I break into our regularly scheduled vacation to update myself on what has been going on.

Poppy did very well (from what I can tell) in the 5 days/4 nights of boarding. So far I have only found one flea and no coughing, but sometimes these things don't show themselves for a few days. When the worker brought her out to me, she was so tired (a good thing!) and it took her a minute to recognize me. By the time I got her home, we were back in the swing of things. Apparently she slept in a…

Everything yesterday was fantastic. Finally nothing new or exciting to report. She whines and barks when I leave and I am still trying to find a remedy to that, but since it is during the week days, I don't worry too much. When I go back to work in the new year, I am going to try to video her, to see how long it lasts. When I come home 4-5hrs later, she is silent, but for all I know, she stopped the moment I walked up the stairs.

We went to Centinela Feed at night so I could get more…

Of course, when things are starting to go well, I am going away this weekend for 4 days! Already not looking forward to the return next week, but on the upside, I don't really have to be at work, so I can spend a lot of time with Poppy for the next 6 days.

Yesterday was great. She cried and barked when I left in the morning (with Rescue Remedy and Thundershirt, but none seem to be working when I am not in the apartment). When I came home at lunch, she had moved everything in her pen…

Days are getting better (or maybe I am just getting used to having a dog) but either way, everything is getting better.

On our quick walks around the block (first thing in the morning and when I get home from work) Poppy is slightly freaking out when we walk along one side of the block as they are doing some light construction and the noise and trucks scare her a lot, but I keep walking past it, trying to get her used to the sounds. Not working as well as I'd hope, but I am going to…

Yesterday was a pretty good day. There was some leash pulling on our morning walk as they are doing construction on one side of a block we walk on and the trucks and noise freak Poppy out, so the walk is usually really quick. She cried and barked and whined way more then last Monday when I left, even though I did the same thing I always did, including putting Rescue Remedy in her food. The same thing happened after lunch too, which was a big disappointment. The evening went by as normal,…

We had a fantastic weekend! Friday started out a little rough (barking and whining when I left, unlike the rest of the week), but I came home for an early lunch to no barking. We went for an eval at a place very close to my apartment and Poppy did well of course. Unfortunately, they won't take her for boarding over the holidays because she has had kennel cough in the last month, so that was a huge disappointment. The owner of this training, boarding and daycare center was very thorough,…

Yesterday was like THE! BEST! DAY! EVER! Started off a little strange during our morning walk, Poppy kept turning around to look behind her and wanting to "go home" until we got to the half way point and then she pulled me in the other direction to get home as fast as possible. It was very strange. Quiet as usual when I left in the morning. We had a good walk at lunch (but not so quiet when I left after that) and after work I had to run some errands in the neighborhood, so I took her with me…

Finally, a really good day! I put Poppy into a different daycare today (first day free!) because I had a work function at lunch and couldn't come home to walk her. She seemed to do really well. I liked the place better then where I dropped her off on Monday, if only because I and anyone could look into the area where the dogs play and are kept all day. They are split into large and small dogs and while there isn't much stimulation for them, it was clean and I could see what was going on.…

Yesterday started off well. No whining or barking in the morning (thanks Rescue Remedy!), a good walk at lunch (though there was some crying and barking when I left) and a decent jaunt around the block when I got home from work.

When I put Poppy in her pen later to take a shower, I was greeted when I got out to pee in the pen. AGAIN. This is the second day in a row this has happened. This rarely happens when I leave her in the pen and apartment alone for 4+ hours, but for some reason…

Yesterday it rained alllll day for the first time since I got Poppy (a rarity in Los Angeles!) and it was very hard to walk her. We also had our first eval so I can put her into boarding over the holidays. Most places were already booked when I called over the weekend, but a place near me got decent reviews on Yelp and had availability still, so we went to have her evaluated during lunch. She passed (of course) and the person asked if I wanted to leave her there for the afternoon and I said…

We had a very good weekend! I took Poppy out to lunch with me for the first time on Saturday and while she LOVES going for car rides, she freaks out around lots of other people and sounds. Everyone want to pet her because she is so cute, but she always tries to scamper away. Lunch was a bit rough, but she found shelter under the table and calmed down after about 20 minutes. We then went across the street to a high end pet store and she LOVED it there. I had never seen her go up to strangers…

Since we are such a venting society, I thought I would report on the good stuff too, if only so I can keep track for my own sanity.

This morning when I was getting ready to leave, I put Poppy in her pen with breakfast as always. After she was done, there was only minimal whining and barking. I had forgotten to put her blanket that we snuggle with at night on her bed when I first put her in the pen, so I put it in a little bit later. There was very minimal whining and she quickly went…

She was doing so well and then I come home at lunch today to a poo and pee mess in the pen:-(. I have no idea what brought this on. She finished her entire bowl of food in the morning for like the first time ever, but I don't know what brought the pee on.

At least I didn't cry. We're making progress in little ways!