Hello, My Name Is.... Skylar Hops

It's been 6 days since we've adopted our puppy, Skylar. And boy, let me tell you, I forgot what puppy training is like. And if you don't know from experience, it is A LOT of work. But that's an understatement. I don't regret adopting her for a minute, because I know it will be worth it. She is is absolutely adorable (which makes her puppy behavior more tolerable). Here, see for yourself! I've only taken a million photos of her.

(Side note: Drew thinks I've overwhelmed the social media platforms of pics of our pup. He's probably right, but who doesn't love pics of puppies? If you don't like them, unfriend me... We probably aren't meant to be friends anyways.)

The name Skylar came to me while I was driving home and it just popped in my head! I wasn't even trying to think of names, but for some reason my brain randomly bursts out the name! I thought it was perfect. It fits well with the name Luna, and stays within a theme without being to blunt and naming my kids Moon and Sun. 

As for her middle name. Had to keep the theme going again. Luna's middle name is "Vino" because we are big wine afficianatoes. We also like beer. Let's just say we like to drink. When we were thinking about what Skylar's middle name we knew it had to be booze related. So, we came up with "Hops" (the flower that makes beer, beer - read more on Wiki). And that's how we came up with "Skylar Hops".

You might wonder WHY we decided to get another pup. Why would we add chaos to a scenario that was finally settling down? The answer is quite easy, why the hell not? We love Luna and want a companion for her and obviously the more the merrier! We knew we were going to eventually get another dog sooner or later, so why wait? I sold Drew on getting another dog by laying out the pros and cons. Here's my list:

Pros:

• Playmate/companion for Luna
• Distract me and keep me busy
• We both can walk a dog.
• Easier to train since Luna will be there
• More dogs = more love = happiness

Cons:

• Double the cost:
• food
• crate
• vet/medicine
• leash/collar, food bowls, toys
• camp bow wow or overnight stays
• lot of work, more overwhelming, more responsibility
• might be completely different than training luna
• might not get along with luna
• Harder to find baby sitters for 2 dogs
• Double the loss

Although it seems like there are more cons than pros, the one that sold Drew on getting a second dog was bullet #2 of the Pros. For me it was the last one. But to each there own, and who cares since I got Drew to say YES to getting another pup!!! I'm now BEYOND excited and searching PetFinder every day about 5 times a day (at least). Then when I was about to give up, I found a dog named "Bailey" who looked like the light brown version of Luna. I contacted the rescue, and they got back to me super fast and I talked to the adoption lady for an hour just talking about dogs.

"Bailey" was being fostered in Danville and we met her to make sure that Luna and her got along. At first they didn't want anything to do with each other: Luna was too interested in the senior dog that the foster family had adopted. And "Bailey" was very timid and scared of Luna. She was watching Luna from behind me. But after 20 min or so, the pup got some confidence and started messing with Luna. And they played great. That's when lady running the adoption looked at me and asked if we wanted to adopt her and pull the trigger. I immediately said yes (without consulting with Drew–but I figured he was getting the same impression I was).

She got spayed, and we took her home the next weekend. The first couple days Luna was having a hard time adjusting, but she soon came around. And now Skylar and Luna are two peas in a pod. Skylar LOVES following Luna around and tugging at her tail, paws, ears, or whatever else she can nibble on.

Potty training. Oh boy. I forgot how much of a pain in the ass potty training is. It doesn't help that I'm now on the third floor and have to go down 3 flights of stairs to get Skylar to grass. I have to admit, my calf muscles are looking pretty lean, though. So, thank you Skylar!

Overall, everyone is adjusting well, minus a couple little hiccups that one dog verbalized that they were not happy and the other immediately stopped. I'm sure there will be more obstacles to come and fun things to post about how awesome 2 dogs are. Luna now has a great companion to be a big sister to :)

Peace and Blessings!

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American Weekend

This 3 day weekend was action packed and huge for Luna!

1. OFF LEASH!

Friday, Drew and I experimented with off-leash potties with Luna. Last time we did this it turned into us chasing after her for an hour, the whole time I was having a heart attack. The Husky in Luna makes her BOLT, and the Lab in her makes her have ADD which makes it hard to get her to "come" when she sees a squirrel. But we have been working on it...slowly. So we decided to take a "leap of faith" and we took off her leash, grabbed a couple motivational treats and opened the door (dun, dun, DUNNNNN)! 

At first she was a little hyper to be off leash but stayed within 15 feet of us and just ran circles and peed. Then we told her to "come" and she did (so we gave her a treat), then told her to "go home" and straight up the stairs she went! SUCCESS!!! Happy parents for sure.

This is a video of Luna when told to "Go Home" after doing her business. (She gets ahead of me but looks back a couple times to see if I'm following).

2. Playing with 5lb Teddy

We went over to Drew's parents' house for Independence Day and Luna got to play with Teddy. I swear, every time we go over there, Luna and Teddy get better and better about playing together. The two got a little crazy when Moxie came around (3 dogs at G-ma and G-pas house can get exciting at first), but then settled down. They went outside and played with bubbles. Teddy was all about them and definitely won first place at popping the most bubbles. Then after a long play day the 3 were exhausted, and fell asleep. 

3. FIREWORKS!

This was the first time Luna would be experiencing fireworks with us. We didn't know how she'd react but seeing that the garbage truck that sounds like a plane crashing into our apartment never phases her, we weren't too worried. And when we walked to Downtown Livermore where they were setting off the fireworks, Luna was intrigued by the lights in the sky. She was staring at them just like she stares at flies, questioning how they got there and how in the world is she gonna get them! All in all a very successful, non-freak-out experience, which is a HUGE relief.

4. OFF LEASH X2!

Saturday, I took Luna to Lake Borris (the off-leash dog lake/trail area in Livermore, behind Shadow Cliffs). It is by far my favorite place to bring her. She can swim, play with other dogs, and get in a nice little tiny hike at the same time. This place is COMPLETELY off leash, and quite frankly it's the best place to train your dog off leash. There's no place the dog can really go and get into any real danger (far from busy streets, and it's basically all in a large ditch). Luna is a HUGE fan of water, I mean she tries to swim in the fountains Downtown, and I don't stop her. 

I decided that this time at Lake Borris, I would try to see how she does off leash on the walk over to the beach (well more like on leash, and I just drop it on the ground and let it drag behind her). I kept treats in hand and when she would get too far I would tell her to come back, and if she listened she was rewarded. She was amazing! I told her to "stay" when I wanted her walking right next to me (which was whenever I saw a dog coming towards us). Then I would have her sit, when the dog and its owner were about 10-15 feet away, and when they passed we would keep walking. 

I'm telling you, it must be a maturity thing, that once your dog hits 1, they listen better and do what you say (for the most part). I don't think that a week ago she would have been able to do this! It's crazy!

So we get to the beach part of the lake and she's playing and swimming and having a great time. Then this 5 month old Black Lab comes around and starts playing with Luna. This was the first time this dog has gone swimming, and the best way to teach your dog something is to have another dog train it! DO NOT EVER THROW YOUR DOG INTO A POOL TO TRY TO HAVE THEM SWIM!!!! EVERRRR!!! (It's like throwing a kid who doesn't know how to swim in the pool, and then they are traumatized for the rest of their life and will refuse to go in the water.) 

When it's time to go (when mom is tired and hot and sunburnt), I decided to put her on the leash again but drop it on the ground for a little. Then a couple minutes later I thought I would try and do NO LEASH AT ALL! And usually (like I said before) she will BOLT like there's no tomorrow. This time? That was not the case. She acted the same as when the leash was on the ground! She was a little more testing her limits but it was okay, she would turn around and walk by my side when I told her to. 

I was such a proud Mama. When we were almost to our car I put her leash back on and a dog who had just arrived was pulling his (or her) owner like you see in those movies. That Lab was easily 90lbs. Big boy (or girl). Then he (or she) just starts barking and barking and BARKING! Meanwhile, I just tell Luna, sit and stay, and she's quiet, just watching this chocolate Lab go berserk. And the owner and family say "Wow! How old is your dog?" And I tell them she's one. And they are shocked since their dog is 5 and "not as well trained." (Clearly a socialization issue). Sorry, was that bitchy? 

Not going to lie, Drew and I have done a great job training Luna on how we want her to act. Of course she isn't perfect and she still makes mistakes, but she's a dog. I'm not a military sergeant training soldiers, I am just a crazy dog lady training her crazy dog. 

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First Thing's First

Well I guess I should introduce myself; my name is Britt and I decided to create a blog to post cute photos of my dog, ask questions, post reviews, and just explain to the world about my everyday life with my pup.

So how did it all start?

Well I would say that I've always loved animals, but I've always been a HUGE fan of dogs. I grew up with a Siberian Husky (named Sydney) who was the sweetest and most friendly dog you could ever imagine... she was also pretty lazy. She never ever wanted to play fetch, and as a kid, that's basically the only reason you want a dog, so she could play with you! Sydney got older and my family ended up having to put her down because she was in a lot of pain.

It wasn't until 7 or 8 years later until my family got another dog. (This was all my doing). Ever since Sydney passed, I wanted another dog, but Mom says "NO! You won't take care of it! The last time you said you would take care of the dog, I ended up having to do everything for it"—notice she uses "it," not "her"—she was probably right though, my brothers and I were not very responsible at the time. But one year (2012 I think), I was working at the community pool and a stray dog wandered into our front office. This is my chance! I thought. I took the dog home, hoping that Mom wouldn't be too upset when she saw me and this adorable pup. I ring the doorbell when I get home and tell my mom "Don't be mad..." and show her the adorable little guy that I'm holding in my arms. Long story short, she wasn't happy at first but moms will be moms and when something grows on them they can't seem to let them go. They kept the puppy, and named him Luke (after Cool Hand Luke, because he escaped 3 or 4 times when they first had him.)

Now I am out of the house and living with my boyfriend, and we had been talking about getting a dog, but I was always hesitant. Then one day in September 2013, my cousin posts 2 pictures of these insanely cute puppies that his girlfriend's dog gave birth to, and they were looking for homes. They were adorable Yellow Labrador Retriever and Siberian Husky mixes (basically the best dog breed out there). After some thought (it didn't take much convincing), we drove up and picked up the cutest little pup you'd ever see. We named her Luna, and now she is my pride and joy. She is my childog, my fur-baby, my princess. (She is very spoiled.) A week from today she will be a year old, she's definitely growing up fast.

Luna Vino (Vino is her middle name), taught us so much. I feel like getting a puppy is one of the best things a couple can do for each other. I could imagine that it is very similar to having a child. You have to potty train her, train her right from wrong, feed her, take her to the doctors, and more. There have been many obstacles that we have had to deal with (like the time she DESTROYED our carpet) but we wouldn't change it for the world. She is our little girl and love her completely.

So that's my story...well some of it...
More stories and adventures to come!
Thanks for reading,
Britt

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