The Great Adventure

Gibson's trip to PetSmart on Sunday was quite a success! The only downer was that he got car sick coming and going. But, once he was at the store, he was interested in everything and not intimidated or nervous over any new experience. The store was having a large adoption event so there was lots of people, dogs and a few cats. Gibson has been with our cats of course, but was interested to see cats in crates that couldn't be chased. He really enjoyed seeing all the dogs and seemed almost baffled that not all the dogs were interested in meeting him and playing. One dog approached him, seemed friendly and wanted to play, then suddenly started snarling and barking at Gibson's face. Gibson just took a step back with a quizzical look on his face, trying to figure out what exactly the rules of the game were supposed to be! He got to see children, which he hasn't before, and found them to be loads of fun. Gibson almost dragged me down the toy aisle, where he nosed just about everything on display and even picked up a couple of rope toys. We would have bought him a new toy, but he quickly lost interest, wanting to explore the other aisles. All in all, a very good trip. Now, we need to work on walking on a lead some more. He's very good for the most part, but if something catches his attention, he wants to dash off to explore.
Today, Gibson and Twister got de-barked. Twister re-covered faster than Gibson, he was able to walk into the house, although his legs weren't completely steady and his head was a bit heavy on his neck. Gibson had noodle legs and body so I had to carry him into the house for a long afternoon nap. He only weighs 58 pounds, but it felt like closer to 75! Now, both boys are completely recovered from their morning ordeal and are ready for supper and a romp in the little bit of snow we have.

Winter Break

Yesterday's temperature when we got up was only 2 degrees. Just 24 hours later and it's a balmy 32--heat wave! The boys and Jewel are spending the day in the big play yard for a much needed day of exercise. They find this perfect weather for games of chase, tug of war and just running to their hearts' content. Jewel is able to outwit her brothers by running through the trees, cutting sharply around then grabbing their tails. She also like to hide behind one of the larger trees, popping her head out from side to side while the boys try to figure out how to flush her out. Tucker has been racing from one end of the yard to the other, leaping over the pack of pups when they are in his path and happy to really stretch his legs. Gibson will get a special treat later this afternoon and will make a trip to PetSmart in preparation for his first shows in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, it will be busy and he'll get lots of attention and see some other dogs besides collies.