May Firsts

May was a big month for Via (O-litter). It was full of “Firsts.” I do a lot of socialization stuff with Via but May was packed with the road trip and all. June will be much slower with a lot more at home sort of stuff.

Visited a GSD / Beagle cross at her home (and played wildly in her garden.)
Learned to jump in the GSD / Beagle cross’s pound.

Found joy in carrying a softball bat and sorrow in not being allowed to join the Kidlet’s games.
Got a bath in a strange tub.
Sampled Romain noodles still in the package.

Washed faces that stayed at her eye level.
Cuddled with short, very short, people.
Was the demo dog for teaching short, really short people how to greet dogs.

Watched a shepherd with his flock and his crook.
Ate sheep poop.
Quietly sniffed noses with a border collie through a fence.
Barked at dogs who charged up to her crate while she was crated in the car.
Barked at dogs who where quietly passing by her crate while she was crated in the car.

Met sheep.
Watched kids play with sheep.
Took about 20 trips up or down in the elevator at the hotel over two days.

Worked sheep, sort of.
Was startled by sheep.
Watched other dogs work sheep.

Was hugged by a kid who had a Binky in his mouth.
Slept over night inside the crate in the car.
Stayed in two different hotels.
Sleeping over night in a double bed alone (at the hotel)

Watched dogs do their Breed Survey.
Slept over night in a double bed with me (at a friend’s house).
Learn not to bark at people (or dogs) walking in the hotel hallways out side our room at night.
Had her first heat (first blood on May 17, 2011).
Enjoyed vanilla ice cream in a plastic cup.
Enjoyed the plastic cup almost as much as the ice cream.
Was tether in two new places.
Sampled frozen yogurt on a cone.

Asked to go in to her crate (by whining and banging on the closed crate door.)
Appreciated a dinner of lamb necks.
Was pet by smokers.
Relaxed on her mat in the middle of a family party complete with running and scream children.

Sniffing a grumpy lap dog while on a lap and did not grump back.
Visited to the dog park.
Hung out all day at a friend’s house loose with her two Mini Goldendoodles.
Slept over night outside the crate at Uncle Bay’s house on the back screen porch for five nights.

Peed and poohed in a grave yard.
Enjoyed sleeping over night on a love seat (at Uncle Bay’s house).
Got quicked when I was cutting her nails.
Rode loose in someone else’s car with two other dogs
Slept loose in someone else’s car car with two other dogs
Got FrontLine Plused.

Was handled, stacked and play with by 3 other people including two males and two teenagers.
Practiced gaiting at a Sieger Show.
Walked around at the Sieger Show with a lot of other German Shepherd dogs walking. (Was mostly quiet about it.)
Was evaluated by two Sieger Judges.

Discovered that every softball thrown was not for her.
Learned to lay on her mat or stand behind the fence to watch softball with out barking, lunging and screaming to join the fun of running children, thrown balls and swung bats.
Was groomed on a grooming table.
Jumped in to a crate in someone else’s van.
Rode in someone else’s car and some one else’s van.

Ran loose with a young GSD puppy and two Cavs at the same time.
Learned not to bully little, young puppies.
Ran loose for several days with a Yorky Beagle cross.
Learned that not every dog is dying to play with her.

Learned to get out of the way of a hula hoop.
Learned to watch hula hoopers without trying to join the fun.
Played basketball, defense of course, with teen age boys.
Learn to wait for the boy with the ball to give a release cue before she’d get to join in.

Wanted to referee children’s play.
Learned that children’s play is not often her business.
Stalked short football players.
Learned that short footballers football is off limits to puppies.

Watched other dogs run but was not allowed to join in.
Lounged on couches, beds and laps.
Rode in a packed to the gills car with out pulling anything of value in to the crate with her.
Watched running, screaming all under age 6 children play a host of games.

Was touched and admired by lots of children and adults, black and white, male and female, young and old.
Slept over night outside the crate at home.
Slept over night outside the crate at a friends house (two nights).
Slept over night outside the crate at a hotel (two nights).

Worked with a schutzhund trainer.
Heard lots and lots and lots of gun shots at the two dog shows and at the schutzhund lesson.
Road 2250 miles crated in the car.

Studied children in Sun glasses.
Hung out inside at my aunt’s who doesn’t allow dogs in her house and wowed said aunt with my management which looked like good doggy manners.
Survived super hot weather (over 100 degrees).