Wednesday, February 17, 2010

A part of the family...



Ever since Marley met my family, she instantly became a part of it. My little brother fell in love with her. He just can't seem to get enough of Marley. He loves to take her on walks and play catch with her. I never really knew what it meant for a dog to truly become a part of the family until now. It is all really funny, actually. My parents will call me often and most of the time they call to ask about Marley!! "How is Marley?" they ask. I love that they do that. She means as much to them as she does to me! It's great!

How many licks does it take?




So, Marley seems to have a fetish with licking...and let's just say, I'm not a fan!! I don't know many people that just loved to be licked, anyway, but it's really not my cup of tea. She licks you after she hasn't seen you in a while, she licks you after you take a shower, she licks dirty clothes, she licks the floor...she just likes to lick! I really want to make her stop! But before I do, dog trainers reccomend realizing why she does this. The first and most obvious reason why dogs lick is because that is their way of showing affection. She loves me!:) Many puppies learn this from their mother. Mother dog's lick their young. I know that she means well, but I'd like to learn how to fix it. I need to be more dominating with her and simply tell her to stop in a forceful way. If anyone has anymore thoughts on this. Let me know.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

A weekend away....

This weekend I will be going away for a debate tournament. Now that I have a dog, I have to find some one to take care of her. I am blessed to have great friends who help me out when I need it. Marley does well with the people that she knows well and that she is used to. This weekend, my boyfriend gets to be in charge! Marley is used to Ryan now, so she should do well. Usually when I'm gone for a while, she is not very happy with me when I get back. In the past, she has gotten very angry with me and even left surprises for me when I got back. I have had her for a while now, so she should act much better. I am interested to hear how she does. I'll check in with Ryan and be sure to let you know how she does. Hopefully, I'll have a few fun stories to tell nextt week.

Snow Days...

Earlier this week on Monday and Tuesday, Marley and I got two days off. Since it snowed, I was out of school and did not have to go to work, either. She really enjoyed me being home since usually she has to be in her kennel when I'm gone. Mondays are usually my busy days, but this particular Monday I got to stay around the apartment instead. Marley enjoyed staying home and simply being lazy with me. Snow days usually mean that lots of cooking will take place around the apartment. My roommate and I cooked quite a bit that day. Marely wanted to be right there while we were cooking. I think she thought she might be allowed to eat some of it! We had two great days off and are now looking forward to our next snow days!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Funny Story...

So, I came home to my apartment the other day and my roommate, Shea, had a funny story about Marley to tell me. Shea had stopped by the apartment and let Marley out for a little while that afternoon. When she had to leave, she searched for Marley in her normal hiding spots...under my bed, behind the couch and under Shea's bed, but Marley wasn't anywhere to be found. Shea had to be somewhere very soon and had already spent ten minutes looking for her. At this point, she didn't know what to do. So, she decided to go to the door and try to make it sound as if she was leaving. She did that, then she just stood by the door quietly. Not too long after that, Marley came out from where she was hiding and immediately spotted Shea and gave her a growl. Shea had tricked Marley and she wasn't happy about that. Shea put Marley up and was able to leave. Marley sometimes thinks she is in control and would do anything not to go in her kennel!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Bathtime!

Saturday was the day of Marley's weekly bath. She was started to smell like a dog, so I knew it was time. I do not particulary look forward to giving her a bath, because it is not her favorite thing in the world. As soon as I started her bath water, she hid behind the couch. Somehow she knew what was about to happen. I pulled her from behind the couch and put her in the bath tub. I have to watch her carefully to make sure she doesn't jump out, which she is very inclined to do. She made it through the bath, but then came time to dry her hair, which is another very interesting process. She absolutely hates the hair-dryer. She tries to run from it, but I keep the door tightly shut, so she can't leave. It is very cute to see her try, though. I dried her hair as much as she could stand, then immediately took her outside for a potty break. When we came back in, she kept her distance from me. I don't think she was very happy with me. Oh, well...it happens every time, but she must get clean!