by the vet's and used their scales (she's too big to let me hold her on mine) and she weighted in at 41.2 lbs -- that's another 3 lbs in the past two weeks. I'd imagine that her growth should be slowing in another four to six months but that could still put her in the 70+ range ... or higher. She's definitely not going to be a small dog.

Tuesday, 1/20/09 We went to this medical place today. Kind of like the vet but for Ben and everyone was watching while this man made a speech on the TV and seemed like it was real important. That's okay, they still petted me and I got to say hello to a lot of people. Then, when everyone applauded him, Ben and I went in another room where I think they stuck something in his arm but he didn't seem to mind so I guess that was okay. Then they gave me a dog biscuit for being such a good girl.

Wednesday, 1/21/09 We took Mary to the vet today and they stuck something in her arm too and I could smell that she wasn't as calm about it as Ben was so he stood there and held her hand and it was okay. Then the lady who was doing this gave me a dog biscuit and petted me and a whole bunch of other people came to say hello also. Ben and Mary sure have a lot of friends and they like me too so that's really nice.

Saturday, 1/24/09 I'm so excited! Ben says I can start school on Thursday. Not sure what that means but he says I'll be meeting other dogs my own age. Maybe we can play? I get to play with Mandy a lot and she's nice really -- even if she does growl at me sometimes -- but she's older and doesn't bounce a whole lot. I'd really like to meet someone who likes to chase like I do and things like that.

Oh, and he got me a new harness to wear. He says I try to pull too much. I don't mean to so I'll try harder not to. It's just hard sometimes to slow down, you know?

Sunday, 2/1/09 Sorry if I'm getting behind here but things have been busy. Where should I start? Tuesday we went back to Ben's vet and talked to this nice lady and Ben seemed to be really happy with the results. Then we went a couple of other places and finally home. But Thursday we came back again -- to his Vet I mean -- and met another lady and Ben and Mary were smiling a lot and seemed like it was something good. Not that I mind coming here, everyone wants to say hello to me and they give me dog biscuits too.

After leaving the vet, we went to a park to play for a while and then got something to eat. Ben shared his hamburger with me and that was pretty good but I don't think I like dill pickles.

But, after dinner, we went to this place where everything smelled really interesting and I got to meet a whole bunch of other dogs (all young like me, not old like Mandy so we played better). And they'd tell me to do something and then give me a little bit of this really good treat when I got it right. I just have to figure out what it is that they want but, that's okay, I'm good at that.

And Ben's smelling better too. Like he feels better so, this morning, he's sitting down to type this for me. (Keyboards aren't made for paws; I know ... I've tried.)

Ben here: Reba's enrolled in her first formal classes; puppy training. It's interesting in several respects. One, it's helping to socialize her (with other dogs, she fine with people) by giving her a chance to meet, make friends and play with a variety of them ... which she loves doing. Second, she's so far ahead of the other puppies in the class (except for the trainer's harlequin great dane who is 10 months old) that I almost feel sorry (I definitely know how it feels to be in that position) that I can't take her straight to the next course. Still, there are some basics she still needs to learn ... and she is enjoying herself and the other puppies.

When Reba joined us, she was already house trained and knew a couple of simple commands such as "sit". At the first class, the trainer was asking everyone what was the first thing they'd like for their puppy to learn ... and all the responses were 'house breaking' ... until it got to Reba. Well, she knows that, she has her own door to go in/out and, for her, what we need is to train her to potty on command -- i.e., to do it now, while we're waiting for the ferry or before we go in the clinic, etc. Don't get me wrong, she's not having accidents but she does, occasionally, have to tell us that she needs to go out and it will be easier once she knows to go at the best opportunity.

Ben again: Things have been happening. At this point, Reba has completed both the introductory (puppy) class and the intermediate course. But's that's going to be the last of her "obedience" training -- I don't need a dog who will roll-over or sit up and beg; I need a companion with the guts and self-direction to do whatever is needed if I get in trouble ... and she's already willing and able to do that. So, her next course is going to be an Agility Training class. I already took her up to visit a class; she was disappointed that she didn't get to try everything ... but she will.

Wednesday, 3/18/09: Sometimes I don't really understand. We went to this restaurant where the lady seemed to be kind of afraid of me. I don't know why? Maybe I should have barked hello? But Ben and Mary tell me not to do that inside. Anyway, I didn't say anything but settled down next to Ben while he checked his sugars. If they'd been low, I'd have told him; I knew he was hungry but it wasn't anything dangerous or anything. Anyway, after he checked, he told me to "stay" and then went to the back with his little cold pack and disappeared. I really didn't like it but I did what he said but kept watching where he'd gone and listening and smelling but he came back out in a few minutes (seemed longer) and he was starting to smell better. Still hungry too but better. (The next time we went there, the lady didn't smell so worried. so that was okay.)

Don't remember when exactly but it was a few days later when we went to see this man that Ben called a "gyrene" like it was a joke or something but they seemed to like each other. That was another time when Ben was smelling a little funny and I tried to tell him about it and the man -- his name was Joel -- told Ben to go get his insulin and then come back so we went out to the car and Ben got his cold pack and, pretty quickly, he smelled a whole lot better.

Tuesday, 4/7/09: We got up early this morning and drove up to Port Townsend and went into this huge building and it was real empty when we got there so Ben gave me a snack and had some himself (otherwise, I'd have had to tell him to) and then all kinds of people started showing up and the room -- they called it the Jury Room -- got really crowded (nobody stepped on me so that was okay) and there were lots more in the hallway outside.

Finally, we all went into this big room where everybody could sit down (they gave Ben an aisle seat so there was plenty of room for me too) and listen to these two guys ask a lot of questions. Ben was the only one who petted me -- which was fine -- but it got kind of boring so, finally, I decided to take a nap.

Ben here: Reba's behavior in court was excellent. Only fault was that she couldn't decide if the plaintiff was guilty or innocent.

Thursday, 4/23/09: We got up early and drove a long time -- seems like Ben does that sometimes -- until we got to this place called American Lake and I had to sit while Ben talked to some doctors. But I got a couple of hamburgers -- dill pickle's okay really -- which I love and I got to say hello to several people and even to a couple more dogs who had uniforms like mine. We didn't really get to play because they were working and so was I but, on the way home, Ben stopped at this really nice place with lots of dogs and lots of room and woods to play in and a stream and just tons of grassy hillside and it was raining but just a little bit so we had just lots of fun because I got to play chase with some really big dogs. (Small dogs are okay but I don't like to trip over them and you have to be careful; big dogs I don't have to be so careful with.)

Ben here: Well, what can I add? Reba's up to 75 lbs (remember, she was 30 when she joined us), beautiful as ever and a real pleasure to be with. And I do enjoy watching her tussle with larger dog(s); she's so graceful and really has a lot of energy. Oh, yeah, the spot we stopped on the way home was Howe Farms, near Port Orchard -- quite the nicest dog park we've seen yet. We'll go there anytime we're passing by.