Stairs? No Problem!

I am so proud of brave little Alvin. I was proud of him when he mastered the back deck stairs, but it takes a lot longer for them to be brave enough to come down the inside narrow stairs.

Last week when Ellie went up the stairs, Alvin decided he was brave enough to go up, too. He paused a few times and looked down, but decided it was safer to keep going up than to attempt going down. And we had to carry him down because it was way too scary to do it on his own. But on his third trip up, when I was carrying Ellie down, intending to come back for Alvin, the little trooper marched right down the stairs, his nose practically touching my leg. He was a VERY brave little boy! And now he goes up and down with ease. His mother, however, still requires carrying. So occassionally she gets left up there for a while to discourage her from going up in the first place. But she eventually gives someone her pouty Ren & Stimpy face and someone carries her back down.

Alvin socializin

Alvin has to be one of the most socialized puppies we've ever had. Thanks to some relatives with babies, he's been exposed to toddler luvin and temper tantrums. He's been on I can't count how many car rides. He went to a small family reunion. He has gone into Lowe's and other stores to get landscaping supplies. He has helped take down trees and chainsaws didn't phase him one bit! He has helped mow lawns. And recently he decided that he could go up and down concrete stairs, but the wooden ones... well, we'll wait on those a little longer.

When he's still and quiet, he looks like the picture above. But when he's in full motion, he is starting into his gangly teenage stage like the picture below. As fat as they were as puppies being fed by two moms, we weren't sure if they were going to be large as adults. Logic says no, the genetics determine that, but then looking at them... they were SOOOO BIG - lol. It's nice to see that he'll turn out to be a very nice sized adult pug after all!

Here he was out front helping remove the dandelions before the Memorial Day Parade :)





After the parade, Miss Tanner taught Alvin how to fetch. Over on a hill in the grass with a creek running behind. There were oh so many smells and it was fun to be one of the chosen ones who got to go and run around in the field while the ground was being prepped for a tractor pull coming up next weekend. Chasing twigs was just part of the fun for that afternoon! Wish I had my camera with me then!!

Alvin & his football bed

And just to make sure you can see all his cuteness!


Free digital graphics downloaded from:
http://petitmoineaux.blogspot.com/

Storytime - Alvin

I had Alvin up on the bed Saturday night playing with the pack. We have hardwood floors, so the gang values their play/wrestle time on a nice, comfy bed. After the pups were weaned, Ellie took great care in teaching them the pro wrestling moves, but they still haven't been able to pin mom down unless she fakes it.

At any rate, I fell asleep long before they did. (If I lay just right, when they run over me, it's like a massage!) And here's how I woke up at 4am Sunday. I was laying on my side, head on my pillow. Alvin was laying on his side, upper body on my pillow, facing me. His little head was right by my head. Ok, honestly, his little mouth was right by my lips. I was wakened by his dreaming. He was making all sorts of noises and when the air would come out, his lips would billow with the wind, all up against my lips. If that won't shock you out of a deep sleep, don't know what will! I picked him up (totally dead weight, head lolling back, lips smacking in protest of being woken) and put him back in the ex-pen, thinking he would need to go potty soon.

But then I found out he already had! He was very polite, didn't wake me, and went to the far bottom corner of the bed and quietly had gone potty at some time during the night. I love waterproof mattress pads so I can enjoy my puppy time :)

Pug pups at the Nursing Home

I had an appointment in Columbus with a holistic vet who also does chiropractic adjustments. Ellie's boys and Millie went with me to get their puppy checkups and chiropractic adjustments as yet another step in helping them get the best possible start in life.

The boys didn't make it easy on me, though. They pooped in the crate on the way there, pooped on the floor of the car, and one of them vomitted on my freshly cleaned pants 3 times. By the time we arrived at the vet, we were dirty, stinky, and very unimpressive. And by the time we cleaned up the prior messes and a couple of new ones on the office floor, the room had be fumigated behind us. So embarassing! But the boys were very cute, despite all that. And Millie tried to pierce the vet's fingers with her extra-sharp teeth while he innocently tried to listen to her heart and lungs.

I was very impressed by the vet tech. She actually got all the boys' names straight and knew the difference between Alvin and Theodore right away! The whole staff was very pleasant to deal with, even though they might not want us back right away - lol!

On the way home, we took a detour and stopped by a nursing home where one of my relatives is living. She's going to be 98 this year! I was going to take in one or two of the boys, but they stank themselves right out of that job and Millie got to be the star. She entertained a lounge full of women and nurses aids with her antics. She loves to bring a smile to their faces!

Maybe next time, boys!