Yesterday as Jeremy and I were packing up to leave the lake house we couldn't find Shep. We searched all over the house for him. Standing in the kitchen starting to get worried about him having gotten out I heard the comforting tinkling of his collar tags. I looked up, and our dog was sitting in the kitchen sink with his front paws on the window, intently watching the yard. He'll clearly never stop exploring and for this, we love him.
Shep has had a busy summer so far! We boarded him for the first time, which went off without a hitch! We are lucky that his daycare (aka the BEST daycare around!!) offers boarding. He had a blast and so did we on our mini getaway neurotic dog free!
Shep turned two in June. It's amazing to reflect on how far he has come in such a short amount of time. We are certainly seeing him become more and more confident, which is awesome. Clearly, he jumped into the kitchen sink, he's a changed animal from his early times with us! We're with him all the time so its hard for us to always be objective, but its been great to hear from our family, friends and neighbors that they too see a changed dog. Certainly, age plays a factor, but we also know hard work has gotten us to where we are.
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| From August 14, 2011 |
Although his confidence is improving, we still have concern in some areas. We learned the hard way that Shep is simply not a fan of crutches, albeit the hard way. A friend who happens to be scared of dogs, stopped by on crutches early on in the summer. Shep was happy to see her, but barked, growled and had his hair stand up when he saw the crutches. If the crutches were laying on the ground, he was totally good. Once the crutches were up and moving he was so unsure. Good thing we have a spare pair in the basement so we can work on it with him to be a little proactive in the event one of his clumsy owners breaks themselves. We don't need Shep protecting us from our mode of transportation!
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| From August 14, 2011 |
Shep's most favorite place on earth is my family's lake house in Door County, WI. Shep is so excited to swim that he allows us very little sleep our first night there. Invetiably, morning arrives and Shep is up with the sun around 530 for a swim. He is fearless in the water and barrels through waves to get his dummy.
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| From August 14, 2011 |
He can also add marina patrol to his resume:
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| From August 14, 2011 |
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| From August 14, 2011 |
The beauty of swimming for Shep is a guaranteed long, hard nap.
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| From August 14, 2011 |
Shep will never stop exploring at 5:30 in the morning, the kitchen sink, you name it! Even if he we find him in the kitchen sink, we can't help but laugh. We are so happy to get to see the transformation in this dog and to be his family. Hard work has truly paid off. In the words of my dead head husband: "We'll keep on keepin on", so proud to have this dog by our sides.
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| From August 14, 2011 |
