Each one a new experience

 We look after guide dogs when their primary raisers are away for whatever reason. We had the opportunity to look after 2 in close succession.

One was tiny Cocoa who was only 12 weeks old. She was the youngest puppy we had handled. We did not have a great experience with Lucky so we thought it would be our attempt at redemption with another little female dog. She was a tiny little piece of joy, chaos and fun. She came into our house on a very cold and eventually rainy day. She was a bit out of place initially and had a few accidents around. But once the girls came back from school she was much better settled. She played with the girls like crazy. Since she was in that stage where she can be a could bite a bit, we chose to dress in thicket clothing. We were not complaining given the temperatures of this glorious island 😑

She was an early riser, and of course we had to be up with her. The girls could sleep if they wanted, but who would want to miss a turn with the lovely pup? So we would all be up around 7 even on a weekend and be with her. She was a silly goose, playing around with slippers and her toys. She would tire quite easily and then take a long nap. This was our turn to play card games and the like. I really love how looking after a puppy no matter for how long a duration forces us to spend time together as a family. Be it just sitting around the pup playing card games, watching some show or going for a walk. It is a really uplifting bonding exercise.

Once Cocoa went back, we were due to be looking after Scamp the Champ. Now Scamp is a pure golden retriever. He is just awesome. He is a majestic dog with a lot of sass and energy. He has such a big personality. We were excited to look after him. It was amazing to notice the changes in him as he has grown. Earlier he was quite an aloof dog. But this time we found him so well bonded with us. He would wave the kids goodbye when they left for school and would come to the window to keep looking at them. He would also greet us with such enthusiasm when we came back. Sadly most of the days with him were quite rain filled as well. Though he surely had the stamina to go on much longer walks, we were heavily restricted. We had to resort to shorter walks but that didnt take away the spurts of football in the garden. Again the times he forced us to hang out in the garden or sit around the dinner table fooling around with him was such an enriching time. We can only thank this lovely dog for the experience. He goes back tomorrow. After that we will surely feel the pang. But hopefully there will be many more tiny ones to amaze us next year. 

Scamp the champ!

 It was a lovely sunny Friday afternoon. We had some renovation work going on in our house. Our puppy development advisor came over with Scamp. Scamp was tiny for his age. And he was just so ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE. He was an awesome bundle of energy with an amazing personality of his own. He was playful, very naughty digging holes all around the garden. He started grabbing things from the house like slippers, shoes, socks, hats - whatever he could lay his paws on and take it outside. 

Since he was a small puppy he didn't need long walks. A good playtime in the garden was pretty much enough for him. But boy he could play! There were so many games that he could be a part of. Tug of war, chase, football and so many more. That puppy was a bundle of energy. 

He also had this silly fascination for my slippers. He would do anything to get them, even bite my ankle. Thats what he did many times with his tiny puppy teeth 🙂 He was such a sassy personality. He would look at us eating and have the eyes full of expectation. But he wasnt a beggar. He would look at us with those proud eyes to make us give him something. If we didn't he would walk off and chill in the garden. 

He also had this amazing habit of basking in the sun which made us feel he was even human 😂Everytime  he used to wake up from his nap he used to come to a spot on the garden which had a lot of sun. He would be super groggy and sometimes go back to sleep in the sun or rouse himself up. He had his naughty witching hour as well in the evening when he would try to bite everything and everyone. It wasnt meant out of aggression or anxiety, it seems it is a think that puppies do when they are that young. Perhaps something akin to babies having colic when they are around the 4 month mark. 

It was a lot of fun having him around for a little over a week. It kept us fully occupied and very joyfully occupied. When it was time to bid him goodbye it was quite tearful and sad. But then we had the next week to look forward to!