Abbey:
Abbey is now 5 months old and weighs 50 pounds...She is so huge and such a huge handful! She has a very energetic spirit, as most Goldens do, and a very stubborn attitude to go along with that energy.
For example: Abbey loves to ride in the car, so the other day I was heading to the paint store to pick up paint (more on that in a second) and I decided to take her with me, just to let her get out of the house for a bit. She had recently had her neutering surgery so had been cooped up for a few days in the house so I thought some fresh air would do her good. We head out to the car and she jumps right in and is excited for the ride. We get to the paint store, and I am planning on just running in and leaving her in the car. So I get out of the car and close the door behind me, only the door doesn't close, it bounces back open like it hit the seat belt and wasn't able to latch. I turn around to see what the problem is and I can't figure out what kept the door from closing. Well then I turn back around to see my puppy frolicking down California street like she is the queen of the world! I panic of course, and have no idea what to do. Just as I am picturing my dog getting obliterated by a car, a woman walks toward the paint store and catches Abbey's attention. Abbey sprints toward the woman, very excited to make her acquaintance, though I do not believe the sentiment was shared. The woman quickly closes the paint store door and tells the social little puppy
"no, no puppy you can't come in here, go away"
"PLEASE LET HER IN!!!" I yell, thinking to myself at least she can't get killed in there (by a car anyway). The woman looks offended and perplexed, but reluctantly obliges. I rush in the store to find Abbey running laps around the counter with a paint brush in her mouth. Completely mortified, I begin chashing after her and calling her name, as sternly and quietly as I possibly can.
"Oh great! I LOVE this game." she thinks "Let's play tag!"
So, after what felt like an hour of "catch me if you can" I finally caught Abbey by the collar and led her back to the car. She of course refused to get in the car, instead decided to lie down in the middle of the sidewalk and threw a big tantrum. So here I am trying to lift this 50 pound puppy into my car while everyone drives by and points...
Needless to say we made it home eventually, and Abbey spent the rest of the afternoon in her crate.
Though she is a handful, Jer and I love her so much and couldn't imagine life with out her. She brings us so much joy and we know that this puppy phase will pass eventually and we will have a sweet, beautiful, loving family dog. All our hard work will be worth it in the end.
And speaking of hard work, Abbey graduated at the top of her class from puppy school. She is really smart! We start "Manners" class in a few weeks.
Here she is on the night of graduation with her graduation bandanna on:
House:
As far as the house goes, we made great progress this week. The two rooms that were needing carpet are finally carpeted! Jeremy worked very hard on getting the family room wired and dry walled. After we had some help texturing, we threw some paint on the wall, just in time for the Lowes truck to show up. There is still work to be done of course (Baseboards, trim, window casing). But it is so great to finally be able to use that room!
These aren't the best pictures, but the work for now to give you an idea. For the best picture, come by and see it for yourself!
