Zim's Exciting, Active Day

So, Zim had an exciting day yesterday.

First, he went to daycare because Fathead and I had finals (bleh!). We left him there until about 4:30 because we figured there was really no point in cutting short his fun. He hadn't been to daycare since the Thursday before (almost a week!) so we thought it would be good for him to have a nice, long day at daycare.

Then, about an hour or two after we got home, a friend called wanting me, him and Zim to go to the dogpark, because he'd finished a take-home final and wanted some social interaction outside and he figured that was the best way to get me to go out. Zim was napping, so I hemmed and hawed, but I did agree. So we harnessed Zim, took his car tether out of our car and put it into my friend's and we were off to the dog park. Even though he'd been at daycare all day, Zim got all excited when we got to the dog park and did have a good time. There was even a kid there, probably around 6 years old, that Zim loved. They played chase for quite a while (trading off who was the chaser and the chasee) and Zim just thought it was the best thing ever (my little boy loves kids).

After that, we left and picked up Fathead, who'd been napping, and went to grab some food. Since we had Zim with us and it was a nice day, we decided we wanted to go somewhere that had outdoor seating that would let us keep Zim with us, so we went to Jupiter's. Zim was relatively well behaved, although we had been sitting quite a while before he settled---he wanted to explore the who place since it was new---and he did find something to bark at very briefly (not sure what). Still, he was good and he even met some new people, which is always something I love to see happen when we take him out. Socialization doesn't end past puppyhood and we still try and take Zim everywhere we can. This was only the second time we took him with us somewhere to eat, though, and with the nice weather I think we should make more of a habit of it. Being able to go out and bring the little dog is an awesome thing.

Finally, we went out and got some ice cream at Jarling's. Because somehow my friend still had room for ice cream and the have entirely outdoor seating that allows dogs. While we were waiting there, Zim saw one of his daycare buddies, a yellow lab named Luke.

After that, we went home and Zim collapsed into sleep shortly thereafter. Fathead probably took him for one last walk before bed after I fell asleep myself, but other than that, he's been asleep ever since---somewhere around 12 or 13 hours. Puppy is pooped.

The Ups and Downs of the Holidays

So, Fathead and I are back home (Southern Illinois, where we both grew up) for the holidays. This has been, for the most part, a very good trip. Lots of excitement and fun for doggy.

First, his cousin-dog Molly came to visit for the holidays too, and she and Zim are bestest buds. They love playing with each other and really wear each other out. The basically didn't stop playing the entire time they were together.

Second, Zim got to play with a 3-year-old for Christmas and he definitely really loved her. Unlike some dogs, who think that kids who scream and run and move funny are scary, Zim thinks they're great playmates. He's definitely a great little dog with kids. He's not perfect (he did start guarding a bit when she kept giving him and taking away a little toy car and he growled after she kept putting her hand over his eyes, but he was mostly a doll and he definitely was more patient with that behavior from the little one than he would be from most people) but it's definitely great to see him being a good little family dog. I was pretty sure before that he would be great with the kids we eventually plan to have but I'm now very confident that with the right ground rules in place, he will be nothing short of fabulous. He's really a super patient little dog and he just generally likes kids.

Finally, Zim got his first snow and oh, how he loved it. He was half-bounding through it and half stalking it and he's just had a grand old time with her. I've been desperately hoping for snow because I knew he would love it and he did! Watching him run around in the snow was definitely all that I hoped it would be. More, in fact.

That said, the trip has not been all perfect. Today Zim had a little escape and it was absolutely harrowing.

So, my mother in law was getting rid of some milkbones that had gotten wet (with icky sewage water) when the bathroom had flooded due to some pipes being destroyed under the house (so, you know, trying to make sure the dogs didn't get sick from eating gross sewage food) and she left the back door open while she did. Zim walked right out. This was, possibly, I think, because he was wearing his harness, as he is not normally prone to door bolting (although perhaps saying he doorbolted is inaccurate since he just walked calmly outside instead of running through like he'd never seen the sky before). I was near him, so I followed him and called to Fathead and my father-in-law to help me. Unfortunately, however, despite walking calmly and slowly toward him, Zim evaded capture and kept hopping along happily through the snow. Eager to explore, and perhaps confident due to the fact that Mommy and Daddy were nearby, he started away from the house and through the street. My father-in-law asked me about food, so I ran in to grab the pork we'd been heating up for my lunch. By the time I got back out, I could no longer see Zim and my father-in-law was calling to Fathead to stop chasing Zim (at a walking pace), but since Zim wasn't stopping when Fathead did, he kept forging (again, at a walking pace) after him, unwilling to let him get out of sight.

The next time I saw Zim, Fathead had him clutched safely in his arms, safe and sound. He had captured  the Great Explorer when he'd stopped to pee on a tree. However, this was only after Zim had wandered into the road, which is a highly traveled one with fast traffic. Honestly, even thinking about my baby on that road and what might have happened just makes me sick to my stomach. The worst part, of course, is that it was hard to know what to do. We were unwilling to try walking away or stop following him, because we didn't want to lost sight of him and that's usually when he decides he wants to go find you. He wouldn't come when called or stop as he didn't want to be caught and have his fun (and, in his mind, perfectly safe and probably almost normal, with Mom and Dad nearby) little adventure cut short. What this really means, I think, is that I need to implement the recall-training program I've been thinking of putting him through for the past couple of weeks. We need to come up with a new "come" command and practice with him on a long line and then jackpot him something fierce upon complying (either forcibly via the line or freely) with the command. Hopefully this will give us a better option should a situation like the escape today ever come up again.