Update and Other Nonsense

Well, Sadie is still acting scared on some mornings. I still don't know what the problem is though. I think it might be because I am getting ready for work. This all started after I went away for a weekend. So maybe she is just remembering that? Or it's just her remembering the morning when the carbon monoxide detector was beeping. I try to ignore it as much as I can. She calms down when we are in our bedroom, but if I get up, she will follow me and stay as close as possible. It just makes me sad, but I think she is okay.

Another fun thing that has resurfaced...when we go out for walks now (because the weather has cooled down), Sadie will decide she doesn't want to go inside. So she just lays down on the sidewalk, the grass, or the street and refuses to move. She just looks at me when I reprimand her. And if I pull on her leash, she contorts her head so her collar comes off (and the collar isn't loose). I try picking her up, and she lays right back down. It's really frustrating. I know this is clearly because Sadie thinks she's in charge. Unfortunately for the most part, she is. I just don't know how to get her to stop this, or to just listen to me! She does this to my aunt and uncle, too, but she seems to listen to them more when they say no.

Other than that, I've been really busy with work and school, but this past weekend we went to the dog park. Sadie was very excited! It has been awhile, because it was so hot this summer. She started crying when we got close to the park. I even let her swim in the lake for a little bit...but then I gave her a bath right when we got home. She wasn't too thrilled about the latter. Hope everyone is doing well. I can't believe it's October...and the weather is getting so cool :( Do not want winter!

Attention Whore

Sadie is a typical only child. (I should know...I’m an only child, too!) I never wanted siblings growing up, and I’m pretty sure Sadie doesn’t want any either. I think about one day getting another dog, to keep her company. But honestly, I don’t think she would have any part of it. See, my Sadie is quite the attention whore. And it’s not just me that she wants attention from...it’s anyone within a 10 mile radius! Case in point, we go to the dog park...where is Sadie? Playing with other dogs? No! She’s sniffing all the humans and shaking her little butt, trying to look cute (doesn’t take much!) so they will pet her. Oh, and they pet her. She’s got the cuteness drill down. She knows exactly what to do, and it always seems to work. She would do this to strangers on the street when we lived in Boston. She has no shame. Oh, and god forbid they stop petting her! This is a big no-no in Sadie’s book, and she lets you know...by nudging your hand incessantly until you start petting her again! Do your dogs do this? She’s pretty forceful, too! When we’re at home, she’s even worse, because she knows my aunt, uncle, and I will pet her. She generally goes from one person to the next, getting her fill of love and belly rubs. It’s pretty cute, really.

And if she’s not getting attention? She lets us all know! If I come home and do something other than pay 100% attention to her (say, I talk to my aunt or uncle), Sadie starts howling. She’s like, “Excuseeeeee me! Remember me down here???” Better yet...if I’m on the phone or watching TV and not paying attention to her, her new trick is to find her squeaky ball and squeak it incessantly. Can we say spoiled??? It’s rather amusing, and people I talk to on the phone have gotten used to it now and just think it’s Sadie’s way of saying hello. Little do they know that it’s really her way of saying, “Mommmmmmmmmm!!!! Get off the phone and play with me!!!”

She’s lucky she’s so darn cute.

Grumpy Girl

Sadie has been unusually grumpy lately. And very vocal. I'm not sure if it's just because it's the winter, and she doesn't get as much exercise, or she's just a brat. It's funny though, because she didn't make any noise for the longest time, and now she won't shut up haha. She's getting pretty predictable in her brattiness though...

Whenever I'm sitting at the table, eating or doing whatever, she gets mad that she can't sit on my lap. So she barks at me. And she gets all worked up usually, and then starts sneezing. And barking. And really, I find it hard not to laugh, which just makes her more mad haha. I can practically hear her as a bratty teenager when she barks at me: "MOM!!!!!! BUT I WANT TO SIT ON YOUR LAPPPPPPP!! MOMMMMMM!!!!!!!"

This is a new thing...every night, we lay in bed and watch TV. Sadie always ends up sprawled in the center of the bed, taking up more room than I am...so when I actually need to go to sleep, I move her over so I can at least get under the covers. But for the past couple of weeks, she growls when I try to move her! The brat!! I don't let her get away with this, as I don't want her snapping at anyone if they try to move her, but it doesn't seem to be letting up at all. Any suggestions? I don't know what her problem is...I mean, I guess she is just comfortable and doesn't want me to move her. But too bad!

Another new thing she does is tries to distract me before I get ready for work every morning. She does so by getting that red squeaky ball you see in the previous entry and squeaking it incessantly. She loves those squeaky balls! So every morning, I have been playing fetch with her. If only she knew how much I'd rather be at home than be at work!!!!

And god forbid I change our routine in ANY way (such as watching TV in the family room instead of my bedroom)!!! Poor Sadie doesn't know what to do with herself then, and she just cries until I restore balance in her world.

(I might sound like these things annoy me, but in all honesty, I think they're freaking adorable. I just love how her personality is really showing now. I think she was so scared to be a dog before.)

Oh, also! As a birthday present to myself, I bought a really nice camera (a starter DSLR), so hopefully you will be seeing some awesome pictures on here once I figure out how to use it!!! :)

Our Mini Vacation

Sadie and I were house/dog/cat/bird-sitting for my aunt this past week. She has a Golden Retriever, who isn't really socialized with many dogs. Sadie and her kind of just co-exist. There isn't much playing or anything. There is, however, jealousy. From Sadie, of course. I mentioned it in a previous entry. She's an only child, and she always will be! She wouldn't have it any other way. I tried to give their dog attention as much as I could (when Sadie wasn't looking), but it was a bit difficult, considering Sadie follows me around everywhere. We had a good time though. It was relaxing (on the whole) and we had some "alone" time. It was good to be away for a few days and have a house to myself. (Minus a few animals.)

One night Sadie took out her squeaky ball and went wild. I took a video of it, because she is too cute when she plays with this ball. Harlie, the Golden we were staying with, decided to destroy one of her toys while Sadie was going crazy. At the end of the video, you can see Sadie's head snap back and glare at me for saying Harlie's name. Such a little brat. But a cute one, so it's ok :)



We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and holiday weekend! We did, but I could certainly use a few more days off of work though!!!