The Kita and I

Recent Videos

2009-03-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Sir Charles

2009-03-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

Nikita's number one playmate since we moved to Boston is Charlie, a one-year-old hound mix who lives a couple blocks away.

I typically text his owner, Kate, mid-afternoon to see if they can meet us in a local fenced-in playground to run around. It ends up working out at least a few times a week, which is good for all four of us, as N and Charlie get to exhaust themselves, and Kate and I get to wear out our pups without wearing out ourselves in the process.

Lots of running, lots of wrestling, lots of biting, and Kate and I get to just stand there and chit-chat. w00t!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

My aunt Judy sent me a ridiculously fun St. Patrick's Day care package, which included this pair of shamrock-shaped sunglasses. Henrey and Melina next door had some fun with them, as did Nikita and I:

Weekend Warrior

2009-03-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

Our friend Kevin's been spending a good number of weekends in Boston the last couple months and we've taken alot of fun day-trips around New England. First up was gorgeous Newport, Rhode Island, where we took a several-mile stroll along the puppy-friendly Cliff Walk:

The next day, we went back to Rhode Island, to Wickford, Jamestown, and Newport again. Below are shots from the Beavertail Park in Jamestown and just off of Ocean Drive in Newport:

Nikita seemed to get a big kick out of climbing around on the rocks, which may've reminded her of being out on the Point back when we lived in Chicago...

A couple weekends later, we drove up along the coast of Maine, stopping in Kittery to see Fort McCleary, from which the next two photos are taken:

We continued on, stopping in York to check out the Nubble Lighthouse at Cape Neddick; in Ogunquit to have a fantastic lunch at MC Perkins Cove in the jumble of old fishermen's huts now housing a bunch of restaurants and shps; and Old Orchard Beach to let Nikita run around on (and dig in) the sand. We also drove through Saco and Kennebunkport, before ending the day in Portland, where we walked around for a couple hours admiring the architecture before heading back to Beantown.

The Vermonster in Action

2009-02-15T12:36:00.001-08:00

Stowe had gotten two feet of fresh powder the day before we arrived, and puppy put it to very good use:

We developed an excellent system whereby N would helicopter-hop her way through the deep snow while I jogged, just a few feet away, on the cleared sidewalk or road. Somehow I still ended up the more tired...

My Little Vermonster

2009-02-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

Since puppy -- and, to be honest, dad and I -- had so much fun on our ski-trip to Maine, we decided to throw in a late-January/early-February one to Vermont as well, taking N with us again.

This also provided dad with a nice break in between flying up here to pick up his car -- which he was kind enough to lend me for the month+ he was galavanting around Central America and the Caribbean -- and driving it home.

So we had an evening in Beantown first:

Then it was off to Stowe, VT for a few days of skiing there and at nearby Sugarbush. (We were at least equally-motivated by the excellent local food scene, looking forward to revisiting The Green Cup Cafe in Waitsfield, The Common Man in Warren, and Leunig's Bistro in Burlington, but anyway...)

I was able to find a decent hotel that also accepted dogs, and get a room with a balcony to boot. This had the dual benefit of relieving me the worry of N chewing up the room while we were out skiing, and providing N the opportunity to hang out in the cold and snow observing the local goings-on, which included a family of deer: bonus!

We also took lots of early-morning and late-afternoon walks in the gorgeous countryside... I've decided that Vermont and Oregon are my two favorite states.

Despite the balcony's many delights, she did however occasionally actually seem to prefer hanging out with us:

The TT isn't exactly the ideal car for a giant pup, but N was good about making it work:

Grandpa and grandpuppy mercifully really love each other, or these vacations would be quite the bitch...

The North Shore

2009-02-15T11:41:00.000-08:00

Taking advantage of having my dad's car for awhile, I took puppy on a late-January road-trip along Boston's North Shore -- a series of cute towns laid out on a convoluted shoreline about 45 minutes north of the city.

We stopped in Manchester-by-the-Sea, where N fixated on ducks and chewed on lobster traps; Magnolia, where we visited a bizarre, ocean-front, faux-Scottish castle; Gloucester, where we spent time at the dead fishermen's memorial reading (at least I did) about all the calamities that have befallen the men of that town and enjoying a nearby beach; and Rockport, where we admired the famous Motif #1 and hunted for mussels and Sauv Blanc for lunch. (Well, the latter was, again, really just me.)

Chicago Friends

2009-02-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

In mid-January, my good friends Daragh, Sarah, and Matthias came to Boston for a long weekend, not having seen Nikita for many months.

While S and M were able to assert their dominance and, correspondingly, get mad respect from puppy, D struggled markedly and instead got bossed around by N for four straight days:

(He's covering his mouth here to prevent her from slipping him the tongue. Again.) N had a great time, as our routine each day was:

- long walk for her courtesy of me while these lazies slept in;

- extended play session with the three of us *not* in the shower at any given time over the next few hours;

- trip to whatever restaurant we were having a late lunch/early dinner at that day (Papa Razzi, Aquitaine, Tremont 647, Bin 26 Enoteca), where she'd be tied outside to be adored by passers-by while we ate and drank at a window table with a view of puppy;

- back home for more drinking (us) and dominating-of-Daragh (her).

It's a Very. Tough. Life.

Home for the Holidays II

2009-02-15T09:04:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at mom's for the period between Christmas and New Year's, taking long walks in the woods across from her house several times a day:

I learned that, at least given the sample we passed, a lower percentage of suburban dogs are friendly than their urban counterparts. I suspect this is because the former are typically confined to backyards and therefore aren't as well-socialized as the latter, which tend to get their exercise from actual *walks* during which they regularly interact, and even play, with other dogs.

We also spent some time with Monika, a friend of my parents from the College Park days. She came to our neck of the woods, and let N whisper sweet nothings in her ear:

We also went to hers -- the Eastern Shore of Maryland, with North Beach pictured here:

"They tried to make me walk the plank..."

Home for the Holidays I

2009-02-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

About a week before Christmas, puppy and I went to my mother's in Northern Virginia. We *massively* lucked out with my mom's new neighbors. An older couple -- kids grown and away -- moved in across the street with their incredibly sweet, year-and-a-half-old Border Collie Bruno. They also have a fenced-in yard.

Another pup + 25 meters away + huge enclosed space = triple-plus fantastic! The two of them had a number of rollicking play-sessions.

We also got a visit from our Chicago human friends Chris and Amy -- who got engaged just a couple of days after this photo was taken, yay! -- and canine friend Pumpkin.

Mom, N and I all went down to my aunt Shelia's in Chesapeake, Virginia for a few days around Christmas proper. Shelia, my cousin Chad, and their almost-15-year-old (!) Black Lab Rocky were incredibly gracious about opening up their home and yard to a crazy puppy. Nikita repaid this kindness, of course, by digging up Shelia's yard, holes visible below:

I haven't been able to pick N up in many months, so she looks understandably stunned by what's going on here with Chad:

We also went down to the beach on Christmas Day, and N got alot of love from my cousin Jess and her husband Stuart. (Puppy clearly puts out big-time on a first-date, slut.)

We then went back to mom's in Northern Virginia for another week of fun.

My Little Mainiac

2009-02-15T08:24:00.001-08:00

Shortly before the holidays, not to mention dad's five-week jaunt to warmer climes, Dad and I took Nikita with us for a long ski weekend in Maine.

Our hotel at Sunday River, pictured below, doesn't allow dogs, so we checked her into the Paws Inn in Bethel. Propreitress Carolyn took excellent care of her, and I went over every afternoon to take her for a long, apres-ski walk.

We found a bunch of "machining" (ie. snowmobiling) trails and peeked in windows of various shacks on nearby farms...

Anyone seen the movie "Fast Runner"?

Despite Nikita's having chewed up some of Carolyn's things, she's apparently (still) welcome back when dad and I go again for a full week in March. Hopefully she won't terrorize Carolyn's poor dog Sam next time...

S(n)o(w) Close You Can Taste It

2008-12-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

N *almost* had her first snow Sunday morning. Instead, we got just a light dusting. She clearly realized something was up the minute I opened the outer building door: stretched her neck way out, nostrils quivering, then panning quickly from side to side a few times, before finally venturing out into this white new world.

I took her down to the kids' playground for her morning mid-walk run-around.

Later in the day we met up with Angela and Kate, and their dogs Nevada (far right below) and Charlie, respectively, and all three pooches got to run around the baseball fields for awhile.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our neighbors were getting into the holiday spirit. Here's Wicked -- the six-pound pooch who attacks the seventy-plus-pound N every chance he gets (?!?) -- totally decked out.

And here are Melina, holding Henrey in his Christmas sweater, and Christina, holding Wicked.

After the Halloween costume fiasco, I won't be trying to put N in anything, but it's fun to see these guys dressed up...

Laundromutt

2008-11-30T16:17:00.001-08:00

Today I took N to LaundroMutt -- the best business idea I'm kicking myself for not having had first in awhile. Their slogan is "BYOD" and, having brought your own dog, you can choose one of several options:

- the Muddy Paws Express: a quick rinse-off and towel dry ($5)

- the Regular Lave Canem ("Wash the Dog): a "house shampoo" plus a towel dry ($15)

- the LaundroMutt Special: a house shampoo plus a blow dry ($19) or

- the Uber Spa: a "speciality shampoo," conditioner and blow dry ($23).

We went for an upgraded LaundroMutt Special, meaning one with a specialty shampoo -- "the Bright and White" good for N's dingy legs and underbelly -- so all the joy of an Uber Spa with none of the rinse-out conditioner (and only $21).

N was very good about getting into the tub, which was kind of like a metal trough. One portion of the trough's front (considerably lower than the back) slid open and one of the LaundroMutt girls hooked a little metal staircase into the newly-opened slot. N walked right up (for the most part) and then the girl closed the trough and removed the steps while I slipped the lead over N's head.

Our neighbor Nevada wasn't nearly as sanguine about the whole experience and looked pretty glum throughout.

Nikita on the other hand was, as usual, a complete champ and didn't complain at all when I was washing her. (Note the huge dry head atop the scrawny wet puppy-body.)

After I wet her, shampooed her, rinsed her, squeegeed her, and towel-dried her, we moved over to one of the grooming tables -- requisite lead off, sliding panel open, stairs brought over, N down the stairs, stairs moved over to the grooming table, N back up the stairs, new lead on -- and let the blow-drying begin. I started with the most diffuse nozzle and kept it on the lower of the two settings throughout. The table came with two different styles of brushes, some ear-wipes, and multiple drier attachments.

After the girls were relatively dry -- N started howling about 10 minutes into our blow-dry session so I cut it short -- we went to settle up at the counter, where we met Gunner, a trained police dog who was "too mellow" to join the Force and was therefore manning the counter at LaundroMutt instead. Coppers loss = our gain. Overly-tatted tattoo lady was nice too.

N's now nice and clean and fluffy. We'll see how long it lasts...

Just for Kicks

2008-11-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of the "Edwardian collar" period (ie. the cone), Nikita got increasingly fed up with things and started getting really creative in her attempts to extricate herself... Here's her spinning around in circles on the floor, in a post-birth, puppy version of a sonogram shot:

(The incision from the spaying is visible on her belly.) When it was all over, I let her murder the thing:

She also got to play with Henrey for the first time in weeks:

I'm now plotting to get rich off puppy, starting with an ad campaign for Shaw's, featuring her favorite product:

Mmm... Peanut butter...

The New New Routine

2008-11-07T19:33:00.001-08:00

Now that Nikita's back to normal after her assorted surgeries and getting older, I'm trying to increase the length of her walks and decrease their frequency. So I've replaced her old morning loop around the Fens with an approximately four-mile walk over to the Public Gardens and back.

The first part is the same -- we walk down Park Drive and cut through the Victory Gardens (I'm still waiting to hear back about my plot, argh) where Nikita stops to sample some of the plants:

We then go a couple blocks on Boylston before cutting over to Commonwealth, which has been looking particularly lovely, even on rainy, grey mornings like the one on which these photos were taken.

Nikita stops and stares at each of the statues along Comm Ave, but eventually we get to the Gardens, where we walk around the Lagoon and she goofs around with the ducks.

We then take Newbury, Marlborough, Beacon, or, most often, the Esplanade back and, after an approximately two-hour walk -- including a stop at the Beacon Hill 4bucks for chai for me and water (with a cup to play with later!) for her -- N passes out for a good for four or five hours: score.

Halloween!

2008-11-01T08:10:00.001-07:00

Well, I gave it try, but Nikita flat-out refused to keep her dinosaur costume on for more than a couple seconds at a time (made more difficult by the fact that I had to kind of drape it over her like a cape that could fasten in only one place since even the XL was too small for her). Our neighbor Henrey looked adorable in his though:

Jigs, the male bulldog on the fifth floor who tries to hump Nikita any chance he gets, was also adorable in his purple, witch-printed cape, and Smoochie, the female bulldog on the first, is so cute she doesn't need a costume.

We gave out some Milk Bones and Kit Kats to incoming dogs and humans, respectively, and had fun checking out all the costumes. (Emily, Smoochie's "mom," was particularly great dressed as an old woman, with boobs coming out of her stomach...) After a week of pretty much total isolation, N also seemed to enjoy all the action.

Puppy's First Nature

2008-11-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

As a reward for getting through such an unpleasant week-and-a-half since her attack, I took Nikita and my dad, who was visiting for a few days, apple-picking in scenic Andovah, Mass. I figured it would all be so new and exciting for N that there wasn't much danger of her chewing on her stitches, so she also got her first break from the cone.

She also saw her first livestock: a chicken, a goat, and some sheep, a couple of the last pictured below:

She just stared at them the first time we passed them -- "These are really odd-looking dogs..." -- but lunged at their pen on the way back, sending them running -- "It's a wolf!" N also got a big kick out of the orchard, and we decided that, by this time next year, we'd (ie. I'd) have her trained to pull our loot back for us.

Trying to keep her relatively calm and still this past week so she doesn't rip open any of her stitches has been pretty stressful for me and I'm sure downright maddening for her, so it was really great to let her, and watch her, get to be a normal dog again, if only for a few hours. (The cone is back on until Monday, at which point we'll start phasing it out.)

Dad also had a lot of fun with her, and is now hopefully making his way through Logan with the 60+ apples that constituted his share...

Playing Inside, Part II

2008-10-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

Keeping Nikita "quiet" -- ie., no running, jumping, or wrestling with other dogs -- has proved to be fairly challenging. This little gem of a game (thanks Jess!) bought me five-to-10 minutes of peace and quiet earlier this afternoon, not to mention some funny photos.

You put some treats in a cereal box, seal up the box -- done, in my case, with some heavy-duty clear tape, -- then give them the box. Now I just need to start eating cereal and/or hitting up the neighbors for their empty boxes...

Update: this works even better with a washed-out, treat-infused, resealed Fourbucks cup. ("Fourbucks" because it's tough to get any drink there for less than four bucks...)

So Proud of Puppy

2008-10-26T18:01:00.001-07:00

Nikita's had a tough week.

She was attacked Tuesday evening by Kody, a shepherd mix in our neighborhood, and got what turned out to be an incredibly nasty bite-wound just above her tail out of it. I didn't find it initially under all that fur, and didn't think anything major had happened. We had an appointment first thing Thursday morning to have her spayed at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital though, so I figured the doctors there could take a look at it just incase.

"Just incase" turned out to be a severe bite, with an even more severe pocket under it. (Dogs apparently carry so much bacteria in their mouths that even minor bites are prone to infection -- fortunately this one hadn't spread yet.) So, after shaving a four-inch by four-inch area of her fur, they cleaned up and stitched up the bite-wound, then made a clean incision about an inch-and-a-half over; drained the pocket under the wound; and left in a slim plastic tube about as wide and as thick as a drinking straw, though much softer and more bendable, to help with follow-on drainage. She got to come home late Friday.

(The spaying operation, by the way, was a piece of cake in comparison, requiring no follow-up visits, tubes, or antibiotics -- ironic that *that* procedure was what I'd been so nervous about.)

Her energy level and spirits have both been higher than I was expecting, which is generally good -- the only bad part is how frustrated and stir-crazy she's been. After our follow-up appointment today, during which she had the tube removed as well as the stitches from the bite-wound, she's allowed to start taking semi-normal walks -- as in, short, slow, excitement-free ones -- which should help alleviate her boredom and thus hopefully her frustration, anxiety, etc. When I told the doctor how generally aggravated she seemed and asked if there was anything else I could be doing for her, I was told, "It's just really tough with the Arctic breeds." That's my little monster =).

It'll be good to start spending time outside again with her, and really good to get a break from her bashing the cone into the walls. She definitely hasn't been loving it...

World's Greatest Neighbors

2008-10-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

N and I are lucky enough to live in a building -- and, more specifically, on a hall -- full of puppy- and dog-lovers. Melina and Henrey next door have become good friends of ours, and we're looking forward to sitting out on the stoop with a bowl full of dog treats for passing pooches on Halloween. Hen already has his dinosaur costume:

Melina gave Nikita a squeaky toy that's provided her with almost 'round-the-clock entertainment. Here's N playing with it first at Melina's, then back at the apartment on the bed:

Melina and Hen also bailed me out big-time when an allergic dinner-guest required that I either leave Nikita trapped and upset in the bathroom or drop her off at a neighbor's. She had a *huge* time playing with Melina, Henry, and Christina from across the hall, pictured below with the pooches:

I got to sleep in all the way until 8:45 -- approximately an hour-and-a-half later than usual -- so clearly N was exhausted from an initially stressful and then fortunately fun night. Thanks Melina and Henney!

Addendum: readers may be pleased/horrified to learn that I've since purchased the very same dino-mite costume for Nikita, size XL.

Eargate

2008-10-13T18:50:00.001-07:00

So, N's grandparents and I have been at loggerheads as to whether or not to do anything about her "lazy ear" situation. I find it kind of endearing, particularly when we play dress-up -- see Tourag Puppy below -- but grandma and grandpa find it undignified. Breeder Helen attributes this situation to larger- and heavier-than-average ears, inherited, apparently from her mother and (great-?)grandfather...

"Fixing" it would require that I do the following:

1. Shave/buzz/seriously-trim the hair on the inside of her ear,

2. Cut an ear-shaped piece of cardboard from the inside of a roll of toilet paper (which apparently have the perfect curvature or something), and

3. Using fabric glue (!), afix this ear-shaped piece of cardboard to the shaved/buzzed/seriously-trimmed inside of her ear for a *week* or until it falls out if that happens before a week is up, which would at least spare me -- and her -- my having to rip the thing out of her ear.

I then check to see if the ear will stand up on its own when the other one does -- as in, when she's "alert" -- and, if not, repeat until it does.

Not sure I want to run try this home-ec experiment on my sweet puppy, but am also getting sick of all the "Oh look at its floppy ear!"s on the street... Vhat to do, vhat to do??

Lucky Boy

2008-10-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

I'd been so nervous Nikita would miss her old buddies in Chicago and wouldn't meet new dogs here... She seems to have adjusted just fine, meeting handsome four-year-old Lucky the Siberian Husky one of our first days in Boston. He's quickly become her new best friend and they play almost every day, sometimes twice a day.

They'll also, very rarely, just hang out without being crazy. (This typically requires an hour plus of playing first.)

The New Deal

2008-09-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

I take Nikita for A Very Long Walk several times a day, because a tired puppy is a well-behaved puppy. Our usual loop is a circumambulation of "the Fens," the big park we now live on.

We start by taking the elevator down the couple flights -- N doesn't like steps much but does like to give the inside of the elevator door a good lick (?) -- and hang a left down Park Drive.

We pass the rose garden; the memorials to those Bostonians who died in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam; the Victory Gardens (my application for a plot is in); and curve around Boylston Street, getting nice views of the big dome of MIT across the Harvard Bridge and of the start of swanky Back Bay on our side of the Charles.

We then skirt the edge of Northeastern University -- mascot: Huskies, so Nikita gets lots of appreciative calls (even though she's a *Malamute* not a Husky but anyway). Then it's the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, its School, Simmons College, and Emmanuel College, before looping around the opposite end of the Fens and heading home.

Along the way, I try to keep N away from the huge gaggle of Canadian geese that live in the park, in part because she tries to eat their poop, in part because some of them seem pretty aggressive, staring at us and making odd hissing noises. (My neighbor's dachshund was attacked by one: apparently flipped onto his back, straddled, and beaten repeatedly by the thing's wings while being pecked in the face by its mouth/beak/whatever. Nice.)

Adding in time for sniffing things; picking up and dropping sticks, branches, logs, empty coffee cups and soda bottles; and saying "hi" to any friendly dog that crosses our path, this takes us about an hour. If she's not dropping from exhaustion, I then bowl a tennis ball down the length of our hall (~75 feet) and she retrieves it until she really is exhausted. We then go in, she passes out, and I get to do whatever I need to without having to worry about what she's up to.

Live From Boston...

2008-09-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Nikita is such a champ.

Frequent stops at the fine, highway-side offerings of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York helped wear her out and make the two-day ride from Chicago to Boston seem more bearable. She didn't even complain about the absurd little (2.5 by 3.5 foot) space all my assorted crap left her in the backseat of our rented minivan.

My mother had booked us a big suite at a Marriott in Syracuse, NY, smaller than the Chicago apartment where N's spent her last few months but alot bigger than my new Boston studio, so hopefully it helped her gradually get used to progressively smaller digs. She definitely got a kick out of jumping up onto a high hotel bed after my little platform job. (I was laughing too hard to take a photo, sorry.)

Once we got to Boston, N just sacked out in front of the fan -- no A/C here -- while my mom and I did all the hard work of unpacking, etc. It's a tough life.

I'll post shots of our new neighborhood and her new buddies soon, but just wanted to celebrate having internet at home (as of an hour or so ago, woo!) with a fresh post.

From Mesopotamia With Love

2008-08-17T11:22:00.001-07:00

My dad came to town for a few days this week to check on N's progress. Taking advantage of her natural couch-potato instincts, and concerned that I was letting her education slide now that our class is over, he began her formal schooling with the history of the ancient Near East. (Lucky me was subjected to his thoughts on early versus late Wittgenstein instead.)

We left her at home Thursday night and went to dinner at Marche (I don't know how to put the accent aigu over the "e" and can't be bothered to learn). The decor was ridiculous -- dozens of mismatched umbrellas hanging from the ceiling and it got only crazier as the eye moved down -- and the food was for the most part just so-so, but N made out like a bandit, scoring the bone from my lamb shank. Remembering her manners, she just stared at it completely mesmerized for a good 20 to 30 seconds until I gave her the "Take it" command.

Dad suggested I start ordering more osso buco, as those leftovers would also be very N-friendly, and I was surprised at how reasonable making my restaurant plans around my puppy's likes and dislikes seemed...

In any event, between the history lessons and the tasty treats, N seemed really sad to see him go, and tried to prevent him from doing so by making off with his plane ticket.

Fortunately Matthias came over a couple days later and cheered her right back up. (I, apparently, have gotten old and don't elicit quite the same degree of excitement that guests do. Humph.) Or, maybe she just knows that, with him, any photo has a good chance of ending up on Facebook and contributing still further to her fame...

Dad's going to check back on her in a couple of months in Boston and my mother will be arriving in a few weeks to help with the move, so N should (continue to) get plenty of couch-time with adoring houseguests... *Such* a tough life.

The Graduate

2008-08-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

Nikita passed her final exam with flying colors yesterday, acing five of the six components -- sit, sit-stay, down, down-stay, and come -- and doing a respectable job at the other -- a long walk by my side through a glass-walled, distraction-filled room. I was so proud.

Alot of the credit has to go to Rita, the South Loop Petsmart's crack trainer. She had an incredible way with the puppies, and was great with their people too, doing everything from teaching us how to keep their ears clean to debating the merits of Cesar Millan's approach to dog psychology. N and I are sad we won't be around to take her "teenager" class next term...

It was also fun watching the other puppies grow up and (for the most part =) improve. From left in the photo, Sadie the chocolate Lab, Peanut the Beagle mix, and Gambler the American Stratfordshire Terrier, plus Chanel the Boxer and Rocco the black Dachshund mix who weren't able to make it, were all really sweet and cute. The Chinese dude with Tiger the crazy German Shepherd thankfully didn't switch into my class after all, so I was relieved of further translating duties and able to concentrate on actually learning.

To celebrate N's accomplishment, I gave her a treat from the goodie bag we got then put on the magic wrestle-sweatshirt and let her have at me until she wore herself out.

Now I just need to be good about keeping up with her training...

The Other Man

2008-07-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

Nikita has two best buddies. Tucker, a five-month-old Standard Poodle, is the other main man in her life and we try to schedule playdates with him -- and his cool moms Terra and Chris -- any chance we get. Tucker very much subscribes to the "Work hard, play hard" philosophy, and likes to begin and end any romp with a stop in the local puppy spa. Nikita, of course, is not at all shy about climbing in on top of him:

They then go out to the center of the Point and run around and wrestle. Chewing on Tuck even helped 'Kita work out a baby tooth. (We noticed a bunch of blood on her muzzle and tongue and I, terrified she'd hurt Tucker, was doubly relieved it was just the first of her puppy teeth coming out, woo! I've very much been looking forward to the arrival of the duller adult teeth. Hopefully the hideous Pollock-esque network of scratches and swirls on my forearms will begin to fade...)

It's then back to the spa for a little fountain talk, cooling down and stretching before everyone heads back to their respective homes:

Once we get back, I'm guaranteed two-to-four hours of passed-out puppy. Everyone wins.

BFFs, Part II

2008-07-20T16:05:00.001-07:00

Here's more of Obie, a.k.a. "Dr. O.," and Nikita getting their play on/being adorable:

Nikita may be the world's greatest puppy, but the Obester is definitely it's best two-year-old.

BFFs

2008-07-20T16:03:00.001-07:00

We're lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with a bunch of great dogs. Our favorite is Obie, short for Oberon, a super-sweet Lab-Retriever mix who's quickly become Kita's best bud. They enjoy frolicking in Lake Michigan,

digging their way to the Olympics,

recovering after an intense play session,

and rehydrating/lazing about together.

We're both going to miss Obie -- and his lovely owners Janelle and Matt -- when we move to Beantown, but may be back in a year, at which point he and Nikita can hopefully pick up where they left off.

Playing Inside

2008-07-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Other than during our early morning walk, Nikita has a tendency to flop down on the ground -- be it grass, sidewalk, driveway, middle of a busy street, etc. -- and refuse to walk any further than about 20 meters from our building due, I think, to the heat. (An innate stubbornness I'm enabling is another possibility, but I'm trying to ignore that.)

So I've had to devise ways for her to get her play on inside. She likes to try climbing into the tub while I'm taking a shower. (Go figure as she hates getting a bath.) This thoroughly soaks her, so we then play the throw-the-towel-on-her-and-let-her-wrestle-it-off game.

She also likes wrestling/biting people, so if there's a willing victim (here, Josh) I'll let her do that. On occasion, I'll crank up the A/C, get a thick sweatshirt out of the coat closet, and let her have at my arms. She now leaps with excitement anytime I reach for the closet door.

She also of course is the proud owner of a number of products in the "Kong" line of dog toys you stuff food, treat, peanut butter, etc. into through a small hole. The dog then has to chew the thing until the hole is stretched out enough for a treat, etc. to come out. Seems a little cruel but it keeps her occupied. She enjoys it so much that her eyes are closed the whole time she's playing with it. Hilarious.

All of these methods have the desired effect: exhausting her.

Such a sweet puppy.

One Month In

2008-07-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

Nikita and I have been spending alot of time out on the lakefront, either just south of our building on the beach or just north of it at the Point. At around 6:30am, after a quick bathroom stop in front of the Flamingo, we head straight for the Point's doggie water fountain, where Nikita invariably entertains a series of admirers, both canine and human (cyclists, joggers, walkers, etc.)

We then walk over to the beach, where we usually run into Chaiko and Bruno (pictured below) and their people Phil and Laura. The two big dogs play fetch in the water and Chaiko, a giant schnauzer, even swims, but Nikita's run in only once, and very briefly at that. I'm hoping as it gets hotter she'll get more interested. (Maybe my going in first would help too, but that requires the water getting warmer. Soon, I hope.)

The dogs play while we watch and chat, then Nikita and I eventually cross back under the Drive and head home, usually with the obligatory break to chew some branches along the way.

She then has breakfast, a quick "business" walk, then passes out for two or three hours. And usually snores.

Getting to Know Each Other

2008-06-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

I've been surprised/amused to find that Nikita:

- sleeps most of the time,
- snores like a drunk, and
- chews anything in sight those rare moments when awake
(furniture, ankles, cords of all kinds, edges of staircases...)

I've been less delighted with Nikita's:

- razor-sharp, if tiny, teeth; and
- propensity to worm her way into tight spaces
(then require delicate and potentially painful extraction).

Nikita appears to enjoy it most when I:

- rub her belly,
- play tug-of-war with her,
- run around in zig-zagging lines for her to follow, and
- tell her what a "good girl!" she is.

She seems less-than-thrilled however when I:
- try to keep her out of the mud in the garden, and
- take away the box of treats she keeps managing to both access and open.

Meeting the Family

2008-06-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is one well-traveled (and well-adjusted) puppy.

Having picked Nikita up in Madison Thursday, I drove her back to Chicago and introduced her to some friends. Josh, Gene, Amir, Perry and Leigh were all suitably smitten =).

We hit the road again Friday morning and drove 13 hours -- including lots of stops at rest areas in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland -- to grandma's house in Fairfax, Virginia. Besides an alarming habit of crawling under the car seats and forcing me to drag her out, the ride went really well.

We spent Saturday meeting grandpa, the great grandparents, and some assorted other relations from his side of the family. Big hit all around. And today we're just relaxing back at grandma's, catching up on work/play and chewing, respectively.

Picking a Puppy

2008-05-28T15:08:00.001-07:00

The breeder sent photos of the three girls from the litter and asked me to make a choice since she's gotten additional interested parties. After finding out that "Melt" and "Big Spot" are a bit more outgoing than their sister "Sable," I decided to go with Big Spot, whom I'd liked a bit more on my last visit. She also seemed to be the unanimous crowd favorite (thanks dad, Daragh, and Jesse).

Here are three shots of her: the first with her sister Melt (who's on the right-hand side of the photo) and the next two of her alone:

I'll pick her up from the U of W's Madison campus Thursday, June 5th, and am trying to be patient in the meantime!