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Jan 29, 2001 (posted on March 21, 2001, sorry for the delay. Work had to come first) Hello everyone!
He got a report card from the groomer (below) that said he was a "Very good boy!" and an A+ for good behaviour. I'm quite pleased that my daily grooming of him is paying off. Last Thursday Murphy started doggy daycare - and came through with flying colours. I put him in daycare to try to get him used to other dogs. Usually, when we are on our walks, or at Ambleside (the dog park) Murphy hides behind me or rolls over onto his back when confronted by another dog. Lately he's been getting better, but I still thought daycare might do him some good. So I've been e-mailing facilities, going in for visits etc. The first place I tried was Planet Dogs (www.planetdogs.com - check out their webcam). They are close to us, and the cheapest on the north shore. But they have one big room for all the dogs, and only 2 people in with them. When I went to visit they had at least 30 dogs. I really wasn't comfortable with them and I didn't have any confidence that they could protect Murphy if a pack of the bigger dogs descended on him (which has happened at Ambleside).
Lisa only takes one first day dog per day, and only for 2 hours at a time. So Murphy went in for the afternoon. When we got out of the car, Murphy immediately heard barking, and froze. We nearly got hit by a car because he froze again while we were crossing the street. A bunch of the dogs were out in the front yard, behind the fence. Murphy was like "Oh no! What are you doing to me!" and kept trying to walk away. But in we went! Lisa slowly introduced him to the calmest, friendliest dogs, and I went back to work. I came back 2 hours later to find Murphy toddling around the front yard, tail and ears tucked, but seeming a little more comfortable. Lisa was very impressed with him, and said that he's ahead of his age group developmentally. Her only concern is that he jumps up all the time. But he got along well with the other dogs, apparently "everyone loved him". I assumed by "everyone" Lisa meant the people, but no, she meant the dogs. He wasn't too rambunctious and bothersome, so he fit right in. An he didn't run away from the other dogs, just sat down and let himself be sniffed, which is a good sign, apparently. We're going back on Tuesday for a longer visit. Lisa's worried that a full day might be too much because Murphy didn't rest at all while he was there. I was like "Um, he doesn't really do "resting". Unless he's in his crate, he's always on the go." Lisa seemed a little confused by that one. So we're going to try 4 hours next time, and work up to all day. All day costs $25, half day costs $15 and 2 hours costs $10. So, needless to say, this isn't going to be an everyday thing. Maybe a once a week thing. March 21, 2001 That's all I had typed for the January update, so that's where I'm going to leave it. I'll do a March update next, with all Murph's up to date daycare and obedience adventures, new walking areas and new friends! Here's the link to the next update: March 21, 2001 Meghan. Home | Latest news | From the beginning | Origins | What kind of dog is that? | Colours of cockers | Cocker links |
This
update starts at Christmas. Murphy had a wonderful Christmas
- he was spoiled rotten. He got a bear bell, dog safe chocolate
covered cookies, a rain coat, a photo album, a new bone and gift
certificates. He had a great time watching his gifts being unwrapped
and he didn't even try to eat the wrapping paper. He was too
engrossed by the chocolate covered cookies.
Murphy
has had his first adult haircut, and looks quite different. His
long fluffy puppy hair is gone, replaced by a streamlined spring
haircut. His alfalfa curl on the top of his head was sacrificed.
The groomer did a great job, but I think we're going to try to
find a happy medium between his new, traditional, cut and the
fluffy look that my family seems to prefer. Check out the bows
and bandana that the groomer dressed him up in! Notice Murphy's
"OK, I'm posing, now get these ridiculous things off my
ears!" expression.
