Pup-Date

Thanks, Ben, for the catchy title 😉

Our lives continue to be consumed with monitoring the pups.  Stitch slept good last night – he cried a bit when he went in his crate, but then slept soundly til 5:30 am – Score!

Yesterday, he reached another milestone.  Lou taught him how to go down the stairs:

Natasha looks on in amazement, as Stitch actually masters the stairs

One thing they both agree on – elevators are better than stairs. Natasha had a bath and grooming today.

Stitch is getting more agile by the day – here he is jumping over the barrier we put up to stop Natasha from eating the vines on the wall (a long time ago)

Here is the fort Natsha has built for protection from her “little” brother

Stitch – looking like a little chunky puppy

Today, Stitch actually retrieved the ball – again, Natasha is amazed …

And, here is Miss Natasha – no more poodle look. Now she looks like Cleopatra! Maybe we’ll have better luck with groomers in Maine …

Will try to keep the pup-dates to a minimum, unless they do something particularly exciting 🙂

The Story of Stitch

OK, to answer the questions …

Stitch is here to stay.  We were thinking of getting a puppy later this summer.  When Lou checked with Sue (the owner of High Calling Cockers, which is where we got Natasha), we found out that Sue had some adult dogs who needed new homes.  Stitch was only 7 months old, and she had planned to breed him later.  Due to her husband’s illness, Sue won’t be having any new puppies for a while (well, not Sue specifically – you know what I mean).  We decided to give Stitch a new home, and that is how he came to us this week.  Thank you, Sue!

His name was “Sawyer.”  Lou said we would have to change that, so he got to pick the new name.  He said, “What was the name of that character Olivia likes?”  I answered, “Stitch.”  And, the rest is history.  The name fits him, but we are not going to change Natasha’s name to “Lilo.”  (Stitch and Lilo are characters in a Disney movie)

Olivia wearing her Stitch Hat at the Magic Kingdom

Stitch surfs with the girls

Last night we all got a mostly good night’s sleep.  Lou was up once to take the dogs downstairs (thanks!), then everyone went back to sleep.  I was up around 4:30am, so Stitch followed me downstairs, while Natasha and Lou continued sleeping.

Natasha is still in observe mode with regards to Stitch.  She spent some time upstairs with Lou, while I watched our little wide-body.  Then, I took them out to play some fetch.  Stitch is much more interested in chasing Natasha than he is the ball – just like Natasha did when she was with Avery (at Kathy & Steve’s in Maine).  But, he started to get interested in the ball at the end.

Natasha is much faster than Stitch. She is an expert tennis ball fetcher, and is even catching them on the bounce now.

Stitch is very proud of himself – he found the ball! Notice his wet ears … he likes to drink from the pool.

When Natasha has had enough, she hops up on the spa ledge.

Lou & I were in the spa this evening, before the thunderstorm hit.  Stitch decided to try and hop up on the wall of the spa … he missed.  He ended up in the pool, but was able to get himself out with no problem.  Just what we needed – a wet dog!  He is still a tad bit clumsy 😉  I think his middle name is Moose 🙂

I’m sure we’ll have more updates as the week goes on.  Tomorrow Stitch gets to see Dr. Prior (she says hi, Beth), and we’ll be making an appointment for his “SURPRISE!” surgery.

Natasha Meets Stitch!!!

Natasha has an announcement – she has a “baby” brother!  Stitch arrived last night, and Natasha is still trying to figure out if this is a good idea 🙂

We picked Stitch up at the airport at 9pm last night, so you can imagine it was quite a long night.  After the two of them sniffing and running around for an hour or two, we tried to go to bed.  Natasha was worn out – she hopped up on the bed and zonked.  Stitch just couldn’t settle down.  He wasn’t upset, but there was too much new going on for him to go to sleep (and he probably slept all day on the plane ride).  He was very calm, and seemed to adapt to his new environment very quickly.  Although he did quite enjoy zooming around:

I finally brought Stitch downstairs and tried to sleep on the sofa.  About 6am, I heard “glug, glug, glug” coming from the patio.  I checked it out, and there was Stitch … swimming along the edge of the pool.  He wasn’t panicked, but needed some help getting out.  We’ll keep a close eye on him.  Since he was already wet, I decided he might as well have a bath, and he seemed to like it just fine.

We woke Lou and Natasha, and spent the morning making sure the pups played nicely.  Stitch gets a little exuberant with Natasha, but she is faster and more agile, so easily escapes him.  He is learning to “be nice” and they are getting along better and better as the day goes on (they are both sound asleep right now).

Here are some snapshots from today.  I was too tired to setup the good camera, so I hope to get some better shots this week.

Natasha takes the High Ground

Stitch Zooms Some More

Stitch Poses for the camera. His coat is much straighter than Natasha's - her coat tends to curl. She has a grooming appointment on Wednesday, so she can be pretty like Stitch. We have had her in a "puppy" cut, but will progress to a more adult Cocker Cut.

Stitch Chews on a Bully Stick

Queen Natasha makes sure her subject is below her. He looks much bigger than her in this photo, but it's the perspective. He is a "BIG" Little Boy. He is 7 Months Old, weighs 23 lbs, but is shorter than Natasha (for now).

Stay tuned for more Natasha & Stitch action.  We are sure to have some lively moments in the days ahead.  We’ll also tell the story of how Stitch got his name.