I know, I know, it's been a REALLY long time since I've blogged about Stevie. Let me assure you that she is as cute, funny, smart, clever, mischevious and hilarious as ever as she enters her third year of life with "Megan, the Cat Person".
Stevie is very quick to learn. Megan has been working with her on their walks so that Stevie has to "sit/stay" whenever Megan stops. At first, she worked on it without distractions (no pedestrians, no busy street corners, no cars). Being an astute student (and a big time lover of Newman's Own Dog Treats), Stevie soon advanced to performing "sit/stay" with noisy trucks going by, busy street corners, and gaggles of school children across the way. More impressively, when I had her lead on a recent walk, I stopped, and Stevie immediately sat and stayed, without a command. In fact, she did it so well, I almost tripped over her when I turned to begin walking again.
I told Megan that maybe she should come train MY dogs -- and I'm the one who's been to dog training school.
I thought I had more recent photos, but could only find one to add to the gallery. It's actually of Stevie dutifully sitting, and, most likely, wondering if this will be one of the "treat times" or one of the "no treat times".
I went to visit Megan and Stevie today, the first day of 2009. Megan and I were having a veggie tray and pretzels and Stevie just can't understand why Mom doesn't allow her to have whatever she wants. I mean, come on, dogs are people, too. If Stevie doesn't behave well while we are eating, Megan sternly tells her: "Stevie, go get in your crate". And darned if Stevie doesn't comply, although not always happily, and not without peeking out every now and then to see if her exile has been lifted.
Megan says Stevie must have something against her little snuggle bed (the same kind we all use for the pups to curl up in). It has been in her large crate ever since Megan bought it. However, lately, Stevie has been dragging it out of her crate on a routine basis. Nearly every day when Megan comes home from work, the little snuggle bed is in the middle of the hallway. Megan puts it back and the next day, there it will be, dragged into the hall, sometimes upside down. One afternoon, Megan was working on the computer and she heard a bunch of rummaging sounds, then felt a familiar bumping on her leg. She looked over, and there sat Stevie, obviously pleased with herself, having dragged the snuggle bed out of her crate, down the short hallway, into Megan's room.
Far be it from me to try to fathom the workings of a tiny, blind Min Pin's brain.
I will try to be more vigilant about the blog and new photos in this new year. I know there will be many, many more stories to come.
Happy 2009 and cheers until then,
G
