Lots to be Thankful for!

I'm sitting here on the Saturday after Thanksgiving feeling so blessed! We had lots of family and friends in town to celebrate with us, enjoyed our own version of Aggie Bonfire (Paz was really interested in this!) had a fabulous meal, and even though our beloved Aggies lost, we still had a great time at the football game. We are all well and healthy and truly blessed! Paz was into the Thanksgiving spirit (even though she spent Thanksgiving meal time in her crate!) and really seemed to enjoy being home and experiencing another large family get together.

So much time has passed since my last post! I'm obviously NOT cut out to be a blogger. Somehow work, traveling for Kate's soccer and Paz keep me busy enough that I don't make the time to post! Well, I'm comfortably full and very content, so this is a great time to blog!

Paz is doing great! She'll be 8 months old in 4 days and has matured so much. She is still very curious and loves to explore everywhere we go, but she is very calm, well mannered and incredibly sweet. Paz is still pretty small in size compared to her siblings and she doesn't seem nearly as high strung either. Paz and the other O and P litter puppies went back to Lackland for training a couple of weeks ago. For some reason, it was harder for me to drop her off this time... still not sure exactly why, a foreshadowing of things to come, maybe? Anyway, Paz did a good job during all of the community exposure, confined spaces, stairs, etc. but her toy drive still isn't where it needs to be. Paz is very easy going (genetics?) and this seems to play a part in her toy drive. Phil and I are continuing to work with her in this area, and we're trying some new things to help her out! Our goal is for her to be a successful working dog for TSA so we're going to do whatever we can to make that happen!

Kate recently finished up her college soccer season, so Paz won't be making the weekly trips with us to watch her play. I know Paz is going to really miss the chance to run all around the enclosed practice fields, splashing through the mud puddles chasing her toy! She also won't get to see her beloved Kate and that is going to be hard for both of them. We're going to have to find new places for her to climb bleachers and hunt for her toy! We'll also have to design some short trips together because she is a great travel companion!

The end of Kate's soccer season means that Phil and I can use our Aggie football tickets and make a few games. Paz LOVES Aggie football at our house because we have so many great friends who come by with their kids each home game weekend. There are several future Aggies that have Paz's energy level and she really seems to enjoy being chased (0r chasing!) them all around the backyard. She pretty much ignores everybody inside the house though, which is probably good training for her future employment!

Now that summer really seems to be over and fall is in full swing, Paz has discovered some new things she really likes! She is intrigued with falling leaves. She's made a game out of trying to catch them as they blow around in the wind, which was fine when just a few were falling, but completely overwhelming now that thousands are coming down at once! The 2nd new discovery is acorns. We've never had a dog eat them before, but apparently they are a delicacy as we can't keep Paz from inhaling them! And even though we had a terrible drought here this summer, there are zillions of acorns everywhere. Let's just say she's getting plenty of fiber in her diet these days : ) The zillions of acorns at our place have brought in zillions of deer! Paz seems to be mesmerized by them, standing very still and quiet when she sees them. She knows they are around long before we do and her stillness gives them away!

Christmas is just around the corner and Paz's presence in our house has made Phil and I decide a few changes are in order. Normally, we get a fairly large tree and set it up in the dining room of our house... not wanting to have to police Paz constantly over the next few weeks, we've decided a table top sized tree is the way to go this year. Not exactly sure where we're going to put it to make sure Paz doesn't redecorate it when we're not around, but I have a few clandestine locations in mind! The stockings will still be hung by the chimney with care (even Paz's!) just a little differently to ensure they're still in place for Santa to find Christmas Eve. I'm hoping for another snow right before Christmas like we had last year- I'd love to see how Paz would react to it!

Well you can tell that we've settled into a pretty good routine around here. We continue to take Paz out into the community every chance we get to help with her socialization, and a trip to the Houston airport is in the works. Phil, Kate and I are loving being a TSA foster family and we're really excited about the adventures the next few months will bring to Paz and our family! Since I probably won't post anything again for a few more weeks, I'll take this opportunity to say Happy Holidays to all the TSA puppy staff, families and friends! We hope your holidays are blessed in every sense of the word!

6 Months Old!

Yep! On October 2, the 2009 P litter turned 6 months old!  Paz and the other puppies went back to Lackland for their 6 month evaluation on Sept. 26.  The birthday celebration had to wait until Paz came home : )  It was a very quiet week around our house without Paz!  Jed and Ding got a much needed and deserved break, which I know they appreciated.  Everything returned to our rather crazy normal when Paz returned on October 3. 

Paz now weighs twice as much as Jed and 3 times more than Ding, so those two have had to adjust to having a "big" dog in their lives! For the most part, they all get along great; Jed (14) and Ding (10) are in their "golden" years and really don't have the desire or energy to try to keep up with Paz and her antics.  Even so, they all find time to run around a little bit and bark at things together.  Jed and Paz share a common love of chasing squirrels, although Jed doesn't see them very well these days.  They both seem so disappointed when the squirrels get away.  I'm thrilled though... I don't know what I'd do if either of them every caught one!!! 

Paz had a decent 6 month evaluation.  The problems that were noted were more our fault than hers.  We're working daily to improve her toy drive; she really LOVES the new toy that she came home with!  We continue to take Paz everywhere with us to expose her to new situations and crowds.  The biggest problem we have here is finding places with actual crowds!  Paz has been to my school and to local foot ball games.  We've also taken her to our mall.  In the future, we're planning on taking Paz to the Houston airport and some larger malls in Houston or Dallas and hopefully this will help with any hesitations she may have. 

Paz has become a true road warrior lately!  She's been to Dallas several times and this past weekend to Belton an Brownwood, all to watch her beloved Kate play soccer.  She is such a great travel companion!  She sleeps or chews on a nylabone in the car; she doesn't mind the seatbelt we have her wear at all!  Paz is also a great hotel guest- never barks and sleeps peacefully in her crate.  My children should have been so well behaved!!!!  We use these trips as opportunities to get Paz out in the community.  She's very relaxed at the soccer/athletic complexes we visit.  She seems really comfortable climbing and exploring the stands and bathrooms; She pretty much ignores all of the people that are there as well, unless they come up to her.  We have a little trouble keeping people away from her, but when we explain she's working, most folks leave her alone. One thing we really enjoy doing while Paz is out is explaining the TSA puppy program to the people we meet!  Paz is a great rep for the program!!!

Paz has always loved exploring around our property and neighborhood. Since she was a small puppy, Paz has been intrigued by the long culvert under our rural driveway.  She routinely stuck her head in and would sometimes taken a step or two inside, but she always came right out. About a week ago, Paz's curiosity got the better of her and before I knew it, she'd gone all the way through!  It's amazing what Paz will do on her long lead!  Now, Paz wants to go into every culvert we pass by.  We have had to work hard with her to keep her from diving right in- you never know what creatures (snakes? possums? fireants?) could be lurking inside!  If the culverts have water in them, they become even more attractive to her!  Her love for water is sooooo powerful! If anybody ever needs to have their water filled culvert checked out, Paz is your dog!  We continue to take Paz to local parks to run through the tunnels at the playgrounds; however, now we also allow her to explore the culvert under our driveway, AFTER we've checked it out to make sure it's varmint and hazard free!

Long Overdue Update!

Wow! It's pretty obvious that I'm not the best at keeping up with Paz's blog! It has been almost a month since I've added anything! With the start of school and the start of Kate's college soccer season, we've all been pretty busy, including Paz!

In the last 3 weeks, Paz has spent time in the kennel twice while Phil and I traveled to Memphis, TN, and Austin/San Antonio to watch Kate' team play. There's a great new kennel in town that we checked out, and we felt very comfortable leaving Paz, Jed and Ding with the staff. Both times, Paz came home healthy and happy. The staff reported that she was a great guest and had fun meeting some of the other dogs. Jed and Ding also came home happy and somewhat rested, as the kennel staff gave them a break from Paz's antics!

We continue to take Paz out and about to explore. She made a couple of long trips to Walmart where she "hupped" up on anything she could! She also did a pretty good job finding her favorite "stinky sock" when we hid it in different places in the garden center! Her favorite part of Walmart continues to be the pet section; she discovered the fish tanks the last time she was there and was completely mesmerized by them! Better than tv!

Paz's new favorite place is Wolfe Pen Creek Amphitheater. The long lead is great here so she can run up and down the amphitheater over and over. There are LOTS of steps there too, so it's great practice. She has a really good time on the playground; it has several slides and tunnels. She is big enough now to go down and UP the slides! I thought the tunnels might bother her, but she had no trouble running through them. The hardest part this time was keeping her out of the pond and creek! She truly loves the water! Since we recently had some RAIN!!!!! she got pretty muddy... must remember to keep towels in the trunk!

Paz has also enjoyed 2 trips to Dallas to see Kate play soccer. She has been very well behaved both times. All she does in the car is sleep (Yahoo!) and she explores the stadium on the long lead during the games. We have to watch the out of bounds balls pretty carefully or she tries to steal them! After the last game, Paz had a great reunion with Kate :) Paz must miss her more than I realized!

We're really enjoying our time with Paz! Things are a little easier now that she's housebroken and sleeping later! Being a foster family continues to be a blast!

A Typical Friday Night in Texas!

Yep! That's right!  On Friday, August 28, we took Paz to her very first high school football game!  No true Texan ever misses a chance to cheer on the local team (unless there's a soccer game!) and Paz is definitely a born and bred Texan!  She was dressed for the occasion, proudly wearing her TSA vest; unfortunately, the visiting team was also wearing red, so she looked like she was supporting the wrong team!

Paz did a great job while we were at the game.  She really had a blast exploring the entire complex.  She checked out the restrooms, the stands and outside the pressbox.  She was eager to "hup" up onto benches, some training equipment and the spirit trailer.  She REALLY LOVED the concession stand.  We had a little trouble keeping her from eating everything that had been dropped by customers!

Paz did not seemed fazed by the loud noises, the crowds, the bands or all of the curious kids and adults.  We decided to stay for the first half, and went home with one excited puppy!  Phil and I were thrilled that she didn't jump up on anyone or try to grab their food!  Paz was extremely well behaved.  Way to go Paz!

The next day, we took Paz back to Houston to visit my mom.  Paz wore her "seatbelt" in the car and once again slept the entire trip.  What a good puppy!  While in Houston, Paz got to spend another afternoon in the swimming pool.  She picked up right where she left off, running and jumping as far as she could before splashdown.  From the looks of things, Paz would make a fabulous dock dog!  She also got along much better with my mom's 2 dogs this time.  They spent more time playing and less time being territorial, which made for a much nicer trip.  It wasn't too long before we were back in the car, headed home with a sleepy puppy.  

We certainly had a busy couple of days and Paz was up for the challenge!  Things will slow down a little bit before the heart of Kate's soccer season starts up.  In the meantime, Happy 5 month Birthday Paz!

Road Trip!

Last Friday, August 21, we loaded Paz into the car and headed to Dallas to watch Kate play a preseason soccer game. Paz's crate no longer fits in our car unless it's broken down in the trunk, so to keep Paz safe, she wore a car safety restraint just for dogs!  Diana had suggested this as a way to travel with Paz when her crate just wasn't an option.  It's a special harness that allows Paz to sit up and look out the window or take a snooze on the car seat.  We had her wear it around the house a couple of times before the trip and she didn't seem to mind it at all.  Paz had no trouble running around or walking while wearing the harness; actually it was really easy to walk her while she was wearing it (no pulling on the leash!) so that was a plus.  

Paz is great traveler; she basically sleeps the entire time she's in the car unless it's meal time or "take a break" time.  She was full of energy after her 3 hour nap when we arrived at Kate's place- thank goodness for the long lead!  Paz was able to run all over the place at Kate's and we were able to keep her out of trouble.  She was thrilled to see her beloved Kate!  We were able to stay for several hours before checking into our hotel.  

We were a little concerned how Paz would react to being in a hotel room, but she took it in stride.  We took great pains to make sure there were no surprises lurking anywhere in the room before we turned her loose.

She loved jumping up on the bed, which she doesn't have access to at home, and watching TV!  She also had fun jumping in and out of the bathtub.  Bedtime was no problem; we put her crate together in one corner of the room and she crawled right in.  The biggest problem we had was the cricket invasion at the hotel.  Every time we took Paz outside for some exercise or to "take a break" she devoured every cricket she could find, and there were thousands of them.  I'm sure this is really bad karma or something, as crickets are supposed to bring you good luck, but they seemed absolutely irresistible to her! 

On Saturday morning, we drove about an hour from the hotel to watch Kate play soccer.  Paz wore her vest to the field, climbed all over the stands and the practice fields, and tried to run out onto the field to see Kate and chase soccer balls.  Paz had a few new fans by the end of the game.  We had a really good time and Kate played a great game!  Later that night, we crated Paz up and took Kate out for a real sit-down dinner.  We were afraid Paz might bark while we were gone; apparently all went well as there were no messages from the hotel management asking us to pack our bags to check out early!

Sunday morning rolled around and we had to load up to drive home. Kate was pretty sad to let Paz leave!  Paz didn't seem ready to go either, and ran all over on the long lead before we could get her in the car.  She was one tired puppy and slept for almost the entire trip again!  Paz is such a great traveler, and this trip went so well that we'll definitely be taking Paz with us to watch Kate play again!

"Firsts" for Paz!

Paz has experienced several "firsts" over the last few weeks - some of them fun, some of them not so fun!

Paz met our friend (and bonded pet sitter) Michelle for the "first" time recently when we had to leave her and Jed and Ding alone for most of an evening.  Michelle came over to feed and play with all of the dogs several times that night, and Paz quickly added Michelle to her list of great friends.  This was one of the fun "firsts"!

Paz also had her "first" trip to our veterinarian.  Unfortunately, Paz developed diarrhea that persisted on and off for a week.  Paz certainly didn't act sick, but we were all getting tired of going outside to "take a break" 3 or 4 times nightly.  Thank goodness

she's basically house broken now!  Diana suggested we take Paz in for a check up to our vet.  She enjoyed exploring the office, smelling all of the new smells and meeting a couple of new dogs. She did NOT like it when the vet decided he needed a fresher fecal sample from Paz!!! This was one of the NOT FUN "firsts"!  After a thorough exam, Paz came home with some new medicine and bruised pride, but overall this was another fun first.

Paz also took her "first" trip to the high school where I work during senior registration day.  She had a blast!  It might be my imagination, but Paz seems to step things up a notch when she wears her red vest. She loved exploring the different classrooms, the cafeteria, the library and the office.  She was very at ease around the hundreds of students lining up to pick up their books and schedules.  She was more than happy to "hup" up on lots of new things too: desks, boxes, library benches, stacked risers.  Her favorite thing was listening to the band practice!  She drug me back to the band hall 3 times and stood there wagging her tail as they practiced!  This was definitely a fun "first".

A not so fun "first" for Paz was saying good bye to her beloved Kate!  Kate headed back off to college and soccer 2-a-days recently.  Paz sorely misses her and runs to her room to see if she's home every time somebody comes into the house.  Combine missing Kate with my going back to work full time (meaning Paz spends more time in her crate each day) and it's easy to see why Kate leaving has not been fun!

Finally, today Paz took her "first" trip to her buddy (and littermate) Pfieffer's house!  We all had so much fun!  Pfieffer lives in what must be close to labrador heaven: he has a huge pond in his back yard, waiting to be jumped into on a moment's notice!  They both had a fabulous time chasing each other all around the yard, climbing on the deck and patio furniture, and of 

course, jumping into the pond!  Pfieffer is a pro at jumping in and pulling water plants out.  Paz gave it a try too.  Pfieffer's foster parents and I sat laughing for almost 2 hours as the 2 dogs played hard!  This play day was the best "first" of all!

Paz is 4 months old!  She's looking less like a puppy and more like a grown up dog, even though she still ACTS like a puppy!  She's pretty much housebroken now (we've gone 4 days without an accident!) and she's lost a few puppy teeth, so all the signs are there that our "baby" is growing up!  Hard to believe that 1/3 of our time fostering Paz has already gone by!

Paz has had a great time in the last couple of weeks exploring nearby playgrounds.  We've taken her out several times and she loves running up the stairs and down the slides.  Trying to make it up some of the bigger slides isn't working too well yet...  She's still cautious of the little kids, but I don't necessarily think that's such a bad thing!  

Lowe's is another favorite hangout! Everything there interests Paz, and she really enjoys jumping from bag to bag of bark mulch. Today, the fan isle was a treat- her ears were blowing all over the place but it was so much cooler than outside!

At 4 months, Paz has developed very particular likes and dislikes.  

Paz likes: 

Eating Cicadas outside

Chasing birds

Playing with Jed and Ding

Running 

Chewing

Empty milk jugs, although she thought the full one she grabbed

  was pretty neat too...

Trips to Petsmart

Paz REALLY likes:

Her beloved Kate

Playing tug of war

Sleeping on the coffee table (a big no-no!)

FOOD! 

Water

Swimming

Her squeaky soccer ball and really chewed up buda bone

Playing with Pfieffer!

Paz does not like:

Bedtime (although she goes in her crate with no fuss and now sleeps at least 6 hours)

The word NO!

Anytime Kate leaves (we're in trouble when she goes back to college next week!)

Our family continues to enjoy being a foster family for Paz.  We'd forgotten what it was like to have a puppy in the house!  Things are much more lively now!  We're more active now; we're out and about with Paz instead of sitting in front of the TV and we're all getting more exercise too!  We really enjoy being ambassadors for TSA and the puppy program- we've met some really neat people who have taken an interest in Paz and her bright red vest.  It's been a very rewarding experience for our family and we're looking forward to what the next 8 months are going to bring!

Visiting the TSA Puppy Center and Home Again!

This week flew by!  We all missed Paz and remarked how quiet it was around here without her!  It was pretty boring too...  so boring in fact, that we decided to take a short family vacation.  

While Paz was hanging out with the other puppies in training at Lackland, we hit New Braunfels, San Antonio and Gruene!  It was a great way to beat the 100+ temperatures here and we all had a great time.  Highlights included floating the Torrent at Schlitterbahn, eating at Jacala's in San Antonio, feeding stingrays and getting kissed by a Beluga whale at Sea World, exploring the River Walk and eating at the Grist Mill in Gruene.  

Absolutely the best part was visiting the TSA Puppy Center at Lackland Air Force Base. Diana and others took time from their busy day to show us around the facility.  We got to visit with Paz (who was really happy to see Kate) and spend some time playing with her.  She was having a blast with the other dogs and the TSA staff; after being there I can see why Paz was so excited to see the TSA people when we dropped her off!

While we were there, several children were playing with the puppies.  Diana explained that these kids volunteer their time during the week to hang out with the dogs. Everybody looked like they were having a great time!  Some of the dogs were getting a chance to swim in a small pool, while others were in a large fenced area climbing on wooden stairs and running around. Obviously, Paz and the others don't have any reason to be bored or homesick!

We also had fun cuddling with some of the newest TSA puppies that are starting the weaning process.  Sooo cute and hard to put down! They're just rolly polly fuzz balls waddling around and exploring their new surroundings. No wonder the kids like to volunteer at the puppy center!  Phil, Kate and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit- Thanks Diana!

And then it was back home and quickly time to actually pick up Paz!  She seemed excited to see us and zoomed all around the house when we got her home!  Kate wasn't home when Paz returned, and I think Paz was a little disappointed...  It took her all of 2 minutes to find a new squeaky duck toy that Kate had bought for her; in another 2 minutes, both Paz and the stuffed duck were sopping wet in her wading pool.  Jed and Ding took her return in stride, and Ding actually chased Paz around the yard a little bit.  In short order, things returned to normal.  

Now that Paz is home, we realized just how much we missed her!  She adds so much to our lives, and socializing her keeps us all involved and active in our community. Our family continues to enjoy the entire foster family experience!

A Busy Week!

Paz had a busy and fun week!  After enjoying swimming for the first time, Paz was pretty tired. After a good night's sleep, I took Paz to our local airport.  Easterwood is a very small airport that handles about 10 commuter flights a day.  I tried to schedule our trip so that Paz could be there to experience an arrival and departure.  Unfortunately, the arriving flight was not on time! 

There were only a handful of people in the airport when we were there, and most of them were employees!  A baggage handler allowed Paz to "hup" up on one of the baggage scales, and also explore a little bit behind the ticket counter.  Paz enjoy going up and down the stairs!  These stairs had open rails on the sides which caught her a little off guard at first, but then she seemed intrigued by watching some people walking around below her.  We stayed long enough for Paz to experience a commuter jet taking off (she wasn't very impressed) and then left.  As soon as we got outside, Paz took a break.  Great timing!

Paz continues to love playing with water in any form, and Kate!  Paz has decided the sprinkler system and hose are better than her wading pool and gets into them any chance she gets.  She also LOVES Kate's ponytail!  Anytime Kate gets down on the floor to play with Paz, she has to be on alert for sneak attacks from behind!

Paz visited with the Superintendent of CSISD on Wednesday.  I wanted to make sure Paz had permission to attend all of the local school activities, and also give Paz another chance to explore a busy building.  Everyone enjoyed the visit; it turns out our Superintendent has a young male Lab himself!  Paz had fun exploring the Central Office building, especially the break room.  The vending machines really got her attention! Our Superintendent was quick to allow all of the local TSA puppies access to any school sporting activities as long as they have their vests on.  It was a great visit!

Paz's buddy Pfieffer came to visit on Thursday.  Both dogs picked up right where they left off the last time.  The ran, jumped, knocked each other over, jumped in the wading pool and chewed on each other for over an hour! Our family had fun catching up with Pfieffer's foster mom; it was good to hear that they were very similar in housebreaking stages and sleeping! We had one really tired puppy when Pfieffer went home!  As you can see in the picture, Paz often has a nap buddy- Phil sacks out too!

Saturday brought our 2nd turn in day.  It wasn't as hard on us as the first drop off was.  Paz got out and ran over to the TSA puppy staff, wagging her whole body!  She must have had a really good time at Lackland last time!  She didn't hesitate to get into the air-conditioned  trailer and out of the heat.  We're definitely going to miss her next  week! 

Paz's 1st Pool Party

Today our family hit the road for Houston to visit my mom.  It was the first long road trip for Paz and she slept the entire trip!  What a switch from traveling with our other 2 dogs, Jed and Ding; Jed gets carsick and Ding sings the whole trip so it is not something we do very often with them any more.

Poppy (my mom) also has 2 dogs, Sparky and Ozzie, that she adopted from a local shelter.  They enjoy a wonderful life of luxury with her.  A great yard, lots of toys, tons of attention- I have often said that if I'm reincarnated I would like to come back as one of my moms dogs!  The one thing they don't seem to enjoy is having a puppy enter their domain...  Paz didn't receive the warmest welcome from either of them, so Poppy ended up confining them to their bathroom.  

Paz had a blast at Poppy's house.  The biggest hit of the day was swimming in Poppy's pool.  Paz has absolutely no fear of water and jumped in the first chance she got!  The longer she was out in the pool area, the bolder Paz got.  By the end of the day, she was leaping off the side and retrieving anything she could find.  She also really enjoyed jumping into a floating chair.  

Kate stayed in the pool with her the whole time because we were pretty sure it would take awhile for Paz to remember where the steps were.  When Poppy had the pool built, she purposely had the top step tiled in a deep blue color so it would be easier for little kids and her dogs to find should anybody fall in.  Just the fact that the step is such a dark color seemed to make it easier for Paz (and others before her) to find that step.  Paz and Kate had such a great time in the pool that it was hard to drag them out!

Paz was really tired after her day in the water.  She napped at Poppy's house and slept all the way home! The only downside to the day was cleaning Paz's ears out when we got home- she really HATES that!  Even so, we will definitely be on the look out for other opportunities to take Paz swimming!

Mall Walking and Catching Birds

We've all had an interesting week! Committments at work have kept all of us really busy this week, so Paz has had to spend more time in her crate than usual. Fortunately, she is very comfortable there so she goes in without a fuss. Most of the time she just rolls over on her back and snoozes!

On July 7, I took Paz to our local mall. Our trip went well! We were there for over an hour; everything appeared new and exciting for Paz. She was really intrigued by a trampoline system that was being installed. She also like exploring the big planters, maybe because she found a discarded waffle cone in the first one she explored. After her gastric issues earlier in the week, I was quick to fish it out of her mouth!!! She did NOT like the "Hollister" store- I don't know if it was the dark lighting or the strong smell of perfume that made her wary, but she was extremely cautious when we walked by it a couple of times. I never liked spending time in there when Kate was shopping either, so maybe my bad vibes affected Paz!

While mall walking, Paz attracted the attention of some of the spanish speaking fire fighters in town this week attending the Fireman's Training School . The language barrier made it almost impossible for me to answer their questions or explain Paz's vest and that she was a working dog; from what I could understand they thought she was beautiful!

Eventhough it's been incredibly hot here again this week, Paz still enjoys spending time outside. We're never sure what critters will be out in the back yard, so one of us still goes outside with her each time. She's getting more and more interested in chasing the bunnies and birds that hang out in our yard. Much to my surprise, Paz actually caught a bird yesterday!!!! It was down on the ground under one of our bird feeders and must have been completely oblivious to its surroundings; there is no other way to explain how Paz was able to get close enough to catch it! Paz is far from stealthy- she normally runs around with a plastic jug in her mouth, shaking it to death. Somehow Paz was able to drop the jug and pounce on the bird. Paz didn't seem to know what to do with it because she let it go as soon as it squawked! The bird made it safely to a tree out of Paz's reach and Paz has been on the look out for wayward birds ever since!

One Sick Puppy!

Paz had another first over the 4th of July and it didn't involve fireworks!  Paz started showing signs of some kind of stomach problem the evening of July 3.  Her stools became loose, and around 10:30 pm, she vomited.  We were starting to get worried, although Paz really wasn't acting very sick. She was still running around and playing, but she did seem more tired than usual.  

At 3:15 am on July 4, Paz had her first bout of nasty diarrhea.  She was acting pretty miserable by then, but she was still drinking water and eating ice cubes.  Nobody got much sleep because Paz continually sat by the back door, her sign for needing to go out to take a break, and she wasn't kidding!  

We called Diana around 9:00 am, and she explained exactly what we needed to do.  Paz wasn't allowed to eat any food until the next morning; we could give her as much water and ice cubes as she wanted, and we needed to watch for dehydration.  Diana was great, and told us to call if we had any new concerns or questions.  Thanks Diana!

Paz was more lethargic than normal most of the day. Paz spent much of the day sleeping, and Kate kept a close watch on her.  She drank plenty of water and had several ice cubes.  We could tell she was feeling better late in the day because she was playing hard and trying to get into the cabinet where her food is stored!  Not feeding her at this point was sooooo hard!    

Paz had a good night, and woke up to take a break about 3:30 am July 5.  Everything was back to normal!  She woke for good at 6:30 am and we were all thrilled when Diana called to check on Paz.  She said Paz could have a small amount of her food softened with water, which Paz inhaled!  Paz acted completely back to normal all day, and again inhaled her smaller, mushier dinner.  We're so happy that Paz is back to her rowdy self and that we can feed her normal food tomorrow!  Thanks again to Diana for all of her help!

Thanks Walmart!!!!

We want to give a big Thank You to our local Walmart!  They have been so great about having Paz visit the store!  We went to Walmart on June 29 and spent 1 1/2 hours there shopping with Paz.  Paz wore her vest, and the greeter oohed and ahhed over her for a couple of minutes when we walked in; she verified that Paz was indeed a "service" dog and told us to enjoy our shopping!  What a great welcome!

Paz did a very good job at Walmart.  She was wary of some of the people, and didn't seem to like the loudspeakers at first.  She explored the entire store!  As expected, we had a little trouble getting her out of the pet section.  She climbed on many different items, sniffed all over the place and was really well behaved.  We took her outside a couple of times to "take a

 break" and she cooperated both times. The only problem we had took place when Paz grabbed a wayward broom.  After a short tug of war (she lost this one!) the broom was handed back to a Walmart associate.  Paz enjoyed a little extra attention from several people who stopped to ask about her and the TSA puppy program.  It was a great outing and Paz was more than happy to get in her crate and snooze when she got home.

Paz also spent one day boarding at our vet's kennel on June 30.  We made a day trip to move Kate into her new apartment for school and decided we wouldn't get much done with Paz along.  Since it was just a day trip, Jed and Ding had the luxury of staying home with access to the backyard.  I think they enjoyed the peace and quiet!  When we picked Paz up the next morning, she was soaking wet; I was told she had a lot of fun playing in her water bowl!  The vet tech also reported she didn't mess in her cage, so hopefully we're getting closer to housebreaking!

Paz Is Back!

Yay! 

We went to pick Paz up yesterday as she returned from her first trip back to Lackland for training.  We were really excited to see her and she was so very happy to see Kate! We couldn't believe how much she'd changed in just a week! She had grown so much; her legs seemed to have doubled in length, and she appeared to have thinned out a little bit. And Uh Oh, her feet are huge!  

When Paz got home, she ran around exploring and looking for Jed and Ding.  The boys were still boarding at the kennel because we went on a short trip while Paz was in training.  Paz must have had a great time with her littermates while she was gone as she desperately wanted to play!  She ran all over the place, zooming around the backyard.  We found out pretty quickly that her teeth were still as sharp and her jaws had gotten stronger!  When the boys came home from the kennel the next day, all three dogs pretty much picked up where they left off.  Paz is almost bigger than Jed now, but he's still the leader and she seems to respect that. 

As happy as we all were to have Paz home again, we experienced a painful flashback at bedtime!  Paz had been doing great in her crate before she left; she went in easily and didn't put up a fuss about staying there.  That all went out the window at bedtime!  We felt like we were experiencing our first night with Paz all over again.  She whined, cried, barked and howled for almost an hour after being crated up!!!!  It was awful for all of us.  The only bright spot was when she went back into her crate "after taking a break" in the middle of the night; when she went back into her crate she only pitched a fit for about 15 minutes.  Of course, it seemed like an hour after the earlier episode!  Lets just say that nobody got much sleep that night.  The REALLY GOOD news is that tonight, Paz went into her crate easily and only whined for about 1 minute before going to sleep!  The 2 long walks and time spent playing with family and Jed and Ding probably didn't hurt in the efforts to help Paz get to sleep tonight! 

No matter what we're really glad to have Paz home with us again :)

Really quiet without Paz!

It's amazing how quiet and somewhat boring things are this week without Paz!  A little too calm around here.  We are using this time for some short days trips and family things.  That part has been nice; so has sleeping all night long.  That said, all of us are ready for Paz to come home and stir things up! We're looking forward to Saturday!

We Survived Our 1st Drop Off!

It was kind of hard to let Paz go, but we survived our 1st drop off.  Paz was up early today and played hard all morning.  Kate told her goodbye several times before she headed off with friends. After that, Paz was ready to go when we loaded her in the car and set off to turn her in; maybe she guessed she was off on another new adventure!

When we arrived at the drop off site, there were several families with their puppies standing around talking to Dan and each other.  It reminded me of parents getting ready to drop off their child on the first day of school!  Several of the dogs were hanging out with their families; Paz had no such plans.  As soon as we walked up the to group, she was trying to play with the other puppies.  She was a little wary of some of the people at first, but warmed up to them quickly.  It didn't take her long to get her leash all tangled up with some of the other puppies. When her buddy Pfieffer arrived, they both got excited and picked up where they left off a couple of days ago: lots of ear pulling and wrestling before they were crated up!

The puppies had grown so much in just 2 weeks!  I was amazed how much bigger the puppies from the O litter were than the puppies from the P litter, and they are only 1 week older than Paz!  What a difference that one week seems to make in size and development!

After visiting with Dan about Paz's progress over the last couple of weeks, we took off her hot pink collar and crated her up.  She didn't fuss much when we left.  It was kind of sad to leave Paz behind, but she didn't seem to mind.  It seems like we minded it a lot more than she did! I guess that means we're doing our job!!!

When we returned home, we let our older dogs Jed and Ding back inside.  They spent several minutes combing the house looking for Paz.  This is really ironic because all they've done the last 2 weeks is try to get away from her!  

And now it's a week off for all of us.  We fully expect to have to play dog referee for a few days when she returns as Jed and Ding are creatures of habit, and will quickly slip back into their old ways!  They're in for a real awakening on June 27th!  I wonder, will Paz be housebroken by the time she gets back????? 

Pfieffer Comes to Visit!

We had a really fun, very busy day today!  Paz visited a local Walmart today.  Several people commented on her and her vest; they remembered the newspaper articles and TV reports on the TSA puppy program.  Paz explored the entire outside area.  She had no "accidents" and was pretty well behaved so I think she did good job representing the program!

Later in the day, Pfieffer, one of Paz's littermates came over for a visit.  They had a 

blast chasing each other around the backyard and chewing on each other.  They ran hard for at least 45 minutes before they stopped! Both puppies seemed thrilled to have someone who really wanted to play and didn't mind the ear pulling and wrestling.  

After a good nap, Paz attended another soccer game.  You've probably guessed that our family is big into soccer, so this is great place for Paz to meet people and get some exercise.  Kate reports that Paz was wary of the small children who were at the game.  Probably a pretty smart move on her part!

Paz was pretty tired when she got home this evening.  She had a chance to relax for a bit before going to bed!  We're all a little tired so it's going to be an early evening for the entire family!

Into A Pretty Good Routine

We seem to be settling into a pretty good routine now.  Paz is getting used to us and even Jed and Ding are getting used to her rough and rowdy ways!  Paz's day is more predictable: generally she gets up and eats around 7:30 am; plays hard for a couple of hours; takes a long nap; plays hard until she eats at 5:30 pm; takes another nap; and then keeps us all going until her bedtime around 10:30 pm or so.  We're still wondering why things aren't running like clockwork with such a good routine down!!!!  Haha!

Paz is doing a good job with her crate training, although she does bark sometimes for a few minutes when we crate her during the day and we're all here in the house.  Housebreaking is inconsistent.  Somedays Paz has only one or two accidents, and then there are days like today where it seems that she's peeing or pooping everywhere BUT outside... today was pretty frustrating in the "take a break" department!  Paz is making good progress with "sit" and "wait;" she's still not that interested in learning her name.  Actually, I think she knows her name, she's just choosing not to respond to it!  Maybe because her name is often associated with the word no, as in "Paz, No!"  

Our other dogs, Jed and Ding, are finally acting as though they actually like Paz.  They all run around the yard together and they don't get as upset when she pounces on them when they least expect it.  I think Paz is finally learning good puppy manners!

We got Paz a wading pool and she absolutely loves it!  It's been incredibly hot here this past week so she really needs a place to cool off. She not afraid of the hose or the water, and will stick her whole head in the couple of inches we keep in the pool.  The only problem with the pool is that she gets sopping wet and then tries to find a place to dig.  Water + Dirt = 1 Dirty Dog!!!!

Paz loves taking field trips!  In the last few days, Paz has been to a nearby ultimate frisbee course, a soccer game and garden center.  She quit chewing on her vest so she's been able to wear it out and about. She loved chasing frisbees and soccer balls, running up and down stairs, and climbing on landscape timbers and a waterfall.  She wasn't afraid of a passing freight train; but she was scared of a refrigerated floral case!  

Hard to believe it's been a week!

Time really flies when you're super busy and exhausted!  It's hard to believe we've had Paz for a week now. This has been a big learning experience for all of us; it's also been a lot of fun and very rewarding!  Here's a summary of Week 1.

Some things Paz loves: Some things Paz doesn't like:

Chewing on everything Baths

Chasing birds Ear Cleaning

Eating Junebugs outside  Wasps

Tormenting Jed and Ding Vacuum cleaner

Kate

Playing in her wading pool

Ice cubes

Going for walks

Her food

Digging in the mud

Some things Paz has learned:

Hup- she really likes this one!

Wasps are not good to eat

Sit

Don't jump on Jed when he's asleep

The best place to pee in the house is the rug in the front hall

Stairs are a lot of work

Field trips are fun!

Some things Paz has not learned:

Her name- she's thinking about this one

Wait

Easy

Taking a break is an outside activity

Baths are directly related to digging in the mud

Some things We have learned this week:

Paz is really smart

Having a TSA foster puppy is fun!

We're getting better at "taking a break"

Always wear shoes or face the consequences

Paz can jump on the hearth, patio table and coffee table

It's ok to crate Paz during the day, even when we're at home

Jed and Ding really don't need us to referee

Always have a chew toy handy

Don't be afraid to say NO!

We'll probably need a new rug for the front hall...

Crate Training Success!

After just a few nights, Paz seems to have adjusted to sleeping in her crate.  She goes in easily (with the added incentive of a couple pieces of food) and only whines for a minute before settling down for the night.  We're still waking her up about 4 hours after she goes in her crate to go outside to TAB; she goes back in her crate the same as at bedtime.  Yay! A small victory for us all! Paz has a little bit harder time when she's crated during the day.  She whines or barks for a little longer than at bedtime, but she really seems to be adjusting well to spending time in the crate.  Good thing too, because she's really getting rowdy!

Paz also enjoys exploring our land and neighborhood on her leash and long lead.  We have to stop often to get the leash away from her (easier said than done!) but she seems to have a blast chasing bugs, exploring in the bushes and running off ahead of us.  She has a ways to go to master the "easy" command while on the leash!

We discovered today that Paz hates the vacuum cleaner! The first time I used it she hid in the kitchen until I stopped.  Later on, Paz was braver, watching me vacuum while peaking out from behind our couch!  This is the first thing she's been afraid of since we brought her home.

Paz went on her first "field trip" today!  We took her to our UPS Store for a visit.  As

soon as she arrived, she decided to "take a break" on the carpet!  Truly started her trip off right!  After finishing TAB outside this time, Paz had fun exploring the store, meeting the employees and greeting a few customers.  As I said earlier, Paz has a long way to go in the housebreaking area!

We all really enjoying have Paz with us.  Well, maybe not Jed and Ding just yet... Any way you look at it, she keeps us moving and alert, and adds so much life and excitement to our days.  We're definitely sleeping soundly these days!  We're looking forward to all the adventures that fostering a TSA puppy brings :0)

Ready for Day 2!

Hey! We survived the first night!  While is seemed like Paz barked, howled, bayed, whined and cried for hours when she went into her crate, it was actually only for 15 minutes.  Then, amazingly, she went to sleep.  Following the advice of the TSA puppy program specialists, we woke Paz up about 4 hours later to go outside to "take a break."  We're asked to get our puppy to associate the phrase "take a break" with a potty break; somehow "take a break" seems to sound better coming from a big, burly bomb dog handler than "go potty" does!  Fortunately, Paz complied with the request and went back to her crate for another round of barking, howling, etc.  Again, it seemed like forever before she went back to sleep but this time it was only about 20 minutes.  At this stage of the game, I'm hoping the crying time will get shorter! Lucky for us, Paz slept in for another 4 hours!!!!

Paz spent much of her day today exploring our home and yard. We are getting better at recognizing her TAB (take a break) signs, so there have been fewer accidents.  She is still light years away from being housebroken though!  She loved running in the sprinklers and looking for sticks.  

Chewing is definitely her favorite pastime.  Here's a short list of her favorite chew toys:

Nylabones

Hands

Empty milk jugs

Feet & toes

Kong Wubba

Jed's tail

An electric cord (unplugged!!!)

A new rug

People

Sticks

You get the idea.  It certainly keeps all of us in shoes and watchful.  Believe me, her puppy teeth are SHARP!

Paz's 2nd favorite activity today was tormenting Jed and Ding. Here's a picture of Ding, seeking refuge from Paz!

Bless their hearts they are getting very little peace.  We're becoming very creative at ways of giving them a break and still keeping dog peace in our home.  Both of them are warming up to her; it's going to take some time as Paz is already much bigger than Ding and will soon pass Jed up!

We took Paz for a couple of short walks today, partly to get her used to a leash, and partly to wear her out!  It's over 100 degrees here already, so she can't stay out too long.  She is very curious and isn't afraid of anything she's encountered yet. I'm really hoping she spends less time squawking in her crate tonight and that we all get a good night's sleep! Fortunately for our family, I'm off work for the summer and Kate is home and only working part time.  Sounds like tag team puppy watching to me!

Paz Comes Home!

Wow!  

What a wonderfully crazy day!

I had completely forgotten what it was like to have a puppy in the house!

Today, we, along with 12 other families met with Diana Thomas and Scott Thomas from the TSA puppy program for an orientation session.  After learning a lot more information on the goals for TSA foster families, all of the services TSA provides to foster families and their puppies, health care guidelines and some great tips for raising an "athlete in training" we met our puppy!

Paz is a darling, 9 week old, female yellow lab!  She was having a ball running around in a large, shaded pen with her 7 litter mates and 5 puppies from a second litter.  We had no problems putting on her collar and leash and she seemed quite happy to trot off with Kate when it was time to leave.  It took a little while to load the puppy crate, food and supplies provided by TSA into our truck, but when we were done, we all set off for home and a new adventure!

Now to the part about having a new puppy in the house again...

We haven't had a puppy in 10 years.  Our 2 current dogs are getting old: Jed is now 14 and Ding just turned 10.  They are healthy, calm adult dogs who enjoy hanging out in our yard and nice long naps! We have been blissfully ignorant of all of the challenges a puppy (even a really cute one) bring with it!  Time for us to WAKE UP!!!!

Jed and Ding are still trying to figure out what Paz is and when she will be leaving.  At this point, Jed tolerates her and Ding is just terrified of her!  Safe to say their world has been turned upside down by our little bundle of energy! I'm hoping they will make the transition sooner, rather than later, to a 3 dog family

We've made lots of trips outside today hoping to help her learn to be housebroken.  She had many accidents, mostly because we weren't paying attention to her signs; but overall she made a little progress in "taking a break" outside.  Besides learning to "take a break" and acting as dog referees, the next big challenge for us will be crate training Paz.

Overall, it's been a great day.  We spent lots of time laughing at Paz's antics and oohing and aahing over her.  She also had her first visitors; family and friends dropped by to meet and greet!  We're all exhausted now!  Make sure to check in tomorrow to find out how the first night of crated training went!

How it all began...

Tomorrow we will pick up our Transportation Security Administration foster puppy!  We're very excited about bringing our puppy home.  Right now, we know very little about it other than it will be a lab and about 10 weeks old.  Our family will learn much more tomorrow at the orientation!

But how did we get to this point?  In the middle of May, 2009, the local newspaper and TV stations began running stories about the Transportation Security Administration's Canine Breeding and Development Center housed at Lackland Air Force Base.  The TSA needed families to foster puppies who had been bred to enter their National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program when they reached about 1 year of age. For more information on the TSA Puppy Program, visit their website:

http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/programs/puppy_program.shtm

After reviewing the info on their website, we learned we met the initial criteria to become a foster family.  We sat down and discussed what we would rather do: go on a long vacation or commit to the challenges of raising a foster puppy for a year.  By now you've figured out what our decision was!

Not long after turning in our application, we were contacted by Diana Thomas, a program specialist.  She arranged to come out from San Antonio for a home visit with us at the end of May.  We all enjoyed our home visit and learned so much more about the TSA puppy program.  A few anxious days later, we received the good news that we had been chosen to become a foster family!  What a great way for our family to give back to our community and country! But what challenges lie ahead????