Meara, we usually buy them lunch and then tip each guy $20

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ducky patterned

But a very cute Queen! Would circumstances have been I could have been your subject today. Or perhaps a waiting woman.

Yay, Frankie! Does he have blue eyes? A friend's blue-eyed cat was a Frankie, too, after Ol' Blue Eyes himself.

I feel so declasse. Apparently PNW is so last year as a moving-to destination. My new doctor, whom I've spent the better part of a year training to a good doc-patient working relationship, where we understand each other and I make her laugh, is moving to NOLA. I mean, really. We just got here!

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Aw, Bev, that's frustrating.

His eyes are brown. His name at the shelter was Francis, so I immediately nicknamed him Frankie. He just met Xusa, the bully cat, briefly. Amazingly, he sniffed her calmly and she let him without hissing or swatting. Minor miracle.

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Hallelujah! Yay for stress free integration of 'cats and dogs...living together....MASS hysteria!!'

May the trend continue with appropriate behavior on everybody's part.

How are you feeling about the process smonster? Nervous? Confident? Giddy?

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PUPPIES!

Go Frankie! Go smonster!

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Hilariously, Xusa went and hung out in the dog crate for a while. Frankie is on the dog bed at my feet with his head on my shoe.

I'm feeling okay. It seems too easy so far! He heeds the AHH noise, walks beside me on a loose leash, etc. Like you said, we'll see how it goes once he settles in. We're going for a longer walk in a bit. The only thing so far is that he doesn't seem to like the treats I bought. Maybe they fed him right before I picked him up?

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If he is not food motivated, that is not the best news. Just keep trying until you find ones he does like. Often, the smellier, the better.

You can get low sodium chicken hotdogs, quarter them longways and dice into small pieces. Nuke them for 3 to 5 minutes. Frankie will do your taxes, in exchange. OR, I use Bartleby's kibble as training treats, or lamb lung (ugh, I know). Just be sure that the treats are relatively low calorie and small enough that he doesn't have to chew them while offering a behavior.

It could be that he is just too distracted by the environment right now.

Be careful leaving shoes around when you leave. Because they smell so much like their person, an anxious dog will chew one up in a search and rescue mission.

I coach my clients to get down to doggie pov and scan the environment for anything the pooch could get his mouth on. Just to be on the safe side!

Remember, people. It's up to us to help them to be good!!

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Yay, new pup! Ours go nuts for chicken jerky treats. They will do ANYTHING for them.

I am happy to report that after a year of having to be crated when we left the house, Truman (our standard poodle) is now fine. His separation anxiety has gone, we think partly because he learned we always come back, and also because our other dog is so chill when we go out.

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Be careful leaving shoes around when you leave. Because they smell so much like their person, an anxious dog will chew one up in a search and rescue mission.

I have this highly amusing snippet in my head of what is going through the dog's head: "OMG, I smell you! You must be in there, somewhere! Just hold on, I'll get to you! I'm coming! I promise I'll get you out somehow! Don't give up, beloved human, help is on its way!"

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I have this highly amusing snippet in my head of what is going through the dog's head: "OMG, I smell you! You must be in there, somewhere! Just hold on, I'll get to you! I'm coming! I promise I'll get you out somehow! Don't give up, beloved human, help is on its way!"

Honestly, some behaviorists think this is exactly the scenario!

His separation anxiety has gone

Yay! That is awesome. Consistent routine...and chill peer pressure...make all the difference.

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