Tuesday, February 04, 2020

It's now "All puppy, all the time" –

– which means NO time to blog! As could be expected, the last three days have upended my life.

Sunday morning our friends picked me up as planned while snowflakes swirled around the car. This was worrisome, because the puppies were located 132 miles away in The Dalles, which is up the Columbia River Gorge – a route that is notorious for bad driving conditions in winter weather. But it stopped snowing before long and then the sun came out. Between the unexpectedly glorious views in nice weather and the rare palindromic date of 02/02/2020, it felt like our trip to get our new family members was being smiled on from above.



Once there, money was exchanged for warm, wiggling puppies, registration papers, and some unexpected information. One, they had grabbed the wrong receipt to give me when we put down Poppy's deposit. What I had listed Jasmine as the mother, but actually it is Lexi. No biggy, but so much for a 'flower' name! Two, we learned that the puppies had never ever been outside the house they were whelped in before we carried them to the car. Their veterinarian had told them that there is a prevalence of Parvovirus in their town, so out of an abundance of caution, they kept them inside (yes, for ALL functions). 😳 They cautioned us to avoid places frequented by other dogs until they had at least gotten their second shot in two more weeks, so we drove straight home without stopping for a potty break. Fortunately, the puppies mostly slept and the humans were able to make it, too. I kept myself busy adoring my perfect pup and documenting her cuteness for posterity. 😉
But first, I'll show you sister Penny,

and Penny's preferred travel position.

POPPY!













As soon as we got home Sunday Poppy had a drink and snack, then set about exploring her new world, inside and out. She growled at some trees, listened intently to the sound of birds, sampled all kinds of plant material, and met Chuckie in several mutually curious and friendly encounters. She also started charming the men of the family.










Sunday night, as expected, was frequently interrupted by puppy whines, yips, and howls. Every couple of hours I took her outside to pee just in case that was the reason for her distress. She did pee every time, but she also complained bitterly about having to go back in her crate. It was a looong night, made more difficult by the fact that I'd finally succumbed to Rick's "cold of death" that he'd been pitifully complaining about for the past week. Sunday wasn't too bad; my nose and eyes ran and I sneezed frequently, but felt fine. Sunday night I took some nighttime cold medicine, and Monday morning before work I took some daytime cold medicine. But by Monday afternoon....



Monday morning I got Poppy, a small crate, toys, food, food and water dishes loaded up and headed to work. Poppy managed to scale the full flight of stairs all by herself, and then was able to play with her toys and blanket (above) for awhile because we were the only ones there. Then she fell asleep in her crate and I was able to get my work done – just in time to drive straight to Salem to pick up Brian. Poppy wasn't real happy with the extended crate time, but Brian was happy to give her a lap on the way home.


By the time we got home Monday afternoon, Poppy was ready to play but I was in tough shape, achy and chilled. I tried to take a nap with Poppy, but she didn't sleep long. When Rick got home I started to make supper, but got hit with nausea and a headache and went to bed. Fortunately, Rick was willing to watch the baby, and Brian did my evening chores for me. By 10:30 that night I felt much better . . . just in time for an even more disrupted night.

Today has gone well, though. I discovered that the adjustable soft gray harness I bought fits now, as does one of the coats that the new neighbors lent us from their dog's younger days. With this added insulation Poppy is much more comfortable outside, so she has played with Chuckie more, and we walked down to the barn to see the chickens, sheep and horses for the first time. She put herself down for naps twice today. She's a smart little thing and has scored 99% on potty-training, something I was worried about since she was used to going on the floor at her breeder's house. I've heard both my men tell her how adorable she is, and I'm sure we'll get her nighttimes sorted out soon. She is, after all, only seven weeks and a day old!









'Nuff puppy pictures for you? 😉

That's it for now at . . .

16 comments:

Leigh said...

Thank you SO much for all these photos. She's beautiful!. And wonderfully photogenic. Such a natural in front of the camera! Her personality really shines through. She looks like the perfect addition to your family!

Retired Knitter said...

I totally LOVED this post. It had me smiling and chuckling and laughing right out loud (the picture of your man child and Poppy in her winter vest in the car and they both look asleep hahaha).

And if you think you are exhausted now give it a few more weeks. Poppy is just getting warmed up to her new place and family. Once she is totally at ease ... LOOK OUT!! Poppy has landed in 'dog heaven' and she doesn't even know it. Family and a cat and sheep and horses ... my oh my! Her life will be grand. And yours will be exhausted for a bit!! Hope you are feeling better. The timing on that cold was awful!

Mama Pea said...

I couldn't agree more with Retired Knitter above that Poppy has landed in dog heaven! It's just too bad that your guys don't like her. (Ahem.) Don't worry about too many puppy photos for the next year or so. What's more fun to see? Hope your cold is well on the way out now . . . ugh, whadda way to feel more uncomfortable while dealing with the sleepless nights of a newborn. Well, a 7-1/2 week old newborn. With no siblings to cuddle with. Maybe just put her in bed with Brian. Hee-hee.

Deb Hillyer said...

Poppy is adorable and so cuddly-bring on the puppy pictures! Have great fun with your new little one and feel better.

Tim B. Inman said...

Wow! Poppy could be my Annie!! The look on her face is almost exactly like Annie's. It is amazing to me. Brings back memories - just a few months ago actually. From the collar back, Annie is different, but from the collar forward, they're twins. That pic with the tennis ball is spot on. Those little eyes are telling you something - and you're going to love playing her game. Those little puppy teeth are like fish hooks though! I'm pretty much healed up now, but Annie still likes to be 'mouthy'. I started feeding Annie a hard boiled egg every night to 'bait' her into her kennel. Now, she doesn't need to be told to 'kennel,' she makes a mad dash into it and sits waiting for her egg. FYI.... Her hair shines like a diamond. Have a ball!!! and please keep the pics coming.

re'New said...

Oh, puppy adorableness! I soooo want a pup around, but it's not the right time for us here....

The Dancing Donkey said...

Wow, 7 weeks is young to take away from mom and siblings. In most states it isn't even legal to sell before 8 weeks. This would be why it is so hard for her to be in a crate at night. I would take her to bed with me so that she would have the warmth and comfort of her new "pack":)

Congratulations and remember - there is no such thing as too many puppy pictures:)

Goatldi said...

Puppy cuteness !

I am head over heels in love with my friends dog Dink . He is 10 years and still cute as snug but best smart as a whip. Same breed as your girl. Enjoy her. 💕

Jeanne said...

Oh my! Poppy is absolutely darling! Of course, I already knew that, just had to tell you again! Thanks for all the pictures! They're delightful!

We've crate trained all of our dogs. It's a really good thing. We've even fixed up a sort of seat belt for the car. We don't want flying dogs in case of a sudden stop, or worse yet, an accident!

ninergirl04 said...

Congratulations on your new family member. All is right when there's a dog in the home! I too am surprised that the breeder let her leave the nest prior to 8 weeks of age as puppies learn so much from their mom and litter mates those first 8-10 weeks. Bring on the puppy photos - - she's adorable!

Michelle said...

Leigh, she has so much personality that it can't HELP but show! She is a confident little miss – and BUSY!

I know most puppies are, Jean, but admit I'm smitten with ours. 😊

Elaine, man-child and puppy ARE very much asleep in that photo! I am feeling better and last night went MUCH better (please don't tell me it will get WORSE). 😉

I did take her to bed with me the second night, Mama Pea, but she wasn't happy with that. Brian has suggested she sleep with him (he keeps saying, "She really likes me."), but he sleeps so soundly that she could get smooshed or fall out of bed and he'd never notice. But I think we've hit upon a nighttime solution thanks to a friend's suggestion; we'll see if tonight confirms last night's success.

Thanks, Deb; we ARE having fun and I'm feeling better. Poppy's only cuddly when she's asleep or very sleepy, though!

Tim, I know I'm in for it and you've confirmed it!

re'New, I've been thinking and investigating options for almost a year before it was the right time, so I understand. I hope your "right time" comes sooner rather than later; there is NOTHING like a canine companion.

Kris, she IS young but I'm comfortable with it. I took her to bed with me the second night (my husband was suffering in the guest bed with his cold) but that didn't soothe her at all. Last night's new strategy worked very well; hopefully it will continue to!

Oh Goatldi, I PLAN to enjoy her! I stopped by the house down the hill where I met my first Deckers to show their owner what she had 'started.' She was tickled!

Jeanne, as much as I might be tempted to hold Poppy while driving, I know good and well that I'd be a "distracted driver" if she wasn't sound asleep. I don't want to risk her safety or mine, so she rides in a small crate (the one I took to work) or in a passenger's lap. When she is bigger I might get a car harness for her....

ninergirl04, thanks for commenting; nore photos are coming!

Wanda said...

Poppy is beautiful! She's going to be a wonderful dog for you and "the boys".
Get well soon!

Amanda said...

So what's the story with Penny? She was in the car - were you picking her up for some other lucky family?

thecrazysheeplady said...

Soooo cute :-).

Michelle said...

I'm much better now, Wanda . . . and now Brian's suffering with it. :-/ Poppy took a nap with him after school. :-)

Amanda, some friends of ours committed to Penny before we looked at Poppy; I rode with them and we picked up our puppies at the same time.

We sure think so, Sara!

FullyFleeced said...

wow! what a cutie. so happy for you! :)