Sonya Grows Up and Up and Up

Fiorella is cleaning out her closet--or rather, Sonya's closet. In a fit of canine maternity, Fio bought five little outfits for Sonya over the past two months, in "medium," then "large." None of them fit now, of course, and it's almost summer anyway. If Sonya needs any winter clothes, Fio will probably have to rescue the sewing machine from the mess in the laundry room and get to work because from what she's seen, PetsMart doesn't carry XXLs.

Yes, our Sonya is growing up, but she hasn't gained the weight we expected her to. No small wonder because she's very picky about her food. Fio and Husband have yet to find a brand that Sonya really likes so they resort to lacing her kibble with treat. It's weird having a dog who doesn't gobble up her breakfast like she's never been fed before. Wendy Dog always had half the bowl eaten before Fiorella could finish filling it, but Sonya just stands back and looks at Fio inquiringly, like "What am I supposed to do with this?"

But then, Sonya is a more laid-back dog than Wendy was. It's in the breed. Remember. Fio and Husband deliberately sought a dog that would be different.

But just as sweet, loving, and lovable.

Sonya, Continued

Those puppy days are flying by fast. The doggie in the mirror no longer holds Sonya's interest, and she's figured out that when Mommy is looking in the glass and talking, the sound is coming from the person, not the reflection. She doesn't chew as much either so there are fewer strange sticks in the house for Mommy to trip on. And Mommy's stigmata are almost all healed.

Obedience-wise, she's caught onto "sit" and "stay" and is working on "leave it" and "heel." Fio and Husband can take her outside with them and trust she won't bound away from them off into the woods. Cleverness-wise, she's figured out how to let herself into the house by leaping up and batting at the door handle.

Fio enjoys Sonya's maturity, but she misses the cuddly little puppy who--uh--dogged her footsteps everywhere she went, the little baby she had to sing to sleep each night.

Oops. Just a minute. A warm, furry mastiff has just leaped on the couch beside her and gone to sleep. Awwwwww.

March 30

March 30, crunch time. Fiorella has committed to having all Christmas decorations down and packed away in the garage by April 1, and she still has two boxes to go.
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As Fio has told you, in order to clear her mind for sleep at night, she sets up interesting situations in Big Bang Theory. Like Danny DeVito being cast as Leonard's father. Or Howard's father reappearing. Or Alicia showing up again, having been mowed under by the Hollywood machine--maybe she and Raj can hit it off. Or Leslie Winkle marrying Raj and standing off his parents. Or Raj showing up married to Miss India, which actor Kunal Nayyar actually is.
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Hey, before Fiorella closes up Christmas, she has to tell you something weird about Sonia Dog--she likes to carry glass ornaments around in her mouth. The only thing Fio can figure out is that she savors the smooth roundness of them.

Her Ladyship

Sonya is such a lady. Instead of practically inhaling her kibble in one foul gulp, as Wendy did, she waits politely for Fio to place the bowl on the serving mat, ambles over to survey it, takes a few practice bites, wanders around the kitchen, comes back and takes a few more bites, then finally settles in and eats her supper--if she feels like it. And, like the well-bred lady she is, she always leaves a few kibbles in the bowl.

How this dog is ever going to end up at 150 lbs. is beyond me.

Puppy Fare

As Fiorella was munching her shredded wheat yesterday morning, she heard an unfamiliar sound behind her. Turning around, she discovered Sonya chomping on the window sill. Yes, Sonya is still teething, and on everything that takes her fancy. Fio and Husband have supplied plenty of the standard fare--rawhide bones, cow bones, ropes, dog toys of every variety--but like children who prefer playing with gift boxes rather than their contents, our Sonya prefers to chew on furniture, logs of wood, and window sills.

Real Dog

We've had beagles, a shepherd's collie, a black ragmop. a ridgeback, and a weimer, but never before have we had a dog that would bury a bone. I wondered what was happening a couple of days ago when I caught thirteen-week-old Sonya digging a shallow hole in the dirt and laying a stick in it. But Husband caught her yesterday digging a deeper hole, dropping a bone in it, and covering it with leaves. Good grief--we've got a real dog!

On the other hand, what else should we expect from a mastiff, one of the oldest of canine breeds? Her racial memory must go back centuries.

Puppy Priorities

A new baby can be diapered, but a new puppy requires hours of watchfulness. Housebreaking also involves setting up patterns, and when those patterns are disturbed, disaster follows--Fio's paper towel consumption has doubled in the three weeks. But Sonya is doing better.

Now to persuade her not to eat the Christmas tree. Take the tree down, you say? Well, Fiorella hasn't quite gotten around to that yet. She's been too busy puppy-watching.

Day by Day

Sonya's having some problems adjusting to the family routine, partially because Daddy's been home sick all week and everyone's been sleeping late, partially because Mommy's hip has given out again and she's not been too agile lately, all of which resulted in Sonya's housebreaking going down the tubes (pun intended). Husband even had to give her crate a deep clean yesterday.

But today is a new day. Sonya let us sleep till 7:30, awoke Mommy with a couple of sharp yips, and, without a leash, trotted down the stairs behind her. Mommy hobbled over as quickly as she could to open the back door, but Sonya was quicker on the carpet. "NO," Fio thundered. Sonya stopped in mid-dribble as Mommy grabbed her by the harness and directed her out to finish in the yard.

Mommy was somewhat suspicious when she let Sonya back in, and rightly so--ten minutes later, Baby started to squat again, but on the concrete floor this time, a sure sign of what was to come. Fio hustled her outside again. After a little dithering between the yard and the stepping stones, which Sonya's puppy feet identified as concrete, she deposited in the yard.

Hooray for Sonya, who's learning. And hooray for Mommy, who, still in her nightgown, is sitting on the couch writing this blog with sweet Sonya sleeping by her side.

Adventures in Housebreaking

Housebreaking a puppy is not an easy task when your hip is giving you trouble and it's raining cats and...uh...dogs outside.

Yes, that rain the meteorologists told us wouldn't come again till spring is here. The skies are gray, the ground is soggy, and our Sonya is too persnickety to use the backyard when the vinyl mat in front of the kitchen sink does so well for number one and the dining room floor is perfect for the other. She's also pretty stealthy about it.

At least Fiorella knows where to look, the mat can be wiped up, and the concrete floor is easily cleaned.

But once Fio's hip is better, Sonya better mind her Pees and Cues.

Sonya Speaks

I played a little game with Mommy this morning. Every time she tried to entice me up the stairs so she could keep an eye on me while she dressed, I did things like stop half-way, grab one of her shoes that had been left on a step, then hightail it back down, rump-bump-a-thumping all the way. When Mommy discovered my little trick and dragged me upstairs, I grabbed Daddy's pajama bottoms from the utility room floor and ran for my life. Mommy caught me again, and this time I had to stay in the bathroom with her, but that too had its opportunities. When Mommy tried to step into her underpants, I sank my teeth into one edge and pulled. I thought they were mine--after all, they were pink and I'm a girl.

Mommy, being bigger and stronger and having absolutely no sympathy for a bare-bottomed puppy, prevailed, finished dressing, then accompanied me downstairs, but not before I'd noticed her nightgown and heavy winter robe hanging from a high hook. In a nanosecond, they were on the floor. All it took was a little tug.

Don't blame me. These puppy teeth crave action.

Bigger and Better

Fiorella came in the door just in time to see little Sonya walking carefully up the stairs. Yes, our baby dog has learned how to navigate steps. Apparently while Fio was gone for the morning, Bosco Dog showed her the basics, and then Local Son encouraged her the rest of the way. Sonya's also getting the idea of doing her business in the yard instead of in the house, but in the meantime, Fio is glad our first story floor is concrete.

Sonya is all puppy. First comes the whirl of excitement and activity--playing with Bosco, attacking the bottom of Fio's bathrobe, trying to chew or swallow everything she can get her teeth on. Then, suddenly, she's tired. Her shoulders sag and she either drops in place or comes over to the couch, where Fiorella lifts her up--Sonya still hasn't figured out how to leap higher than she herself is--and nestles her down beside her for a nice nap.

Oh, and did Fio mention that Sonya let her sleep till 5:00 a.m. this morning?

Picture Perfect

Here's our Sonya!

Puppy Tails

When it comes to doting mothers, Fiorella takes the cake. No one else's babies were as beautiful as hers, as smart, as cuddly. And she's the same with her puppy. Sonya is the most darling doggie every created, a deserving successor to Wendy the Wonder Dog. In fact, Fio considers Wendy to be Sonya's spiritual mother. Thus, in the Icelandic tradition, Puppy's full name is Sonya Wendysdottir.

Sonya is beginning to adjust to her new circumstances. Fiorella tried to teach her how to descend and climb the stairs for a 2:00 a.m. pottie call--didn't quite make it--and Husband stayed home to take her to the vet in the morning. When they came back, Fio's job was getting a couple of pills down her puppy throat (accomplished with coatings of butter) and acting as a bolster for her long afternoon nap.

Even Bosco is helping. Sonya had been turning her nose up at the prescribed puppy food until her pal showed an interest in it. Then she gobbled it down. Nothing like a little competition.