Video: Shadow Masters the Stairs

In the beginning of June, Shadow finally conquered his fear (the only one we've met so far) and made his way down the front stairs. Here is the long lost video detailing that treacherous journey. (Double-click to see it larger on YouTube)

Stubborn

Something tells me that even when Shadow weighs 75 pounds (as the vet predicts he'll reach before his first birthday), he'll still insist on sitting in my lap and cuddling up under the ottoman with the 7-inch-high opening.

I just took this picture with my phone. He reminds me of a hermit crab in need of a bigger shell.

Video: Shadow vs. Moose

Another acquisition from the long lost camcorder vault: Shadow and his non-biological cousin, Moose, vie for a tennis ball in Maine. (Double-click to see it larger on YouTube)

Video: First Swim

This happened a few weeks ago... but it's still fun to watch! Check out Shadow's first swim in a river in Maine. (Double-click to see it larger on YouTube)

Country Dog Goes South

Shadow spent Saturday with his aunt and uncle on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Brooklyn, NY. Being a country dog, Shadow's curiosity was on overdrive from the moment he hopped out of the car.

This is how I imagine his thoughts during the first 20 seconds: No squirrels? No trees? What's with all this tan grainy stuff my paws keep sinking into? Where's the grass? Where do I do my business? Who's that? What's that? Ooh, another dog!

Also at my aunt's house was Casey, a seven-year-old pug. Shadow had never met a pug before, let alone a quasi-city dog. And while Shadow had it over Casey in terms of weight and teeth (they grow back really fast!)... it was 16-pound Casey that called the shots, at one point even swiping Shadow's bully stick!

As usual, by time we headed home, Shadow and Casey were as civil as at the start of the day, when Casey's curly tail was wobbling back and forth like a bobble-head and Shadow was curiously following him around with his tongue half out.

Today, Shadow is a sack of potatoes, using only enough energy to eat, poop, and move to another spot on the floor. For such a little guy, Casey sure did a number on his younger, larger "cousin."

Oh, and Shadow requested I make a special shout-out to my cousin and his new biggest fan (of course that's you, Em!), who spent the previous weekend hanging out in our neck of the woods. He's counting the days until he can jump on you again (or hopefully show you how well-behaved he's become by NOT jumping!)

Check back later for the myriad videos I just discovered sitting on my camera. (Aye, there's the rub with digital technology... I have almost unlimited space, but it's so easy to forget I filmed anything at all!)

The circle of life

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually yell "Slow down!" to a passing car. As a kid, I thought people looked a little funny yelling at machines, and as a teenager I thought it was a little ballsy.

But today, after nearly being hit twice on Shadow's afternoon walk by drivers speeding up to an intersection and careening a right turn while hardly slowing down, it just popped out. Or, more accurately, bellowed.

I guess that's what happens when you're responsible for a life other than your own. Especially a life that would stupidly go racing up to the thing careening towards him, tail wagging, and then watch it pass with a confused expression of "Why didn't it play with me?"

So chalk another one up to the circle of life, and how we all inevitably become our parents -- which, for the most part, is pretty okay by me. And the fact that the lady driver I chastised was about 70 years old... well that's just more food for thought.

First 'parenting' scare

Here's a scary moment for you, about which I was going to write in my journal... then realized that's pretty much what the blog is for...

I just took Shadow out for his post-breakfast walk, hoping to get in a decent distance because weather.com was predicting a storm at 10 a.m. It was a little before 9 when we stepped outside to a calm, mild morning with grey clouds. I figured we had some time.

But by the time we walked about 200 feet, those clouds had grown much darker and the wind had picked up. By the time we turned around and reached the side of the house, trees were swinging, the sky was charcoal grey, the rain had begun, and the noise that sounded like planes and lawn tools a minute earlier was undoubtedly thunder. It was clear a large storm was about to hit, and I had a metal key in my pocket and Shadow's leash, which was attached by a metal clip

We needed to get inside, asap. But Shadow had other plans, namely going absolutely mad on the leash, thrashing and jumping and pulling me this way and that. And while this is not an altogether rare occurrence, with thunder thrashing from all around us and trees as tall as buildings pitching in the wind, I was afraid he knew something I didn't... like a tornado was at the other end of the street and making its way over.

Then, amidst all the thrashing and me yelling over the wooshing leaves for him to come towards the front door, the unthinkable happened. He writhed his collar off and started sprinting. He was booking it through the yard, feet from the street. My heart stopped as the multitude of horrible things that could happen flashed through my mind in a fraction of a second. He's going to run away. He's going to be hit by a car. I'll never catch him. He'll be lost in the storm. 

The adrenaline was pumping as I raced after him. He sped toward me and away, thinking it was a game, as the clouds broke and the rain began to pour. By the time I ended up physically straddled on top of him in the front lawn, the storm was fully overhead and I wasn't sure how to get him, sans collar, to the front door. There was no way to hold onto him, and getting his collar on would require me loosening my grip and probably allow him to slip away again. My entire body was fluttering, the bones in my arms shaking.

So I did the only thing I could think of. I picked up the 45-pound thrashing little bugger, carried him across the lawn in a probably very uncomfortable position, straddled him again while I unlocked the door (any neighbor who might have been looking out a window at this time got quite a performance) and tossed him safely into the foyer.

I locked the door behind us and collapsed on the stair -- wanting to both hug and strangle him at the same time -- and let the weak, trembling feeling wash through me.

Judging from his bowed muzzle and melancholy disposition, he knows he did something wrong. If only I could know what's going on in that adorable but little head of his.

I Shall Call Him Fang

Just found Shadow's second-to-last canine fang in his bed. Poor little guy's only got one left!

Helpless?

The count is two canine fangs gone (both on the bottom), and almost no full teeth in the front half of Shadow's mouth. Poor little guy's been rendered helpless. And I can't imagine eating the sharp little things is making him feel much better. Basically, if he and Moose were to play tug today, Shadow would last barely two seconds.

Teething blues

Poor little guy's just losing his teeth left and right -- wrestling with his neighborhood girlfriend Sunday, playing catch in the front yard yesterday, chewing on acorns (I tried to stop him) this afternoon. His mouth needs a superstrength doggie breath mint and he needs a major boost in morale.

But on the bright side, he didn't attack the blanket when I made the bed this morning. Just sat there and watched like a perfectly well-behaved puppy. At least there's progress.

Freedom on the Fourth

Shadow, off leash and free for the Fourth, gets some fresh mountain air in Maine.

Shadow reentered New Hampshire last weekend for the first time since we picked him up from Blue Diamond way back in February. I don't know if he recognized anything, but I do know that he was an absolute angel for the entire 7-hour drive to Maine (and back again a few days later).

Moose prods his cousin Shadow to get back in the game.

It was an impromptu Fourth of July family reunion, and Shadow couldn't have been more thrilled to see his buddies Moose and Artie, whom he'd been missing for nearly a week.

I also couldn't have been more thrilled... to have the ability to play with my puppy without worrying about cars or moss (his favorite food), and to be able to wander around with my camera knowing he'd be safe with his cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.

The sunset was spectacular on Independence Day...

...and I had a blast taking photos...

 

...while Shadow played with Moose and Artie.

The difference between Maine and suburban New York -- the former with wide open wilderness and a generally easygoing attitude toward dogs, the latter with its plethora of boundaries and rules regarding where, when and how dogs may place their paws -- was readily apparent from Day One. At one point, the little guy was so relaxed he actually fell asleep in his water bowl outside.

Under the table and daydreaming

In Maine, Shadow get to take his first swim (a no-no in most places down here), and to enjoy the fresh mountain air and warm sun without a leash. (It kills me to have to put it back on him now that he's home.)

I opted not to take my camera into the "swimming hole" we went to on Monday, but there is video of Shadow's very first dip into the river on Saturday. Check back for that and some more choice Maine photos in the coming days.

Just one more for good luck  ;)

Teething Time

Sleep can't come too often for a puppy struggling with the confusion and pain of teething.

Shadow is teething... and suddenly I see why “Has he started teething?” was been such a frequent question over the last few months.

Now nearly five months old, Shadow has mastered the no-nipping rule and has yet to exhibit any great tendency towards chewing non-toys items like furniture, clothing or pillows. (Though I’ve got several shirts with tiny vampire fang marks due to jumping, and one pair of crappy Syrofoam flip flops with a shark-like chomp in the heel.)

But now that the teething stage has arrived, from what I’ve heard, all bets are off.

This morning he can racing into the bedroom, jaw flapping, body jerking around like a mad dog... or a person in so much pain he thinks flailing about will relieve it. That’s what my little guy is going through, and watching it compels my top lip to retreat below the lower and create my own puppy face.

More than usual, Shadow needs to be near me or Chris. He needs to touch one of us, maybe because he thinks we’ll comfort him, maybe because he thinks we have some sort of magic treat that will stop his gums from bleeding and throbbing. Sure, I went through this too, but that was at least 26 years ago and I didn’t take very copious notes at the time.

A gigantic bowl full of ice seems to work well, as does this ChillyBone product we bought (although he does seem keen on tearing off the casing in addition to letting the cold soak into his gums).

Other than that, getting through this stage is a matter of making sure he always has something dog-specific (not the leg of our ottoman) to chew on, comforting him when he needs it, and brushing his teeth because his heartwarming puppy breath now smells like rotting tissue and blood. (If anyone has a remedy for the latter, please please please let me know at LauraShadow219@gmail.com; it’s fairly nasty.)

Check back later this week for photos from Shadow’s Fourth of July trip up to Maine. Highlights include his first swim, glamour shots in the mountains, and a rematch with Cousin Moose and Uncle Artie.

Some articles I found helpful:
"Puppy Teething Training Tips"
"Teething Remedies for Puppies" by Glyn Sheridan
"Is Your Puppy Teething?" by Joy Butler
"Puppy Teething Symptoms" by Jessica Cole-Hodgkinson