Hi, friends! I know you thought I had forgotten all about you, but I've just been so busy that I haven't had a chance to write! I have been to several doctor's appointments with my mom and impressed the people with how well-behaved I am! My mom and I had a display set up at the job fair at Reynolds Middle School. A lot of the kids thought it would be cool to train dogs and I got a lot of tummy rubs from them. I LOVED that! I also did my civic duty and went and voted. (I have to tell you, though, that people aren't as smart as you think if they could choose someone for President who doesn't protect unborn babies. *sigh* I wish people were as smart as dogs!)
We also had a puppy meeting with all of my friends at the bus station. That was fun! At first I wasn't sure about those big, loud, smelly buses and didn't want to go on them. My mom stayed calm, though, and once I had gotten on and off a couple of them, I knew there was nothing to be concerned about and I was happy after that. When all of my other dog friends showed up, I assured them all would be well and we had a nice ride. It was short, though, and I didn't hardly have time for a nap. *bummer* After we got off the bus, we walked through downtown Asheville. It was RAINING! What FUN!!! I set a good pace and walked over lots of grates around the trees without pausing. I wanted to be sure that everyone behind me knew they didn't need to be afraid.
The best thing that has happened since I last wrote is my mom and dad actually took a vacation at the beach! This is the first time they have done that. My mom's sister has a house at Southport Beach so they could stay for free. The house isn't dog-friendly, though, so I had to spend a lot of time confined, but the beach was so much fun - and I got so tired from walking around - that I didn't mind. A couple of times my mom and I walked TWO HOURS! She had me on a flexi-leash so I could wander around and check out whatever I wanted. Man, that was GREAT! The Cape Fear River is right there, plus the ocean, so we could go walk along both of them. I went up and checked out the water, but I didn't get in it. I'm still not sure I want to be a water dog, even though I know how to swim. Maybe when I get older I'll feel more like doing that. The beach was full of all kinds of wonderful things that I wanted to pick up. Mostly my mom made me leave them alone - especially the seed pods that fell out of the magnolia tree in the back year. They are SO good that I can't believe she won't let me chew them and eat them! She spoils a lot of my fun! I don't care that they make me barf - it's worth it! We also went to Fort Caswell Beach which is right beside Southport. We got to go inside some forts that were built in 1826. It was dark, damp and smelly - my favorite kind of place! Unfortunately, we didn't see any skunks. I hear they are really cute.
I'm still the best puppy ever, but my mom sometimes gets frustrated with me when we are walking. I like to walk very S-L-O-W-L-Y but she likes to walk very FAST so it's tough on her sometimes. When she gets in front of me, I just stop and refuse to go until she comes back to me and admits that we can go at my pace. Sometimes when I stop it's because I have to busy. She takes off my coat and lets me do my business and then I'm ready to go on - but only slowly. She says that she will have to start taking me on our walks through Weaverville without Deacon because he also likes to go fast and it's not fair to ask him to plod along. I try to remind them that some blind people like to walk slowly and that she and Deacon must learn to be patient, but they aren't very good at that. I know they will learn eventually.
Sometimes I see something that spooks me - like the gate that goes up and down at the office. She always waits and lets me see these things and get used to them. I know I can trust her, though, so I will go along with whatever she wants.
I turned four months old on November 6th and I'm as big as some of the 7 month old puppies in my group! They're just girls, though, so I expect to be bigger than them! My mom is going to the guide dog school next week and I get to stay with the Thomas'. I know we will have a GREAT time. They are going to be so proud of how smart I am and how well I behave! My mom says I'm the easiest dog she has ever had. I give her a kiss and tell her she's the easiest Mom I'VE ever had. That makes her feel good!
I better go. We have errands to run and work to do! Write me back if you want, and I'll reply!
