Another addition to our family

Hannah is here!  We adopted a puppy at the end of May.  Unfortunately we discovered Ely had hot spots the night before we picked Hannah up so he wore "the cone of shame" for a few weeks as he healed.  It was chaotic, but time flies and Hannah has already graduated from her beginning training class.

The morning after Hannah's arrival!

The dogs are getting along wonderfully, with Ely modeling mostly good behavior for Hannah.

This is her story from the RAGOM site.

Hannah #14-133

(Fostered in Maple Grove, MN)

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care	Fence	Kid Friendly	Another Dog	Cat Friendly
5/15/2014	Not required	Age 5+	Optional	Not tested
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

RAGOM fans, welcome to Miss Hannah Banana! Hannah came to us from a loving home who just didn’t have the time it takes to care for a young pup. She is 4 ½ months old, born on December 25th, so a Christmas baby!

Hannah gets along with our 12-year-old dachshund great. Sometimes Hannah doesn’t always catch Heidi’s signals of when she is done with playtime, so we have to help her out; she can be VERY energetic at times. Hannah is for the most part potty trained. She gives signals by walking to the door and looking out the window. I still have to keep my eye on her, because if I don’t catch her signs she will go in the house. Luckily for us, she has chosen the kitchen tile as her accident zone and not the carpet! She is a very smart girl and is learning quickly about all the potty training rules. When we come in from outside, Hannah knows to go to the treat jar for her big reward! She evens knows that to take a treat she has to sit and stay. Like I said, she is a smart cookie. :)

 

Hannah absolutely LOVES her people! She is definitely a lap dog; no matter what she is doing, she has to be touching you. As I type right now, she is laying her little head on my toes. As much as she is a cuddly love bug, she also is a very energetic puppy. She has the puppy teeth that like to chew on any body part or thing, and sometimes it can be a little tricky to get her to stop and calm down. That being said, she gets along with children, but I recommend children a little older who are able to handle that and who have adult eyes on them during playtime or Hannah’s random energy bursts.

 

Hannah is a sweet girl who will be a great companion to her forever family. Hannah has a lot of love to give! Hannah will need a family who is up to having an energetic young puppy around and who will be consistent in puppy training. Hannah is a smart girl that with a lot of time, patience, training, and love, will thrive!

Here are a few things to remember before you race to email your placement advisor. 

• Puppies are a LOT of work in their first year!
• Puppies have small, immature bladders and cannot go a full work day without being let out. You will need to make arrangements for a midday break until Hannah is about 6 months old.
• Puppies NEED obedience, manners training, and socialization! RAGOM gets many unmannered and under socialized dogs in due to a simple lack of training and socialization when they are young. This is a crucial time for puppies to learn so many things!

    

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UPDATES:

05/30/2014:Hannah is one lucky girl and has been adopted by the R family!! She is going to live the Golden Life with her new mom, dad, sisters, and fur brother Ely, a RAGOM alum! I don't think I could have found a more perfect family for Hannah. She left with a new wag in her walk with so much excitement for her new life ahead. I am so happy for you, Hannah!
Thank you!

Weekend with Ely in Hayward

Our weekend away with Ely

Daddy has been visiting Hayward, WI for his job and found a hotel that will take dogs.  We brought Ely to the town's annual MuskyFest.  There was a carnival and street fair we all went to.  We even took Ely for a short paddleboat ride!  The girls got to swim in the pool twice.  Daddy took the girls mini-golfing while I walked Ely around.  Samantha even got 2 holes-in-one!  She was so proud of herself!

It was awesome to realize we can take him with us on a 4+ hour drive.  We love that he's portable and can join us on our adventures!

Snow Day

Another snow storm hit so the girls finally got a snow day.  At least we got out and enjoyed it!

Ely's 3rd Birthday

Happy 3rd Birthday Ely!

Every day I am reminded how much Ely has brought to our family.  And I'm happy to take him to doggy daycare/camp, or the groomer, or the dog park or on walks.  He gets plenty of love and affection from everyone in the family.  Some quirks have changed.  Ely no longer chews his feet and has learned to tolerate having his ears cleaned.  He still gobbles his food insanely fast and gets towels/or whatever he can find when he wants something.  The humans in the house don't always get the message right away, but we know it's a signal so we try to decipher instead of getting upset.  Ely loves belly rubs and can get insistent if you don't pet him long enough. 

Ely is a beautiful, sweet and exactly the dog our family needed.  We love him so much!

Sofia and Ely, mortality and a surprise

Last Saturday night was a relaxed night at home.  Daddy was watching football in the basement, I was organizing, Samantha was reading and playing in her room.  Sofia was also playing in her room with Ely sleeping on her bed.  Suddenly Sofia came to me looking very sad and with tears rolling down her face.  She told me that Ely wouldn't open his eyes and bit her lip, unable to say the words, "I think he's dead".  Sofia had tried to open Ely's eyes and since the dog sleeps so hard, he just stayed asleep in spite of her messing with him.

We ended up talking about Fonzie and how everyone eventually dies, but that Ely probably won't pass any time soon.  I shared that it's okay to miss those that have died and that it's good to remember them.  We talk about Great-Grandpa Irving, Fonzie and my dad.  We also talked about being kind while we are alive and that we are lucky to have so many people who love us and the time we get to spend with them.

I've always been honest with my kids, probably due to the effects of losing my dad as a young adult. Life is short and fragile, so I continually choose to make the most of the time I have.  There is no guarantee of tomorrow, but to be honest it made me sad and proud to have Sofia come to me so concerned about our dog.  Sad because it's a hard truth to face and proud because she wasn't fighting it - she was feeling grief.   Hopefully we will be around a long time for more fun and more conversations.  For now, we are just grateful for today.


On another note, I noticed something missing from Sofia as I was helping her brush her teeth.  She lost a tooth without even realizing it and this is the result!

Even More from September

We devoted a day to go to the Renaissance Festival with the Murphy's again.  Ely even came and gorged himself in discarded food.  Thankfully there were no ill effects, just a very tired dog at the end of the day.  The girls had a ball on rides and all the adults got plenty of time to catch up.  It was a good day!

Daddy had to leave for work again, though we kept ourselves busy as always.  Thank you to the grandparents for helping out in his absence!

We also had Samantha's school fundraiser which was a Family Fun Run.  Auntie She came and we all completed it!  Then we packed a picnic and walked Ely to get him some exercise since we couldn't bring him.  

As if that wasn't enough for the day, we had one more place to be before meeting Nana and Papa (who took the girls so Daddy and I could attend a wedding)... my co-worker Allan invited us over to his house to watch him harvest honey from his bee hive!  We even got to wear the beekeeper hoods.  The girls asked so many questions!  Allan and his daughter Stephanie did their best to answer them all!  It was an adventure for everyone and we learned so much!  For another bonus, we got honeycombs to take home and keep for ourselves!

Today I brought Samantha to a restaurant for lunch after Sunday school and it was nice to be just us.  Sofia got to spend the whole day with Nana and Papa.  At a playground they went to, Sofia climbed to the top of the jungle gym and said, "I've been dreaming of this day!"... pretty funny according to Nana.  Meanwhile, Daddy, Samantha and I took Ely for a long stroll and all had some downtime to rest before heading to Todd and Shelly's for dinner.  The kids all had fun at the park too!

More from September

Both girls are very excited on Monday mornings because it’s school! Daddy and I love seeing them excited. They get a few extra moments of chaos since Brianna and Connor come to our house to ride the bus in the mornings, but all the kids enjoy seeing each other. The hard part has been to get them out to the bus on time because they just want to play!

Sofia especially has blossomed at her preschool so far. A lot of her friends go to the private elementary school, but when I asked her if she wanted to switch she declined. Sofia is becoming more and more articulate.

Samantha is adjusting to more demands on her to be organized. She loves seeing her friends during the day. Like most kids Samantha tends to give up effort when she’s received approval, so I push though it’s usually a gentle nudge by asking, “Is that the best you can do or is it good enough?”. I’m reassured by my messages appear to be sinking in though. Samantha is loved very much wherever she goes!

The girls and I were in a parade with their gymnastics studio.  They got to play on the float with the uneven bars while I dodged gymnasts walking.  It was a long day, but a great experience!  Thank you Papa for coming to watch! 

Samantha made Shabbat dinner herself.  She led all the cooking and didn't need too much help from Daddy and I.

We got to spend some time with Uncle Todd, Aunt Shelly, Jordan and Dylan at the zoo. It was a lot of walking, but very fun to see them!  It has been impossible to get a good picture of the kids all together!

I began the football season with a 3 ½ hour outing with the girls, looking for crafting ideas and enjoying a park.  Samantha took the picture during our "coaching session on the bar".  Did I mention that they love gymnastics?

Shana Tova! I was at a concert with a friend (which was a fun way to start the Jewish New Year), but the rest of the family had fun following the traditional meal.  Samantha also scored with her school fundraising drive!

We went to Goldzilla which is a fundraiser for RAGOM (www.ragom.org).  RAGOM is the organization we got Ely through.  There was a sea of Golden Retrievers!  It was a powerful event because everyone there loves their dogs and you could feel the positive vibe!  I can envision us getting another dog once we (the humans) are better trained!

My week with the girls

I finally got to indulge in some time with my girls... no work, just home chaos and the joys of girl time (and Ely).  I've been in my job over 2 years and have never taken a full week off... I'm a little ashamed of that.  I have really enjoyed being able to just focus on my family since they are what matters most.

We started early on Friday by taking Ely for a morning walk and a trip to the coffee shop.  Then, the girls went to "camp" at a friend's house, followed by more park time with Ella and Johanna, followed by more playtime with them at our house.  Then, Ms. S brought Kaya and Kayde over for more playtime.  It was a great way to start the vacation!

Saturday morning the girls and I went out and about for a bit while Daddy got ready for his trip and did outdoor chores.  I took some time out in the afternoon with my friend Rene' to go shooting.  I'm a fairly good shot, and it was fun to try a muzzle loader rifle from the 1800's.

On Sunday we dropped Daddy off at the airport.  The girls rode their bikes while I ran with Ely for a full hour.  Sofia was exhausted, but it was good!  They kept doubting me on where we were going and it was comical to see them try to navigate.  At the playground by the car, we took Ely down a few slides and he went in the tunnels... we all laughed and cheered him on!  The girls noticed an airplane and waved saying, "We love you Daddy and we miss you already!"  It brought tears to my eyes.  We all miss him so much when he's gone and we know he misses us too.

Of course, Ely jumped in the lake so I had to give him another bath!  (Last week he had one too after going in the water at the dog park.)

Sunday continued with a kid switch: I had Sofia and Kayde while Ms. S (a teacher at Sofia's school) took Samantha for a sleepover at her house.  It was an easy way to split my girls up to give them a break and it was fun to host Kayde's first sleepover by herself!

Monday was spent recovering from the sleepover.  Other than walking Ely and playing around the house, we really didn't do much and that was fine.  Tuesday Sofia had swimming and then we all got haircuts.  That took a while, but everyone managed themselves and there were no behavioral issues.  I was very proud!  Wednesday the girls had some other friends over before we took Grammy out to dinner, which was nice since we haven't seen her much lately.  We got to see Nana at her local community center too.

Adventures at the pet food store

I was on my own with Ely since Daddy was out of town and the girls were staying at Nana and Papa’s house To prepare, last Sunday the girls and I went shopping with Ely so I could have plenty of distractions ready in case he was nervous or misbehaved. (Ely really is easygoing, but will vocalize (read: BARK REALLY LOUD) his protest and I just wanted to be prepared.) Samantha asked to take him and wander through the store while I browsed the dog toys designed “for powerful chewers” since Ely will destroy any other toys. Sofia was busy trying to figure out how to get me to buy her a fish. Everything was fine until I heard, “Your dog is in the water” from the clerk that had just been helping me. What water you ask? Well, in that store there is a pond with fish and frogs and I had underestimated how store Ely’s drive is to get into water – any water. It’s not surprising when you think about it and thankfully the staff was more amused than anything. They said they had never seen a dog do that before.  I asked for a mop and settled for being grateful Ely didn’t kill anything. We all laughed and I told Samantha that it was really funny this time, but it wouldn’t be if it happened again so I’d keep Ely from now on. She agreed that would probably be best and another memory was made for us!

July highlights and a water fight in June

We've taken Ely to the Farmer's Market a couple of times, family walks, playdates.  We got together lots with friends and neighbors, went to a Lynx game, worked to train ourselves and Ely, and occassionally managed a little downtime.  It was a great month!

Also, I forgot to write about the family water fight in June... we had water balloons and new water guns.  Here are some shots from that.  Daddy loved his colossal gun and was mad with power.