weekend round-up

So let's get the other stuff out of the way before we get to the really good stuff which is, of course, puppy stuff.Friday we pretty much sat around waiting for it to be Saturday so we could go and see Sadie the puppy. I tried to drink some wine but it gave me a headache so instead I fell asleep on the couch while watching Austin City Limits.

Then Saturday we went to see Sadie!!!!! Youpee!!! It took all of about 1.72 seconds for us to decide we were going to keep her. I don't even think we were out of the car. The decision was likely made as we were pulling into their driveway and we saw her bounding across the yard all feet and fur and adorable. I believe Marc's exact words were "Oh my F-ing God..."

Anyway, the family was really upset to be giving her up but realized their work schedules didn't allow them to give her a good home. They work in the city and live in the country so the commute meant that Sadie was alone for much longer than she should be. It was actually heartbreaking to take her, even though we know we'll give her a great home. The mother and father were both crying as was their oldest daughter who actually stomped into her room, slammed the door and was throwing her stuffed animals against her bedroom window. Taking a soft, cuddly puppy from someone who is weeping as they hand her to you is about as fun as you'd think it is.But, we know we're doing the right thing for them and we promised to send pictures and let them visit whenever they want as they just really want to see Sadie as a full grown beauty. So we drove the 35 minutes or so back into town with Sadie sitting right in the middle of the backseat just staring at us. She was so good we were both totally shocked. She just sat there. Like a person. And if you said something to her she would tilt her head so far to the side she'd almost fall over.

And of course, the rest of the weekend was pretty much us starting all of our training. She's pretty smart and already knows a bunch of stuff, she sleeps through the night more or less and only had a few accidents in the house. The main thing we're going to have to work on is the puppy biting. Man alive her teeth are sharp and when she gets riled up there's just no stopping her. Thankfully when the nighttime rolls around and she turn into a cuddle queen, the nipping can be easily forgotten. So for now, training, training and more training before she gets so big she's impossible. And boy is she going to be big! Bernese Mountain dogs were bred to pull wagons of milk up mountain roads to outlying villages and to herd sheep and cattle. When she gets big enough I'd love to harness a little sled to her so she can pull all the rugrats around. Apparently they thrive when given a job like that so what the hell? She already loves the cold weather and while we were outside she curled up right inside my big thyme plant in my garden and took a little nap. She's so pretty I can hardly stand it but because we were so busy with her I only managed a few pictures while we were putting up our Christmas lights.

So while that was pretty much the whole weekend we did manage to squeeze in our annual watching of the Santa Claus Parade from the comfort or my office downtown. Friends and family and all their kids all waving from the windows and getting hopped up on sweets -- it's a great tradition. Saturday night we also managed to make an appearance, albeit brief cuz of Miss Sadie, at our friend's Carrie's house. She had a house concert for the Sunparlour Players and I am quite a fan so it was great to catch them in such a great intimate spot. They're lovely lovely gentleman who are so not too cool for school as many musicans can be. I wish I could have stayed for the jam afterwards but when the puppy calls, you must answer.

Seriously, she's so pretty I don't know how I'm going to get anything done.  And tonight she played the role of most perfect puppy ever which makes me love her even more.  No biting, no craziness, nothing but kisses and cuddles and cuteness.  Yup, this is the Sadie blog from now on......