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Friday, January 25, 2013

Six Months and Counting: As Told by Athena

Hi guys!  Athena here.  Did you know that this week I celebrated my six-month adopt-a-versay?  Yep, I sure did!  I think six months is a pretty long time especially for a Thean Bean like me who has been bopped around a few times in my short life.  So, you might ask, what's it like to live in a forever home for six months?  Well, I'll tell you!

Hi Bloggyland, it's me, Thean!

I'm Gettin' Trained:

My parental figures seem to only be concerned with one thing: training, training, training!  I always have to sit for my breakfast, sit for an afternoon snack, sit at the door before I can go outside and use the doggy potty.

Sit, sit, sit!  That's all I do!

Then there's the walking training where they use this funny clicky thingy and squeal "GOOD WALK!"  I mean really, these people should know by now that I'm not really that interested in walking.  Walking is for boring dogs.  I'm a dog filled with curiosity, so clearly I'm only interested in sprinting to a bush or a pole and getting my sniff on.

Reporting for sniffing duty!

I would however like to do a little bragging about myself because I've learned a lot of tricks since I got to my forever home (I only knew sit when I came home from the shelter).  Here's what I know now:

  • Sit
  • Down
  • Stay
  • Come
  • Treat party (emergency recall)
  • Wait
  • Heel
  • Off
  • Up
  • Leave it
  • Let's go
  • Spin
  • Jump
  • Crate
  • Bed
  • Touch
  • Bring it
  • Watch
  • Find it
  • Hup (I'm still workin' on it!)
  • Drop (I'm still workin' on it!)

I've completed Basic ObedienceBeginning C.L.A.S.S., tried out Intro to Nosework, and I'm in my beginning flyball class right now.

I'm Kinda Pop-U-Ler:

One of the best things that has happened in the last six months is that I've started to go to "Crazy."  That's what my mom calls it when we get in the car and drive to my daycare.  I get so excited when I hear her say it that I whine and snort all the way there!  The people at "Crazy" are the nicest and I love my doggy friends too.  My mom gets pictures e-mailed to her all the time of me and my friends playing together.

Me and my buddy, Monty!

I've made some other doggy friends too like my little corgi friend Bingley and my cousin Maya the big yellow lab!  Sometimes I get to play with doggies at the dog park too (that's a rare occurrence though).  I'm so glad that everyone finally figured out that I'm not aggressive, I actually LOVE doggies!

I LOVE friends!

I've Been Eating A Lot:

I looooovvveeee food and my mom and dad have been trying hard to find the best kind of food for me. I've tried Blue Buffalo Wilderness (salmon), Natural Balance L.I.D. (fish, duck, bison, chicken), and NutriSource Pure Vita (bison).  Even though I thought the chicken flavored food was delicious, we found out that I'm actually allergic!  Yep, I got the itchies all over and my belly got lots of red bumps on it.  So no more chickens for me!

I've also discovered the world of TREATS!!!!  I really love them all.  My favorites include my mom's homemade dog biscuits, Leanlix, bully sticks, and banana/peanut butter/blueberry/yogurt filled Kongs.

Mom and dad say these stink, but there's no stoppin' me!

Just because I've been eating a lot doesn't mean that my food comes free.  I have to work for every-single-itty-bitty piece of kibble!  But, I think it's pretty fun when I get to play find it or eat out of one of my food dispensing toys like the Contempo Tessa or the Hol-ee Roller.  My newest favorite toy to eat from is the Magic Mushroom.

Carrying my mushroom around

My Toy Box Has Expanded:

Nowadays I have my very own toy box where I get to keep lots of my favorite things to play with like my Loofa Dental Chew, stuffies, balls, and tug toys.  Whenever I have the urge to play (which is pretty much every 20 minutes) all I have to do is find a toy and fling it up to my mom or dad.  Lots of times they will play with me, but sometimes they say "all done" which I think is suppose to mean that I play by myself.  This Thean Bean will get the hint (sometimes) and zoomie around the house with all of my toys until I get exhausted and have to take a nap.

Meet Alvin- he's no longer alive.

I Need Another Closet to Fit All of my Clothes:

Boy have I accumulated some stylish outfits in the past six months!  I've got my Tiennot Knits Sweater, custom Sirius Republic collars, fleece pullovers, rain poncho, winter coat, and loads of other accessories like Doggles, tutus and collar flowers.  I also have two new favorite accessories that I will be sharing with you next week (Hint: they are both somehow connected to my besties at Our Waldo Bungie!).

Stylin' in my Tiennot Knits!

Overall Experience:

I would say that my overall experience at my forever home has been EXCELLENT!  Even though I have to go in my crate sometimes while my parents leave the house, I know now that they are always going to come back home to play with me (I haven't ruined a crate bed in 5 months!).  They must really love me because they even bought me my very own human bed to sleep on!  They call it a daybed, but I call it a "Thean must be a human if she gets to sleep on this bed- bed."  I also think it's pretty cool that there are so many people out there in the bloggyland who read this blog and follow me on Facebook.  Thanks, guys!  Here's to another fabulous six months!

21 comments:

  1. That is quite an impressive list of commands! I love "treat party," it's so creative. Ray's is just plain old "danger."
    It sounds like the first six months of forever life have been good to Athena!

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  2. Yay, Athena! So proud of you and all that you've learned and accomplished. You are one lucky pup to have such great humans on your team.

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  3. Athena - how quickly you have become one of my favorite virtual doggies! Edi & Tess feel you on having to "sit" for everything. Also, they wanted me to ask you how you learned your "Treat Party" and what strategy your mom used to help you. Thanks!!

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    1. We learned how to throw a "treat party" from the Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT) book that I'm currently reading. We started by associating it with "come." We would ask Athena to "come" and then when she got to us we would throw her a treat party. Holding about 20 small treats, we would hand feed her each treat and at the same time say "treat party!" So, that's 20 "treat parties" with one "come." We practice the treat parties often. I make sure to say "treat party" like I would say it if we were outside and I needed to call her to me. So, I make sure that Athena is comfortable with me yelling it in the house and that she knows what my voice sounds like when I would say it in an emergency.

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    2. Thanks for the good info, we've been wanting to establish an emergency recall...we just need to get around to working on it!

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  4. I'm so happy for you Athena, I think you have a wonderful forever home, yeah you might have to work for the treats and some kibbles and you can't sniff every bush but think of all those toys and the clothes... you're one lucky girl!

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  5. That mushroom might have to be our next feeding toy! The boys have beaten up their busy buddy egg pretty badly.

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    1. The Magic Mushroom is the B-E-S-T! It takes Athena FOREVER to eat all of her food out of it and she loves that she can pick up the edge of it and fling it all around the house. I would probably suggest that it not be for anyone with hardwood floors though...

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  6. Happy six-month-a-versary, Thean Bean! I am so happy your mama and daddy adopted you, because I never would have met them (or YOU!) if they hadn't! I hope to see you again very, very soon! Until then, enjoy your "treat parties" and being spoiled by your mama and daddy! :)

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  7. Athena, you're such a good pup. It's so nice learn all about your new life with your forever family. Here's to many more toy, treat and cute accessory filled years! (P.S. tell your parents to try ordering the odor free bully sticks from Best Bully Sticks. They are great, and come in all sorts of sizes....we LOVE the jumbo odor free.)

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  8. Yay for six months in an awesome home! You sure have learned a lot.

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  9. Happy six month adoptaversary! I think you made out with your forever home :)

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  10. You are one lucky pup! Happy adoptaversary! You're a real cutie.

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  11. Wow, Athena has been a very busy girl in 6 months. Kaya can sympathize with "Walking is for boring dogs." I really want to teach my pups hold, bring and put away:)

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  12. Athena, you've had more training, fun and love than some dogs get in think in 10 years! The first picture of you made my heart melt into a pile of goo.
    My pups can relate on the chicken allergy! They also get chicken induced itchies!

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  13. Great read! - Fighting stereo types is hard but I love when my pitbull proves people wrong.

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  14. Congratulations on your six month adopt-a-versary. You sure have learned a lot in 6 months. I've been with my mama and papa for 2 1/2 years and haven't learned that much. We have "treat parties" too but I only respond when it suits me (and that drives them crazy). I had a hard time finding a food that I liked and didn't give me die-a-re-uh so my mama and papa make my food. I might always respond when called if I always got a bowl of homemade food. It looks like you have a marvelous family, congratulations again!

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  15. Treat Party! I just love that!! It sounds so delicious =D

    Congratulations on your 6 month adopt-a-versary, Athena! All that hopping from person to person must have been for a good reason, because you most definitely found the right family at last! I am so happy that such a wonderful pup ended up with such wonderful people :)

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  16. Sounds like an awesome 6 months and wow - that is a lot of tricks! You're so smart Thean!

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