LabradorRodeo

The best part of our trip to Camino? Wolf’s family owns some land on which they used to operate an organic apple farm, and it was a special treat to be able to visit.

Truman sits at the boundary of the land, with a neighboring property in the background:

A few shots of the farm:

More to come….

April 11-13, 2008 — Five-thirty in the morning is early by my standards, but when you have to get on the road for a seven-hour drive up to northern California, ya gotta do whatcha gotta do. Luggage? Check. Snacks and water for the road? Check. Dog food? Check. Portable, fold-up Labrador Retriever? Check.

Once again, Truman proved his mettle as a traveling companion on the road to Camino, where we were headed for a “work weekend” at the forest-nestled home of my boyfriend’s spry-but-not-quite-spry-enough-to-sweep-pine-needles-off-her-own-roof octogenarian aunt Inge.

Aside from traumatizing Inge’s little dog Sadie and creating MORE work for the weekend by meeting the screen door at ramming speed, Truman was a very good house guest. He enjoyed the sights (different kinds of birds!), sounds (new barking opportunities!), and smells (wow! whose poop is THIS?) of the forest.

After the house and yard projects were complete, we explored the nearby town of Placerville (known as “Old Hangtown” for obvious California Gold Rush-era reasons). We visited the Thomas Kinkade gallery (Kinkade grew up in Placerville); the oldest continuously operating hardware store west of the Mississippi; a cozy little used book store; and the historic Cary House Hotel. Here’s Truman posing on the landing of the staircase in the hotel lobby:

One uniquely wonderful part of our trip is that since Wolf’s dad and aunt emigrated from Germany, Inge introduced us to lots of authentic German cuisine, both home-cooked and at a favorite family establishment, the St. Pauli Inn in Pollock Pines, where I ate schnitzel and sauerkraut on the outdoor deck overlooking the American River. No, I did not share. Truman does NOT need the cabbage.

Tomorrow, you’ll see some photos from our favorite part of the weekend….

Like our friend Oceana, Stuart is being turned in for formal training today.

We’ve known Stuart since his was just a little guy — he’s only three weeks older than Truman. And we’re hoping that by the time Roo gets to formal training next August, Stuart and Oceana will be ready to show him the ropes. Good luck, guys!

March 21, 2008 — Truman and I accompanied the manager of The Fabulous Esquires Big Band (our favorite to dance to!) on a field trip to check out the venue for one of their upcoming gigs. While everyone involved was talking business, Truman and I found a nice spot for a photo. He only tried to jump in once…but unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of that.

While we waited for the meeting to end, we also ended up playing the role of educator, which typically happens when a puppy raiser stands still for too long in a public place. Dan was a very nice man — here from New York on business, and apparently quite the dog lover — but he asked more questions than a curious kindergartener.

I’m considering drafting an FAQ sheet to hand out in cases like this….

January 18 and March 8, 2008 — Truman is old enough now to go to Disneyland (and other theme parks and major large-crowd locations and events), but knowing his historic tendency toward getting overwhelmed with excitement, I’ve decided to introduce him slowly.

In January, I took him with me when I upgraded my Disneyland annual passport, where he let me know what he thinks of the current park admission price:

We didn’t actually enter the park, even though it seemed like a light attendance day. Instead, we spent a little time walking around Downtown Disney and taking photos in the area between the two parks. We did briefly go into California Adventure just to sit in the ice cream place (well, okay, HE just sat…I had a waffle cone), but that was just like taking him to a restaurant, so it was no big deal.

Then in March, a friend of mine from high school was in town with his family, so Truman and I met them at the Magic Kingdom for a few hours. As it was Saturday around Spring Break time, the place was packed. But Truman navigated the crowds with little concern, and behaved like a gentleman while we ate lunch outside during a very rowdy game of musical chairs, hosted by the Mad Hatter.

We only tackled a few of the rides, but he even seemed to handle the Haunted Mansion with a reasonable amount of calm (you just never know about the end of the elevator ride where the lights go out and everyone screams). He seemed to enjoy the train, too, or at least the view from there….

But I think Truman’s favorite part of the day was making a new friend — while he liked Steve and his wife Michael and little Kennon, he and Shaughnassy hit it off the best, right from the moment they met. Maybe it’s because she’s smart and funny and very good at remembering the etiquette about how to act around a service dog! Or maybe it’s because she was wearing a Cheshire Cat on her head….

March 1, 2008 — The good folks at GDA encourage us to kennel our dogs at the school as often as we can, so they get used to being in that environment and will be less likely to stress out when they go to live there for six months or so of formal training.

It’s never been tough for me to take rambunctious Truman up to the school for several days. I know he’s in good hands, and the people there know him, and it gives me a nice break every once in a while. However, as Truman gets older — and therefore closer to the day I will take him up there and not get to pick him up a week later — it’s been harder to make myself schedule those visits.

But as a dog owner, you just can’t beat this deal: free room and board for your dog for as long as you like, and at the end of his stay you get to take home a worn-out, freshly bathed canine who’s had a vet exam and a good time with his friends.

Truman came home this time and put himself to bed almost immediately, cuddling up with his blankets and his Nylabone. They’re awfully cute when they’re sleeping, aren’t they?

Cat got your tongue?

This is one of Truman’s silliest toys: a little rubber ball with a huge rubber tongue attached to it. My mom and dad (who sent it to us for Christmas) had asked me for a picture of him playing with it, but it’s been a challenge getting one…because Truman usually picks it up and chews on it from the wrong end!

One year ago today, I was outside the puppy nursery at GDA, meeting this little blank slate of a canine who would be my charge for the next year and a half or so. So cute, so sharp-toothed, so moody:

As of today, we’ve written a year’s worth of experience on that slate, and I can hardly believe so much time has passed. Truman is still cute, and still moody. Thankfully, though, his angry little shark mouth has been replaced with a more mature face full of big-dog teeth. Here we are now:

And here he is with his Amy:

Happy Anniversary, Roo! Smile!

February 16, 2008 — There is something in this litter…a freaky telepathic connection, at the very least between Truman and his brother Tai.

I know this, because every time Truman is driving me nuts with a multiple-day burst of uncontrollable energy that seems to refuse to be worked or played out of him by any normal means, I get a phone call from Matt and Amy:

“Is your dog on crack right now? Because our dog is on crack right now. Brother shuffle time is available in our yard, effective immediately.”

So off we go to visit. Truman, predictably, knows which exit I have taken off the freeway and springs up to look out the window. How. Does. He. Always. KNOW?!?

The running commences. The wrestling, the chasing, the springing, the teeth-rattling. We are in the Doofus Zone for the next few hours until they’re both manageable once again. Boys will be boys.