Feb 27

What a busy and fun day little Otis had today! It started with outside play/potty time. I discovered that if I shuffle my feet quickly by him on the turf he thinks I am playing and starts wagging his tail and gets excited. I love it when I can tell he is happy! We started working with him on the leash with commands like “step up” and “step down” so he can learn when the ground is going to “change” in front of him. I actually suspect he is already understanding it. I give a soft little twitch of the leash right before a step or incline and give the command without even stopping and he is doing really well with it! He is a smart little oatmeal cookie 💖

**Otis and his buddy Pippin. He is a little confused on which way the camera is💖**

Of course we had to go to Petsmart and do a little shopping/exploring. Otis got some new treats that he is wild about!

After shopping it was time to go back in the yard for some more play/potty time.

Otis did some exploring around the house today and I’m pretty sure he generally knows how to get from the front door to the master bedroom(his room) and living room that also has a dog bed and his dishes. He even managed to come find me at the washer and dryer (so proud of this little guy)!

At dinner time he managed to talk us into giving him some carne asada with his meal (he is very serious about food, lol). He loved it!

After dinner we did another potty trip and then into bed for some relaxing (and one of his new treats)….

And finally, bedtime…

Feb 26, Day 2

Last night was our first night with Otis and it was great! He wasted no time snuggling between my husband and I. His deep sighs (and snoring) let me know he was cozy and content (be still my heart!). He slept peacefully all night (we would know since we both kept waking up through the night to make sure he was comfy ☺). Otis is the sweetest little snuggle bug ever! We also found out he loves Busybone treats, in bed of course!

Day 2- Today we took a little trip to daddy’s work and he recognized dads voice and his little tail was wagging happily. He has definitely bonded with us already and doesnt like to be away from me. He seems to find comfort in any kind of physical contact with me and doesnt like me to put him down 😍.

Pippin and Otis had some bonding time together today as well. They are so cute side by side.

After dinner we went on a little walk for some exercise and Otis loved it. Pippin stayed right next to us (which is unusual for him) as if he knows or senses that Otis is “different”. I love that they are becoming buddies so quickly.

We did a very small amount of “curb” practice today as well and he did great! We practiced “step up” with a slight twitch of the leash and ” step down” with a twitch of the leash. I couldn’t believe how well he did! I’m so proud of this little “butterball”. 😁 P.s. he loves the feel of the turf in our yard on his feet.

As I’m writing this Otis is snuggled against me snoring in rhythm with the hubby, sigh, now I’m cozy.

Tomorrow there is a possible trip for Otis and I to the Petsmart here in town to pick out Otis some new treats, maybe a new collar or shirt. Who knows what we might find…to be continued

Loving the turf on his toes!

Our journey begins…

Feb 25, 2019.

BEST. DAY. EVER! Today was the first day with our new fur baby! We welcomed Otis into our home, our lives, and our hearts today and we couldn’t be happier! We are already utterly in love with everything about him. He is everything we wanted and more, one special little guy.❤

How it all began…

Our house. Not just any house, our dream house, our forever home. Before we knew it, it was OURS! As any home owner knows it’s an exciting and stressful time buying a home, but mostly exciting if it’s your dream house, right? For us, not so much.

It surely started off that way; keys in hand, a load of furniture, and boxes ready to be unpacked with everything in it’s perfect spot and our daughter and 2 dogs running down the bare hallways and around to each room. Everything was perfect…until it was time to get the next load.

We were only moving about 20 minutes from our old house. Not so terribly far that we couldn’t put the dogs in our new back yard, grab another load, and come back. However (and unfortunately), while we were busily packing up the second load a thunderstorm hit. When we returned to the new house our dogs were gone! One of our dogs “Pippin” is afraid of thunder and spent no time sticking around to get attacked by it. He dug his way under the iron gate and ran to the neighbor begging to be let inside (bless her for taking him in until we returned), but, our other dog “Sebastian” was terrified of people and wanted no part of following to the neighbors house. I imagine he just kept on walking, searching for us. In the end, we haven’t seen him since. We exhausted every avenue. All of them. Every. Single. One. (Except searching by drone, which I happily would have paid for had I known about it). Sebastian was my world. My baby. Emotionally he needed and I needed him just as much. I was devastated, still am. That was in July of 2018 and it made a huge impact on my entire family. Sebastian was/is one unique guy. A Hairless Chinese Crested with only one tooth left (his “man tooth” as we called it), tongue hanging out and his tuft of white hair on his head; my dapper little man. After that, I didn’t think I could ever find another dog that I could connect with the way I did with him. After a few months, I tried. I looked and looked for the perfect dog. But there was never that “spark”. Until now, until…Otis….