this blog was in need of an update so here are a few pictures of palmer for your enjoyment

(top to bottom) Palmer driving Kim's car, Palmer begging for food from Gramps, Palmer in his argyle sweater vest and Mom

New raincoat

Poor kid! This is what his mommy brought home for him yesterday (much better than the Bed, Bath & Beyond bag, though!) :

p.s. I got engaged this weekend and am simply the happiest girl in the world right now. Thank you to everyone who has sent their regards. Johnny and I truly appreciate your love and support!

Finally, an update!

Happy New Year, folks. It's 2008 and we're back! You know, with the holidays, travel, and difficulty getting pictures for posting, I'm way overdue for an update.

So, while I was ringing in the new year in the Philippines, Palmer was sitting pretty with my dad in Cerritos. Can you say SPOILED? He spent his days running around the house and nights cozied up on the living room couch. In Pasadena, Palmer is lucky if he can even get a brief afternoon nap on the couch!

The moment I was back in the US, it started to rain... just in time for Palmer's walk. In an attempt to preserve that fresh dog shampoo smell (thanks for the bath Dad!), Johnny and I decided to use a makeshift raincoat for Palmer by cutting out leg holes and taping down a Bed, Bath, and Beyond bag to his body.

Here are some lovely pictures of Palmer in his pathetic raincoat:

Merry Christmas!

Palmer met Oreo recently (my aunt's 12-year old chihuahua) and the two seemed to hit it off quite well... most especially since Oreo kept trying to jump on to Palmer's backside. The second meeting was bordering boring since the two didn't seem to care the other dog even existed. They meandered around the house without any sort of interaction, save a sniff here and there. Palmer got a bit territorial when he was chewing on his rawhide once but other than that, the two existed in perfect harmony.

As much as Johnny hates when we dress Palmer up, we put him in Oreo's hat for a bit. Palmer entertained us for a few seconds but took it off when he realized he wasn't getting a treat for wearing it. Anyway, from Johnny, Palmer, and I... Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Obedience School Graduate

Palmer is officially an obedience school graduate! It was so nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. While I was leading Palmer through the 'testing', Johnny was playing nervous dog daddy by snapping blurry pictures of us from a distance.

Palmer doing a 'sit' in the blue hula hoop:

Palmer doing a 'sit-stay':

Palmer doing a 'down' in the red hula hoop:
Palmer doing a 'down-stay':We also got the opportunity to perform a trick for the rest of the class but I won't put a picture of that since I don't want to ruin the surprise. You will have to see that in person for yourself! :)

And then, they had a graduation 'ceremony' complete with graduation music, certificate, and a cute little red-star sticker on the doggie's little head. We are so proud of how far Palmer has come!

And a random picture of Palmer pretending to be a reindeer. He doesn't really like to wear the antlers but I tricked him into a down-stay (thank you, obedience school) long enough for me to take a picture. Happy Holidays!

Overdue

Wow, we're way overdue for a blog update, aren't we? We've just been so busy with all the work Johnny and I are tied up with, Christmas shopping, family dinners, etc. We had our Week 4 class last week and Palmer did so so well! We had to do a 'blind' recall where I had to hide out of Palmer's sight and call him to me. I was so nervous but Palmer came right when I called. We have our 'finals' next week and then graduation! Palmer will have to walk on leash without pulling, sit, down, sit stay, down stay, and perform a trick in order to graduate so we are cramming all week. Wish us luck.

Here is a recent picture of Johnny, Palmer, and me. I also have a cute video of Palmer trying to reach for his rawhide but blogger's server doesn't seem to like it. I'll try again later...

Week 3

Tonight was Week 3 of Palmer's obedience school and for the first time, we witnessed the magic of the Gentle Leader. We walked at the park today with about 10 other dogs (of all shapes, sizes, and personalities) and Palmer didn't bark, growl, or lunge at any of them. Why? Because of the Gentle Leader! It is an amazing leash training system that puts pressure around the dogs snout to communicate leadership in a non-aggressive way. Our homework for this week is to use the Gentle Leader whenever we take Palmer out for a walk.

After the park walk, we came back in to do some more recalls -- this time with our backs faced to the dog. Images of last week's recall failure flashed through my mind. I was short of breath and nervous that our practice over the Thanksgiving break wouldn't pay off. I walked to the end of the room, turned around and called for Palmer. Palmer... Palmer, Come here! A few seconds later, Palmer was by my side! Good boy, Palmer! We're making progress.