Okay, I know this isn't exactly an astonishing event but I thought I would make a blog post about it anyway.

I HAVE SUCCEEDED IN MAKING ACE INTERESTED ENOUGH IN A TOY TO PLAY WITH IT ON HIS OWN!

This is really groundbreaking for me, and especially for Ace. Ever since he entered my life, he has NOT played with toys. Sure, he would tug at times, and he does enjoy chasing rocks, sticks and the occasional tennis ball I throw outside, but he was never interacting with these objects on his own. He needed prompting from me or my husband in order to "do stuff".

I'm just so thrilled that not only did I make the toy (two socks, stuffed inside each other, the innermost stuffed with flexible treats and garlic powder) but I also helped him to realize "how to play" with it. Ace just kind of sniffed it and left it alone, like he always does, when I presented it to him. So, throwing dignity to the wind, I bit down on the toy and shook my head like he occasionally does when trying to disembowel a cat fishing pole. Ace's eyes lit up and he snatched the other end, and we played tug in a most unceremonious, dog-like way. I let him win, and he trotted back to his pillow and started to shake the toy around furiously, chomping it the entire time and occasionally "digging" into it. I almost had tears in my eyes; something like this has never happened before.

I am so happy that I could provide Ace with the invaluable experience of playing with a toy. I made sure I put it away before he got tired of it, so that the next time I bring it out, he's still enthusiastic about it. This is awesome!