Where have I been?
Well, it started with this...
Pay attention to the fourth puppy - the female who has a spot of white on her chin. Before anyone jumps on me about not rescuing a pet from the pound, know that I made many visits to the places in town, and all I found were pitbull and chihuahuas. I decided to do a little research and found a breeder in Northern Nevada.
After much discussion, I put a deposit down and waited for the litter to be born. It took nearly a year!
Jenny breeds miniature schnauzers the right way – in an amazing setting, on a sheep farm. Her outbuildings have temperature controlled kennels, and the fenced in play area is impressive.
I mention she sent pictures every week!?!
This is my pup at four weeks!
These days – you'll find her on my lap,
Along with a friend, I drove up to a small city outside of Ely, Nevada, to pick her up at nine weeks old. She sat on his lap the whole way home, and despite stopping a couple of times to let her out for a potty break, she slept the whole way home. She was scared, but did well.
A lot of people warned me that getting a puppy would drastically change my life. And sure... the first month or so limited me from being away from the house too long.
But we made it work!
She got used to the peacocks pretty quickly, and they have since stayed away.
The breeder recommended giving her a raw bone once a month, and it's definitely something she looks forward to.
By the way – the breeder had started housebreaking her and having her sleep in a crate while still a newborn.
From the very first night, she slept all the way through, never waking me up once.
As winter set in, she started wearing sweaters and sweatshirts.
She only weighed about 8 pounds, and got cold very quickly.
It was difficult, deciding on a name for her, and I had a list of about 30 choices. I would call her by each name that I was considering, and she never answered to any of them. People kept telling me that she would let me know which name she chose.
And you know what – they were right!
Training her has been fairly easy, but it helps to have a smart puppy. OK, she's not perfect, but...
She learned how to high-five almost immediately.
And once we found a car seat, she learned how to ride in the car.
Here's her first pup cup!
Now we're settling in, she's more comfortable, claiming various parts of the house as her own. She loves to perch on the couch.
And so many friends gave me gift bags of toys, but this silly girl has favorites... who would guess that measuring cups would be her toy of choice!
I had left an area in the yard as a "pee-pee" spot for her, but all she did was dig in it. And I got tired of rinsing her paws clean every time she went outside. So I decided to build a deck over that area.
She was a real trooper around the power tools!
And as summer progressed, she learned to play in the pool. Even if it's empty, she sits in it!
At around seven months, she went into heat, and we booked an appointment for spaying. She wasn't particularly happy with me when I picked her up. Her 10 day recovery was a challenge, as it's difficult to keep a puppy down.
A lot of people warned me that the Fourth of July would give her anxiety, but we watched fireworks from the backyard. And she never freaked out once!
or waiting for me to fill the pool. I have to weigh the pool down when it's not filled, as the wind will blow it out of the yard.
She loves her toys, loves to go to the dog park and meet other dogs, and has been an amazing addition to this household.
So that's where I've been!
She's just a few days away from her first birthday - where did the time go?
