I had the pleasure of puppy sitting Schooner today. Having three dogs in the house, two of which are still puppies, made for an exciting day! I had visions of all three of them laying quietly on their dogs beds while I decorated the Christmas tree, and although I did get in 45 min. of stringing lights on the tree, the rest of the day seems to be a bit of a blur. The cold spell over the weekend had stopped us from getting the dogs out for their regular exercise, and so all dogs were in fine form for a day of wrestling, tugging and romping around the backyard. The weather is still bitterly cold outside, so even the play time they had outside had to be watched as their paws got cold so fast (funny how they get cold faster when they are outside by themselves though).
Around mid-morning, I tried to get them to all relax on their beds with a nice raw hide to chew on that Leah brought over as a treat for them. The only one who was in to that was Breton, being in the comfort of her own home, and on her doggy bed, she had no problem settling in (and stealing Schooner's bone for a chew when he wasn't watching). Unfortunately, Schooner wasn't quite settled in enough to get in to the "chew zone", so every few minutes, he would get up and see what I was doing (trying to relax on the couch) or watch Breton chew her bone. Mr. Bentley was too grumpy to handle chewing with the group, so he had his morning kennel time instead (part of his routine anyway).
In an effort to drain some of Schooner's energy, I piled on the layers, warmed the van, dug out the dog booties and decided to try and take them for a quick game of fetch in the field behind our house. The temperature had warmed up to -19 with a -28 Celsius wind chill which was "better" than the -35 wind chill earlier in the day. When we got to the field, Schooner had no problem with wearing dog booties, but Breton on the other hand wasn't so sure about having "socks" on her dainty little paws. I threw the ball twice before it was lost and had the dogs back in the van, racing away from the field with numb finger tips (they still hurt) straight to Starbucks for a much needed pick me up. Schooner sat like such a gentleman on one of the captain's seats in the back seat of the van, and as I kept looking back at him in the rear view mirror, it was all he could do to keep his heavy eyes open - but he did! When we got home, he was relaxed enough to chew his rawhide. I offered Breton half of another one to keep her busy, but instead she "buried" hers under the Christmas tree and curled up for her first nap of the day. When Schooner finished his bone, he fought back sleeping, and woke Breton up for another wrestle. The three of them spent the last 45 min. of the play day tugging outside with warm up and water breaks inside in between.
Around mid-morning, I tried to get them to all relax on their beds with a nice raw hide to chew on that Leah brought over as a treat for them. The only one who was in to that was Breton, being in the comfort of her own home, and on her doggy bed, she had no problem settling in (and stealing Schooner's bone for a chew when he wasn't watching). Unfortunately, Schooner wasn't quite settled in enough to get in to the "chew zone", so every few minutes, he would get up and see what I was doing (trying to relax on the couch) or watch Breton chew her bone. Mr. Bentley was too grumpy to handle chewing with the group, so he had his morning kennel time instead (part of his routine anyway).
In an effort to drain some of Schooner's energy, I piled on the layers, warmed the van, dug out the dog booties and decided to try and take them for a quick game of fetch in the field behind our house. The temperature had warmed up to -19 with a -28 Celsius wind chill which was "better" than the -35 wind chill earlier in the day. When we got to the field, Schooner had no problem with wearing dog booties, but Breton on the other hand wasn't so sure about having "socks" on her dainty little paws. I threw the ball twice before it was lost and had the dogs back in the van, racing away from the field with numb finger tips (they still hurt) straight to Starbucks for a much needed pick me up. Schooner sat like such a gentleman on one of the captain's seats in the back seat of the van, and as I kept looking back at him in the rear view mirror, it was all he could do to keep his heavy eyes open - but he did! When we got home, he was relaxed enough to chew his rawhide. I offered Breton half of another one to keep her busy, but instead she "buried" hers under the Christmas tree and curled up for her first nap of the day. When Schooner finished his bone, he fought back sleeping, and woke Breton up for another wrestle. The three of them spent the last 45 min. of the play day tugging outside with warm up and water breaks inside in between.
I had the best day with them! I am shocked at how similar Breton and Schooner's mannerisms are. After spending the day with this good boy, I can see why he is loved so much. Come back any time Schooner! All four of us will have a good sleep tonight and the Christmas tree will wait until tomorrow.
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