A Night Without Sonn

At first it seemed like a great idea to send Sonny to the kennel for some much needed R&R (ours, not his); and then we watched "The Secret Life of Pets" and Max, a/k/a tiny dog, reminded me so much of Sonny I started feeling really bad that he's not home with us. It's too tonight to go get him and so I'm going to try and put him out of my mind and not worry about him. He'll be fine. He always comes home happy, albeit a little indifferent. He's alway seems a bit more mature too.

I've already decided that I'm going to skip a standing meeting tomorrow evening in order to get home right away and scoop him. Then, after he's bathed, we'll cuddle up in our favorite chair and bond.

It's so strange how quiet the house is when he's gone and yet his energy is still here. His presence is so strong.

Enjoying some sunshine before his play date at the Kennel

Throwback Thursday

Sonny at 2 months old in his very first collar. Those eyes.

Wacky Wednesday Running

Nothing is funnier at the end of the work day than coming home to a pent up little Jack who cannot stop himself from racing around the house burning pent up energy. Watching him is a great stress release for me and I LOL at the rowdiness of it. Sonny tears it up by running back and forth as fast as he can up the stairs, onto the bed doing a quick turn on the comforter jumping off and running back down again in a loop that he doesn't stop until he's exhausted. The sight and the sound of it are sooo funny and cute!

His bursting around the house is one of only a few ways he can stretch his legs when he can't get outside due to the weather. Another is "cat and mouse" ball; it's one of our funnest games. I throw the ball up the stairs and when he chases after it, I run the other way and try to hide before he makes it back down. He's usually much faster than I am, but every once in a while I manage to make it to another room or around a corner where he has to look for me. It's good exercise for both of us.

Life would be too calm, quiet and boring without this handsome fun little guy in the in our lives.

Rays of sunshine coming down
Running running running round
Going crazy chasing ball
Jumping high landing low
Always under feet below

Funday Monday

For me, Mondays are just another day of the week that just so happen to fall the first day after the weekend. Fortunately, I have never been one to hate them. Getting up on a Monday morning has never made me feel resentful that the weekend is over. Don't get me wrong, I am not a super cheerful Monday morning person, just a resolved let's get it done kind of gal.

It's the Monday evenings that kick my butt. It's the one day of the week when I come home from work and don't want to do anything, but sack out on the couch and watch some TV. Sonny, however, doesn't see it that way. He wants to play and he doesn't care what kind of day I've had or what day of the week it is. I try to amp up my energy to give him the time he deserves.

Sonny School Sunday - Who's teaching Who

Today was a challenging day with Sonny.  He's been kind of bored lately and I have been kind of tired and a bit lazy when it comes to continued training. He tries my patience on many different levels and I fear he's wearing me out. At the dog park today there were no other dogs for him to play with. I pulled out the ball to play our first game of catch outside, ever, and it turned into a game of catch, run back toward me, run past and drop the ball beyond, ignoring it completely.

There are really only a handful of things that cause me stress when it comes to Sonny and his training. Things he knows, but doesn't obey: 1. come, 2. no bite, 3. no jump, and 4. drop. Drop and come are generally used simultaneously after he grabs an object and runs completely ignoring "come" and "drop." It's frustrating beyond comprehension sometimes and it's all I can do not to lose my temper. It makes me question what the hell I have done and/or are doing wrong.

I have to remind myself that you can't reason with a dog, especially a Jack Russell Terrier who is strong willed and determined to try and go his way. In his way, he reminds me that with patience and tolerance we will get past these challenging times. Because there are times when he does pause long enough to let me know he's thinking about doing the right thing and there are times when he actually does, sort of.

I also keep reminding myself that we are closer to the end of the puppy months and maturity will set in. Until then, patience and tolerance. Patience and tolerance. Patience and tolerance.

Training days and Sundays

You know when you say a word over and over again it starts to lose all meaning? Well that's how it is for me lately on days spent with Sonny during this crazy adolescent training/retraining time. I feel like I'm constantly hearing myself say, "Sonny" "Sonny come" "Sonny sit" "Sonny lay" "Sonny down" "Sonny off" "Sonny no jump" "Sonny drop it" ""Sonny quiet" "Sonny ..." "Sonny ..." "Sonny ... ."

Lying here in the quiet reflecting on the day and remembering the sometimes craziness of it all makes me wonder what the hell we were thinking in getting a puppy when we did. I know Sonny is going to be a great dog someday; he's almost there already, and I have to keep reminding myself that it's going to take more patience and tolerance before we get there fully. 

I always say you cannot reason with a dog; unfortunately, and I think it's up to us two-leggeds to make decisions with his best interests in mind so he can mature into a calm, happy and stable Jack. I also think we have to be careful not to tip the scales either way and be mindful of how we handle him in certain situations as I try to remember our training  with Lynda.

Yodee, our little female JRT before Sonny, was calm, sweet and quiet. She rarely barked, and by rarely barked I mean once every few weeks to a few months and then it would only be a quiet bark or two at a time; so few that when she did we were so surprised or question if we heard anything at all. She had her set of quirks for sure (nervous in cars, super anxious through thunder storms and fire works, and she wasn't much for cuddling), but we knew we lucked out with her as she was an older rescue and felt grateful she wasn't more damaged (DW believed she had been neglected).

Hurri was the polar opposite. He had a big personality and wasn't afraid to show it. Everyone who knew him continue to tell stories about him today - he's a bit of a legend! He didn't care for anyone getting to close to his favorite people, especially if he was on a lap, nor did he care to be home alone and would voice his frustration until someone came threw the door. A former neighbor once said that "he needed to learn a different song." And a friend commented to DW that "he's going to need a cough drop" his voice would go so horse it sounded more like a whisper. DW was his person and wouldn't let me get close to him sometimes, hearing me away from him if I ventured to close. For all his quirks, Hurri was one hell of a dog.

We have yet to see what kind of dog Sonny will turn into. Which ever way he goes, I'll stand by and enjoy the ride!

Our first Easter with Sonny

Our first Easter with Sonny has been a nice and relatively calm one. It's nearing day's end and Sonny has a fresh Himalayan cheese stick. His behavior with it is quite odd and I'm trying to figure out if he's attempting to hide it, bury it or just plain ignore it. These cheese sticks used to be one of his favorites, but because of his resource aggression he doesn't get them very often. However, because today is Easter, I wanted him to have an extra special treat.

He bores easily. Even after after a play at the dog park where he amped it up with another terrier mixed breed named AnnaBelle, outside time in the yard and on the deck and even more time outside his kennel.

Sonny recently turned one year. His baby months were nothing compared to these past couple of weeks and I those were intense in their own way. I can hardly wait for his next 1/2 year birthday when he'll start to settle into a calmer phase (or so I've been told). Trying to keep an adolescent JRT occupied and stimulated is a challenge. Every ball we bring home he bites open and pops; and, every toy we purchase he destroys by tearing out the stuffing - sometimes within the first minutes of play. It's very frustrating and quite costly; although, I haven't added it up (I'm kind of afraid to!).

He finally decided to sample his stick and has been enjoying it very much! I'm a little concerned about what we'll do when he chews through the whole thing. Hopefully it'll be nap time!

Sonny's first birthday

Sonny is one year old today!  When I think back to how little he was when he came to us and how big he is now I can hardly believe it. The year as a whole went by fast, but when pieced together incrementally, it hasn't. He's come so far in his maturity too (although now he's in the prime of his adolescence and he's a bit of a jerk some days). He's such a good boy and there are so many stories to tell of his "firsts," but this post today is about his first birthday!

Today has been a fun day for Sonny. It started with a homemade breakfast pancake from DW (gluten free, of course). Next was a car ride (the mere mention of the words "car ride" makes him so excited and each time he goes for one he is learning to be more and more calm) to his first visit at the dog park, which was a smashing success! He got to open it up and run sans leash, something we have been wanting for him for a long time.

He made a new friend named Bella and the two of them hit if off immediately.

After the dog park we stopped by the DQ and Sonny got to enjoy his very first pup cup. I was a bit concerned he'd develop a brain freeze, but DW was careful to give it in small increments. He loves vanilla!

Once home, and after some decompression time, Sonny got a really warm cleansing bath and he has been on the sofa sleeping it off ever since happy and content.

Happy Birthday, Sonny! Here's to a fun and feisty year ahead - if the next 12 months go as smoothly as the first, we'll be home free!