Twenty Days

It has been a while since our last post. Much has been happening here that is beyond the scope of this blog, but it has been enough to distract us from keeping a written record of our canine superhero's development. I am here to remedy that.

Since the start of summer break, things have sort of fallen into a routine. Parker needs to be out of his crate by about 5:30 am, it seems. Monkey and I take turns with that. Once the dogs are fed and watered and we've had an adequate walk, it really seems fruitless to go back to bed, so one of us gets a good two or three hour jump on the other. Today is my day, and you are reading how I am spending that early time.

The boys are really playing much more, and are in full high-pitched play whine while they do so. It is cute, but can be ear-splitting. Monkey especially likes when they lay next to each other on the dog bed and snout wrestle. They have even gotten the hang of "sharing" toys. I put the word in quotes because they really are not sharing at all. They are fighting over the toys. But, it's that sort of play fighting in which no one gets hurt (much). Dogs will be dogs.

Parker has become a tiny (but growing) master of the stairs (both up and down), and he has gotten the hang of the down command. Next is stay, I guess...and some leash etiquette. After that, I will be satisfied.

We spend some portion of the day (when it is not raining) playing out back, chewing sticks and fetching tennis balls, exploring and eating all kinds of plants (hostas; English violets; any shrub, vine, or root; peonies; grass (sometimes by the clump (with roots!))), and generally having a pup-eriffic time. Yesterday, we played with the tennis ball, and Ripken and Parker would chase. When Ripken got to the ball first, Parker would just tear around the yard as fast as he could go, running circles (literally) around Ripken. Then Parker would, somehow, go faster than he could actually keep his legs moving, and his momentum would send him crashing headfirst into the grass. It's a wonder he didn't leave any divots in the lawn. But, he seemed to be having a whale of a time.

So, it seems we have made it out of those dark times of early puppyhood. We are now progressing into the late toddler/early childhood period. And, as small as he still is, it is remarkable how big he has gotten in the two months that we have had him. He has tripled in size, as the comparison between the above and below pictures can attest to. I fear, as I may have said before, that this is going to be a big Spiderdog. (For the record, that cute little bone toy he's chewing on in the first picture has been destroyed. He loved it while he had it, but in a few weeks he (with some help from Ripken, "Destroyer of All Soft Chew Toys") had gotten through to the batting and the squeaker. Thanks, Aunt Laura and Uncle Mike!)