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Wake-up Bark

Sorry -- still no new pictures! It's been a pretty busy week both at work and at home. I didn't even get to go shopping or get my pedicure. Oh well.

Anyway, this morning my alarm went off at 6:00 am and of course, I immediately hit the snooze button. It went off exactly 7 minutes later, and again, I hit the snooze button. 7 minutes later... my alarm went off for the third time and yes, you guessed it, I hit the snooze button. Well, since I usually get up to walk Palmer a few minutes after the first alarm, Palmer must've heard all the alarms and realized that I was having difficulty getting up so he decided to help by barking 4 or 5 times through his door! It was my morning wake-up bark, thanks Palmer!

First Weekend Away

So, this weekend will be the first time I leave Palmer!! In my absence, my sister and Johnny will tag-team to watch Palmer so I guess I really don't have anything to worry about. They are, after all, #2 and #3 on Palmer's list of Humans that Give Me Treats, Pet, and Fawn Over Me so I'm sure he'll be fine. My main concern is that he'll start to freak when he's put back into his (bath)room. He suffers slightly from separation anxiety (what a baby, I know!) and if you don't put him into his room properly, he'll start to scratch and bite at the door. I don't care so much that I'll have to repaint the bottom 6 inches of the door but I do worry that Palmer will stress himself out. I've noticed that its not the duration of the absence that determines his level of anxiety but the departure. So... if you are with me when its time to leave Palmer to sleep or before I go to work, I'll place him in the bathroom calmly, solftly roll his Kong dog toy with treats into his room, tiptoe away, carefully pick up my keys to minimize the jingle, tiptoe out my door, and silently close and lock my condo so Palmer doesn't realize he's been left alone. Haha! I am tired just thinking about it. Can you imagine when I have to leave my first born!?

Poor Palmer

So to add some excitement to my weekend, Palmer threw up twice. Sunday night, after our evening walk, Palmer decided to leave my mom a regurgitated present at the front door. The following morning, after gulping down some am water, Palmer yacked again! I read up on what could have caused him to throw up and I'm blaming it on the late dinner. I was a bad doggie mommy and fed him a little later than usual and because he scarfed down the food and water at an unbelievable speed, his little doggie tummy got all funky. Anyway, I'm not too terribly worried and will probably just monitor him closely over the next few days. It hasn't even been 24 hours since the last time he threw up and he seems to be doing just fine...

Happy Friday!

I'm being bad and posting while at work but hey, today is Friday! Hooray! Yesterday, Johnny and I took Palmer around South Pasadena and explored the cozy little restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques within walking distance from Johnny's house. I love living in Pasadena/South Pas area... especially because everyone is so dog-friendly! The coffee shop we went to last night had a jar of free doggie treats and doggie water bowls next to the outdoor tables. Everyone is very friendly when you have a little doggie walking with you and Palmer makes so many friends (both dog and human) everytime we go out!

Tomorrow morning, Johnny and I plan to take Palmer out with us for breakfast and then Palmer gets to visit my mom, dad, and brother. I'll be in the Cerritos area for a bridal shower, my friend's business event in the evening, and then I'll be back in Cerritos for church on Sunday. It's going to be a busy weekend for the P-dog!

Big Weenies.

After a few mistakes and minor setbacks with Palmer over the weekend, Johnny and I consulted some of our doggie-parent friends and have restrategized. We have to implement some discipline with Palmer but man, it's hard! When it comes to our cutie-pie of a dog, we are the biggest weenies. A simple wimper, or a sad, pouty look and Johnny comes running to console. For me, I'm a sucker for Palmer's perky ears and tilted, perplexed face.

Anyway, we stuck to our plan for the first night tonight with the peeing... socialized, played, and trained Palmer... and slowly left him to his den (bathroom) without any scratching or wimpering. I feel so accomplished! A special thank you to Johnny for his patience, understanding, and love for the P-dog.

p.s. Another thanks to Cher for taking Palmer with her on a run this afternoon. I'm sure Palmer loved it!

Weekend Update

As I type this, Palmer is back in confinement. Today, just a few minutes after I fed him, he proceeded to squat next to the fireplace in poopie-mode. I quickly yelled his name, attached his leash, and took him out for a bathroom break. Ok, so maybe he's not housetrained! Darnit, I've really got my work cut out for me.

I think its best to remind myself, as I wake up for the early morning walks, when I'm training with the clicker, and as I pick up doggie doo-doo, the inconveniences are all worth it for moments like this:

Yesterday, I brought Palmer with me to Cerritos to hang with my mom, dad, and brother... and to have dinner with my friends from the LBC (my OG friends from elementary and middle school). Since I was at dinner, Uncle Brandon took Palmer for a walk and my dad actually let Palmer play in his garden! If you know my dad at all, that is a big deal... way to win my dad over, Palmer!

As promised

Palmer taking cooking lessons from Johnny.

Sorry, no new pictures today. I am simply exhausted! Tomorrow it'll be 1 week with Palmer and it has been tiring adjusting my schedule to be sure I take good care of him. I was able to get some cute pictures of him lying next to the kitchen door while Johnny gave him some cooking lessons and also another one of him and Johnny playing... but I'll have to upload those another time.

This morning, Palmer and I went for our first run! We got up bright and early and rather than our slow pace around the block, we ran down the street to Arden, around the pretty neighborhood, past Cal Tech, and back home! By the end of our 2-mile route, Palmer was dragging his feet. And, for the first time, I left Palmer with free reign over the entire condo when I left for work this morning (minus the bedrooms and closets). Let's hope Cher doesn't come home to a mess this afternoon!!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Mystery solved

An investigation was opened to understand how the mischievious dog was able to escape his confinement. Our findings have revealed Palmer's unmatched ability to slip through the space between the doorway and the netting of our make-shift fence. Ok, so all Cher did was put him back into the bathroom and watched to see how he would do it but the point is... the mystery is solved. Hooray!

Last night, Palmer and I were playing with his blue bouncy ball in the courtyard of my complex and one of our neighbors (dog) started barking and howling at Palmer from inside. All of a sudden, Palmer's ears perked (so cute, you have to see it!) and he reached down into the depths of his heart to let out a soft, horse bark. It was like dog laryngitis! Adorable.

Anyway, I had to go into work last night so I brought Palmer with me to pick up Cheryl (and meet Jerry) and then dropped him off with Johnny. What a treat this was for Palmer (and for Johnny)... the two were outside Johnny's house for almost 2 hours playing and exploring South Pas. Its great that the two are bonding because it will certainly be difficult to get Johnny's attention when they hang out this Saturday... USC v. Nebraska and Palmer's first USC football game!

Crazy dog!

Today I came home from school around 2pm and when I opened the door Palmer almost jetted outside! I forgot we had a dog and so i was super surprised when he came running out. So i forced him back inside so i could drop off my stuff and he was totally jumping on me and panting and running around like crazy. So i guessed it was b/c he had to use the bathroom so i took him outside and he went to the bathroom like 5 different times. He practically ran down the stairs to get out. I don't know what that was all about but after i brought him back inside i started to ignore him and now he's just meandering about the condo. it was just so weird having him all super-hyper like that.

on another weird note: my sister keeps Palmer in the bathroom w/ a make-shift gate so the door is still open but both yesterday and today he escaped from the bathroom! I don't know how he did it b/c there wasn't any sign of him pushing the gate and i didn't see any crevices that he could have escaped thru...interesting development, at least he didn't poo or pee in the condo.

A Visit to Cerritos

After work, I came home to pick up the little guy from my condo and we made our way through traffic to Cerritos for some dogsitting with my mom and dinner with the girls for me. Above is a picture of Palmer falling asleep in the backseat. He started dozing the moment I turned on the engine! As you can see, the shaved spot on his forehead is growing in a bit already. Now if only his underside would do the same.

After dinner, Palmer's favorite aunties (minus Auntie Cher, of course) stopped by to say hello and play... too bad he's not looking at the camera! That will definitely go on the training list: holding a pose for pictures. He's not fully trained (or Filipino) until he learns to do that!! ;)

And then of course, by request, we stopped to visit Johnny on the way home so he could get some of his own Palmer lovin'. I think it really is becoming Palmer's trademark: a sit followed by a friendly handshake. Good boy!

Once we got home, we did a 10 minute training session on 'sit' and 'down' and washed up with some wipes, aloe vera, and peanut-flavored toothpaste to freshen that doggy breath. Mmmm. Palmer's sleeping well tonight.

Yummy

I can watch Palmer eat Peanut Butter all day long.

Firsts

Today Palmer had a few more 'firsts':

Today, there was a black standard poodle across the street and Palmer stopped, pointed his snout, and from deep in his belly started to grumble and growl. I thought I heard him growl yesterday at Petco but this could not have been mistaken. Palmer was either smitten with the other dog or really angry! One of the few sounds he has ever made!

The other 'first' involves Palmer's favorite past time. Yup, you guessed it, sleeping! As Johnny and I were relaxing in front of the TV this evening, Palmer was snuggled up against the door. I don't know what we did to him today (was it the extra session with the blue bouncy ball?) but he was so exhausted that he started snoring! It was like watching a baby sleep... Johnny and I froze, turned down the TV and listened to the poor dog snore.

I love that damn dog

First, I have to take credit for coming up with the name "Palmer." Second, I never thought I could love a dog this much. Freaking Palmer just has so much character.

Welcome home!

This weekend Johnny & I adopted a precious Cocker Spaniel / Golden Retriever mix from Perfect Pet Rescue Group. He came to us as 'Sketcher' but my sister, Johnny, and I decided on the name 'Palmer' instead (after Heisman winner and former USC quarterback, Carson Palmer).

My sister, Johnny, and I knew right away that he was the one! He's very sweet, shy, and well-behaved and is the perfect dog for a first-time dog mommy, I have to say! He's impressed me with his demeaner and the only frustration I have with him is his habit of scratching in 'that area' because he was just recently neutered. No, Palmer!

Though we've only been with him for 2 full days, his personality is clearly developing as he acclimates to his surroundings. The difference between the Saturday and Sunday is practically night and day! When we first brought him home, he was very cautious, quiet, and mild. When he wasn't eating (or scratching), he would meander to his cozy corner and fall asleep. He showed little interest in anything other than his treats. Cut to Sunday... Palmer was obviously more sure of himself as he decided to pee all over Petco (he was just fine on Saturday at Petco) leaving me to clean up the mess. Also, for the first time, he showed a lot of excitement and captivation in a blue bouncy ball Auntie Rachel found at Petco! It's now his favorite toy and will do anything to keep it in his possession.

This morning, Palmer made me very very proud! I live on the 2nd level and Palmer is usually very very intimidated by the stairs that lead up to my home. We figure he's probably afraid of heights because though he's just fine with a normal set of stairs, you can see the ground through each step on these stairs. But this morning, we reached another milestone... with much coaxing, Palmer made it up to the 2nd floor, one nervous, shaking step at a time! He definitely earned his doggie treats this morning!

I'll leave you with a picture of Palmer sporting his birthday gift from Auntie Rachel and Uncle Ephraim: a USC sweater! A tad too hot for now but once the weather cools down, he'll be wearing cardinal and gold! Thank you!