Central Bark- Irvine

The ritual butt sniff to say hello!

Tonight we took Chloe and the boys to Irvine's dog park- Central Bark. This is our third time coming and each time is so much fun. The park is divided into a big dog area and a little dog area. Chloe goes into the little dog area and is kind of on the bigger side. There are tons of toy breeds and other fast runners in this area.

Chloe has a great time, but I think Nathan and Jason have as much fun if not more. Why we never brought them here before we had the dog is beyond me. Now that they have their own dog they have street cred. They are running around with the dogs, petting them, throwing balls for them and even carrying some. The owners love it since they are all sitting around shooting the breeze with other dog owners.
Oh my, this is a whole other culture- people who own dogs and go to dog parks. Sometimes you see the owners of certain breeds hanging together and it is true- dogs due tend to look like their owners. There is a lot of sniffing, pooping, peeing, running and laughing at the dog park- check it out sometime (even if you don't have a dog).

Jason's little buddy BOO

Chloe Time

Chloe has endeared herself to our family. We are ALL enjoying time with Chloe- whether we do it together as a family or in our own separate time. She loves people- can't get enough of them. She wants to be petted, played with, held, walked, read to and more!!
Nathan has begun his summer reading with "The Wind in the Willow". Chloe loves it when you read on the couch so she can cuddle up next to you. It is hard to see in the picture, but she was sitting up right next to Nathan!

Dan and Chloe have a cuddle. She loves being held like this and it reminds us a bit of when the boys were little and we cradled them in our arms. Having her is like having a baby again, but she doesn't wake us up in the middle of the night and all the other JOYS of babies!
Ryan got to meet Chloe this past weekend when he was home for a quick visit. She took to him right away and he found it hard to resist her charm. She presented her wagging tail (and bottom) for him to pet.

I love my sweet girl. She loves the whole family, but I am her mom and she follows me wherever I go. She is always waiting for me unless I have the left the room or am sitting down. She doesn't want to miss a moment of my actions. One of the reasons I was keen on getting a dog was to have someone to go walking with. I love our morning walks (and runs)- rain or shine the dog needs to get her exercise and it is good for me too!!

Clean Chloe

Today Chloe had a puppy bath at the groomers. Since this is all new to her, they did a minor trim around her rump and legs, a good bath and brush. She smells so good (not to last long I am sure). She actually looked bigger since her fur was so fluffed up.
We took her to the vet for an initial check up and she still has an ear infection and in addition to that has a parasite (we are treating both). Besides being under weight, she is good all around- we just need to feed her more and help her gain some weight. I am happy to say that she had gained 2 pounds in the 10 days we have had her.

Life with Chloe- at home!!

Now, you might think we are weird for keeping our baby in the pen, but we are starting small and making sure she is fully potty trained (and that we are dog trained) before we let her wander the house.
Thankfully she sleeps all night long and has no accidents. I wake up a little after 6am and take her out to the potty. She likes to have a good, long walk before breakfast. I feed her when we get back home and get ready myself. I take her out once more and then she stays in her pen while I am at work. I am grateful that my job is part time and I can come home at lunch and feed her and walk her again. She then hangs outside in her pen on the concrete while I clean her bedding area.
She has dinner, then we go on another long walk and then one more potty walk right before bed. Needless to say, I am walking A LOT!! I was telling Dan last night, "the good and bad side of having a dog is that you always have to walk them- unlike a treadmill that you can put off until tomorrow (or the next day...), a dog can't wait."
The boys and I fell in love with Chloe one week ago when we saw her and spent time with her at the animal shelter, but Dan now loves our new pup too!! How can you not, she is so docile, with a sweet disposition and is so CUTE!!!

Bringing Chloe Home

Today was a much anticipated day- the day we brought our new pup home. After work, the boys and I headed the Irvine Animal Center to get Chloe. I filled out final papers, paid my dues and received my sweet girl. She had been spayed the day before, but had lots of energy and excitement when she saw us.
I had plans to have her sit on the floor of the car, but she HAD to be with people- she sat between the boys in the back seat and chilled until we got home. I had spent the last few days getting our home ready for our pup. We even went so far to take a part our dining room table and store it so we could have a puppy pen for the dog.
I have been reading lots about the care of dogs and helping them be balanced members of the family (thank you Cesar Milan- Dog Whisperer). We started with the crate, but decided to just do the exercise pen. She looks so confined in that little crate!

Visiting Chloe

We had some time this afternoon and so we went and spent time with Chloe at the Animal Center. She has her procedure to get fixed tomorrow and we won't get to see her till Tuesday when we go get her and bring her home. I felt it was really important that our presence remain fresh in her life and she was so glad to see us today.
I have to say, the dog today is quite different then the one we initially met on Friday. She had just arrived to the center and was quite timid and shy. Yesterday when Dan met her she was definitely warming up and today she was HOT.
She was hyper and probably anxious and acted her age- a 7 month old puppy. We ran around the park with her (she definitely needs training on walking correctly on her leash), cuddled on the grass and we even brushed her hair. Right now her hair is quite long and sheds a bunch, but that is to be expected with Cocker Spaniels. After her initial puppy grooming in 2 weeks where she will get familiar with the groomers, we will have her trimmed up good so her hair won't be too long. Honestly, I think she is just perfect the way she is.
Oh, another thing, she wanted to chew on her leash and the bag I brought with me. Another sign of puppy-ness that we hadn't seen before. I have my work cut out for me, but I am excited and prepared (as much as I can be) for the months ahead. I am thankful that I have the summer to train her before heading back to work in September.
Here we go. . . . . .

Preparing for Chloe

I am taking this puppy business very seriously. I made a list of what she would need (from internet and Cesar Milan book) and have visited two different pet stores to see which one I liked best. There is a very local one (not part of a chain) that I hear is great and has the best food. I will go there next when I need food for my baby.

Now, a dog might not seem like it needs much to get started, but our girl isn't house trained so we are going to do this right. Also, I am trying to save my carpet as much as I can.

Chloe's shopping list:
Crate
Puppy Pads (for potty training)
Exercise Pen (attaches to crate for larger area)
Leash
Collar
brush
shampoo
toys
chew sticks
treats
food
bowls (food and water)
tooth paste and brush (for good breath- right!!)
6 week dog training course (a beginning)

After reading a great book by Cesar Milan about bringing your puppy home, I realized we needed a special place for her to get acquainted with us and to potty train. We have taken the dining room table out for now and have set up her training area. She will sleep and eat here and hang out during the day- when she is not out going potty or taking walks with us. It is advised that you don't let them explore the whole house or they think it belongs to them. I am really excited about our solution and can deal knowing that it is temporary in the big picture. I hope she likes her new home and family (or should I say "pack")

A dream come true

When you read this you may think we are crazy, and maybe we are! Like many kids, ours have asked for a dog from time to time, but for Jason the passion for a dog has never wavered. Every dog we meet is a new friend for him. He knows how to talk to them, pet them safely and and to ask permission to approach. Everyone would ask if we had a dog or were going to get one- the answer always no.

Well, my heart warmed to the idea a week or so ago when I saw a banner announcing Super Adoption in Irvine. This is an opportunity to see hundreds of pets and potentially take one home. my heart started beating faster and I couldn't get the thought of getting a dog for our family out of our head.

Poor Dan. He likes dogs a lot, but didn't want to share his space with one. I know they are a lot of work (mostly on my part), but the benefits to me outweigh the negatives. We asked our landlord if we could have a pet and he wasn't sure if it would be okay. There was a lot of back and forth on Dan's part, but eventually our landlord agreed (with a small increase in our monthly rent) and Dan said he was open to looking.

I have been on many sights seeing what was available out there at shelters or rescue centers and I saw some that were potentials and then yesterday I spontaneously took the boys to the Irvine Animal Care Center. I thought we could at least fill out an application for future purposes and we could see what was available. Up to this point, the boys don't know that we are even considering getting a dog.
We walked into the center and right at the front was this sweet little Cocker Spaniel (named Flopsy). She warmed all three of our hearts. We went into the office to see if we could visit the dogs. After filling out an application, we met with a counselor who took us around to see the dogs. All the dogs I had seen online that interested me were not there anymore. But there was "Flopsy" and we asked to see her.
Well, the rest is history! The boys and I fell in love and she fell in love with us. She had just arrived earlier in the day and is 7 months old. She curled up in our laps and was really sweet and tolerant of the boys touching her. At the center all family members have to meet the pet before she can be adopted so we put a 24 hour hold on her (with a deposit) so we could come back today and visit her. We found out today from our counselor that another family came right after us and wanted the dog as well, but she was ours (praise the Lord).

We came back today to see our little girl and we were not disappointed. I asked Dan if he liked her and he did. Of course he also said the decision had already been made by me and that his vote was only a formality.

We are getting ourselves a new dog and we are naming her Chloe! She is being spayed on Monday and we will bring her home on Tuesday. I am positive this won't be the last blog about our dog.