Warp speed

That's how fast puppies change and grow. Today I realized that Poppy can now wear at least one of the hand-me-down coats from a friend that was way too big just a week and a half ago. It's made like a horse turn-out rug, perfect for cold, rainy weather (like today's) and romping in the barn as it's waterproof and won't collect hay.

There have been big things afoot in a little dog's life this week.

At work on Thursday, Poppy got to explore and play a bit more than usual, which was good because I needed to put in more hours than usual.

On our way home from work, we stopped by friend Debbie's (of the above hand-me-down coat) for some canine socialization time. Poppy got to meet Murphy, a sweet and gentle lady Cairn Terrier; Ari, a rough-and-tumble teenaged girl Glen of Imaal Terrier; and Sophie, an old, crochety woman Jack Russell Terrier. Initially Poppy was totally intimidated and tried to "hide behind mommy's skirt." We all (but Sophie) went for a walk, during which Poppy started standing up for herself. Then we went inside and the romping and fun began. Well, except with Sophie, but it was a good opportunity to learn to leave certain grumpy people alone. Debbie also gave me Ari's outgrown collar and matching lead, which was timely because Poppy's first collar was getting snug and I was planning not to use it after that day. The new collar is perfect for Poppy, with its colorful flowers on a black background.

New collar!

Tired puppy!

I plan to take Poppy over to Debbie's for another play date next week. This time she'll get to meet one of Debbie's BIG dogs – a 150# American bulldog – carefully controlled, of course.

Thursday night I had a dressage club meeting and took Poppy with me. Someone else brought their dog, and this time Poppy was eager to meet another new friend. Since the bigger dog acted a little unsure, their contact was minimal, but I'm glad for these chances to socialize Poppy in safe places with safely vaccinated dogs.

Speaking of vaccinations, earlier this week I had called our small animal vet (a former employee of Rick's) to schedule Poppy's next shot, and she said Poppy needed it this week. That's not the schedule the breeder suggested, but I trust our vet and agreed to bring Poppy in Friday. Her official weight was 8.7#, she got a shot she didn't notice, and an edible dewormer. I didn't want to put her down in or around the clinic where sick dogs might have been, so she yelled LOUDLY in protest about not getting to play or meet the other dogs. Afterwards I let her take a quick potty break and then let her ride in my lap for the first time. That way she could show her face at the Starbucks drive-through window and get her first Puppuccino. The person at the window saw me trying to take a photo of Poppy enjoying her treat and offered to take one of us. :-D

After all that excitement (and whipped cream), she conked out in my lap:

Friday afternoon I gathered up all the puppy toys into the little dog bed so I could vacuum. Poppy was afraid of the vacuum, but had fun pulling her toys back out of the bed one by one when I was done:

This morning Poppy slept in until 7:00! We kept her busy until it was time to put her in her travel crate and head to church. She was pent up and ready to play by the time we got home (she did get two potty breaks at church). During the one dry spell, we went for a walk to the barn, henhouse, and woods, and there was wrestling with Chuckie, of course:

The last two, though blurry, show just how fierce things get, but both Poppy and Chuckie always seem eager for more; go figure.

There was lots of playtime interspersed with naps inside, too.

This puppy is growing so fast I am noticing the difference daily – even from morning to night!

And she's smart. She has gone to the front door and whined when she needed to poop several times now, and tonight at bedtime she actually got in her nighttime crate on her own. Sniff; so proud. 😊

That's the last puppy report for this week from . . .