I decided I'm going to do a weekly post about something (a toy, treat, etc) that Minnie really loves. Although she's a dog, she really does have preferences about the stuff she plays with and the things she eats! For example, I found out that she does NOT like these organic pumpkin pie dog biscuits I got her...yeah, I don't really know what dog would like something like that, but I thought I'd try it (mostly because the packaging was cute!)
So we discovered that Minnie goes CRAZY for the Target brand (Boots & Barkley) of chewy training treats. I tried to find a link for them on the Target website, but didn't see anything. They are just tiny bits of chewy, stinky, meat treats that we give her when we're practicing sit and stay. They're the perfect size and judging by Minnie's reaction, the flavor is pretty tasty too! She even knows the sound the bag makes when we're opening it - she'll come running in from the next room!
The bag comes in 2 sizes and I believe 2 flavors (she likes the beef). These treats receive 2 paws up from Minnie!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Minnie's Big Adventure - Part II
So the little rascal did it again....she got out of our fenced in backyard!
This morning I went to let her in, and again she was nowhere to be seen. And just like last time, I started to freak out! After about 5 minutes of agony, I saw her climbing back under the fence (she actually looked like she was trying to sneak in - she probably thought she'd get away with it!) I think what happens is when the dog next door comes out, Minnie thinks that is her cue to go play. Regardless, Minnie's escape route is going to be blocked off somehow!
Although she scared me and made me really mad, that furry little face and sad puppy eyes got to me! Ha.
This morning I went to let her in, and again she was nowhere to be seen. And just like last time, I started to freak out! After about 5 minutes of agony, I saw her climbing back under the fence (she actually looked like she was trying to sneak in - she probably thought she'd get away with it!) I think what happens is when the dog next door comes out, Minnie thinks that is her cue to go play. Regardless, Minnie's escape route is going to be blocked off somehow!
Although she scared me and made me really mad, that furry little face and sad puppy eyes got to me! Ha.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Minnie's Big Adventure
The other morning we let Minnie out in the backyard like we normally do, so she can have some playtime before we go to work. When it was time for her to eat her breakfast, we called her inside...but no response. She normally comes barreling in so she can wolf down her food - but we got NOTHING. We called her, we searched the backyard for her, even checked her favorite spots (behind the AC and next to the woodpile). Minnie was nowhere to be found.
This is when I began to panic. Visions of a furry puppy wandering the streets of Kirkwood flooded my mind. I pictured her scared and lonely, pawing through trash cans trying to find her next meal. Ok, I got carried away, but my furry friend was gone and I was worried!
I decided to check the front yard, even though it seemed like a dumb idea, since our backyard is completely fenced in, and there's NO way she could get out. But I was wrong! I looked out the front window and there was Minnie, hovering on the front porch shaking and pawing at the door.
How the heck did she get there???? And how did she know to go to the front door? We have no idea what happened, and it's a mystery that we'd like to figure out! If only she could talk and tell us how she did it!
We now refer to the event as Minnie's Big Adventure - from the backyard to the front porch. For a little 3 month old pup, that's a scary journey! Poor Minnie. Now she's getting less "unsupervised" playtime since we don't trust her! Oh well...I'm just glad nothing happened to her! That would have been HORRIBLE.
Another big event for Minnie this weekend - her first bath! (Minus the one she got at the breeder before she came home.) She actually did pretty well - I hope she doesn't mind how much we laughed at her because of how silly she looked all drenched! She somehow managed to climb out of the tub and up on the toilet, but besides that, she was a good girl.
Minnie had yet another vacuum encounter yesterday - she HATES that thing! She was in her "house" when I was vacuuming, but she was so scared that she climbed up on top of the boxes we have in there (since it's too big and we needed to block off some space). We called it her loft. Ha!
This is when I began to panic. Visions of a furry puppy wandering the streets of Kirkwood flooded my mind. I pictured her scared and lonely, pawing through trash cans trying to find her next meal. Ok, I got carried away, but my furry friend was gone and I was worried!
I decided to check the front yard, even though it seemed like a dumb idea, since our backyard is completely fenced in, and there's NO way she could get out. But I was wrong! I looked out the front window and there was Minnie, hovering on the front porch shaking and pawing at the door.
How the heck did she get there???? And how did she know to go to the front door? We have no idea what happened, and it's a mystery that we'd like to figure out! If only she could talk and tell us how she did it!
We now refer to the event as Minnie's Big Adventure - from the backyard to the front porch. For a little 3 month old pup, that's a scary journey! Poor Minnie. Now she's getting less "unsupervised" playtime since we don't trust her! Oh well...I'm just glad nothing happened to her! That would have been HORRIBLE.
Another big event for Minnie this weekend - her first bath! (Minus the one she got at the breeder before she came home.) She actually did pretty well - I hope she doesn't mind how much we laughed at her because of how silly she looked all drenched! She somehow managed to climb out of the tub and up on the toilet, but besides that, she was a good girl.
Minnie had yet another vacuum encounter yesterday - she HATES that thing! She was in her "house" when I was vacuuming, but she was so scared that she climbed up on top of the boxes we have in there (since it's too big and we needed to block off some space). We called it her loft. Ha!
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| I solemnly swear I won't escape my yard anymore! |
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| I like sitting like a person |
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| Nothing wrong with a nap before it's time for bed! |
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| My mom always has to pick me up...sheeesh |
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Minn in the Mirror
Minnie had a very eventful weekend! She had a lot of visitors, met some new faces, and even had playtime with another puppy and her 10 yr old Golden cousin, Jack! Here's a couple of things that happened:
- She took a small tumble down the basement steps...she usually doesn't go down them but she couldn't handle it anymore, so she tried going herself...didn't work so well!
- She ran away from the "vacuum monster" again!
- She got her head stuck between the slats of the fence in our yard....now that I've typed these 3 things it doesn't look like Minnie had a great weekend, ha!
- She discovered the mirror - it was SO hilarious. She barked at it, pawed it, licked it, gave it confused looks, then walked away and whipped around real quick like "why are you following me?" We call it the "Minn in the Mirror" when she does that!
- She had another try with the leash - it didn't go so well but we'll give her time!
- She has been very good at "sit" so now we've been working on "stay." She's doing great!
Minnie is such a good little girl! We love her!
Here's some photos from this weekend.
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| Intensely watching tv...Hart of Dixie I believe! |
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| Playing with her cousin, Jack! |
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| "My jerky parents put me in here!" |
Monday, December 5, 2011
Learning and (kind of) growing
Minnie's a pretty small girl (when we got her she only weighed in at 6 lbs, even though she was 8 weeks old). This weekend we took Minnie to the vet, feeling confident that she weighed at least 10 lbs. She's been eating 3 meals a day, eating treats, and getting a little thicker (although we're not sure if it's fat or fur!), so we were sure she's made progress. Unfortunately, she only gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks, and weighs in at about 8 lbs, which is pretty small for a 10 week old golden. The vet didn't seem to be concerned though, so we'll just keep doing what we're doing and make sure she stays healthy!
Other than that, little Minnie had a great weekend (minus the 2 shots she got!) She met some more new people, had plenty of backyard playtime on her own without getting in too much trouble, met a dog that weighs 10 times more than her, practiced "sit" and "fetch," ate dry food without the stinky wet food mixed in, and was accident free! She also seems to like climbing up on things (maybe she thinks she's a cat?) such as the dishwasher, kitchen drawers, the fireplace, and random furniture.
Minnie also seems to "sleep in" on the weekends until 6:30 am....but whenever the work week rolls in, she keeps waking us up between 4:30 and 5:45! Minnnieeeeeeee!
Something Minnie learned this weekend - she does NOT like the vacuum. Or the Shark floor steamer. But since she's the one causing the need for the vacuum and the steamer, she'll have to get used to it! :)
Other than that, little Minnie had a great weekend (minus the 2 shots she got!) She met some more new people, had plenty of backyard playtime on her own without getting in too much trouble, met a dog that weighs 10 times more than her, practiced "sit" and "fetch," ate dry food without the stinky wet food mixed in, and was accident free! She also seems to like climbing up on things (maybe she thinks she's a cat?) such as the dishwasher, kitchen drawers, the fireplace, and random furniture.
Minnie also seems to "sleep in" on the weekends until 6:30 am....but whenever the work week rolls in, she keeps waking us up between 4:30 and 5:45! Minnnieeeeeeee!
Something Minnie learned this weekend - she does NOT like the vacuum. Or the Shark floor steamer. But since she's the one causing the need for the vacuum and the steamer, she'll have to get used to it! :)
Friday, December 2, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Lowdown on Minnie!
I feel like a very neglectful blogger...Minnie has been here for almost 2 weeks and I didn't post any updates about her! So I better get to it...here's what's been happening with Minnie!
The day we got her she was SOOOO adorable. I mean a tiny, fuzzy, furball that was so precious and awesome. The breeder mentioned she was a lot smaller than her brothers, but we didn't care - we loved her already!
The first night with her was NOT fun. She cried, whined, and barked the ENTIRE night. She was in her kennel, which she HATED. However now she goes in there with just a little crying here and there. We call it "Minnie's Condo." She's got it decked out with her bed crammed inside, a bunch of towels, a baby blanket, and her BFF Lambchop.
We took her to the vet the next morning, where she was such a good girl! She went and laid on my purse next to the wall and took a snooze while we waited for the vet to come in. No shots that time...but she's got that to look forward to this weekend! :)
I'll sum up the first week we had her by saying this: she was very tiny (only 6 lbs), very fuzzy, did very good with housetraining, started sleeping through the night in her kennel on about day 4, hardly ate her food, slid all around our house because her tiny paws weren't worn in enough yet, ran laps around the yard, went to her first Thanksgiving (where she threw up in the car ride all over me), busted down her baby gates a couple times, found her favorite spot in the kitchen (next to the wall and my rainboots), had about 20 people over to see her, got a bunch of new toys from people, loves her blue Nylabone, liked to lay under the coffee table (she can't find there anymore!), and was overall a very cute and adventurous pup!
The second week she gained more of an appetite (she still gets a combo of wet and dry food), she figured out how to tell us when she has to go out (by scratching on the door), goes out by herself, is still afraid of the chocolate lab next door, has started biting us (playfully), loves playing with all of her toys, has gotten a little more rambunctious, likes to put her paws up on the dishwasher when we're loading it, climbs up on the hearth, jumps off the back steps onto the table sitting next to it (she kind of acts like a cat!), gets VERY excited when we open the refrigerator or her bag of beef training treats from Target, still takes a lot of naps, accidentally sat down in her water bowl, comes barreling at us in the morning.
Here are some pictures of Minn from the day we got her up until this week. Enjoy!
The day we got her she was SOOOO adorable. I mean a tiny, fuzzy, furball that was so precious and awesome. The breeder mentioned she was a lot smaller than her brothers, but we didn't care - we loved her already!
The first night with her was NOT fun. She cried, whined, and barked the ENTIRE night. She was in her kennel, which she HATED. However now she goes in there with just a little crying here and there. We call it "Minnie's Condo." She's got it decked out with her bed crammed inside, a bunch of towels, a baby blanket, and her BFF Lambchop.
We took her to the vet the next morning, where she was such a good girl! She went and laid on my purse next to the wall and took a snooze while we waited for the vet to come in. No shots that time...but she's got that to look forward to this weekend! :)
I'll sum up the first week we had her by saying this: she was very tiny (only 6 lbs), very fuzzy, did very good with housetraining, started sleeping through the night in her kennel on about day 4, hardly ate her food, slid all around our house because her tiny paws weren't worn in enough yet, ran laps around the yard, went to her first Thanksgiving (where she threw up in the car ride all over me), busted down her baby gates a couple times, found her favorite spot in the kitchen (next to the wall and my rainboots), had about 20 people over to see her, got a bunch of new toys from people, loves her blue Nylabone, liked to lay under the coffee table (she can't find there anymore!), and was overall a very cute and adventurous pup!
The second week she gained more of an appetite (she still gets a combo of wet and dry food), she figured out how to tell us when she has to go out (by scratching on the door), goes out by herself, is still afraid of the chocolate lab next door, has started biting us (playfully), loves playing with all of her toys, has gotten a little more rambunctious, likes to put her paws up on the dishwasher when we're loading it, climbs up on the hearth, jumps off the back steps onto the table sitting next to it (she kind of acts like a cat!), gets VERY excited when we open the refrigerator or her bag of beef training treats from Target, still takes a lot of naps, accidentally sat down in her water bowl, comes barreling at us in the morning.
Here are some pictures of Minn from the day we got her up until this week. Enjoy!
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Day is Almost Here
Minnie is going to be here in 3 short days....CAN'T WAIT!!! I've been reading a bunch of puppy books that will hopefully help, I still feel like I don't have a clue what I'm doing though!
Monday, November 7, 2011
CUTEST.THINGS.EVER!
This weekend we went to visit Minnie at the breeder's...I can't take the wait anymore and I had to see her! Here's some pics of our furball - she's grown quite a bit since we last saw her 3 weeks ago! It was so fun playing with her and we can't wait to take her home. I swear she has the softest fur ever - it definitely wasn't like that last time! Also her ears seem to have tripled in size...I love them!
Cute things she did:
- Scooted around using her front paws and dragging her back legs behind her...not sure what that was about but it was pretty funny.
- Tried to eat Joe's leather belt - probably won't find that cute or funny when she actually does eat one
- Cuddled up with us when a big gust of wind blew by and it got cold
- Cried a little bit because she missed her mom (I'm guessing)
- Clawed and pounced on the blanket like she hated it (I hate it too....it's about 40 years old)
- Fell asleep while Joe was holding her
Monday, October 24, 2011
Happy Birthday, Bea!
Today would be our beloved dog Bea's 15th birthday, so I've got to give her a shout out! Normally, we would celebrate by taking her to the doggy bakery to pick out some special cookies, and then maybe we'd stop by Petco so she could pick out a toy. Then we'd come home and have a little "party" for her - it'd mostly involve us giving her all her goodies, and then ordering a pizza (for the humans!)
Happy Birthday, Bea! We love you and miss you a ton!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Shopaholic
Most people who know me are aware of my major shopping problem. I don't know what it is, but when I am in a 2-mile radius of a mall, I feel like I have to go in. And all of those emails that stores send out (aka junk email)? Yeah, I read all of those, because there's usually a discount in there somewhere! 90% of the time I don't need anything new, but when I get an email with a great deal, I feel like it would be a crime to pass it up!
Now that a new pup is on the way, my shopping addiction has transferred over to buying dog stuff. In the 3 days since we picked her out, I've already bought a collar, leash, bowl, kennel, 2 kinds of treats, and dog shampoo. Do I know if any of this stuff is any good? Not really. But I just keep telling myself, well we don't have it so we're going to need it! I got so excited about the dog stuff that I haven't really taken the time to figure out what is best for her. I may be seeing some visits to the UPS store in the near future (to return all of my Amazon purchases!)
Here are some of the things that I've bought so far. Today, I plan on making one of my thrice-weekly visits to Target to look at some toys and beds. Hopefully when I realize how expensive a dog is (the food, the vet bills, all of the other stuff), my shopping will simmer down!
Now that a new pup is on the way, my shopping addiction has transferred over to buying dog stuff. In the 3 days since we picked her out, I've already bought a collar, leash, bowl, kennel, 2 kinds of treats, and dog shampoo. Do I know if any of this stuff is any good? Not really. But I just keep telling myself, well we don't have it so we're going to need it! I got so excited about the dog stuff that I haven't really taken the time to figure out what is best for her. I may be seeing some visits to the UPS store in the near future (to return all of my Amazon purchases!)
Here are some of the things that I've bought so far. Today, I plan on making one of my thrice-weekly visits to Target to look at some toys and beds. Hopefully when I realize how expensive a dog is (the food, the vet bills, all of the other stuff), my shopping will simmer down!
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| Red Dingo Reflective Collar from Amazon |
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| Petmate Kennel XL from Amazon |
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| Kakadu Pet Bowl from Amazon |
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Goldens Rule
If you've ever thought about adopting a golden, you've probably heard some "eh" things about them. They're huge! They shed a lot! They have hip problems! They chew up everything! My husband and I certainly heard our fair share of those comments when we decided to get a golden retriever.
So why did we decide to "go for the gold?" For one thing, they're the most loving, loyal dogs you'll ever encounter. I may be slightly biased though - for 11 years Bea, a wonderful golden, was a part of my family. My parents adopted her when I was 14 years old, and until I was 25, she was my "furry sister." Minnie has a lot to live up to....her Aunt Bea was a neighborhood favorite who everyone knew and loved.
For Husband and I, the positives outweighed the negatives. Plus, my obsession with goldens might have influenced our decision - I regularly google photos and videos of goldens - I just can't get enough!
Ask me in 6 weeks how I feel about our puppy and I'll probably say, she is a terror! But eventually the puppy phase fades away...I'll keep reminding myself of that!
So why did we decide to "go for the gold?" For one thing, they're the most loving, loyal dogs you'll ever encounter. I may be slightly biased though - for 11 years Bea, a wonderful golden, was a part of my family. My parents adopted her when I was 14 years old, and until I was 25, she was my "furry sister." Minnie has a lot to live up to....her Aunt Bea was a neighborhood favorite who everyone knew and loved.
For Husband and I, the positives outweighed the negatives. Plus, my obsession with goldens might have influenced our decision - I regularly google photos and videos of goldens - I just can't get enough!
Ask me in 6 weeks how I feel about our puppy and I'll probably say, she is a terror! But eventually the puppy phase fades away...I'll keep reminding myself of that!
Puppy Tales
The purpose of this blog is to document the journey of our very first puppy - a golden retriever known as Minnesota, or "Minnie" for short. Puppy ownership certainly has its ups and downs, so we're here to share our experiences with other dog lovers out there! We know there will be some hard times ahead of us, but we can't forget about those super cute moments that happen too!
Puppies grow so quick...in a year's time we'll probably forget about how tiny Minnie used to be! We figured this would be a great spot to record Minnie's milestones and first puppy pictures, so in a few years we'll be able to look back and say AWW!
Currently, we don't even have Minnie yet...she's still too little to bring home! I guess you could say we're anticipating her arrival, and can't wait to welcome her into our home!
29 more days until Minnie joins us...but who's counting?
Puppies grow so quick...in a year's time we'll probably forget about how tiny Minnie used to be! We figured this would be a great spot to record Minnie's milestones and first puppy pictures, so in a few years we'll be able to look back and say AWW!
Currently, we don't even have Minnie yet...she's still too little to bring home! I guess you could say we're anticipating her arrival, and can't wait to welcome her into our home!
29 more days until Minnie joins us...but who's counting?
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| This is Minnie when we picked her out...what a sweet and tiny girl! |
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