Somebody was feelin' poopy!

Our little angel managed to have icky stuff coming out of both ends... M compared it to a Jackson Pollock... (!!!)

He's feeling better now, we think - though he may have the opposite problem, and be stopped up now!

This is the afternoon he came home from spending the night at the animal hospital. Poor boo!

Somebody's getting ginormous!

Our dear Mr. Portable is getting less, well, portable. At his vet visit about 10 days ago he weighed in at 33 lbs. We'll get an update when he gets his 20 Weeks vaccines tomorrow! Holy moly puppeh belleh! Actually, he hardly has a puppy belly now, too! He's a lean hound now.

He's also had a bit of a cold, complete with runny nose. So benadryl has been a major part of our lives for a couple weeks. This makes *someone* sort of dopey and ridiculous. As our neighbor put it: he "sits" when you say it, but it's like the direction went right to his butt, and his brain never heard it!

Obligatory pictures!

What do you mean I'm gigantic?



My ears can hear a kibble drop at 300 yards!

Long time, no bark!

Oh my goodness has it been a long time since Porter had an update! That's not because there's a lack of excitement- probably the opposite is true. We've been going to school Mondays and Tuesdays (school for Kate, that is!) and Porter has school on Thursdays right now. Last night he discovered just how long the play area is at GDA- and how fast he can run! Zooooooom!

Lots of pictures are over at http://flickr.com/photos/nutellanut/

and this is my favorite picture from the last few days:

Porter & the Post Office

We went to the post office today and dropped off a card and a package! Porter even stopped to sniff the "No Dogs Allowed: only dogs assisting the blind or deaf permitted inside" sign. I thought about stopping for a picture with that, but no.

There was a big line so we opted for the drop-box, and actually managed to sit for a moment while I dropped them in! Yay!

Now we're back home, where it is officially time for a nap:

But how do you *feel* about whining?

Porter went to school with me today. Process of Interpersonal Psychotherapy. It seems Porter will be a "therapy" dog if he's not a guide dog! ;-)

It was quite an adventure, let me tell y'all! He is now totally zonked out in his ex-pen, and I don't think I'll be able to wake him for a while!

There was a bit of whining and 'whistling' (his ultra-high pitched whine) and some *serious* shoelace chewage. But overall he slept or just lay at my feet. Hooray!

A Grand Day Out!

Porter here, re-portering!

I took my first trip out into the world of strangers and foodstuffs today! And boy was it an adventure...

First, we drove to Cafe Laurent because Drea said they were very nice to her there. But they were closed! No baguettes for me or pain au chocolat for mom!

Then over to Cafe Surfas, where there was a GIANT store full of ALL sorts of yummy delights. But what's this? There's no food in the cafe! And mom says something about the Cafe being closed for cleaning?! Barooo! Then a nice guy came out and I was good and SAT so he gave me lots of petting and attention. He was very friendly and wished us good luck. Mom told me that we'd come back and visit him for cheese soon. I don't think I get any of the cheese, though.

Mom needed coffee really bad by now, so we tried one last place: Starbucks! I've been to one of these! I walked this time, though, since we weren't on that big outside mall. I was SOOOO good! And everyone loved me. Once I SAT some nice people petted me. And the people behind the tall counter leaned over to say hello, too!

We went outside, and I went DOWN and UNDER and Mom drank her coffee. I was being so so so good, that's what Mom said. See:




















Then we went back to the car, and back home! Wow, what an adventure! I'm so excited from my big day that I can hardly sleep! Mom says she hopes I sleep soon, but I don't wanna! There's a big world to explore! Let's go!

nom nom nom

Happiness, it turns out, is an "ex-pen." We call it "PlayPen!!!" for Porter, as opposed to puppy jail, as it seems *someone* thinks I'll reflect the words in my tone and make it less Playtime and more Cell-D Lockup. So PLAYPEN it is, when someone isn't deciding to just hang out in his kennel with the door open. (Proof that they really do love their dens! Also that it's cold in the house!)

So Porter is choosing den life to playpen life, and loving his softee toy more than anything. Methinks I need to make a second one with a squeaker in it. Earlier today he finally opened the seam on the adorable toy that GDA sent him home with. That's not too shabby- almost a month! But the softee I made him has stood up to some pretty hard-core nom-ing and many many games of "pull Porter around the floor (sometimes as DemonDoggie)."

Ok, out of the kennel and into the playpen, after a diversion outside. How did Porter know the exact minute it began raining? He is, I swear, psychic.

We had a Wet Dawg yesterday: