Parson, Our New Foster

Parson came into our home January 8th.  He's an adorable terrier mix.  He very quickly warmed up to us, and has been great with our cats and dog.  It's been really fun to watch him open up and become a goofy dog.  

Just chewing on a new toy

Having fun in the snow!

Parson loves playing with toys, and his favorite activity is ripping the stuffing out of them.  He's not really interested in fetching, but does enjoy running after toys we throw for him in the snow.  We have a fenced-in yard and he is good about doing his business in the yard. He loves going for walks, and has become confident since we first brought him home.  We've taken him to pet stores three times, and he's always good with the dogs there.  He can be a little shy with new people, but warms up really quickly.

Focusing on treat time!

He is really smart, and has learned to sit and lay down.  We crate him at night and when we're gone during the day, and he's really good about sleeping quietly all night.

Parson is a very sweet dog and we look forward to watching him continue to grow.   We're continuing to teach him new tricks and we can't wait to see what else he can learn!

Labor Day Adventure

This Labor Day weekend we took Harley with us to visit family in Minnesota.  He had only ridden in a car a handful of times so we were unsure how a 6 hour drive would go.

It went wonderfully!

He laid on his bed on the back seat the whole time and slept a good portion of the ride.  Windsor has always been a very good car-rider and we were hoping he could teach Harley the ropes.  Harley picked it up very quickly!

Here are the boys enjoying the car-ride

When we stopped at one of the rest stops along the way Harley noticed a couple of young boys walking with their mom to their car.  Harley went towards them and sat in the middle of the sidewalk and waited there to get petted!  We were very impressed by how polite he was about strangers.

We were also impressed by how comfortable Harley was upon entering a new home and meeting new people there.  He took it all in stride!  New house, new people, new cats, and a new yard: all just a walk in the park.  We also went on a hike in a state park with the dogs.  This was our first time with Harley in a forest and he had a great time!

Taking a quick break on our hike

Thirsty dogs know how to improvise

Enjoying Summer with Harley

Harley is becoming an extremely well behaved little boy.  We had family members visiting the past two weekends and he was excited to see them and welcomed them into our house.  When he first came to stay with us he was very scared when anyone came to visit and would spend the whole time barking.  He didn't bark once with our visitors!

Harley has become a great walker.  While he still pulls occasionally, he does not bark or try to pull towards other dogs or people anymore.  He now sits at every corner the first time you ask him to sit.  He is interested in meeting other dogs, is not aggressive about it.  He doesn't seem to be afraid of people or big dogs.

Harley sitting at a corner on a walk.

Since Harley has been with us we have had some thunderstorms and fireworks nearby (the city fireworks a few blocks away), and he was not scared of either.  He was outside with us during the fireworks and seemed to think our neighbors were making the noise, and barked through the fence for a bit to tell them to stop.

Relaxing after a day of fun

One of Harley's favorite things is hanging out outside.  He loves to take a toy and play (with us or by himself) and just spend time sniffing around the yard.  We have a fenced yard so he is routinely outside alone or with our dog, and is not afraid of sirens, barking dogs, or any other noises.

Harley sitting with his lined up toys.  He lays them out very neatly!

Harley Discovers the Television

This weekend our dog Windsor turned 6.  Both dogs benefited with extra treats, walks, and fun time with toys.  Harley is beginning to learn to sit at corners on walks and not to pull on the leash.  He has a great time sniffing around our yard and playing with his toys outside.  Our cats are getting more comfortable around him and are now walking past him more, but he has not shown any interest in chasing them.

Harley has mastered sit, down, and shake.  We're working on getting him to learn to wait at the door, and while he doesn't specifically know 'come' yet, he always comes when you call his name.  Last night Harley noticed dogs on the television for the first time.  He was very excited, and didn't seem to understand why they wouldn't come play with him!

 Harley sitting.  Such a good boy!

Harley's Having A Fun Week

We've had Harley for almost two weeks and he's settling into our routine very nicely.  During the day he stays in his crate and sleeps while we are at work.  We go for walks around our neighborhood and he plays in the yard.  Harley has a great amount of energy and plays well with his toys and our other dog, Windsor.  In the evenings he is content to chew on a bone or sleep in his bed (or Windsor's bed!)  He is perfectly quiet in his crate all night.

The past couple days we have been teaching Harley to be a considerate walker: teaching him to not pull on the leash and to sit at corners.  He is picking it up very quickly!

Here is a picture of Harley enjoying a bone while surrounded by his favorite toys.

Harley Settles In

Harley has been continuing to settle in to our household.  He is being very good about about sleeping all night in his crate without crying.  He is doing well on walks and has almost mastered not pulling at all.  Today he mastered "down" and "shake" in 5 minutes - he is so smart!  He has a lot of fun playing in the yard and is always trying to get Windsor to play with him.  Harley enjoys chasing toys, but isn't big on bringing them back to you.  He prefers to place them in a pile on the back step so we make sure to bring them in when we go inside.

This morning Harley decided to snuggle into bed with Windsor.  It was so cute!

Harley Loves Walks

Harley is becoming a really good walker.  He's learning not to pull, to keep going when I say "let's go" and to watch for a change in direction when I say "watch me."  He's a smart boy and loves going on little adventures.  He has also nearly mastered "sit" and is learning that "go lay down" means find your bed and lay down.

He's been having a lot of fun playing in the yard with our greyhound, Windsor and he has become a collector of toys (especially Windsor's toys!)

Here's a fun video of Harley playing with Windsor.