Sunday, March 16, 2008

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm pooped! Jenny took me and Boz on a three mile bike ride. We ran right next to her while she peddled. There were lots of people out on their bikes too. We also saw tons of other dogs and there were some behind fences that barked a lot and kinda scared me. But Jenny just kept peddling and Boz didn't even flinch. I felt safe with them.

Jenny's teaching me something called a "down-stay". She makes me lay down and stay there until she says the word, "free". Of course, as usual, I get treats when I do it the right way. On our bike ride we rode past a house with three Golden Retrievers that Jenny trains during the week. They were behind a see-through fence and seemed dangerous at first. Jenny put Boz and I in "down-stays" about six feet from the fence where the other dogs were barking and growling at us. One of them (Jenny called her "Ginger") was foaming at the mouth and throwing her body at the fence. I thought for sure she was going to get us all! But Jenny just kept telling Boz and I to stay and we did. Once I was calm and ignored the other dogs, Jenny rewarded me with treats. I guess she was trying to teach me that she had control and wasn't going to let anything happen to us. She's going to teach you guys how to do it too so I will be a good boy, even when I get scared.

Eventually the other dogs calmed down and stopped barking at us. Two of them even laid down by the fence and chilled out. Jenny threw them treats and then we were on our way. Slowly but surely, I'm beginning to figure out what this crazy world is all about and where I fit in. There's a lot to see and I can't wait to share it with you guys.

Nicki, Jenny's mom, came by again today and she seemed less uncomfortable around me. That made me feel a little better. I wish she wouldn't be so scared of me. When she gets scared I get scared and it's freaky. Hopefully we'll become good friends as each day passes. Woofie seems to be less agitated by me now. For the most part, I just stay away from his run. But when I walk by he doesn't charge the fence anymore. We all sleep inside at night. I have my own crate. It's HUGE! It's like my own private bedroom. I have a comfy bed and Jenny put sheets over it to keep it nice and dark. Boz sleeps on a bed right next to my little room and Woofie sleeps on his bed on the other side of Boz,

I'm getting more food now. Jenny took me to her vet's office to get weighed. Her vet is friends with our vet, Dr. P. His name is Dr. Forsythe. He was really cool and the office wasn't scary at all. I wasn't sure about the scale but I stepped right on when Jenny told me to. I weighed 117 pounds and since I'm getting a lot more exercise she's giving me 8 cups of tasty food every day... Four cups in the morning and four at night. Plus, lots of treats! YUM! YUM! YUM! Next time you see me I'll be a buff guy, with lots of muscles and new tricks to show you. Oh, and Dr. Forsythe told Jenny that I'll be getting bigger and filling out until I turn three years old. He says I'm going to be gigantic!

I'm a really good boy, except for digging up Jenny's new flowers in her favorite pot. She says I should be "diggin" her and not holes! She's probably right but sometimes it's good to be bad :)

xoxoxo,
Diesel