The Rollercoaster of Puppyhood

Today probably is not the best day to do a post on "Life with Cooper"; but, it's the first time in weeks that I have found myself with little to do. Okay, reality is that there is plenty to keep me busy at the moment (a "classroom" to plan, IEPs to read, training to complete, an apartment to organize, cookies to bake, etc. etc.), yet, the motivation to update has been sparked and I must take full advantage. That and it's the first day all summer that Michael and I do not have any set plans and we are actually having a difficult time figuring out what to do with ourselves!

So ... anyway ... back to the point of this post. One month and 11 days ago we welcomed Cooper into our lives. The first couple of weeks were unexpectedly easy. He demonstrated the usual puppy tendencies of chewing, reluctance to walk on a leash, sporadic barking, and occasional accidents. But, overall, we were pleasantly surprised by just how good of a puppy he was (following commands, sleeping through the night, sticking to a potty schedule). The past few posts have reflected this. Well, this post is to describe the "not-so-pleasant moments of Cooper". And perhaps, I should retract my first statement. Today is probably THE best day to post this update since Cooper has been in the doghouse all day.

The parrot co-pilot. Cooper has traveled to the Cape and back twice now. Both times he has been a great traveler; finding comfort in the backseat or on the lap of the person riding in the passenger seat. He has clearly come to understand the phrase "We're going buh-bye", as he excitedly runs to the car when it's said. However, while driving to and from my friend's house the other day, Cooper was not content to stay in his own seat. Rather, he continuously jumped from passenger seat to driver seat and scaled my body until he was perched on my left shoulder ... like a parrot (I wish I had a photo to share). I hate to even admit that I drove like this because of the dangerousness of it ... but I had two options. 1) Risk swerving into oncoming traffic each time I ripped him off my shoulder and threw him onto the other seat, and then again when he unexpectedly bowled himself onto my lap or 2) Look like the crazy lady wearing a fur scarf in the middle of summer and allow Cooper to claw the crap out of my shoulder. Needless to say, Cooper's travel crate may be getting a lot more use.

"What is he eating now?!" Ugh. I have come to feel like a broken record. Yes, just like infants and toddlers, puppies will mouth objects. But is it this incessant with every puppy and child!? He is teething. I get that. And so, Michael and I have bought him every style chew toy sold by your standard chain pet stores. This goes beyond teething though. Let's just make a list:

- baseboards
- hardwood floors
- leash
- my hair
- Michael's pajama pants
- shoe laces
- dry leaves (well, and fresh leaves)
- grass
- rocks
- pachysandra
- tote bag handles
- book case
- lint
- carpet(s)
- sheets
- acorns
- towels
- blanket
- my car seat
- cords
- horse droppings
- a bee
- pine cones
- sand
- feathers
- peanut shells
- an ant hill
- cigarette butts
- hellicopter leaves (ALL time favorite)
- tissues
- paper (including magazines, receipts, envelopes, papertowel)

to name a few. . .

Separation anxiety. This is probably our fault. Or at least my fault. Yet, it's out of control. We've become very attached to him and vice versa, he hates when we're out of sight. This has lead to the development of Cooper's whine. Not just a whimper. A full out tantrum-style whine. Hopefully this will be broken once I start working and we all get into a much different routine and schedule.

Leash Defiance. The second day (or first full day) Cooper was home with us, he walked a mile on leash. We were amazed. Then, day by day Cooper cooperatively walked less and less. He will go outside to relieve himself and then turn right around to go back inside. When we attempt to walk him, he sits down, cocks his head, and refuses to move. Kind of cruel, but at times, we have dragged him down the sidewalk. A few times he has walked with us. It goes like this ... walk five feet, stop and sit, pull on the leash and tell him to come, walk ten feet, stop and sit, pull on the leash and beg him to come, walk five feet, stop and sit, pull on the leash and angrily demand that he come, walk another five feet, stop and sit, give up and pick him up. BUT THEN, there are days when Cooper is so so good and he appears to love walking on his leash. This past Thursday night he walked two full loops at the dog park. And on Friday he hiked two lengthy trails with us. Then there are days like today. See previous description.

Sneak Attacks. There's no denying that Cooper is adorable. He is his most adorable when he contently plays by himself (his latest enjoyment - beyond eating everything insight of course - is to take out every single toy he owns and play with at least two at a time). Perhaps it is related to his need for attention that one second Cooper can be perfectly happy playing by himself and the next he is lunging at your head, ears, nose, fingers, arm, shoulder, or toes. We have recently tried to bring Cooper to bed with us on weekend mornings. He wakes at 5:30, I let him out and return him to his pen. But then he is up again by 6:30 (still much too early to start a weekend day). So, we bring him to bed hoping that he'll settle down with us and go back to sleep. Not so much. Michael and I have been mauled. It is during this time that Cooper seems to transform into a hyperactive, wild beast and while we are in our drowsiest of moments he sneaks in and attacks.

Overall insanity. I'm not quite sure how to truly describe this. This category is for all of the moments in the past few weeks when Michael and I have been pulling our hair out and jokingly discussing bringing Cooper to the pound (It will never happen. As I said before .. we are attached). This category is for the moments when Cooper appears to disregard all commands, for when he starts barking like mad for know known reason, for when he pees right in front of us despite the fact that we are holding the leash and asking him if he wants to go out, for when he sticks his face in an ant hill immediately following a bath . . . for all those moments that make up the definition of puppyhood and that could make a sane person go insane (or use an ungodly amount of profanity, as has been Michael's case).

I will end by sharing some pictures of a happier day with Cooper (as the rollercoaster would have it that day was - yesterday).

Family outing to Great Brook Farm State Park

Yet Another Transition

I've been feeling guilty for not updating when such "big" life events are occuring. However, to update on the rollercoaster of job offers, decision making, and emotions would not have been fun reading for the rest of you. Thus, I spared you from the details and will only share the end results. Yesterday morning, I signed a contract with the Derry Cooperative School District. This is a very ... VERY ... unexpected turn of events as 1.) I will be working in NH (yes, I moved back to MA in hopes of working in MA), and 2.) I will be working in an elementary schools with students K-5th grade (yes, I have focused all of my academic and clinical training in the birth-5 range, and outside of the school setting). And so, feelings of both anxiety and excitement have settled in and will probably result in many sleepless nights in the next couple of weeks. Regardless, I'm trying my best to stay positive and keep in mind that the next 9 months are still a "Fellowship Year" - another learning opportunity, another opportunity for growth and maturation, another test of my patience, skills, independence, and, of course, the sanity of our relationship :)

Luckily, I am not concerned in the least about the latter of those. Michael is such a stable and supportive piece of my life. He knows just when I need space and when it's time to step in and "guide" me. Although we've been together for awhile, it's been during the past two years that I think I've truly come to understand and appreciate how strong our relationship is. With a whole bunch of "newness" ahead of us, I'm eager to discover what else I will come to learn about us.

Looking forward there will be many new things to write about and to share photos of. Knowing this, Michael gave me a (uncessary) graduation present/"you-got-a-job" present last night.


I have been pining over this camera for months! But knew that it was just a wish-list item. I have a 5 year old Canon that works just fine. "Just fine". Apparently, Michael doesn't think that "just fine" is good enough to document my grad school graduation, the celebrations afterwards, all of Cooper's firsts, the upcoming FoxWoods reunion with my college loves, etc. etc. After telling him just how unnecessary this was and how many groceries, gallons of gas, dog items we could get for the price of this camera, I accepted the fact that this was a gift he really wanted me to have and began to test it out. I am in love (for the 4th time with a Canon). Beyond the fact that it's a coppery-orange (dece!), it has so many photo options (I may actually have to read the manual this time), it takes BEAUTIFUL pictures! Here are some from its first shoot (sorry that Michael and I look so hapazard, it was a long, humid day):

Today marks the beginning of the celebration of graduation. Mani & pedi with Jill this afternoon, lobsters tonight, Graduation tomorrow, family gathering/dinner tomorrow night, BBQ Party at Kirsten's on Sunday!