life and puppies

One of my very favorite things about the new dog has been going on a family walk around a gigantic “block” (it’s actually a couple but it sorta feels like one giant one) around our new house. AO probably just got a queasy feeling if he read that sentence. You see, Gertie is a giant dog with a loud bark, an anxious head and a very sweet heart. Walks have been a challenge because, at first, she would randomly and ferociously bark at other people. That has settled down a lot. Now, she will sometimes ferociously bark just at other dogs. Sometimes not. But when she does, her bark is scary and she pulls on the leash like a maniac. It’s a lot. AO took her to her first Barkers’ Workshop Monday night, so we’ll see if we can get some better results. Anyway, back to the walks. Why are they my favorite? Because when we walk around this gigantic multi-block block, we’ve been teaching Gertie to sit before we cross a street. She’s pretty good at it. Recently, though, Molly has decided that this means she should sit, too. It makes me laugh every time. At first, she would just squat, but now it has turned into full on sitting on the ground. Last night she insisted I do it, too. I. Love. It. Well, I don’t really love sitting down on the sidewalk for no real reason other than that my 2-year old instructed me to do so, but I do love the moment. I think Gert is going to be a good dog for us.