Welcome to Motherhood... Kind of.

Since we welcomed our puppy, Caliber, into our home, I find myself doing a lot of things I never thought I'd do. For instance, I talk for my dog. A lot. He tends to be very polite this way. I refer to myself in third person (as "mom", "mommy", or "mama"). For example, "Mama loves you! Yes she does! She loves you soooooo much!" I talk to him a lot. It's rather ridiculous. I narrate my life to him, and I doubt he even cares. "Mama is going to the kitchen to do the dishes!" "OK, crazy lady... Thanks for the update. I'm gonna continue to chew on my toy."

He hasn't had his final puppy booster shot yet, so I'm a bit paranoid of him meeting other dogs we don't know. Which happened on last night's walk. A very nice grey poodle named Zoey came out to greet us around the block. We let them hang out for a few moments introducing themselves, and the whole time I was panicking that Zoey had 87 different types of transferable bacterium she was passing to Caliber. They were certainly all fatal. Cesar would not approve of this meeting unless we knew Zoey's medical history was outstanding. We walked around the corner, and I expressed my paranoia to Michael. I suddenly stopped and said, "Oh my God. I'm that person--Oh my God, I'm your sister!" You see, one of his sisters was a freak with her first child. I make fun of her (even to her face) about how crazy she seemed to me. Sanitizing everything, not allowing her apple juice because it would make her hyper, etc.

It's been quite an adventure these past three weeks with Caliber. He makes me so happy, scared, upset and paranoid. All totally worth it. As long as he doesn't chew my valuables that is! ;) He's still doing well with his training. He usually listens, unless he's tired or playful. I'm finding it very hard to teach him to "stay". Sometimes it's hard for me to remember he's just a puppy and still has time to learn. He figured out how to bark a week and a half ago, and he occasionally gets sassy--especially if he really wants to bite your toes that you've hidden under your legs!

Puppy Love

Michael and I brought home a beautiful puppy, Caliber, on Saturday, July 7. I've had his name picked out months before we even bought the house. He's a 9-weeks-old German Shepherd from Jerland Kennels. Mike has been wanting a dog from there for nine years. It's a very reputable breeder from Barron, Wisconsin. The owner trained the German Shepherd in Beverly Hills Chihuahua. He also raised and trained the mom to the German Shepherd who plays Jerry Lee in K9 Cop. They are true German Shepherds, bred on strict Germany guidelines.

Caliber is from the last litter V Kalli von der Werther-Muhle SchH III KKL1a will ever have. Kalli was V10 at the 2007 SV Bundessiegerzuchtschan, on Sep 2nd, in Braunschweig, Germany. This contest is only open to the top 100 dogs via invitation only. He has only good reviews. I typically don't care about any of this stuff (I learned so much about breeding when we went to Jerland). I would have adopted a dog from the humane society, but it's great to know he comes from "good blood" because Jerland guarantees against hip displaysia and other common large breed ailments because of their good, strict breeding. They also offer free training sessions from their German trainer. We're going to take him when he's older, it's just gonna suck because it's a 3.5 hour car ride one way for us! Because of all these things, we spent entirely way too much money on the little guy. We are strapped for cash now, but how are you supposed to choose a different puppy when he puts his paw on your hand? 

Caliber has been doing exceptionally well adjusting to his new home. Only two accidents in the house since we've had him for a week and two days. He has a wonderful temperment, meaning he isn't scared by sudden noises (like when I use the shredder, or drop a kettle, etc.) or charge at you when you come through the door. He already understands a few commands, but he can be super stubborn at times! Definitely a puppy! The only "drr" thing he does is eat rocks and dirt. The dirt I can understand, the rocks I'm annoyed by. He could choke or chip a tooth, or God knows what... Unfortunately our yard has a hard time growing grass because of all the shade we have. We decided to put sod over the portion of the yard that is basically a rock garden to deter this.

The first time I put him in his outdoor pen I thought I was going to die. I felt like the worst mom in the universe. He's getting much better now, and so am I! He still whimpers a bit, but it's not horrible. We give him water, his toys and it's very well shaded! Thank God we haven't had any super hot days that I needed to go to work and leave him in there. We opted to use this outdoor pen, because it was already here when we moved in. It has a dog house that we'll need to rebuild to make bigger in a few months, but overall it's great. It's a 10X10 fenced in area behind our garage. The dog house actually attaches to the garage and there's a door that connects it to the garage.

Michael and I aren't really into the whole kenneling your dog thing. We're gone at work for eight hours a day, and until he's older he can get into a lot that I can prevent while I'm gone. I don't want him cooped up for that amount of time. Our breeder suggested we use the outdoor pen because they enjoy being outside. It's better than being baby-gated into a portion of my kitchen. And I agree--unless it's too hot, then obviously inside is more ideal.






He is such a good boy (most of the time). He really filled a part of my heart I didn't know was empty.