Settling In

Macy is definitely starting to settle in.  We have a routine now and everything seems more regular and normal.  For the most part, she uses the bathroom outside.  I do realize that I am probably more trained than she is, but this is a good place to start.  Today she ran to the front door two times, so I’m looking at that as a victory.  Macy loves to be rocked.  She will come up to me and scratch my leg and that means “pick me up and rock me.”  We do a lot of rocking.  I did not schedule anything extra or any jobs during these first two weeks, because I wanted to spend this time holding her and playing with her.  Macy and I have bonded.  My guess is that she loves me as much as I love her.

Yesterday Macy had a bath in the kitchen sink.  It was the easiest way at the time.  She was starting to smell a little doggy.  I washed the little wiggle worm as best I could and still hold on to her.  Later, after being dried and brushed, she was softer than ever.  She is so soft she is hard to hold on to.  She smells pretty good too. 

In addition to settling in, Macy is growing.  She is still a tiny little puppy, but she is bigger than she was a week ago.  It’s fun to watch her get longer and taller.  I never imagined it would be this fun to raise a puppy.

Helping Out

Well, Christmas is over and with it, all the fattening food and wrapping paper.  Oh, the wrapping paper that covered the floor and was so fun to play with.  That is if you are a 9 ½ week old puppy.  It has been an exciting three days for Macy.  Having three dogs in the house was fun for the little squirt.  Not so much for Max, Ben’s dog.  Max was terrified of Macy and ran from her whenever he was forced to leave a high piece of furniture that placed him safely out of her reach.  Of course, Macy thought this was just a game, so she gladly gave chase.  Max and Ben went back home this evening and I think that Max was pretty glad to leave Hood Farm.

Just because the holidays are here, doesn’t mean that work stops for me.  I have photography jobs that have to be finished and that has been a challenge with a brand new pup to watch.  Today I had to work.  At first I put Macy in her crate and she was good there for about an hour.  Eventually she began to fuss so I put Tommy in charge.  Well, Macy is a bit spoiled and I’m her person, so she wasn’t satisfied until she found me and I picked her up.  She sat on my lap and was the best little puppy ever.  Together we worked on about 50 pictures and she was fascinated with the workflow as it passed across the computer screen.  What a lucky girl I am.  Macy was born on my birthday, came to me at Christmas and has a flair for photography.  Now if she can paddle a kayak, clean a barn, and help me shoot a wedding or two, we will be in business.

Merry Christmas from Macy and Family

Christmas Day 2014 is a beautiful, sunny day that followed two really nasty cold and rainy days.  Macy continues to experience a lot of “firsts” in her life.  She met Ben on Christmas Eve and Lauren and Joe on Christmas Day.  Ben brought his dog Max and Macy has had a good time running around with Max and Bear.  Santa was good to all the dogs in the Hood family.  Everybody has had a happy day and after eating a big holiday lunch, we are all sleeping in front of the television.  Well, Macy and I are not quite asleep yet.  We decided to work on her blog and it’s hard to type when you are sleeping. 

Macy has perfected sitting when asked.  She seems to learn fast, but she is stubborn when the mood hits.  She will grind her feet in hard and take the stance of a stubborn mule when she decides she doesn’t want to walk in a certain direction.  She has met her match on stubborn.  We are beginning our leash training from the very beginning so she eventually figures out that I am taking her for a walk instead of the other way around. 

Macy and I take a walk every day in the woods.  For now we just go to the top of the hill behind the house.  Every day she picks up a leaf when we reach the top of the hill and carries it back down to the bottom.  I guess she is clearing the land up there one leaf at a time.  We usually go walk around the barn after we finish in the woods.  Macy loves the chickens and could stand there watching them all afternoon.  Well, she is a bird dog. 

On this early evening of Christmas Day, we wish all our friends and family a wonderful holiday.  May each of you look around you and see the blessings in your lives.  For those of you who have experienced so much loss this year, our Christmas prayers will continue to include you today and each day that follows throughout the year to come.                           

A Wonderful Day

Today was a wonderful day.  Macy slept through the night.  She whined very little when we put her in the crate; maybe just ten minutes or so.  We all went to bed about 9:30 and I don’t remember much of anything after 10 o’clock.  I woke up at 4:30 in the morning because it was so quiet and I realized I didn’t hear Macy the whole night.  I was convinced something had happened to her and was in tears by the time Tommy ventured out to check on her.  She was sleeping peacefully in her crate and we woke her up this time.  The four of us got our first good night sleep since Macy moved in. 

Tommy and I went to Monroe to finish up some Christmas shopping and Macy had to be in her crate during that time.  She did fantastic and like the night before, was accident free.  I was worried because we took longer than expected.  The crowds were heavy this close to Christmas.  It was kind of funny because Tommy and I felt like we had gotten a baby sitter and were having an afternoon to ourselves without the kids(dogs).

This evening Macy did a remarkable thing.  We have an umbrella holder that has our hiking sticks and some wrapping paper rolls in it.  The wrapping paper has been in there for over a year with the cellophane still on it, but there is a tiny little hole in the end of the cellophane covering.  Macy found the umbrella holder and started going nuts jumping and whining and scratching on it.  I took a wrapping paper roll out and put it on the ground thinking she just might roll it around with her nose.  She immediately tore the cellophane off and dog food poured out of the center tube of the wrapping paper.  I remember dog sitting for a friend and putting her dog’s food bag on top of the umbrella holder.  I guess there was a hole in the dog food bag that perfectly lined up with the hole in the cellophane.  I can’t believe that Macy managed to sniff it out and center in on that exact roll of paper.  I cleaned up the food and increased her supper to one cup.  She inhaled it.  I can literally see this puppy growing in front of my eyes. 

Macy is napping less, playing more and is definitely learning how to sit and come when asked.

Macy's First Doctor Visit

Today Macy went to the doctor for the first time.  She seemed to like Dr. Odom but she didn’t like the shot she got at all.  Dr. Odom said she acted like a border collie when she got it.  Macy weighs 6 pounds, but Dr. Odom feels like she will grow to be a big girl of about 60 pounds.  She has the body and look of a lab with webbed toes and a water proof outer coat, but her head may be a little more slender.  Dr. Odom said her ears will hang down like a lab, but not quite as long.  He said he was very interested in what she would look like and we both agreed we had a water loving herd dog.  She will be very good at herding ducks someday.

Dr. Odom said she was going to be extremely smart being half border collie and half lab.  That is something every mother is proud to hear.  Right now she is helping me type this.  I can personally attest to her intelligence.  This morning she wanted to get in the bathtub with me.  Okay, I draw the line at that.  However, Macy saw a problem and came up with a solution.  She immediately figured out how to climb up the clothes hamper and before I knew it she was doing a balancing act along the side of the tub, getting ready to jump in.  I thought that was pretty darn smart for a six pound puppy.

We have had a more settled day.  Macy has gone outside for all her potty needs so far today.  The day isn’t over yet, but I count that as successful.  She is beginning to recognize her name and she is learning how to sit and come on command.  We are taking long walks every day which wear the little bugger plum out.  Her favorite spot is in mama’s chair, snuggled on her lap or right next to her.  This is going to get very interesting when she is 60 pounds. 

Adjusting

Day two is definitely an adjustment day.  We all got up a little after five when it became clear that Macy was not going to settle back down in her crate for a longer night.  She wailed periodically throughout the night, but we are confident that she will eventually get the hang of her new life.  Macy played a lot more today.  She also seems to be a poop factory as she manages to come up with an endless supply.  It’s funny how quickly I seem to be reverting back to baby days.  There are diapers laying around, although she isn’t too keen about puppy pads.  There is more laundry to do and lots of rocking and napping.

All in all, we are managing fairly well.  Tommy and I managed to get our grocery shopping for the week done.  Macy did well in her crate.  I did find out very fast that the theory that dogs don’t poop where they sleep is a fairy tale.  Oh well, at least Macy has a very clean crate.

Macy Comes Home

Macy came home to her new forever home on December 20, 2014.  It was bittersweet because she had to say goodbye to her biological mom Daisy and her littermates.   The ride home was a little scary as Macy had never ridden in a car before.  The excitement was a bit much, but she soon settled down.  At home she was met by her big brother Bear.  Bear was surprisingly sweet and gentle.  I suppose he knows she is just a baby. 

As I sit here and write this blog, Macy is sleeping peacefully in my lap.  I know these sleepy moments are brief, but it feels good to have her warm little body lay snuggled against me.  Her puppy fur is soft and she loves to be stroked and petted.

Day one is about adjusting, but we can already measure some successful moments.  She used the bathroom twice outside and she has learned where her water bowl is.  Macy walks fairly well on a leash which is good for such a small little puppy.  She plays well with Bear and as she matures, I believe she will have a lusty, deep bark. When she wants to be held, she has no problem letting you know.  I’m pretty sure all four of us will have some adjusting to do, but we are definitely glad to have Macy join our family.