Summer Lovin' Had Me a Blast AND Happened so Fast

A post title "tribute" to one of my favorite movies "Grease"! But seriously, where did summer go?

In case you didn't already know, I love my puppy to pieces! We've had such a fun and relaxing summer. Today was our first official day back to the real world. I have trainings and meetings all week, so Gus is back to long days at daycare.

So what did Gus and I do over the past few months?
#1 We love each other and perfected the art of cuddling and sleeping in.
#2 We both like to hang out in the yard; Gus digging and me lounging!
#3 We miss Daddy while he is at work; so we read a lot, watch random movies, and do projects around the house.
#4 We both got some training from Ms. Cindi to learn how we should behave better.
#5 We worked on my classroom to get ready for 29 second graders.
#6 Relax, Relax, Relax
#7 I'm sure there's more but since today was the first day back my brain is on overload and can't quite remember all the things we did...

I actually got a blog post done tonight because this pup is soooo tired! He came home and has been asleep for 3 hours! It's almost bed time and he hasn't had dinner yet. Poor guy is pretty tired!

Hopefully tomorrow the forgetful mom will remember to pack a lunch for him!

Balls=Fun

Balls are one of Gus' favorite outdoor toys. He loves to kick, chase, chew, fetch, and run around with them in his mouth. I got some small gator skinned dodge balls and a soccer tug toy for him; these can provide hours of fun for this energetic puppy! Sometimes he can't decide which one he should play with. Frequently a ball goes missing in the bushes and when we find them Gus is sooooo excited!

New Things Scare Me A Little

Oh my... watching a puppy discover the world around them is pretty hilarious at times! Gus is learning about new things all the time. His most recent discoveries include the fan. We've had some warmer weather over the past few weeks and brought down the fans from the attic. Gus isn't quite sure about these yet, and doesn't realize the effect a fan has on other things, like making a curtain blow around. Last week Mr. Tough Guy didn't want to come in the bedroom and kept growling at the wall. Hmmm... what is upsetting you? I soon figured out it was the fan; so I walked over to it to show him that it was not going to hurt me, that upset him even more and he was about to attack the fan to save his mama. After I turned it off he came over and thoroughly sniffed it and from that point on the fan seemed OK. This morning while lounging together (my first real day of summer), Gus was growling at the wall again. I moved the fan a few days ago to my side of the bed, so now the fan is blowing the curtain back and forth. At first I thought, maybe there is something outside that he hears; nope, it's the curtain moving that looks like a big, scary monster in our bedroom. The discoveries of Gus are pretty cute; too bad his mom is a serious space cadet and can't figure out what the problem is quick enough to ease his worries.

My Baby at Daycare

The wonderful caretakers at The Whole Pup took this picture of my boy a few weeks ago at daycare! I think it captures his innocence and inner peace; he is such a happy boy! I'm so thankful that we have found a place that we can take our boy and know that he is getting the love and attention that he craves.

Sunshine

My first weekend of summer break and it was beautiful! Gus, David, and I spent a lot of time outside. Gus loves spending time on his bed in the shade or sprawled out on the grass catching some rays. Gus even has his own puppy pool; he loves to get his toes wet and cool off. Gus is becoming more independent and can keep himself busy playing for quite awhile these days. If David or I hang out on the patio he is happy and content to stay outside for hours. Here are a few pictures of our day in the sun on Sunday!

Doggy Daycare at The Whole Pup

Gus just finished his first full week at daycare.  The week prior, he attended 3 half days. He is one tired and happy pup! I have nothing but great things to say about The Whole Pup; it is wonderful! Gus is so excited to go in each morning and when we bring him home each night he's ready to cuddle with his tired mommy and daddy. He's learning how to socialize with other people and pups and we know that he is kept busy all day with puppy friends while we're at work.

Gus loves to cuddle with us on the couch!

Gus Gus Goes to Long Beach

This past Memorial Day weekend, Gus went on his first trip to Long Beach, WA! He had a great time digging in the sand, playing with new dog friends, and meeting new human friends.

Gus doesn't mind long truck rides at all. He slept most of the 5 hour drive and was such a trooper when we got stuck in traffic.

We went on many drives and walks on the beach. Gus enjoys the ocean water touching his toes and loves to explore the treasures in the sand.

Gus met many doggy friends. We stayed at Savaria's; so he met Angel, Rainy, and Misty. He loved playing with them outside and smelling all the new scents. Gus also met Boone and Rosy. Rosy was a little wild for him, but he loved playing with calm Boone dog.

We look forward to many more fun trips with Gus Gus!

Gus' First Visit with Furry Uncle Banzai

Gus' dog uncle, Banzai, lives on Whidbey Island with his humans, Arlo and Judy. Gus went for a visit when he was 8 weeks old. It wasn't love at first sniff for Banzai, but I think Gus loved him. The cute pictures below, capture the fun Gus had on his first visit!

Such a little pup! 

Don't you want to play with me?!

Please!!!!!!

Lucky Puppy Has a Full Time Nanny

Gus is such a lucky pup! He has the best auntie Maija, that has been his full time nanny while his parents go to work. Nanny Maija is great! She trains, walks, feeds, plays, takes Gus new places... the list goes on and on. He is so well behaved because of this awesome gift we've had from Maija. Maija is leaving for doggy school on June 9, so Gus will start his doggy daycare adventure at The Whole Pup while his mama finishes out the school year teaching. Next school year we hope he might be trained to stay at home alone. 

Car Rides and Truck Rides

Gus liked car rides from the beginning. He loves to ride in his mama's bug with the convertible top down and his daddy's big truck. He goes on the Whidbey Island ferry once a month to visit his vet and he doesn't mind the ferry either. He is a very flexible puppy and not afraid to try new things. 

After I had been taking Gus for rides for a few weeks, I knew I wanted to get him a puppy seat belt. Not only was I worried about him at every stop light and turn, but his grandma kept bugging me about keeping him safe. 

So Gus and I went on a trip to Mud Bay Pets to find a seat belt! The lady there was so nice and helped me get a very wiggly and excited puppy into a seat belt. At 3 months old a large belt fit Gus! We got the Bergan brand puppy seat belt and I would highly recommend it!  

Right away I was so happy with this $30.00 purchase, not only did I have peace of mind while we were driving all over town, but Gus seemed happier and more secure. My attention was also put back on the road and driving and not my little guy.

Tasty Treats

Gus loves treats! We went a bit overboard with treats when he was little because he didn't want to eat very much of his food and we thought he was too skinny. Now we are more stingy with treats... he gets treats for doing the right thing, tricks, being a good boy, or to keep him busy when he goes into crazy puppy mode. 

One of his favorite treats are Bully Sticks. These are a little more expensive than other treats, but they are totally worth it. Sometimes he will spend a half hour alone in his kennel with a Bully Stick. The small, spiral shaped ones were good at first when he was a small pup, but now we have to get the thicker stick type, which will last a few days.

He also loves Himalayan dog chews, jerky treats, freeze dried chicken, and milk bones. 

Gus with a Himalayan dog chew!

Toys, toys, toys...

Gus loves toys. Big toys, small toys, wet toys, and furry toys. Gus also thinks a few other things should be toys; like shoes and socks. He is very good with his stuffed toys and doesn't tear things apart. Blue was the same way, he had some of his stuffed toys for years and would never ruin them.

Blue and his toys!

 I find toys at many stores; some of my favorites are Mud Bay Pets, Petsmart, Petco, Ross, Home Goods, Target, Wal-Mart and QFC. It's funny the different things you can find in the small pet aisle at your grocery store, but some of Gus' favorite toys come from there. If you have a dog or puppy I highly recommend getting a toy that you can put treats into, that way they have to work a little to get a treat. 

Water is one of Gus' new found toys, he loves drinking and playing with water in the bath tub. 

Stole my Heart the First Night

We brought Gus home on March 8, 2014! He was so little and sweet. Right away I could tell he was a cuddler. The first few days he only had eyes for David, which was fine with me, I just didn't want him  to be sad and miss his 9 brothers and 1 sister. 

The first few weeks Gus Gus got up every two hours to go potty; such a good puppy he only ever had a few indoor accidents. He was such a funny, clumsy pup- falling here and there. He couldn't even get up on his stacked beds for awhile, which was so cute and funny to watch him try to climb on up. David, Gus and I fell in love right away. 

Heart Shape on his Belly

Princess and the Pea

Our empty house had been filled with puppy love. We still have a huge whole in our hearts from our loss of our big baby Blue, but we feel that Blue helped us find Gus.

Big Blue