Around here, anything stuffed gets quickly de-stuffed and chewed to pieces. It’s just how things go. It’s expected. So imagine my surprize when it’s nearly the end of February and two of the stuffed toys I got them for christmas are still very much intact.

One is a large four-pronged fleece plushie. Each of the four ends has a squeaky in it. And all of them are still intact. This is one of Zeeke’s favorite fetch toys. I especially like to bonk him in the head with it.

The other is a different-looking stuffed chipmunk. It’s some special brand, I think it was supposed to be extra-tough or something. Good quality. Well apparently it is, because it’s still alive. It is one of Zoe’s favorite toys, she loves to carry it around, play fetch with it, and attack and shake it like it was evil. Late last night I was watching the olympics and she an I played fetch/tug for about half an hour. I never even had to move; she brought me the toy, I grabbed it, we played tug for a little bit. Then I’d throw it across the room, she’s run and grab it, bring it back. I think her favorite part is the tug, she really loves getting to bite and shake that thing.

And of course one of the favorites in this household is always the nylabones, of all shapes and sizes. But those, sturdy as they are, tend to get chewed pretty heavily. I need to replace them about once a month or so, depending on what’s in favor - theres this one nylabone teething ring that they’ve just destroyed. Not sure if I’ll buy them another, it didn’t stand up too well, but they sure loved it. And at this stage I love anything that saves our furniture and shoes from getting chewed!

Today we got another dumping of snow. So I took both of the dogs out together, Zeeke on-leash (it’s not optional for him), and Zoe off-leash. We went around to the backyard and then I just stood there while the two of them beat each other up in the snow. Zoe had a blast, running back and forth and in and out. She’s like Oreo was at that age - she stays within our territory and follows where I go. And when it’s time to go inside a short “Inside” will get her running straight to the front door. It’s wonderful. The fence will do wonders for them both, though. When I brought them inside after that brief play session (I was freezing!) they both flopped out and napped.

Oh my gosh!! Zoe fetched today! And I don’t mean on accident… I mean I threw the ball about 8 times, and 8 times she brought it back and dropped it in my lap. I’m sooooo proud of her!! She seemed pretty pleased with herself when she got praised as all get-out when she brought the ball back. It was actually pretty funny - we can’t keep normal tennis balls in the house because Zeeke chews them in half in hours. So the only ball we have is an oversized tennis ball… about twice the diameter. Obviously, she can’t fit it in her mouth. It’s been shredded, though, so she grabs the stringy fuzz and carefully carries it back that way.

I did have to put Zeeke in the bedroom to play with her, though…. he flattens her when I throw the ball and doesn’t let her get it. And then doesn’t bring it back.

Zoe looks pretty pooped after playing with Zeeke, then playing with mommy.

Oh dear. I’m in bed with my laptop, Zeeke’s beside me, and Zoe was rustling around on the floor with one of the bones laying around in here. I glance over at a noise and all I see are two paws, a nose, and very wide eyes before they all disappear backwards as she lands on her back with a clunk. Apparently the bone was too heavy or who knows, but she did not make that jump. After my initial worry, I just bust out laughing. Poor silly, clutzy girl.

It’s been a busy week! Thursday - Thanksgiving - we woke up to find snow on the ground, and still falling. When I opened the door to take Zoe out for her morning pee, she stopped right at the threshold mid-run, startled into a complete stop. It caught her so off-guard. She walked around very gingerly, not quite sure what this was or if she should trust it. She adapted very quickly, considering her personality.

So today she has decided she really likes this snow stuff. So much, in fact, that she asked me to go out four times in a row this afternoon. Soon as we’d get back in and I’d sit down, she’d be back at my side whining. I kept thinking she had to go potty still so I’d take her just in case. She made a token pee and then spent the rest of her time having fun. Brat.

She spends her time snuffling into the snow, sticking her nose into it and snorting. I’m starting to think she might be a good tracking dog, because she really loves to use her nose and follow scents - something that Oreo did rarely, and very badly when she did. Zoe also seems to like doing her run-in-mad-circles thing even more in the snow. She just seems so happy out there. Meanwhile my boot leaks and my hands were freezing.

In other news, we haven’t had any accidents in the house in days. Close to a week. I’ve even been leaving the office door open and letting the dogs have the run of the living room. She comes to me when she has to go. Yay Zoe! I’m so proud of her. I still make sure I take her out ASAP - no need to give her the chance to consider alternatives - but just the fact that she’s coming over to me and whining insistently is a huge thing. We still can’t leave the door to the bedroom or bathroom open, but that’s not because of potty accidents - they just keep finding things to chew in those two rooms. Bathroom especially, it’s off-limits. The bedroom is okay as long as one of us is in there. Although, this evening Zeeke fell asleep in the office and when I got up I realized Zoe wasn’t in there with us like I thought. I found the bedroom door open, and got worried. But where did I find her? Asleep on the floor beside the bed. Apparently it’s a comfortable nap spot. Whew!

Den’s mom dropped by yesterday, and Zeeke went nuts. He seriously loves her, and just falls all over himself to greet her. But it’s to such an extreme. It’s like he goes into overdrive - he can’t pay attention to anything at all, he can’t sit still, and he actually worked himself up into such a frenzy that he had to go to the bathroom really bad. After Den took him out he was a little calmer, but Den still had to restrain him until he calmed down. Den’s mom is the only person he reacts like that to beside Den himself, and really is the only visitor who is not intimidated by Zeeke (and therefore is the only person willing or able to help us train him).

Oh, and that whole time, Zoe was warily pacing back and forth behind me and the chair. She sniffed mother-in-law’s hand, but then scooted back out of range and resumed her pacing. When Zeeke was nearby she really wanted to get in on the attention Zeeke was getting, but it didn’t quite overcome her nervousness. However, when mother-in-law sat down on the couch beside Den, Zoe suddenly was able to go up to her and even jump up beside her to get petted. Something to file away for the future; apparently people sitting down aren’t as intimidating as standing up. And after that, well, then Zoe was her climbing-all-over-people silly self.

I’m laying in bed with my laptop, and Zoe’s beside me playing by herself. It’s so incredibly amusing. She’s laying on her back with one of her nylabones in her mouth, chewing on it, and simultaneously wiggling, kicking her legs, and growling. Sometimes she throws the bone, and has to do an upside-down pounce-wiggle over to it. During that one of her back legs got close to her head, so she had to stop and bite it… then continued on with her growling and wiggling. LOL

One of the funniest things is watching Zoe play by herself. She’s a really self-sufficient puppy - granted sometimes that involves getting into things she shouldn’t, but a lot of the time she’s able to just play with her toys and chewies beside me. But the thing is, she doesn’t just play silently, she’s very vocal… the whole time she’s grunting and growling as she’s biting and shaking the heck out of her toys. I think she actually prefers playing with her toys alone; when I grab her rope or squeaky she sort of bites it, but she seems unsure of what exactly she should do - should she let mommy have the toy? So while I do try to get involved in her play, I also let her just vent her wrath on them in peace.

I bought Zoe a new toy yesterday, it’s a “fox” with a big thick tail. Good for shaking. Well this morning I heard growling sounds coming from the hallway, and sure enough she was playing with it. So I joined her. I threw it down the hall and she ran after it, and when she grabbed it I said, “Good girl!!” When she brought it back to me I said “Good girl!!” and played tug for a few seconds. Then I said, “drop it,” and when she let go, again it was, “Good girl!!” I threw it twice more, and she brought it back both times!

Zoe is a most entertaining family member. She does very well at occupying herself - whether with a toy, rawhide… or one of her latest favorite games is attacking her back feet and tail. It’s not an obsessive thing, so I’m not concerned at all, but it’s damn funny. She lays on her back on the bed, squirming and kicking her feet around, growling like a badger. When she manages to kick her nose, she bites her foot, chews a bit, then pauses. Then it starts again. Sometimes during the flailing her tail catches her eye, and she bites that too. And when she notices you watching, she just freezes, her eyes swivelling to meet yours, as if she’s trying to play it cool - with a paw in her mouth. So VERY cute.

I love how when I get up to go to the bathroom or check my email or grab a snack, no matter how asleep she is and how quietly I try to get up, she has to get up and come with me. She loves to get hugs, to snuggle up under my chest and lick my chin, to squirm and have her tummy rubbed and generally doted on. And of course I love to oblige. I really am the center of her world, and for that I am so, so thankful.

Oh my goodness!! This morning her ears started standing up! Well, more or less - they’re tipped at the, well, tip, but they’re sticking up. Especially the right ear. That is not something I expected, at all - I just assumed she’d have floppy ears. Though who knows how they’ll end up - I have heard from others that ears can do all sorts of things before deciding how they’re going to stay. So cute! Of course indoors they’re usually just kind of sticking out to the side or pinned back.

I also got a few pictures of her running tuck-butt around the front yard in circles around me. It’s so funny! She just makes me laugh so hard when she’s hyper.