Road trip

Today we went for our first road trip.  Stella wanted to sit in my lap (in the back seat) the whole time...which was fine right now, but will be interesting if she still wants to do that when she's 60lbs...haha.  We took a trip to a nearby park and went for a walk on the lead.  The trip went well until about 100 yards from our house when she got sick...all over me.  ICK!  Here are some pictures at the park:

Watching some kids play frisbee.  I think she wanted to play.

Always looking up at you...great for training purposes!

Won't be able to do this long so I had to get a picture of it.

The walk

I took Stella on her first (and second) walk today.  She is now officially pooped.  I could get used to this!  She did really well actually.  She heeled on her own for the most part.  I figure that's due to me walking her in the house getting her to follow me, so now she thinks that she is supposed to follow me (not lead) when on the leash.  She was a little afraid of a couple of the dogs in our neighborhood, but that will get better.

Here are some more random shots from today.  It was such a nice day out that we spent most of the day either outside or in the sunroom.

sweet girl

they are crazy!

Stella gets a nose

Stella's face is starting to change a bit.  We've noticed that all of a sudden she has a nose (or snout rather).  It's starting to get longer and she's starting to look more and more like a retriever.  Here are some pictures of her laying in her favorite spot by the fireplace.  I guess she likes the cold because it's the coldest spot in the house (when there isn't a fire in it of course...which there never is)

Ice cubes

Well I'm glad that Stella thinks ice cubes are just the best.  Cheapest and healthiest treat ever!  haha.  The only bad part is that she thinks she can come back to it later....hasn't quite figured that one out yet. :-P
...oh and as I type this now Everest is over there licking it......my animals are special.

meeting Gabby

Gabby came to visit us this weekend!  One thing I quickly realized is that Stella is a very laid back puppy.  Gabby was wide open!  It look a little bit for them to feel each other out and learn their playing styles but soon they were playing perfectly.  I have no idea why but I did not take the first picture.  I guess I was too busy watching them play.  Everest even got in on the action occasionally, but he was definitely cautious about Gabby's level of energy, haha.  Stella did have a couple of accidents, but I guess all in all that's not so bad given the excitement of another puppy in the house.  Stella is still napping and has been since they left this morning.  She's definitely going to be one worn out puppy. :)

Day 3

Today we got more (yes more) toys and worked on our "sit" some more.  I think she had more accidents in the house today than any other day so I'm not sure what is going on.  We got some stuff that is supposed to really get rid of the pee smells so I'm hoping that will help because maybe she is going on the rug because she smells it there.  She is starting to run around a lot more outside when we let her out and wants to hang out outside.  Here are some pictures of her playing today:

Day 2

Sleeping last night was much better.  There was still some whining, but much much less than last night.  She seems to be getting a bit more confident in herself as she struts around the house.  She is starting to learn the "right" way to play with Everest without overwhelming him.  The good thing is that I think it will help both of them to understand bite inhibition.  Supposedly, by playing with others that bite (and therefore bite them), they realize that it hurts and therefore don't do it (or at least do so gently).

Today we left Stella in her crate for almost 4 hours.  She did whine as we left out the door.  I can only hope she settled down quickly.  When we came back, she was napping but quickly woke as we came in.  She did not have an accident in the crate which is a good sign.  When I took her out, she used the bathroom.  Fantastic!  Tonight we are going to Bonefish for dinner so she will get another dose of the crate for a couple of hours.  It's good for her since she will be there all day (with a mid day potty and play break) starting Monday.  It's probably going to break my heart!

Day 1

So as I type this, Stella has been with us for almost 24 hours.  I picked her up yesterday after work.   Needless to say, the day just creeped by and I couldn't concentrate on my work for thinking about picking her up.
I arrived at Kary's place at about 4:45pm.  We went over some paperwork and "tips" and then away we were.  I had no idea the best way to bring her home on my own so I placed her in a laundry basket in the front seat.  She squirmed for a bit, but then settled nicely for the short trip home.

When I pulled in, she was still asleep so I quietly brought her in and set the basket on the floor.  Everest quickly poked his head in and then slowly backed away as if to say "what the heck is THIS??".  I took this opportunity to let Everest meet her on his terms.  He didn't run away upstairs which was a good sign.  He sat about 5 feet away for a few minutes and just stared at the basket.  Finally, he got the courage to walk over.  He sniffed her. I petted him and he sniffed my hands with still a "what in the world?" look on his face.  Finally the fear turned into curiosity and he began to look at her over top the basket.  Just as he was beginning to become comfortable, Bryan walked in and Stella woke up.  It wasn't long before they were sniffing each other and they are now playing together.  Warms my heart.  I know Everest must have been getting lonely without Kipper.  This pup will play with him much more so than Kipper did too so it will be good for him.  Sometimes Stella's playing can be a bit overwhelming for Everest, but he gives a quick "meow" and she backs off.  They will soon learn each other though.

We took her out on a pretty regular basis and so far she has had one accident in the house...probably my fault for not taking her out when she woke up from her nap.  Everytime we take her out, she pees and/or poops so she totally gets that outside is where it should happen.  Such a smart puppy.
She cried a bit last night, but honestly for the first night it wasn't too bad.  We'll see what tonight brings.
Here are some pictures from today:

Already buds

Getting ready to pounce on the toy

I love the depth in this one...the rope, Stella, and Everest way in the background

Kisses

Let's play!

Sweet face

So sophisticated

Heather out pet sitter came by to meet her in the afternoon.  She is going to have her work cut out for her after being used to Kipper....definitely a change.  That has to be such a fun job...playing with and taking care of animals all day.  Some days, I think I missed my calling...

Stella also got her first bath today...in the sink.  She was pretty dirty from being out in the barn.  She looks a lot more fluffy now and is soooo soft.  I wish I would have gotten some pictures, but it was pretty quick and I was ready to help Bryan if he needed it, but she did really well.  She wasn't sure what to think at first (I mean who wouldn't be during their first bath experience) but she settled pretty quickly.  Hopefully this Golden will like the water (Kipper didn't).

Oh, and we finally settled on the name Stella this afternoon.  I think it fits her because she is so sweet.   Love her!

The pickup day is set

As long as everything goes well at her appointment on Wednesday, I will go by to pick up the puppy on Thursday afternoon.  I have Friday off so I will be able to play with her all day and through the weekend.  Our pet sitter is going to come by and meet her on Friday and will then come by on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Thursday's to let her out.  Since I work from home or are off the other days, she'll always be able to be let out during the day.  Once she gets old enough, we'll start taking her to doggie daycare twice a week.

We have everything setup for her and are just anxiously awaiting now.

There is a puppy preschool class that I think I'll enroll her in.  She can attend as much as she wants until she is 6 months old for $250...not bad.

Here is a picture of her parents and the puppies from the breeder website:

Can't wait!