2.08.2007

pupdate 4

We're making progress every day.

Cody is adjusting, Tala is calming down a little bit, and we're settling into the beginnings of a routine. The two of them play great together outside; inside, Cody is less bothered, less belligerent, more tolerant. And Tala is actually learning to leave her alone.

On Tuesday we re-learned the first three rules of managing a young dog's boundless energy: exercise, exercise, exercise. We went to Jack Darling, Mississauga's biggest and best leash-free dog park. A fierce wind was whipping off the Lake and the ground was hard-packed, icy snow. It was cold, but worth it.

Tala immediately forgot her name and pretended not to know us, but who can blame her, the first time she's let loose in a huge field with 30 new dogs to check out. They ran and played for a long time, and when we couldn't take the wind anymore, we managed to corral Tala. She spent the rest of the day peacefully lounging around, a huge difference from her usual non-stop playfulness.

This morning we went to the vet, to have Tala's stitches (from neutering) removed and get a few minor things checked out. She's scratching a lot, and probably has some skin allergies. After the vet, it was back to Jack Darling, and they're both snoozing away right now.

The park, on Lakeshore between Port Credit and Clarkson, is a little too far away for us to go regularly. There's a small dog run at nearby Garnetwood Park, and of course there's our backyard, which also helps.

We had a terrific time with D, gabbing, listening to music, cooking, eating, drinking. We watched Martin Scorsese's "Bob Dylan: No Direction Home," which we own but Dave hadn't seen, and which we had to pause a few hundred times to discuss. D left this morning, and tomorrow it's back to work and real life.

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