Yet another post from work

Yes. I write quite a few of my posts from work. I have a very slack job and am done my stuff for the day but can't leave because somebody has to man the till. But they gave me a computer and the Internet, so blog I will.

I just wanted to give some updates on Page and how she is fitting in with us.

She made her first dog friend the other day, the building "mascot". He's the landlord's dog, Tucker. And I think he and she will get along very well. She has great dog manners. Now she just needs to learn that she can't say hi to every dog she sees (she tried to say hi to an English Mastiff yesterday and just about got bit), or every person for that matter. It's obvious that she has always been in houses with other dogs. She wants to play with the cats so badly, as a substitute for other dogs, but they don't want to play yet.

She is wagging her tail a lot more. I think she is starting to feel very comfortable with us. Which makes me happy. She's even starting to show that there is a goofy side to her personality. I bought her this little stuffed dog and it turns out she'll play fetch with him. I bought her a bunch of toys, just cheap versions of each, because I didn't know what she would play with. She picked herself out a pigs ears but completely ignored the rawhides (both treats are in open buckets at the pet store I go to). The funniest one, and it may gross some people out but it was a special moment to me, was the first time she went poo. I have to take her out because we live in an apartment and I think she was feeling awkward between the new setting and always being on a leash. So a little over 48 hours in, she finally did. She threw herself a little party. Jumping up and down and running around with the tail going as if to say "I did it". So I celebrated with her. And now, no problem. lol. Goof dog.

And she's already helping me up. We're doing "wake up" in the morning. At this point, I'm forcing myself awake in the morning when the alarm first goes off and calling her over, inviting her to come up on the bed, and praising big time when she's giving kisses. Then it's a couple of quick stops that I may need her to help me to remember (eg. feed the cats) and then it's breakfast time for Page. We're doing the slobber, gross hand-feeding-the-kibble thing right now. Yuck! But it will help me build a bond with her. In a little bit, we're also going to start to incorporate some trick ideas into this time. But right now, she lies on the floor and I offer her a few pieces at a time.

Another helpful moment: We went to the pet store yesterday. Even though I've been going to the same store for almost a year, I still go in, get what I need, and get out. I can't browse. I simply can't. Yesterday, with Page with me, I browsed. I was so thrilled. We even met a puppy who Page instantly liked. We talked to people, which was fairly easy because we were talking about dogs. And we bought toys. Toys that hide kibble. A durable Nylabone. A rope toy. And the stuffed, squeaky puppy mentioned above. We may try balls and Frisbees in the future. I also bought her a "shedding comb". Everybody: get one of these! We took her home and brushed her with this and Wow! She doesn't shed to badly generally (eg. Hug her and you don't need a sticky roller right away) but we got a Safeway bag out of her. And it was quick and easy. She seemed to enjoy it. And it changed her shape drastically. She looks like she lost 10-15 lbs around her middle. Now you can see that there is more in her shoulders, rough (or ruff - what's the correct spelling for the mane that collies have?), and in the feathering on her rump. We never even got to her tail but it's got some to come out too. The most amazing, and wonderful, part of it was that Nick did the combing while I used a smaller comb on the feathering on her ankles. He was covered in hair and didn't have a reaction. Woot! The allergy testing seems to be going well.

While I had her out and about yesterday, I also popped into my vets. This is where Page met the Mastiff. I got distracted for a second when the vet joined us and Page took advantage of it to go say hi. Happily, the vet saw it prior to the actual bite and quickly jerked Page out of the way. (CLARIFICATION: Page went to say hello and the Mastiff was going to bite.) Thanks Doc. I managed to sneak the vet into checking Page's teeth. They are a little bit worn down and I just wanted to make sure that they weren't going to be problematic. No worries was the report.

We then went to pick up Nick from school. While we were waiting, I just opened the hatch on the car and me and Page just sat in the back. I didn't have to hold her leash at all. She just laid in the back and took it easy. I was so thrilled with her! What a good girl.

General update: The semester is over. I wrote my last test yesterday. I'm feeling a bit better with the increase in meds. And I have a beautiful, wonderful dog at my house. Things are looking up for me. Even if it is raining today. And I've told everybody I needed to. My parents, Nick's parents, my landlords, my boss, and all of the important friends. And just about anybody else who will listen to me. It's so nice to talk about the bipolar openly. It makes it feel less wrong and makes me feel less broken. And I really hope that this blog can inspire somebody else who is going through a similar situation or is trying to understand somebody who is.

Thanks for making it to the bottom. I know it was long but there were so many new-dog moments in the last few days.