Friday, December 21, 2012

Seven Months Old and Still Adorable


First pitiful photo with the dreaded cone.





Oh we’re having so much fun! Well, at least most of the time… So many things have happened this last month or more. A drastic change in Bonaparte’s life happened when we took him in to have him “fixed.” But first the news!
Boney is seven months old and weighs 6.6 pounds! He is longer, as is his fur in some places and it is growing in white on his head. So now he has more of an apricot look to him than red.
On our trip back from Thanksgiving in North Carolina we stopped in to visit Boney’s original household, our friends who live near Atlanta who gave us our lovely little pup. He was able to play with both brothers and we all had a great time comparing the three. Boney is most assuredly the fuzziest, while Winston is the shyest and Livingston a great mix of them all, a bit fuzzy and starting to get white also, while still having the shorter-haired look of Winston.
Helping "papa" with electricals
Used to it now.
Almost as big as he is!
Now on to the biggest event. While visiting our near-Atlanta friends we humans talked about the fact that none of them, at 6 months, seem to have their testicles.  Upon our return home I called the vet and talked to her about that. When she heard that NONE of them had “dropped,” she said it could be hereditary, or not, but probably because of their age and the no-shows all round, best to get them out while Boney is young. So we did. Took him in, picked him up in the afternoon to find they’d had to do major surgery on the little guy. His two little no-shows had chosen to tuck themselves way up by his kidneys and there wasn’t a chance in you-know-where that they’d come down this late on their own. So we had a cone-headed puppy for almost two weeks! He adapted. He wasn’t happy, but didn’t really understand what was going on or why he had to wear the cone, which is called an “E-Collar” by the way. And for those of you who love trivia, it’s called an “E-Collar” because….? Did you guess? I never would have. Because the “real” name for them is “Elizabethan Collar.” Really? Yes! So of course it’s easier to say “E-Collar.” Why not cone? Which is what it actually looks like.
He had puppy drugs for pain and anti-bi’s. I overdosed him the first night at 3 in the morning, called the vet in a panic, but he didn’t die! Thank goodness. He didn’t need any drugs after the first two days. He was hilarious to watch walking. He had to bob his head from side to side. He kept trying to sniff the ground and couldn’t. He had to learn to back up a lot at first because he couldn’t judge how big the cone was. By the time it came off he was almost his usual little masterly self again.
After first bath in 10 days!

So anyway, Boney couldn’t fit in his crate to sleep with the cone around his neck. We tried one night of it and he was a more-than-usual miserable puppy. So he slept in the bed with me in the guest room. Then we migrated back to the communal bed and he still slept like an angel.  So, I bet you can guess what comes next, yes. He is still sleeping with us a week later! Oh well. We’ll see how it goes. The ONLY part that’s a pain is he is better than any alarm clock. Right around 7 am he is wide awake, alert and enthusiastic about going out to pee. Even on the weekends! It is better than him doing it in the bed, but I DO miss sleeping in.
Now this is more like it!!!
Enough on this post! So long compared to the last one, but like I said, so much has happened! We all wish you ALL Merry Holidays, Happy Christmas, and Peace and Compassion in the new year to come.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Six Months!

The last four months with our newest member to the house has been a joy. We've had ups and downs, progress and back steps, but the happiness we all share now is SO worth everything. Bonaparte has taken our hearts by storm and added a dimension to our house we have missed since our beloved Laydi left us last year. So, here is to our little Boney, who is six months old today. Little one, we are looking forward to the next six and the adventures we will share.

Friday, October 26, 2012

So Much Happening In The Life of a Puppy

Makes you wonder what they're planning...
Rubin pleading, enough already Bonaparte!
Bonaparte had his first sleep over and it lasted almost four days! I had a writer's conference to go to. My husband had work, school, and then he joined me in Florida for the last two days of the conference, so Boney spent those days with his friends Rubin and Frank, the schnauzers. He did quite well, and the human in charge, Brad, didn't lose any (more) hair over the extended duties of three instead of two dogs.
Not only did Boney do well and not send Brad over the edge, but he came home and went right back to our usual routine with little or no fuss. What a puppy! I do SO love this animal.
Graduation at PetsMart, how silly is that hat!
Bonaparte has graduated from Beginning Puppy Training. We start the Intermediate level at the end of November. I work with him every day to try and keep up the good habits we've started, could do a bit better, so will make an effort there.
I'm sure he's over five pounds now, but haven't been in to the vets to weigh. Bonaparte is longer, as is his hair/fur, and he's starting to have white hair/fur grow in places like his head and back. He's already a bit blond on his legs and feet, so we wonder what he's going to look like when he's a year old. That's the age we were told he will more or less look like he's going to look, without baby hair/fur.
Brad sure makes a good pillow/bed.
Frank keeps an eye on Bonaparte.
Life is full with this bundle of energy speeding around the house. He's well into being fully house broken, but still having an issue telling us WHEN he needs to go, before he goes! I take him out regularly and that's why he's doing so well. I'm also trying to train him to go out to his little fenced in area to do his business instead of me having to take him out front. We have a door we leave open that allows him to come and go as he pleases, and since he's been home from Rubin and Franks, he goes out alone a lot more. Luckily I can see him from the kitchen window so I can still, as my niece used to say "watch an eye" on him!
That's our update for this week. Until the next here's some more-than-cute photos to hold you over.

Looking all kingly on the porch in the sun.

Mom just loves to photograph me, ho hum.

I love to sleep. I have little beds all over the place.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Happy Fifth "Month-iversary" Bonaparte!


My day today!

Bonaparte is five months old today!!! And look how fuzzy he’s gotten. He always was fuzzy, but is even more so now without being a total fur ball. 
Last weight on the 8th of this month was 4.8 pounds. He hasn’t yet hit the big 5, but will in the next month or so I’m sure. He is making great progress on house breaking. He’s responding well to the training we’re taking at PetsMart and we are considering signing up for the next level, intermediate. I think it would be beneficial for both/all of us if we continue. He likes it (well, really likes the treats!) and I feel it will make our life together much easier if he listens and obeys.
Day we brought him home at 10 weeks
 Bonaparte loves it when ‘Papa’ gets home and spends about 15 to 20 minutes playing with him. They have bonded quite well now. He loves cuddling, chewing on his ‘bones,’ and his new ramp and play area outside. He also likes eating dirt, so we have to watch his diet outside!
 
Today five months old!

Not three months old yet


I am trying to make sure we spend an hour or so apart every day to try and help with the separation anxiety he seems to have a bit of. He’ll really have to get over it at the end of this week when I head off for a writer’s conference in Florida. He’ll be staying with Rubin and Frank, his schnauzer pals down the way for the majority of four days. Good luck dear friends and thanks for taking him on!
Outside on the deck loving the sun, but not in my eyes.

 

Friday, September 21, 2012

Bonaparte News in September



So, it’s over time for an update on our little-getting-bigger (sort of) Bonaparte puppy, who is cuter than real life expects to be. Boney is now four months old and at last weigh-in had reached 4.2 pounds! That means he’s gained half a pound since I picked him up on July 31. He has a clean bill of health from Dr. McCall so we are happy.
 




News is: 
Louis
We went to NC for Labor Day and Boney traveled like a pro. No problems whatsoever, and once we arrived, he met a new friend and found a bevvy of admirers! 
He played well with Louis (our other family dog, a Shih tzu) and not only adapted well but enjoyed living at the Buie-Jennings household. 


                                                 
He loved meeting his "brother and sister" Tristan and Marjorie, and making them fall head over for him...


 





 
I finally braved up and clipped his nails by myself for the first time, and didn’t hurt him!

 We have found a food he LOVES and he’s now eating like he actually likes to instead of because he must. Cleans his bowl every time. This magical food is Blue Buffalo “Wilderness” puppy food. http://www.bluebuffalo.com/dog-food/wilderness-puppy
I wonder how much he’ll weigh next time since he's decided to really partake of food!

We are taking Puppy Training classes at PetsMart! http://pets.petsmart.com/services/training/
This is exciting for me because Boney is starting to respond (especially when treats are involved!) and it’s making life so much easier for all of us. Plus it’s so fun to see his little self in there with the monster (big but gorgeous and gentle) long-haired German Sheppard and the sweet natured Bloodhound. Boney looks like a toy dog next to them! We’ve learned “Watch me”, “Leave it (or ‘Laisse le’, which is the same thing in French, yes he’s a bilingual dog!)”, “Sit”, and “With me (which is how I tell him to walk with me)”. He had already learned to go to his crate when I say “In the Crate” to him since I started that almost right away. Our next class is this coming Monday. We’ve been practicing every day, so our trainer will be happy with us.
Boney likes to look out the window of my office while I work. I put a little box down reversed so he can use it as a step up to the windowsill and he loves it. I keep his crate in the office as well while I work and when he gets sleepy he abandons me for it and takes a nap. We have a little routine going now.
So, that is the newest news on the little tyke and his adventures.










Images from:
http://www.bluebuffalo.com/
http://stores.petsmart.com/Store/Details/1442

Monday, August 27, 2012

Bonaparte’s Hat


A few days ago a friend mentioned that she thought Boney’s name fit him perfectly, as his ears were like Napoleon’s hat. I looked online to see if this might actually be true or just a funny, and, in some instances one can see, if one tries very hard, that Boney’s ears are doing the whole stick-out-on-the-side thing that Napoleon’s hat does. I included a few photos here so you can see what I mean.
 We have signed up for puppy training classes and will start in September! I’m looking forward to these as I want to do right by our pup and have both of us well trained. He is doing great on the housebreaking front, considering he is three months old and we’ve had him, tomorrow, for a whole month (4 weeks)! Celebration! Yea! He is still sleeping through the night and responding to his routine.
Boney continues to relish his visits to his friends’ Frank and Ruben’s house and their yard. They all get along better each time we go and Boney is starting to feel quite at home there. I’m glad, as their “mom and dad” have offered to “puppy sit” if we need them to. Frank and Ruben’s house is fast becoming his second home.
Boney will take his first LONG trip this weekend (eight hours) as we head north to North Carolina for Labor Day weekend. I hope he’ll travel well for that long of a distance. Wish us luck! I’m looking forward to him meeting the rest of the family and hopefully finding a new friend in my sister’s family dog, Louis, who is a Shih Tzu and adorable too.
Okay, I’m going to go steam some broccoli and see if Mr. Bonaparte wants something to eat. He’s been sleeping most of the day after a wild time with Frank and Ruben!
 
Images of Bonaparte from:
mennonitedreams.blogspot.com