OK, so the headline is slightly misleading, but only just slightly. Today while Larry was digging holes to prepare to put in a new fence, Serif and I kept him company in the backyard. Serif mostly looked for things to chew on. I read a book and stopped every so often to take photos.
I took 199 photos today. All but ten were of Serif (who, by the way, is now up to 5 lb 7 oz!). Here’s a little sampling:
Today Serif let another dog pee on her. There’s really no nice way to lead up to that, so I figured I’d just start with it. And we’re not talking about accidentally encountering a little bit of pee—oh no!—the dog, a medium-sized fellow who lives in our building, was getting annoyed with Serif’s youthful exuberance and so he just decided to let loose while Serif was standing under him.
Larry and the other dog’s owner and I all stared in equal parts shock, amusement, and horror as the scene unfolded in our backyard. And Serif didn’t run off. She didn’t even try to move out of the way. She just stood there, directly in the line of fire. Really the only part of the whole incident that bothered her was when we hosed her down afterward and then shampooed her once we’d gone back inside.
"I have issues."
I’m not really sure what this says about our dog. Except that she’d probably be very popular on certain communities online.
Aaaaaaaaand I just this second had to stop in the middle of writing this to chase Serif around the condo because I looked up and she had a big piece of cat poop hanging out of her mouth. The moment went something like this:
Me: “Hey Serif! What’s that you’ve got—oh! Is that..? Oh. OH GOOD GOD NO!” I jump up from the couch and Serif runs off with her new treat. I chase her through the dining room yelling, “Serif! No!” I chase her through the kitchen and into the spare room where Larry is on his computer. “I think she has cat poo,” I say, waving my hands helplessly. Larry looks down, agrees, and attempts to grab the dog. Serif wriggles out of his grasp, runs through my legs, and we all go running back through the rooms of the condo, Serif losing bits of the poo along the way and finally eating the last bit she’s held onto just as Larry reaches her. It’s like the Keystone Cops in here. But with more cat poop.
Clearly the cat box will need a new location. And our dog will need a breath mint.
"Plastic bags are neat, but they're not as good as cat poo! Haha! Catch me if you can!"
I took Serif for her first vet appointment today. She didn’t like riding in the carrier, but she was very brave once we arrived at the clinic. The women working there made much of her, giving her many treats and calling her a “little doll,” and another woman in the waiting room tried not to look too horrified when she heard “corgi-poodle mix.” She did ask me, “How on earth did that happen?” Well, a mommy dog and a daddy dog who love each other very much…
Also, I wish you all could have been there for my lecture to the vet assistant on the origins of the name Serif. “You see, in typography, serifs are semistructural details on the ends of the strokes that make up letters and symbols…” *blink, blink*
All in all the vet says Serif is in excellent health, but she does have ear mites, so now she and Buster will get to be treated for that. Let joy be unconfined.
And now, for Kenneth, who demanded them, more photos!
Yeah, you can all blame Chris Walton for the pun. But really, I would have been disappointed if no one had made that joke.
Tonight is our last night without a dog. Larry and I are both very excited and very nervous about the whole thing. Luckily our friend Noel is in town this weekend and will be keeping us distracted this evening. And tomorrow we’ll all go to pick up Serif!
The condo is all set up. The toys and treats are waiting. We’ve got a grumpy cat just waiting for a new excuse to throw a tantrum. Now we just need the puppy.
Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow!
This is ridiculous, you guys. I CAN’T. STOP. LOOKING at photos of our puppy.
I can’t believe I have to wait several more weeks before we can bring her home! In the meantime, other than the occasional nightmare about her having been given away to someone else, there’s nothing much to do but look at photos and spend money. Lots of money.
We started by buying a dog, of course. Then on the way home from that I insisted on stopping at PetSmart to buy “puppy stuff” which was “really important” to do “right away.” Starting with the most necessary item in the entire store:
A squeaky toy shaped like a bag of movie theatre popcorn. How could I resist?
We also got a puppy Kong (those chew toys you fill with treats). Next we purchased a crate. And some puppy potty training pads. And a holder for the potty training pads. And some food. We’re still looking at play pens. And deciding what kind of collar/harness/leash combo to go with. Etc, etc, etc…
It is possible this puppy will be a little spoiled. But can you blame us? Look at that face!
We are also continuing the name-choosing process. So far we have suggested and rejected about 10,000 names. I think in the end we’re probably going to go with a suggestion of Larry’s: Serif (“because she has little feet”–groan, typography humor). It is growing on us, and I appreciate his efforts at finding a not-too-girly name that would appeal to a journalist.
Sadly, my original suggestion of Professor Fate was vetoed due to being “ridiculous.” Perhaps so, perhaps so…but I guarantee no one else at the dog park would have been yelling “Professor! Professor Faaaaaaaaate!”
Then again, probably not a lot of people will be yelling “Serif!!!” either. So we’re good either way. And it is a rather pretty word. And easier to fit on one of those little name tags. Which reminds me, need to buy one of those as well…
Larry and I have FINALLY found a puppy to join our little family! She’s a Corgi-Poodle mix (the poodle part is supposed to make her less hard on my allergies). We picked her out today and will be bringing her home in early August since she’s still too young (five weeks old). Until we decide on her real name we’re calling her TK (an editing term used as a placeholder in text when you have information to add later). Here are a few photos of her!
TK
Larry and the puppy
Larry and the puppy
Happy 2010! Here are a few photos taken during Jen’s visit over the days surrounding New Year’s. (click the image to see the album) Happy New Year!
Happy holidays! Here are a few festive photos taken at the condo over the last week. I’ll probably add some more on Christmas morning. (click the image to see the album)
