Over the 4th of July weekend, we decided to take a trip up to Whidbey Island, for a few reasons:
- It is close, only an hour or so away (including ferry time), so it was easy on my back for travel.
- Our friends Shannon and Damon have an amazing house they built on the Island - and by that, I mean built by hand: “hammer, hammer, saw, saw”. It was great to see them and spend time with them, and their new son, Griffin (and their dog, Ebey). They are great college friends, who we do not spend nearly enough time with.
- Because we stayed with them, I knew I could rest as much as my back needed to; taking breaks regularly to lay flat, etc… and not feeling obligated to do too much.
- We happen to just really like Whidbey Island - artsy, beautiful, friendly, and close.
- And of course, get Molly away from the loud bangs of illegal (and legal) fireworks.
- In particular, Greg and Clodagh had called out, on a past trip, the wonders of Double Bluff Beach’s off leash dog park on Whidbey - a few mile long open beach for off-leash access. We wanted to get Molly into the water again.
- I have been cooped up in the house for a while now - I was looking forward to just getting out of here for a weekend as I move back into working more.
It was just what we needed - it fit all of those goals above, and we are really super-appreciative of the Arndt’s for hosting us. Molly had a fantastic time too - she got to run around their property, go swimming, get lots of fun new treats, and just be one happy (and tired!) dog.
Pictures - click for larger ones as usual:
People:
Dogs:
Arndt House:
Videos - might need to visit the actual blog post to view:
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Jeff, one of my co-workers at Pure Networks, along with his wife, Lisa, live around the corner from us. They adopted a dog, Dolce, just a little before we adopted Molly - in fact, it was them mentioning it that got us really thinking that it was time for a dog in our lives. Conveniently, they also found us the obedience class to take - also, just across the street. After we put in the fence, they’ve been coming over frequently to let the dogs run around, play, and, most importantly, get out lots of energy. Dolce definitely is the more aggressive one - Molly tends to lay down and just take whatever Dolce gives her… It has been very nice having them around - the dogs like each other a lot - another reason why putting this fence in has been a great decision for us.
Here’s a video of them playing - as usual, you might need to visit the actual blog article to see it.
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While most of the time has been spent laying flat, reading, and watching TV, there has been a few activities over the past few weeks…
And yes, you can also call this post: Aaron is clearing out his camera from old pictures!
(As always, click on the pictures for larger versions)
- We’ve been wanting to get a fence put into the front yard - it makes the outside of the house enclosed, so if we are BBQing, doing yard work, or just reading and enjoying outside, Molly can now be with us. So we hired some folks (clearly, I couldn’t do it myself, with or without the back condition) to put in our cliche white picket fence - very white indeed until it starts raining again!
- Joelle finally found planters she likes, and put them out on the front porch:
- Molly bought me a book on Macaroni and Cheese for Father’s Day, so of course, I immediately wanted Joelle and my mother to make me one of the dishes - asparagus macaroni gratin. Fantastic, albeit a little heavy, was the universal agreement. Perhaps better as a side dish so you don’t try to eat too much of it.
- Got a Get Well Soon cookie from some really nice friends - overnighted from New Jersey, OU-certified and everything:
- My mother bought Molly a necklace thing from the Edmonds Art Fair (she went with my sister). I am not one to know these things, but everyone commented on how pretty she was with it on - on her end, at least she didn’t mind it the one time she wore it!
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Hi. It’s Molly again! I like when Aaron lets me blog.
I had a really busy weekend so far, and I’ve made a bunch of friends.
First, we went over to Jeff and Erica’s for Shabbat dinner - I really liked being part of the group when we all stood around and did Kiddush. I was such a good girl praying with everyone! Their cat, Sam, was a little afraid of me, but it wasn’t my fault - I didn’t even go near that thing! I tried putting on my best face though - everyone was petting me, I played nicely, and it was the most fun I have had in a long, long time though! One thing I loved was when Jeff pulled out his laser pointer. The red light on the floor made me go crazy! I pounced on it whenever I saw it.
Saturday, we walked down one of the main streets - and I was pretty good for a while, but then we got to Queen Anne Ave, and I got really scared.
Later, we went to a big lake (I think they called it Green Lake). I had a lot of fun, but it might have been too much - Aaron and Joelle had a hard time holding on to me, since whenever I saw the ducks, I wanted to do my acrobatic moves and lunge after them. I think they are going to work with me to make those pesky birds a little less appealing!
Finally, Greg and his dog, Shay, came over for dinner and to play. (Clodagh was out of town) It was the first time another dog came into the house with me! We got along pretty well, though there was some initial playful growling. I really liked spending time with Greg - it was fun to fight for his attention with Shay! But we tired ourselves out as well… so we got a nice nap in before going for a big walk. It was good to walk with Shay - having another dog showing me not to be afraid of streets and parks definitely helped me get over some fears, but Queen Anne is still really scary - we’ll have to keep trying before I become okay with there!
All in all, it was a really fun weekend so far! I can’t wait to see what else is in store. I hear a rumor that a bunch of people are coming over for a meeting tonight - this should be fun!
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Not the most exciting video, but here’s Molly running up and down the stairs…
(If you are viewing this in email or in an RSS reader, you’ll likely be able to view it correctly only by visiting http://averbuch.net/2008/04/01/video-molly-and-steps/)
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I (Molly) want everyone to know that I didn’t just get a bone as a gift - I got my first email! I am so hi-tech for a dog!
Hi Molly,
My mom told me that one of her friends got a new dog that I can maybe play with, but she said you’re a little scared right now. I know what that’s like, I got pulled off a farm and brought to the city by this blonde lady, but turns out she’s pretty cool, so hang in there. :) Mom tells me your new people are great and will give you a wonderful life! I hope this bone will help you feel a little more comfortable while you adjust.
Can’t wait to meet you!
- Balko
(Aaron says - thanks Lauren!)
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(I am sitting next to Aaron right now, who came home early from work to play with me, since I am still a bit scaredy-cat; it is the first work day for my people, after all. I really like the toy Balko left with Aaron to give to me though - thanks Balko!)
Now I have something to say, so I will type with my paws instead of just speaking to Aaron and having him type for me:
“po,khhji”
That’s all. I don’t like typing, apparently. It’s not nearly as exciting as licking myself :)
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As I mentioned in the previous post, yesterday was our first day with Molly. Now time for a rambling post on our experiences with her in our first day:
We started by meeting her foster mom at PetCo to do a drop off, and Molly immediately was ready to jump in our car and go. She was a quite good girl on the whole drive, pretty inquisitive, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Getting home, she was freaked out about coming up the stairs, but nothing that a treat and warm praise couldn’t solve. She loves exploring the house, but so far, definitely prefers to be in the same room as one of us (I think she’s partial to me, but that could just be the fact that I am awake more hours of the day!)
So far, she doesn’t seem too interested in toys, but she loves to eat her food! She wasn’t in the mood to go to the bathroom yesterday, which Kelly (the old foster mom) informs us is normal for a dog switching homes, but so far today she’s done both the #1 and #2 outside (she was already house-trained), so problem solved! We even figured out her sign for bathroom - hang out by the front door, slight wimper. (she’s not a barker by any stretch)
While she doesn’t seem to be a huge toy fan, as of yet, but man, she devoured her bone this morning (actually a Flossie, but same basic idea). It was actually really cute - she walked up to the bedroom (Joelle was still sleeping), quietly grabbed it, brought it downstairs to our living room (where I was), and just started chomping down. I was enthralled to watch!
Speaking of sleeping, she made it through the night on her bed (she’s used to sleeping in a crate, so having a bed-area is a great new find for her!) She was unsure of what to do in our room at first, but then quickly settled down and laid on her mattress and slept until about 6:30 this morning - only waking up when I walked out the door.
We were told she was a scaredy-cat, but so far that doesn’t apply to other dogs- the two dogs she’s met walking she walks up to sniffs around - they seem to get along with any sign of aggression - one in particular I am very happy they get along; as they are a couple doors downs dog, we will see them quite a bit… She is definitely scared of everything else though - birds, squirrels, loud noises, rooms, etc… If not scared, just not understanding what these things are.
One thing we’ll need to work on, though, is she’s very scared of entering new buildings - we tried walking her into the Pet Store to get her a name tag, and she wanted nothing to do with it. I think that’s just a socialization issue though - she hasn’t had a lot of experience on loud busy streets like Queen Anne; in our neighborhood, noises are everywhere, so over time, that will get much, much better!