The First Week

It's been a whirl-wind week, as you can imagine. We picked up the puppy last Saturday and the days of housebreaking, crate-training, and spoiling him are just flying by! Our home has been transformed. Furniture shifted, puppy accessories in place, and so much more vaccuming and sweeping to tend to! It's hard to believe how many crumbs, grass clippings, and sand one little puppy can track around! Maybe it's because I'm playing directly on the floor now that I realize how filthy the floors are . . . but I swear it's gotten worse. What did I expect though, right? And surely, a part of me will eventually just come to accept that things aren't going to be as neat as they were with just the two of us. Our apartment is far too tiny to truly accomodate every toy and accessory I have decided to spoil him with. So, somehow, I will stop fighting it and there will be treats on the counters, toys scattered around, and paw prints on the hardwoods.




For the most part, he is rarely referred to as "puppy", "Frankenstein", or "to-be-named-later" anymore. The difficulty Michael and I faced with choosing a name for the puppy became almost a joke amongst our families and friends over the past few months. Even on the day of picking him up we still had no idea what his name would end up being. After he was home for a few hours, Michael decided that it was time that I just chose my top 3 names and he would pick one of those. Mind you, this was after he told me "you just pick it" and I refused, arguing that this was something we were supposed to do together. Oy! So it was that Michael and I decided upon ... Cooper (or Coop Coop - which seems to be my preference these days).

Adjusting to life with Cooper hasn't been that difficult. I think we are fortunate that he seems to have adapted to our routine and expectations rather easily. From his first day home he has slept through the night (10:00-5:30) and remained dry! He has had limited accidents in the house, and has respected all barriers we have given him. Yet, he is still a puppy and has his moments of reeking havoc and defiance. Michael is convinced that Cooper is out to test every ounce of patience he has. For those of you that know Michael well, then you're aware that patience isn't his strongest quality. Not to discredit the efforts Michael has put in to training Coop, but it's obvious that this addition has been a little more of an adjustment for him than he was counting on. Sorry, hun, but I don't think you'll disagree. I can't say that I don't have moments of frustration. Despite taking a half mile walk on his first full day home, Cooper has since then refused to walk on his leash for purposes other than relieving himself. During the day he doesn't like to be left alone in his pen and will let out the most high-pitched bleats, squeals, and squaks for ten-fifteen minutes before calming. But, I'm hopeful that these are behaviors that will soon be faint memories.


There's no denying that Cooper has brought a new element of enjoyment to our life (and, probably to his two sets of "grandparents" as well - who all seem just as smitten and eager to spoil him as we are). He's adorable and spunky. His curiousity is beyond entertaining as we watch him explore every aspect of our home (well, within the 2 rooms that he is allowed), and begin to figure out the world around him (he is enamored with the jets and planes that fly over the house). At this point, he's not too sure about other dogs. We're unsure if this is because he was from a single litter, because he is anti-social, or if he just isn't ready for interaction. We brought him to a puppy class this past Tuesday where his first true interaction went horribly wrong. A 6mo. old yellow lab decided to wack Coop in the head. Needless to say, we asked for a refund and won't be bringing him to training for a little while longer. Tomorrow, we're going to try a play-group instead (assuming that smaller breeds are present) and hope that this goes better.

Yes, I promised that this next entry would be posted by Michael. Clearly, that hasn't happened. Michael was supposed to be on vacation this week; but, as things go, deadlines and meetings required that he spend most of the week at the office. Even when at home he's been busy with work things . . . so, I just couldn't put the pressure on him to update the good ol' blog! Especially since I don't have much else to do these days . . . . The job hunt continues with three more interviews under my belt this week. I don't want to say too much because I am superstitious like that. When not interviewing or scouring the internet for jobs, I've been spending my time babysitting, reading, and of course playing with my little Coop Coop.


Tonight, Michael and I have a special date night planned. If all goes according to plan, we're taking Cooper with us for a good old fashioned burgers & shake date at Sonic!