Goodbye squirrel

Thankfully, for the most part, Sophie is not a toy-killer. When given a new toy, she is not the kind of dog that immediately and desperately rips it open to get to the stuffing. Instead, she prefers to give it the head-shake-of-death, and obnoxiously over-squeaks the squeaker. If it's got some fluff (such as a fluffy tail), she also loves to suck on that. This can make for some slimy fluff. Eww.

However, this doesn't mean that such toys are immune to her ruthless ways. She does seem to have a few toys she prefers over others. Recently, her favorite toys have been three identical squirrels that originally came in a hide-a-squirrel toy (unfortunately the "log" met an early end when one of the seams ripped open, and some stuffing tumbled out*). Sophie didn't seem to notice the missing log. She was just happy her little squirrels were still around.

Today, that changed. Squirrel #2 developed a leak. You see, Sophie has this somewhat odd tendency to enjoy sucking and chewing on the legs of these squirrels. Sometimes, this is almost trance-like (and a little weird -- perhaps it's a puppy regression thing?). This morning, the chewing and sucking resulting in the little squirrel developing a hole in his leg, kind of giving the impression that he looked like a stuffed squirrel amputee.

After the gruesome discovery we said a few nice things and gave him a proper burial.

Poor squirrel. Sophie will miss you.


*It should be noted that while Sophie does not actively seek stuffing, if some is available, she will be glad to snack on it a little. Not good for little puggies!

Introducing Sophie

We finally brought a little pug into our lives. Her name is Sophie, she is just about the cutest thing in the world (of course we're not biased or anything), and we are really enjoying having the little puglet in our lives.

Sophie entered our world suddenly; but we have wanted a pug for quite a while, so we jumped at the opportunity. She came from a breeder in Idaho, and was first picked up by her Grampa and Grandma Swanson, and then we picked her up shortly there after. If we hadn't, I don't think Grandpa and Grandma would have given her up!

So far, she has been such a great little dog. She is quickly learning that when she potties outside, she gets a treat! That is quite an incentive for a little pug (as some of you pug lovers out there know), and she is catching on quick! She loves to play (especially with us and her lambykins), and loves to make us laugh. She is also working sit, which is SO hard because that treat is just tooo tasty!

So far her favorite things are: FOOD, toys, cuddling in laps, taking naps, chewing on leaves (or just about anything that fits in a pug mouth), getting in the shower with us (!), staring at her reflection in the window, and sleeping on warm feet.

Things she really doesn't like: Going outside in the rain, getting her face and ears washed, having her nails clipped, and she's still undecided on baths.

Well, stay tuned for more Sophie updates in the future. As she grows, I know we'll have some great Sophie stories to tell!