peeves.

A few friends and I were talking the other day about the things that really annoy us simply because they drive our dogs CRAZY. I've found that I can't really classify these things as "pet peeves", but I also can't classify them as "people peeves"... so I've settled on just calling them Peeves. Am I missing any?

1. Dogs in cars who bark out the window. Safety hazard for me and Claire!! She gets so irritated and gets all jumpy, and then I have to shield her from bouncing off the sidewalk into the street. Roll up your windows, people, or leave your dog at home!
2. People in cars who bark out the window. Yup. You're an idiot. Show some respect.
3. Small animals with tails. Squirrels. Cats. Chipmunks. Groundhogs (we saw one a few weeks ago). They should hibernate forever. Or at least exist in a wide open field so that Claire can chase them safely without me having to worry about all the traffic.
4. All the traffic. I'm sure y'all can agree, whether you have a dog or not.
5. An inability to climb trees. If she could, it would make #3 a lot easier. It would also be a huge help when the neighborhood kids play frisbee with her and get it stuck waaaay up in the branches.
6. An inability to eat chocolate. I like sharing snacks with Claire. And when I make delicious things like brownies and cookies, it hurts me to see her big brown eyes staring up at me when I know that she can't have the chocolate...
7. The depth of the PB jar. If it were short and stout like a teapot, her tongue could reach the bottom. But instead, she can only get a good half of what's left on the sides, and there's all that PB on the bottom that she just can't reach. It's such a tease.
8. Leashes. Roaming free would be much more fun for Claire, but I just tell her that she's the one taking ME for a walk, and that I'd get lost finding our way back without her. Makes me feel better.
9. Loud people. Calm the heck down!! Bring it from a 10 to a 2!! Claire is getting stressed out, and my ears are ringing!
10. Lack of personal space. Claire and I hate this -- me with strange people (airplanes give me anxiety because of this), and Claire with other dogs (aka: most puppies). Back it on up and trust that yes, we can still see and hear you from an arms' length away.

There are, of course, more things that could be added to this list. Give me some time and you may see a Part 2 sooner or later. Did I miss any big ones?

a little of this and a little of that.

First off, I apologize that I don't have any pictures to share with you all from the past week. As you may have read/seen on the Facebook page, Claire injured her paw and therefore spent a few days gazing longingly outside and sighing with complete boredom. Just as I was about to take her to the vet, though, she bounced back and now it's like that paw is as good as new!

We've continued working on training and Claire is making excellent progress on the reactivity front. I know that it will take a lot of time, consistency, and positive reinforcement, but I'm really happy with how she's been doing since our session with Debbie. We BOTH learned a lot and are working very hard each day (I'll post more about our training session a little later for those who are interested). We're also working on come when called, which somewhere along the way became come when you're done exploring. This is a tough command for Claire, who is a hunter by nature and thus easily distracted by anything that moves. And when her options are (1) listen to me, obey, and get a liver treat, or (2) chase the rabbit and either outrun it and catch it or give it a heart attack and catch it, I usually come in second place. But hey, I'm used to taking on challenges, so we'll keep working at it!

An interesting shift in the dynamics around here is that my mom has been referring to Claire as her dog. She's cute, isn't she?! She even came home this afternoon with some raw beef marrow bones that she picked up while running errands. Claire's love languages are words of affirmation and receiving gifts of bones, so she was ecstatic and sat by the freezer door sniffing around for awhile. Mom also keeps telling me that it's going to be a long drive back to Nashville alone, since Claire will be staying up here on the Cape with her. Ha! I can counter that with, "So you're going to be redecorating by keeping the sheets on the furniture?" Aaaaand... checkmate!

My relatives are visiting the Cape this week and the place they rent is right down the street from our house. I took Claire for our usual early-morning walk/swim on the beach and then we swung by afterwards so she could say hi to everyone. We snuck her in, since dogs aren't even allowed on the premises, but of course the first thing she did was go up to the bay window, put her paws on the window sill, and look out over the pool area. Way to be inconspicuous, Claire! On another note, can I just mention how soft Claire's fur has been because of the salt water? She might smell like seaweed, but her coat looks beautiful and feels like down feathers!

I'll try to be better about taking pictures this week, and in the meantime, I hope you all are enjoying the last few weeks of summer!

last week's headlines.

Headlines from the past week include:

1.  Claire meets the neighbors!

2.  Claire gets beaten up by a cat!

3.  Claire watches the Red Sox!

4.  Claire takes over the car!

5.  Claire continues to swim!

I've been letting Claire roam around the front yard over my lunch break because, well, she needs to be able to run and explore, and most people are at work during the day so there are even less cars running through our quiet neighborhood. Last week I attempted to play frisbee with her, but I'm apparently too boring, so she trotted over to my neighbors yard to sniff around their bushes for rabbits. As I called her to come to me, my neighbor opened the door to say hi and Claire just waltzed right in. My neighbor thought this was hysterical and didn't mind at all, so as we caught up, Claire explored her house. Every so often, she'd come back to the front door to check in with me, and then she'd run off to explore their house some more. At one point, I asked where she went and my neighbor found her snuggling on her daughter's bed among her stuffed animals...

In other news, my mother's forsythia is a hiding place for the neighborhood cats. Claire stumbled upon them one day and tried to engage them in playtime. She wasn't catching on that the hissing wasn't an invitation, and she was ignoring me as I told her to leave it. In an split second, one of the cats swiped her across the face and scared the hell out of her. I think it's safe to say that she's learned her lesson and gives the cats a wide berth when crossing their path now. We'll see how long this lasts before they have to teach her another lesson. In all fairness, she did get a variety of warnings...

Massachusetts is, of course, a state that mainly consists of Red Sox fans. If there's a game on, you can bet we're watching it in my mom's household. The Sox played the Yankees (boo) a few days ago and Claire joined my mom and her boyfriend to watch our team win. Please note that while she got to sit on the couch, I was relegated to the floor -- which is also where I am sitting currently as she snuggles with the fam once again. Super! (Also, check it out: the furniture is still covered haha!)

With the car trouble that I've had lately, a family friend offered to help out and fix what he could while I'm home -- especially before I make the 19-21 hour drive back to Nashville in a few weeks. In addition to installing new brakes, fixing a broken visor, rotating the tires, and completing a 60K check, he changed my cabin air filter. Now please, don't judge me -- think of who my main passenger is! Can you imagine what the inside of my car looks like if this is what the air filter looks like? Can you imagine what my LUNGS look like if this is what the air filter looks like? Good grief...

Claire and I took a very long walk on the beach over the weekend. It was the PERFECT day in terms of weather, I was feeling great, and Claire was ready to get moving. I drove down to the beach and we walked a few miles before stopping for a swim. It still takes her a little while to get used to the waves rolling in before she goes swimming, but after running along the shore for a few minutes, she's brave enough to bound in. Rumor has it that people have spotted some sharks off the coast, so hopefully neither of us will run into them over the next few weeks. I'm not a fan of JAWS reinactments -- though I'm sure Claire could take 'em, I don't want the chance to find out! Here's my happy girl walking along the jetty right before our swim:

 

cape life.

Here we are, a full month after our last post. Where does the time go?! Claire and I took a little road trip from Nashville to Cape Cod last weekend and we'll be here for the next month. Whenever I'm here, I feel like I can just exhale. I can't think of any other way to put it, so... that's that.

Can I just say that it is a VERY long drive from Tennessee to Massachusetts? It was quite eventful, too, as the air conditioner in my car broke halfway through the extremely large state of Virginia. If it hadn't been a sunny 90*F day, I would have tried to ride it out until we got here, but because it was just so hot, I had to stop and get it repaired. Thankfully it was an easy fix and we were able to get back on the road after three hours or so -- and I have to give Firestone a huge shout-out (the one in Nowheresville, VA) for being so awesome and letting Claire hang out in the lobby. They even gave her treats and water while we waited. Talk about service!

We finally made it to Harrisburg PA where we stayed in a hotel for the night. Claire got her own queen-sized bed, which she was quite excited about, as you can see by the blur of her wagging tail in this picture:

 

We made it to the Cape the next day without any hiccups, and I cannot emphasize enough how glad we both were to get out of the car. I actually have no recollection of what we did that night because my mind was blank from driving for so long. The one thing that I did not anticipate was how rough the drive would be on my body. My fibromyalgia flared up like mad and after a full week, I'm finally feeling better. Note to self for the next time: break up the drive into three days, not two.

 

The next morning, Claire and I woke up early and took a long walk on the beach. It was her first time there, and y'all, I can't wait to post the video of her reaction. But that will have to wait until I get back to Nashville, so hang tight in the meantime. At first she was afraid of the waves, but by the end of our walk, she was running straight into them. She tried to drink the water like she does when I take her to the river in Nashville, but the salt from the ocean made her sneeze. Puppy sneezes are the cutest! But she didn't try to drink it again, which was a safe bet. And hey, this is a picture that I took of the sunrise that morning. Can you tell that it was the perfect day?

 

 

 

 

Later that day, one of my besties came to visit and it was AMAZING to see her. It had been a year since we'd seen each other, and I fully intend for us to visit a lot over the next month!! We went out to lunch to catch up and then spent the afternoon hanging out on the beach. Claire was so tired after her morning romp in the waves, so I didn't feel bad leaving her for a few hours. She needed the rest!

 

 

I know some of y'all are connected with us on our Facebook page, but for those of you who aren't, you need to know that part of my mother's preparation for our arrival included putting sheets all over the furniture to "protect" them from Claire's fur. Clearly, we never had dogs growing up. Anyway, Claire's new favorite lookout is the window behind the sheeted couch, which gives her a good view of one side of our neighborhood (and, more importantly, of the squirrels and rabbits), so she's been spending a lot of time here. Again, please note the happy tail.

 

 

Interestingly enough, my mom forgot to cover one chair in the house, which has become a great place for naps. Claire is smart enough to curl up here when my mom isn't home. I don't have the heart to tell her to get off, especially when she's as cute as she is. Who wants to disturb a comfortable dog, anyway? Not me. That's just mean!

 

 

 

Of course, I still have to work during the week (though I'm so thankful that I can work remotely!), but Claire and I have settled into a routine that seems to be working well. My "office" is in a room that I only go into while I'm working - I thought that would help Claire understand that I can't play when we're there. We get up in the morning and go for a long walk, eat breakfast, and do a little training, and then I get the work day started. Claire hangs out with me and naps until lunch, alternating between the floor, the couch, and this cozy little pallet that I've set up for her next to my desk.

 

 

 

I've got an hour break for lunch, so after grabbing some food, Claire and I spend some time playing frisbee, going running, and doing more training. After she's gotten out some energy, she's ready to lounge around while I finish up the second half of the work day. At night, we've been heading to the beach after most of the tourists have left, and we'll go for another long walk/run so I can unwind and Claire can get back outside for a bit. Then it's time for dinner and playtime (she likes to play tug with her stuffed animals, and four of them have already succombed to her destruction), and then we hang out with my mom and her boyfriend before calling it a night.

 

 

The other night we went for a walk at the Harbor instead of at the beach - mainly because I was feeling nostalgic for a place where my friends and I hung out a lot when we were in high school. There were a couple other dogs around and Claire did really well by not reacting to them. I was so proud of her! Anyway, while we were walking on the docks, Claire saw ducks for the first time EVER and was absolutely fascinated by them. She didn't cry or whine or bark, she just sat there transfixed. Birds in the water? Who would've thought!

 

So, now you know what we've been up to and where we've been lately! I'll be posting again next weekend, for sure. And of course I'll share more pictures too. Hope you all are well and have been enjoying your summer!

 

backyard dogs.

Hey y'all! Apologies again for the posts being so scarce lately. I'm pretty sure things will be back to normal around here come August, so stick with us, k?

Since our last post, summer's come to Nashville in full force -- high humidity (which my hair does not appreciate) and excessive heat. It's been a bummer mainly because Claire and I can only go for long walks and hikes early in the morning and late at night. Claire does not understand, nor does she like this arrangement. But God forbid we try to go outside in the middle of the day -- she walks like fifty feet and then starts panting like crazy and looks at me like, "Why would you ever take me out here in this heat?!"

As it's gotten hotter around here, I've been thinking more and more about the poor Backyard Dogs that are in our neighborhood. Backyard Dogs are the ones who live outside either in a fenced in area or tethered to a stake or a tree. I don't really understand this concept, nor do I like it. First of all, why would you get a dog (a companion animal) only to have them live a solitary life in the yard without any human or dog interaction? That's against all of their instincts! Secondly, dogs overheat really easily, and unless you live in San Diego where it's 70* all the time with low humidity, this is just unacceptable.

There's a couple living down the street from us who just got a 3-month-old pit bull puppy. At first they were letting her out off-leash in the morning to do her business, and then they'd call her back inside. When she started bounding across the busy street to say hi to us each morning, the girl must have realized just how dangerous that was; a few days later, as we walked by, I heard Sweet Puppy barking but I couldn't see her. I looked around the side of their house and saw that she was tethered outside with no water, no food, and no shelter. It was 95* that day. I brought her some water, and when I stooped down to pet her, I noticed that she had huge welts all over her stomach from bug bites. I think about the argument that people with Backyard Dogs often say: "They're animals! They are meant to be outside! They like it!" Well sure - a dog will love time outside if there are other dogs that they get along with, if they are with their people, if they aren't left alone, if they're given a mix of on-leash time and off-leash time, if they aren't too hot or too cold. But Sweet Puppy's situation is all too familiar, and it's extremely neglectful.

I said something about it to the girl the next time I saw her, and I haven't seen Sweet Puppy outside since then. I have to admit that I'm really concerned about how she's being treated, but I haven't seen her lately to assess how she's doing. You can be sure that I'm keeping an eye out for her, though.

If y'all have come across any Backyard Dogs, what have you done to help their situation? Have you said something to the owner or kept quiet? Are there any organizations in your area reaching out to these dogs? Are any reaching out to provide education to the owners?

Check out the following links for more information:

Paw Rescue's Tips

Backyard Dogs: No Way to Treat Man's Best Friend

The Backyard Dog Project

PETA Hearts Backyard Dogs

what we're looking forward to.

So. After doing a lot of thinking and planning and talking things through, I have decided that Claire and I are going to go home to Cape Cod for a few weeks this summer. Like... for a whole five of them. It'll take two days to drive there and two days to drive back, but Claire did great on the trip home in 2011, so I think she'll be great this time too. I'll be working remotely, so I won't have to use any vacation days or anything. And when I'm not working, I plan on taking Claire for lots of early morning and twilight runs at the beach, lunch time swimming breaks down at the pond by my house, weekend walks on the bike path in Woods Hole, and play dates for Claire with my brother's dog Lexie (and maybe Brianna and Asya if she's lucky!). And a whole lot of quality time with family. I think it's going to be really good rest for my soul, and it'll all just be so exciting for Claire. I'm really really looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I've been creating a wish list of things to buy before we head up north. I'm sure that there's a whole bunch of things that I haven't even thought of, so share your suggestions in the comments section if I need to add things! As for what I have so far...

This dog bed and bed cover by Boots&Barkley

which is perfect for lounging while I'm busy working.

This life jacket from Ruffwear

to keep Claire safe while treading salt water.

This 30-foot leash so Claire can roam in the yard
while I enjoy some quiet time in the mornings on the porch.

An extra set of elevated dog bowls by Popware;
they're so great that I think I need to keep a set back home too for future visits.

Any other ideas of things to buy for our trip home?

happy 4th birthday to claire!

My sweet girl turned four today - making the next six months the only time in our lives that we will be the same age (if you're counting her age in dog years, that is).

She could feel the excitement in the air, which was evident at 730am when she forced me to wake up to begin the celebration! We started the day by going for an early morning hike at a new place, and we will definitely be going there again! It was a perfect day for a perfect hike that included a dip in the creek, a run through some cornfields, and a romp with some horses. We both loved it and will be hiking this trail a lot over the next few months!

On our way back home, we stopped by my dear friend Shannon's house and Claire had a great time hanging out with Shannon's adorable kids! Lindsay Miller and Brooke played fetch with her and chased her around their backyard - two of her favorite games. Claire couldn't get enough of the kids and would've been quite content to follow them around for the whole day.

Next, we went to See Spot Eat to get Claire some special birthday treats. Her day wouldn't be complete without some fresh salmon ice cream! Of course, it didn't make it out the door, so we grabbed some other snacks for the next few days too!

Claire was completely exhausted at that point, so we went back home for a little nap. Because it was such a beautiful day, I opened all the doors to get some fresh air in the house while we napped, and it was nothing short of amazing!

When we woke up, Claire was ready to go back outside, so we went on another long walk and stopped by Rebel's house so she could see him and play for a bit before we continued on our way. He is such a good boy, and he was just as excited as she was to get a chance to play. He is so sweet to her and kept kissing her baby face. It just melted my heart!

Once we got home, Claire was just about ready for bed. So much excitement will do that to a girl, you know. But she had to have "cake" first, so I made her one that was made of dog food and mashed pumpkin, and topped with a pumpkin and rice flour biscotti dipped in carob and yogurt. And after that? Well, she's been fast asleep for the past few hours already, which can only mean that her birthday was a success!

Enjoy some Instagram pics from Claire's 4th birthday!

why my neighbor hates me.

It only started the other day when I was walking Claire. He was leaving for work and happened to come outside while she was peeing in his front yard. He just lit into me and started railing about how dog owners need to pick up the poop and all that, and every time I tried to interject that IT WAS PEE, he just got louder and louder! I have this bad habit of being sarcastic when I get upset (seriously, sometimes it's just the wrong timing), so when he took a breath to continue his diatribe, I said, "I'm sorry sir, but I haven't been instructed on how to adequately pick up dog pee." He got really quiet and then said, "Oh. It was just pee?" Right.

Then on Tuesday, we went for a walk when I got home from work. All of a sudden, I had this horrible tickle in my throat (maybe I inhaled a bug?) that was just at that spot where you can't exactly breathe but if you cough, you're going to gag. Well. I just happen to be unfortunate enough to have an extremely sensitive gag reflex. I didn't have a choice but to cough, but when I did, I immediately started gagging - and it was so awful that tears actually started running down my face as I sputtered and choked. Of course, it wasn't long before I was actually throwing up. In the midst of all this, I looked over at Claire and she was just sitting there on the sidewalk watching birds and pretending that she didn't know me. Then I heard someone yell, and I realized that I was puking in Angry Man's front yard. And he was home. And he saw me. And he was pissed. I offered to borrow his garden hose and spray down his yard, but nope, that didn't help the situation...

But thaaaaat's not all. On today's walk, As we passed Angry Man's house, Claire saw an Angry Cat in his yard. So she spent a solid 15 minutes planted on the sidewalk in front of his house having a staring contest with Angry Cat. Believe me, I tried to move her along (though halfheartedly because it was a gorgeous day and I really didn't mind stopping for a bit). But then I noticed that Angry Man was peeking through the blinds watching as Claire tried to befriend/eat/play (I'm not really sure about her motives when it comes to cats) with Angry Cat. So when I caught his eye, adrenaline kicked in and I half carried and half dragged Claire away.

I think we need to change our walking route.

well-matched.

When people ask me what mix Claire is, I like to joke that she's 50% dog and 50% human. But seriously, when I think about how alike we are, I think there's a lot about me that has rubbed off on her over the past almost-four years together. For instance...

1. We have some of the same hobbies: eating, sleeping, exploring, and being with friends.

2. We are both extremely empathetic. Whenever someone is crying and sad, Claire stops whatever she is doing and goes right over to the person to try and make them feel better. As for me, I'm a social worker. 'Nuff said.

3. We love snuggling, but we can't fall asleep unless we both have space to stretch out.

4. We have a strong appreciation for nature, and we love being outside. The weekends have been filled with leisurely walks and romps in the field near my house.

5. It doesn't take much to make us happy. We like the simple things in life.

6. We guard our food. No sharing when it comes to deliciousness! Get your own!

7. We get grumpy when we are tired. And then it's best that we have some quiet time.

8. Two words: peanut butter.

9. We are very sensitive to our surroundings, whether it be the people we're around or the situation we are in the midst of. Change is hard, and it takes us a little longer to adapt - though we always do!

10. We love being around others, but we are most comfortable and happiest when we're with our best friends.

11. When we put our mind to something, we don't stop until we've reached our goal (though for Claire, this mainly has to do with chasing squirrels out of our yard).

12. We're each other's favorite.

staying focused.

After I posted earlier this week about our hike, I got to thinking about some things. Y'all remember how I said that when another dog comes our way during a walk, I have to tell Claire to watch me? When she focuses on me, she forgets to be threatened by what is ahead because she knows I've got a treat that's all hers if she doesn't react.

I realized just how similar that is with me and God. When there is something in my path that I'm afraid of or unsure of, it's my natural instinct to react and try to deal with it myself. But God always reminds me that I don't have to do that - I just need to keep my eyes on Him and let Him do the work of preparing me and protecting me. I'm not I'm control of my environment, but I can learn how to cope with what surrounds me - and that is what God teaches me. My "treat" for keeping my eyes on the Lord may not be venison or lamb... but it's peace.

scenes from a sunday stroll.

My friend Carrie and I have tried to make plans to take Claire and Tucker hiking for the past two weeks. We cancelled the first weekend because it rained, and we cancelled last weekend because we were both so tired and needed some downtime. When 11am rolled around this morning, I texted her to gauge the "level of laziness." Not only was she feeling up to it, but our friend Patrick was too, so he brought Rylee along also. It was quite a happy reunion for the three pups - lots of jumping on each other, lots of kissing, and lots of tail wagging! We did three different trails and let the dogs play in the river, and it was gorgeous out so it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon! We'll be hiking one of the longer trails next weekend, if the weather's nice, so I'll try to get some more pictures while we explore. Maybe it's even time for an updated picture of me and Claire together?!

speaking in code.

I follow a lovely blog called "Something Wagging This Way Comes" (I'd link to it, but I am blogging from my phone and the app doesn't allow that - but google it because it is worth it!) and one of the most recent entries was about speaking to your dog so that they don't understand you. It's much like how parents talk to other adults when their kids are around. Words become spelled out or spoken in some kind of code. My friends and I have to do this a lot with our dogs - what can I say, they're all really smart!

Claire starts looking around frantically when someone mentions squirrels, so you have to call them SQ's when she's nearby. You definitely have to spell the word "bone" or she goes on alert and sits in front of the refrigerator, waiting expectantly for you to get one out of the freezer for her chewing pleasure. She sits by the front door and waits for you to get a move on when someone says "walk" or "school", so we all have to spell that out too. I can't mention her friends' names (particularly Tucker, Sooki, Asya, and Chase) or even some of my friends' names (especially Carrie, Brianna, and Amy) or she will go to the front window and wait for them to show up - you have to just refer to them as "pals." And if you are talking about treats or snacks, you have to refer to them as "delicious food" or she will instantly go through a plethora of tricks in the hopes that she'll do something that will allow her to have one.

What are some code words that you and your friends or family use around your dog?

times, they are a-changing.

There was quite a scary incident that occurred at the park last weekend, and it left everyone a little shaken up. I've been thinking about it all week long, and my conclusion is that it's time to make some changes around here. The bottom line is this: somewhere within the past 1.5 years, the dog park has become less enjoyable for Claire. Whereas she used to love going all the time, it's now a 50-50 toss up. Her needs have changed. She tried to tell me, she really did. I'm just a little slow sometimes. But after The Incident, it clicked, and I finally get it!!

So here's what I have decided to do. She still adores her time with her friends at Bark-O-Lounge (as in: she waits patiently by the door while I'm getting ready in the morning), so this is going to become a Monday-Wednesday-Friday deal. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we will continue our long walks in the morning and at night. And on the weekends, like this one, we will run errands together, hang out, go walk down to the field by my house and play fetch, do some training here and there, and go for a hike or two. Stress free and fun quality time for both of us!

This weekend was our trial weekend without time at the park. Yesterday morning, poor Claire was visibly stressed out and seemed a bit depressed. But as the weekend carried on, she became happier and more relaxed and decompressed than I've seen in a really long time. It may be too soon to tell, but so far, it seems like a change is what Claire needed. And seeing her happily wagging that tail is exactly what I needed.

the one where i seem like a stalker.

You know that awkward moment when your dog is invited in to someone's house, but you aren't?

I know I've mentioned Claire's friend Rebel before... As a refresher, he is the sweet three-legged dog who often runs around the neighborhood during the day and returns to his home at night. Because he roams, he often meets us at the end of the driveway in the morning and accompanies us on our walks.

Rebel's family has a fenced in backyard, so sometimes I let them in so Claire can play off leash for a few minutes before we finish our walk. The other night, as Claire and I were walking by his house, he bounded around the corner and wanted to play. I noticed that no one was home, but figured that they wouldn't mind if I let Rebel and Claire hang out for a bit. After a few minutes, someone pulled into the driveway. I waved, and when the grandmother got out of the car, I explained that I'm not the Neighborhood Creeper - I often chat with her daughter and grandson if I see them, and they are very familiar with Claire. She didn't seem to have a problem with it, and she even told me that Rebel can come live with us "when [I'm] ready" because she needs to find him a good home with someone who can spend more time with him. Then she said she was going to go put some things in the house and would come back out in a second. Totally fine, right? Well, then she called for Rebel. And Claire. So they followed her, and I figured they would be out in "a second" - literally.

But no. A minute went by. Two minutes went by. Five minutes... And then I peeked in the window. Claire was sitting in front of the eight-year-old grandson getting loved on by their whole family. I mean, did they forget I was out there?! I knocked on the door and collected Miss Claire - who was very reluctant to leave all the attention - and we went home.

I know that she is awfully lovable, believe me, I do. And she loves attention from nice people and sweet dogs. But HELLO. I was freezing out there!!

Maybe they were nervous because I was hanging out in their backyard when they got home. I mean, I guess I can see how that might come across as a little weird and kind of creepy, now that I think about it...

sleepovers and snuggles.

Well, Claire didn't end up coming with me to the Friendsgiving celebration this weekend. She played pretty hard at the park earlier that day and was fast asleep when it was time to leave. But I will tell you that I had a great time with great friends and great homecooked food!

Don't go feeling all sorry for Claire, though. She may have missed the Friendsgiving fun, but she made up for it yesterday and today. My friend Carrie went out of town for work, so what better time to have a sleepover with Carrie's dog, Tucker! They played constantly - from the second we picked him up to the time he returned home. I practically had to pull them apart to get them to do anything else: eat, sleep, and go for walks. And the only casualty of the past two days was Seahorse (view the remnants below); the reason Claire's other toys survived is because I put them away pretty soon after that.

Surprisingly, Claire and I slept better with Tucker around. Granted, the two of them took up the whole bed, so we know why SHE was comfortable. Even with my 1" of free mattress space, I was pretty cozy. Maybe it had something to do with all of the puppy warmth in my bed? What was interesting to me is that Tucker can get right up in Claire's face and she doesn't mind. Usually she is big on personal space, but only a select few of her friends can cross this line - including Tucker. They were cuddling together all night with Tuck's head resting on her neck. Sweetest thing ever!

Check out a few Instagram pics from Claire and Tucker's time together:

coping with DST.

Daylight Savings Time: the bane of my existence. I like getting up when it's light outside, but to get out of work at 5pm when it's already dark really puts a damper on things. Like my outside playtime with Claire. And my social life, for that matter, which largely revolves around the dog park. What can I say? Most of my friends are dog people!

If your dog is a couch potato and is happy to sleep 23 out of 24 hours of the day, then you don't hate DST as much as I do. But for those of you who have active dogs, chances are that you are anxiously awaiting April - when DST ends.

I have to get creative this time of year. First off, we increase the number of days that Claire goes to daycare. Two times a week will suffice in the summer because we spend the off days at the park when I get out of work... but we bump it up to three times a week in the winter. My girl's gotta get some time in the sunshine, you know? For the two other work days, she chills at home and guards the house and catches up on sleep. But when I get home, energy abounds!!!!

Here's what's worked for us so far. On the days she doesn't go to daycare, we start the morning with a half mile walk. It's short and sweet because it is freezing outside - and we both hate ice cold weather - but it's just enough to wake me up and to give Claire time to do her business (she is easily distracted).

When I come home, we go for a mile walk and then hurry back inside to defrost ourselves. Then it's dinner time for both of us. After dinner, we either do 15 minutes of training (gotta keep our manners polished) or we play a rousing game of hide and seek. The only problem with this is that my house is tiny and Claire is rapidly figuring out that I can only hide in five places during the game. But hey, we make it work. After that, Claire gets a raw marrow bone which keeps her happy and busy for an hour or so. Then it's quiet time for both of us - reading or journaling for me, and tearing apart toys for her. Actually, it's just one toy, and I re-stuff it when she isn't looking. Don't tell.

Weekends, of course, are very different for us. I try to spend the majority of the weekends with Claire, whether we are by ourselves or hanging out with friends. I'm excited for this weekend, in particular, because it is the First Annual Friendsgiving in Nashville! We will be spending all of Sunday with our pals to celebrate the holiday early, since most of us will be with our families on the actual day of Thanksgiving. Stay tuned, y'all - pictures will be sure to come soon!

hello again!

After a few weeks, I'm glad to report that: we're baaaack!

I got back to the States last week from my missions trip to Uganda, and it's been a tough transition - I'm still experiencing major reverse culture shock. Claire got back last week from overnight camp, and it took her a full week to recover from all of the fun she had with her friends at Bark-O-Lounge. To help us both out, we've been having a lot of quiet time together - long walks to start our days and end our days, and lots of snuggles and smooches. It's really helped us both to get back into a routine.

This transition isn't the only one we're dealing with, however. As I mentioned before, I quit my job right before I left the country. Then I spent a few weeks having life-changing experiences in Uganda. Then I came back and immediately started a new job. Then our roommate moved out, so we suddenly have our house to ourselves again. All of these situations are awesome in and of themselves, but when they all happen within a six-week period of time, it can get a little overwhelming!

Because of all these changes, you will be hearing from us a little bit less this month. My goal is to blog at least once per week in November and then kick it back up to twice a week in December. Stick with us, will you? It's important to me that we don't just disappear from the blogosphere [I just love ya so much, LWC friends!], but I do need to make sure that I'm taking time to process everything from the trip, adjust to my new job, spend a solid amount of time with Claire each day, and still manage to get some sleep. But, like I said, we'll be back to normal in December.

Also, we'll be having a giveaway next week - it's a good one, too! All animal lovers will want to enter - even if they don't have a dog themselves. Now that's saying something, isn't it?! So stay tuned, y'all.

  

weekend recap (and a celebrity sighting!)

Guess who was hanging out in Nashville this past weekend. A celebrity, y'all: Lauren from Life with Desmond. And friends, let me tell you that she's as awesome in real life as she is in the blogosphere. Her husband is equally as awesome, and I really think he needs to guest post over at LwD, too. [And please feel free to get comment-happy on her blog to try and get him to agree to this idea]. Of course, I didn't think to get an autograph a picture with them, so there's no real proof that I actually met them, but I can promise that we all had a great time chatting for hours at dinner. I'm really hoping they come back to visit - and I'm still hoping that maybe Desmond will be able to come along too so that he can hang out with Claire.

What else, what else... My goal this past weekend was to spend as much time outside as possible. Claire was more than happy to come along. We hung out with friends at the park, went swimming in the river [attached to a leash, which wasn't ideal, but hey, I learned from last time], and took a walk through the woods - we even had a close encounter with a bold little fawn before he pranced off through the fields [perhaps he would've stuck around longer if Claire hadn't been jumping around and screeching with frustration that she couldn't go chase him]. All in all, I'd say it was an excellent weekend for both of us!

A big thanks to those who emailed, FB'd, and commented on this blog post from last week. I feel much better knowing that Claire's response is a normal one, but I've also decided that I need to engage with her more while we're together at the park. Over the last couple days, instead of sitting on a bench chatting with friends, I've been making a point to keep moving -- we walk around the park, run, play fetch, etc. I've noticed a big difference in Claire in that she not only plays with me, but she also has been spending more time actually playing with other dogs. I'd say that these trips have been much more fulfilling for her, so we'll just keep on doing our thing!

Hope you all had a great weekend too. Don't they just go by way too fast?

    

positive-reinforcement training.

I think we need to step up the training. Or I do, rather. Little One's anxiety has been gradually kicking in again. I think it's happened so gradually that I didn't even realize it until a friend commented about it the other day while we were at the park. My friend commented (with part humor and part seriousness) that Claire doesn't like many dogs. Maybe I'm biased, but I just don't think that's it. I mean, she's around dogs all the time at daycare and she is just fine. And again, she's great with the dogs that she knows. I guess I've always thought that it was normal for some dogs to need a little space when meeting new dogs. But maybe that's just "normal" for Claire...?

I've always been aware that Claire's anxiety mainly manifests itself in that she is leash-reactive, and we have continued to work on that; I'm seeing improvement there, mainly because we work on it every time we go for walks. But as I look back on the past few months, I find that, when we're at the park, she is only 100% comfortable around the dogs she knows. She hates when puppies jump all over her, and she gets nervous when dogs get in her face - even if they're just coming up to say hello. Her reaction is to give them one quick bark, and then she removes herself from the situation. I'm proud of her for doing this, but ideally, she wouldn't react at all and would just walk away. What are your thoughts? Am I overreacting and making this a bigger deal than it needs to be?

I'm big on positive-reinforcement training. It promotes trust and confidence. That's why, if you're around me and Claire, you'll notice that I praise her a lot with either treats or "life rewards" such as positive touch and verbal praise. I don't yell at her for doing something wrong, and I would never ever cause discomfort or pain. On the rare occasions that she needs a scolding, she gets a stern voice and a time-out immediately after whatever incident occurred. Instead of saying "no" all the time, I redirect her to do the correct thing and then I praise her for it. I'm a firm believer that positive-reinforcement training is the best training method for all dogs, but especially for dogs who deal with anxiety. This is why it's the best fit for Claire. So now it's time to kick it up a notch to get her over this hurdle.

dog days of summer.

It's been a little quiet here on the home front over the past few weeks, mainly because Claire and I have been soaking up the last little bits of summer. We've been going on lots of walks and hikes, and of course we've been frequenting the dog park as much as possible before the days get shorter.

So, for your Instagram recap, here's what we've got:

• Claire and Tucker playing frisbee/tug
• Sitting on Katie's lap while getting some love from Patrick
• Doing her best impression of a person - it's good, isn't it?!
• Playdate with the ever-so-handsome Chase
• Smiling all pretty
• Hanging out with Sooki -aka- taking all of Sooki's bones/toys for herself
• Staying cool with Courtney in the office at Bark-O-Lounge [picture courtesy of Miss Courtney]
• Muddy dog park feet
• Relaxing in the shade under a bench at the park
• Sleeping soundly

We hope you all have been enjoying the end of summer too! I love the warm weather, but I'm actually quite ready for the fall season this year. There have just been too many 100* days for us here in Nashville!