So, upon getting our new little furry bundle of joy... a couple of people referenced the dog Marley from the story Marley and Me. We hoped that we were not getting a handful of trouble like Marley, though we would love him either way.
He has been very good with training so far. The potty training is a work in progress but it has been one with more positive results then negative.
He knows the commands for Sit and Come. We are working on Heal and Stay.
He also knows Lay Down and Paws. He is AMAZING at fetch, he brings it back every time until he is done with the game and ready to move one. We are also working on "Drop It"... it's been a 50/50 result there.
Not bad for a pup at 11 weeks! I have been utterly impressed with his intellect!
Anyhoo... we are crate training him and he loves his room. It is the kind of crate where the door needs to be lifted in order to get the latch into the corresponding loop and then there is an additional lock to secure the door from being lifted to open.
Last week Charlie woke me up with a little whine. I woke up thinking "Well that's odd, he sounded like he was in our room on the floor..." I sat up to see him sitting on the floor next to our bed and woke my husband up to point it out.
This little stunt earned him a new nickname (among the few he already has). He is now aka Houdini. :)
This time was our fault for failing to lock the lock thinking he wouldn't be able to lift the door to open it. Well lesson learned.
Or was it.... This morning at 5am I hear a bark. I decide to get up to see if Charlie needs to go outside. When I walked out of my room I see three pairs of my husband's shoes sitting outside his crate (the shoes are almost bigger then the dog) and the crate door is wide open, but charlie is no where to be seen.
I call for him and he comes running out of the living room. Very excited to see me. I am not sure how long he was out, but I decided to take him out just in case. He seemed scare when I picked him up and huddled close to me. My guess is that he knew he had been a bad boy and was worried he was in trouble.
He had a few accidents inside while he was out, so naturally he didn't have to go when we were outside.
I placed Houdini back into his room, gave him a cookie and closed and LOCKED the crate door and proceeded to go back to bed for my last 2 hours of sleep before I had to get up for work.
I checked with my hubby and he says that he locked it. So we are not sure how Houdini managed the great escape this time. Part of me is tempted to get a little nanny cam to catch it next time. Would be interesting to see.
Just thought it was a funny story. Hope you enjoyed it. :)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Words to Live By...
Just some inspiration quotes I've found that I like and wanted to share...
"Today is a choice. Today I choose grace over impatience, laughter over worry, and beauty over negativity." -Carly Price
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” - Maria Robinson
“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” - Flora Whittemore
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” - Pericles
“Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.” - Unknown Author
“Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours” - Swedish Proverb
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston Churchill
“You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” - Ralph Marston
That's all for now... I'll be back when I have something blog-worthy to talk about. :)
"Today is a choice. Today I choose grace over impatience, laughter over worry, and beauty over negativity." -Carly Price
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” - Maria Robinson
“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” - Flora Whittemore
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” - Pericles
“Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.” - Unknown Author
“Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours” - Swedish Proverb
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston Churchill
“You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” - Ralph Marston
That's all for now... I'll be back when I have something blog-worthy to talk about. :)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Puppy Love
My husband and I finally (after almost 3 years) got a new dog. Our last dog came to us late in his life and we loved him very much. Unfortunately we had to put him down right before our wedding because he got sick and there were few options that were fair to him.
After waiting until we were ready, we starting looking for one a while back. We decided to check out the classifieds. The old school way of advertising for pets and sales, etc. in your local area. We ended up answering an ad on eBay Classifieds for Lab Mix pups in Brooklyn, NY.
We drove out on May 14th and got us a cute little fur-baby boy. He is 8 weeks old and he is BEAUTIFUL. He is a Silver Lab mix. I had never heard of a silver lab before... so I googled it and they are gorgeous and rare... He is Gray with Blue Eyes. His coloring is so unique and his eyes just make him one gorgeous pup.
His name is CHARLIE (I call him Stinky sometimes too, lol). You can see his picture over in the right column. Stay tuned for more pictures of Charlie as I am in LOVE with him and completely obsessed with taking his picture. I refer to myself as the Puparazzi. ;) I think I will update the pic as he gets bigger & older...
We took him to his first vet appointment where he tested negative for worms & parasites. YAY!! He had his nails trimmed and was given his distemper shot. Going back in three weeks for round two.
We are finally getting a crate for him tonight and will begin his crate training. He has been as good as can be expected being gated in the kitchen. He has minimal accidents and he is getting so good at going potty outside. :) The crate training will just bring that to 100% no accidents when we're at work & in between our breaks to come home and let him out.
We've also started the BELL training for outside. Ivan Pavlov is a genius (If you don't know, google it)! Our vet recommended that we place a bell on or near the door to outside and ring that bell every time we take him outside to go potty. Within a couple of days he should pick it up and go ring the bell to let us know he needs to go out. I really hope this works because that would be AWESOME!!! :) We are on day three of that training today.
I am so excited about him that I had to share. I am sure many of my upcoming blogs will be about Charlie or Charlie related things. :)
Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by.
After waiting until we were ready, we starting looking for one a while back. We decided to check out the classifieds. The old school way of advertising for pets and sales, etc. in your local area. We ended up answering an ad on eBay Classifieds for Lab Mix pups in Brooklyn, NY.
We drove out on May 14th and got us a cute little fur-baby boy. He is 8 weeks old and he is BEAUTIFUL. He is a Silver Lab mix. I had never heard of a silver lab before... so I googled it and they are gorgeous and rare... He is Gray with Blue Eyes. His coloring is so unique and his eyes just make him one gorgeous pup.
His name is CHARLIE (I call him Stinky sometimes too, lol). You can see his picture over in the right column. Stay tuned for more pictures of Charlie as I am in LOVE with him and completely obsessed with taking his picture. I refer to myself as the Puparazzi. ;) I think I will update the pic as he gets bigger & older...
We took him to his first vet appointment where he tested negative for worms & parasites. YAY!! He had his nails trimmed and was given his distemper shot. Going back in three weeks for round two.
We are finally getting a crate for him tonight and will begin his crate training. He has been as good as can be expected being gated in the kitchen. He has minimal accidents and he is getting so good at going potty outside. :) The crate training will just bring that to 100% no accidents when we're at work & in between our breaks to come home and let him out.
We've also started the BELL training for outside. Ivan Pavlov is a genius (If you don't know, google it)! Our vet recommended that we place a bell on or near the door to outside and ring that bell every time we take him outside to go potty. Within a couple of days he should pick it up and go ring the bell to let us know he needs to go out. I really hope this works because that would be AWESOME!!! :) We are on day three of that training today.
I am so excited about him that I had to share. I am sure many of my upcoming blogs will be about Charlie or Charlie related things. :)
Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by.
Friday, May 6, 2011
People are People
We are all made up of the same materials. Bone, Blood, Tissue, Organs, Skin, Hair... Heart, Mind, Body & Soul.
Who cares what color my skin is or what God I do or do not pray to?
Am I not a person just like you?
There is no need for uniformity in a world as big as the one we live in. Each man and woman has a right to be an individual, practice what ever faith they choose and LIVE their lives. The freedom to choose our own thoughts and actions is what God, any god, intended when we were created; otherwise we would not have Free Will.
Is it really justifiable to hate someone because their views are different from yours? Is it any better to hate them because their skin is a different color than yours or because their religion has them practice their faith differently from ours?
Should a community of men be punished for one man's actions?
Fear and Ignorance only spread more fear and ignorance... try spreading LOVE and ACCEPTANCE and KNOWLEDGE and PEACE...
The lyrics of John Lennon's song "Imagine" still ring true today, even 40 years after they were originally released...
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
I think it's about time we listen to his message. We could change the world....
Who cares what color my skin is or what God I do or do not pray to?
Am I not a person just like you?
There is no need for uniformity in a world as big as the one we live in. Each man and woman has a right to be an individual, practice what ever faith they choose and LIVE their lives. The freedom to choose our own thoughts and actions is what God, any god, intended when we were created; otherwise we would not have Free Will.
Is it really justifiable to hate someone because their views are different from yours? Is it any better to hate them because their skin is a different color than yours or because their religion has them practice their faith differently from ours?
Should a community of men be punished for one man's actions?
Fear and Ignorance only spread more fear and ignorance... try spreading LOVE and ACCEPTANCE and KNOWLEDGE and PEACE...
The lyrics of John Lennon's song "Imagine" still ring true today, even 40 years after they were originally released...
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
I think it's about time we listen to his message. We could change the world....
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Be the change you want to see in the world...
It is so easy to judge others, that we sometimes forget to judge ourselves. It is often times easier to point out other people's flaws then to acknowledge our own.
There is no such thing as perfection and we should be glad of that fact! If there were a concrete example of perfection in this world, none of us would measure up and think about what that would do to our self worth.
There are so many other, BIGGER, things going on in the world around us. Death, Sickness, Wars, Homelessness, Starvation, Torture, Hate, Disasters and the list goes on.
Do we really believe that all the little things that irk us daily are more tragic than the actual tragedies that take place on a daily basis around the world?!?!
We are minuscule in the scheme of things. In the population of our planet I am one of BILLIONS. Yes, Billions. My strife is nothing compared to the real life struggles of people far less fortunate around the globe.
So, if love and positivity can spread from person to person and become continuously contagious. Then maybe we could all learn to start leading by example.
Love begets love, just as hate begets hate and if knowledge begets knowledge, then ignorance begets ignorance.
This world, the whole world, could use a lot more love and a lot less hate. A lot more acceptance and a lot less judgment.
Change starts with one person. It starts with me and continues with you.
"Be the change you want to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
There is no such thing as perfection and we should be glad of that fact! If there were a concrete example of perfection in this world, none of us would measure up and think about what that would do to our self worth.
There are so many other, BIGGER, things going on in the world around us. Death, Sickness, Wars, Homelessness, Starvation, Torture, Hate, Disasters and the list goes on.
Do we really believe that all the little things that irk us daily are more tragic than the actual tragedies that take place on a daily basis around the world?!?!
We are minuscule in the scheme of things. In the population of our planet I am one of BILLIONS. Yes, Billions. My strife is nothing compared to the real life struggles of people far less fortunate around the globe.
So, if love and positivity can spread from person to person and become continuously contagious. Then maybe we could all learn to start leading by example.
Love begets love, just as hate begets hate and if knowledge begets knowledge, then ignorance begets ignorance.
This world, the whole world, could use a lot more love and a lot less hate. A lot more acceptance and a lot less judgment.
Change starts with one person. It starts with me and continues with you.
"Be the change you want to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Mental Nurishment
If there is one thing I have learned, it's that the only thing in this world that I have absolute control over is myself.
No matter how much any of us would like to control what happens around us, we ultimately cannot.
However, we can control the way WE deal with any given situation. The choices we make shape us as individuals and are a part of who we become.
I've come to terms that however much I may disagree with something, I have two choices; accept it or change it. That which cannot be accepted must be changed and that which cannot be changed must be accepted.
I'm content in the fact that as long as I am happy with the way I handle myself, then it doesn't really matter what other people think. There is no "right" way of living your life... but there is a positive way and a negative way. Your choices determine which side of that spectrum you fall on.
I intend to live mine on the positive side.
Just some food for thought.
No matter how much any of us would like to control what happens around us, we ultimately cannot.
However, we can control the way WE deal with any given situation. The choices we make shape us as individuals and are a part of who we become.
I've come to terms that however much I may disagree with something, I have two choices; accept it or change it. That which cannot be accepted must be changed and that which cannot be changed must be accepted.
I'm content in the fact that as long as I am happy with the way I handle myself, then it doesn't really matter what other people think. There is no "right" way of living your life... but there is a positive way and a negative way. Your choices determine which side of that spectrum you fall on.
I intend to live mine on the positive side.
Just some food for thought.
Friday, April 29, 2011
MUSIC!!!
I love that music has the ability to enhance your mood. I don't know if this is the case for everyone but I find that music can make my moods.
When I am happy and I hear an upbeat tune with inspiring lyrics, I can't help but feel that everything will be OK. That no matter what, you're attitude can totally change a situation for good or bad.
We're human, so of course we get upset or angry or down on ourselves... that's only natural. But if we can take a step back and gain some perspective on our situation vs. the world or any given person who has it way worse then we do... we realize that we can and will go on.
What I'm saying is music makes me happy when it's happy. I feel like it lifts my spirits and give me that extra push in the right direction.
Even when I am upset or angry and I am listening to music that lets me channel those emotions by singing along or even just blasting it while I clean my house... it helps me vent in a way that sometimes talking never could.
Even simply singing in my church choir lifts my spirits and makes my shoulders feel lighter.
My point? Music can make any given situation better, so long as you choose the right tune for the right moment.
So turn your radio UP people!!!
Have a great weekend! :)
When I am happy and I hear an upbeat tune with inspiring lyrics, I can't help but feel that everything will be OK. That no matter what, you're attitude can totally change a situation for good or bad.
We're human, so of course we get upset or angry or down on ourselves... that's only natural. But if we can take a step back and gain some perspective on our situation vs. the world or any given person who has it way worse then we do... we realize that we can and will go on.
What I'm saying is music makes me happy when it's happy. I feel like it lifts my spirits and give me that extra push in the right direction.
Even when I am upset or angry and I am listening to music that lets me channel those emotions by singing along or even just blasting it while I clean my house... it helps me vent in a way that sometimes talking never could.
Even simply singing in my church choir lifts my spirits and makes my shoulders feel lighter.
My point? Music can make any given situation better, so long as you choose the right tune for the right moment.
So turn your radio UP people!!!
Have a great weekend! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)