Holiday Time

I am still learning new things every day in NY.

This past week I learned that sometimes our routine changes because of the Holidays. 

That means Foster Mom and Dad are home for lots of days in a row and we play all the time! 

Since I am the youngest dog in the house, I am often the last one to fall asleep during nap time. 

I found this is a good time to explore. 

So guess what I found? 

A box full of toys to play with! 

Some squeak, some crinkle, some rattle and all of them are so much fun!

So fun in fact, that sometimes I take as many toys as I can out of the box and put them on my nap spot to save for later. 

Holiday time was fun, but now we are back to our work days...

Until the next Holiday, which Foster Mom says is a big one! She says we will get to play all day for 10 days with no work days!

Oliver the Leash Walker!

Hello again! Yesterday I had a very exciting day and I want to share it with you...

Foster Mom and Dad did the usual walk with my Foster siblings and left the side door open for me so I could come outside. 

Every time they did a lap around the circle, I was sitting there watching them. 

Foster Mom decided that today was the day that I was ready to try some leash walking. 

She was right! 

She leashed me up and off we went. It was really easy because all I needed to do was follow everyone else. 

I did two whole laps on a leash and I did GREAT!

When we got home I was a little nervous about going back into the yard through the fence, but I forgot to be nervous once Emmitt came back outside and showed me the way to come in. 

It was a big day for me!

Highlights!

This week, I got to meet a new-old friend...

Shine came up from the same shelter as me and now he is living with his new Foster People across the street! He came over to play a few times and we had so much fun! 

Here is a picture of our "Darlington Reunion"

Aren't we a handsome bunch?

 Another highlight is that I really love to play with toys! This is new to me because I wasn't quite sure what to do with all of these toys when I first got here. 

Now that I know how to play, I have even picked a few that are my favorites!

Another highlight is that I stay out of my cozy corner when people visit. I love to sit under the table when my Foster People are in the kitchen. They pet me and give me treats. Now, when new people come in, I don't run and hide. I just stay in my spot under the table. 

The final highlight is a big one...I go down the stairs by myself now in the morning! Before Friday, I was really nervous to go down those steep stairs. For 3 days in a row, I went right downstairs and outside to go potty! It's not as hard as I thought it would be (and it is much better than having to be carried downstairs every morning)!

I sure have had a lot of exciting days this weekend!!!

My Party

I woke up today and everyone was really excited.

My foster people told me that 11-11-11 was going to be my Birthday since they are so lucky I came to live with them.

After breakfast, I got some new toys and a brand new Birthday Bandana. 

I know that my foster people just LOVE to take pictures of me, but today they were pretty out of control! 

They took about 100 pictures of everything I did. 

The good news is I am not afraid of all the noises the big camera makes, so I didn't mind so much. 

We played all morning and then took some time to rest. 

During my rest, Foster Mom put on my Big Birthday Hat. I didn't mind it at all and it made my people smile a lot. 

Our rest turned into a nap. I shared a pillow with Emmitt, even though there are enough pillows and baskets around for each of us to have 2. I like sharing!

After we napped, we each got a special cookie and a chewy. This part of the day was my favorite! I love treats!

By the end of the day, I was super tired... Turning 1 is hard work!

My Big Dog Bed

This weekend I got a new bed. It's in the same place (next to Foster Mom's side of the bed) and it still keeps me nice and comfy...the difference is it isn't in my crate anymore! It is higher off the ground and I can look over and see Foster Mom when she is asleep. The first night I did that a few times, but now I just sleep and dream about playing with my friends!

I'm So Excited!

Sometimes my Foster Mom comes home after my Foster Dad. When this happens, we are usually playing outside. On days like this my Foster Mom sneaks up on us and surprises us. This makes me REALLY happy and excited. In case you have a hard time telling us apart, I have the Halloween collar on and Marv has the blue collar. I am always the first one to spot that sneaky Foster Mom...

Choices

This weekend was FULL of learning...

The most important thing I learned so far was how to choose the best spot in the house when playtime is over for the night. 

The other night, I really surprised my foster mom by sitting down right next to her and getting really close to her. 

Then, I let her lay down next to me (I could tell she had a BAD day at work and needed some Oliver Love). This was the first time I went to her when I wanted attention. 

The next night, I realized that there was a basket just my size in the living room, so I gave it a try. 

It was really cozy. The trouble was, every other dog in the house wanted to try it out too. 

I will come back to that basket once Marvin goes home. 

It was not a problem, since Zoey let me get on her favorite bed. She doesn't share with just any dog. 

I think she is learning to love me (more on that later). 

All of these choices sure did make me tired. This was the bed I chose to take a nice nap on. It did the trick ;)

My Halloween Day Adventure

Yesterday was a pretty exciting day at my foster house.

 First, we all got our very own pumpkins to play with.  

The pumpkins had different sizes, colors and tastes.

I nibbled on a few pumpkins.

Zoey shared her pumpkin with me and so did Emmitt. 

Marvin was a pumpkin hog and kept collecting all of the pumpkins he could get.

But we all kept stealing them back. It became a fun game we played. 

We also had so much fun rolling the pumpkins down the hill and chasing them. 

I never knew what these strange things were or how much fun they could be!

The next thing Foster Mom and Dad did was dress up all of the pups in silly costumes! 

Marv, Emmitt and Bently took turns saying hi to the kids when they came to the door. 

I watched from my side of the gate. 

Some of the people that always come over to visit me were so proud of me because I was walking around with people in the house. Foster Mama said I was making huge strides!

I didn't feel left out because Zoey, my foster sister, had to say hi to the kids from upstairs since she loves to bark when the door bell rings. Foster mama said Halloween is not for everyone and that's ok. 

I guess not every dog likes to show off like Marvin, Bently, and Emmitt!

It was a very exciting day for all of us!