I'm going to try and document Rowdy's first year (or more, let's see if I can keep this up).

Rowdy is going to be 8 weeks old tomorrow, I got him at 7 weeks from a very loving family breeder in Sacramento. His buddy was a year old Golden Retriever and man did he love to play with him! That's how I was able to choose the name Rowdy, he got feisty with that golden and told him "what for."

When we brought him home, he immediately started playing with his new aunts and uncle... Aunt Ginger and Aunt Penny are miniature long haired dachshunds and Uncle Bear is a Borgi. He is very sociable with other dogs, and I couldn't be happier about that. They ran and played in the kitchen for a while and he was even familiar with the dog door to go out to potty (at 7 weeks!).  Once it was time for bed, I set up his little dog bed next to me on my bed with his travel blanket and the toy I let his old family play with so he had their scent. He was very good about getting in his bed and the first night he stayed in it all night. He woke up just a few times and looked scared, I coddled him with a simple "It's ok Rowdy, I'm right here" and a pat on the head and he went right back to sleep. He woke me up at 7am to potty and we got ready for our Christmas Eve Day festivities.

We went to one of my grandma's house for Christmas Eve. She has a corgi named Abe who is about 2 (maybe 3) years old now and a GIANT (I mean, GIGANTIC) cat named Harry. Harry is literally a foot and a half tall and big and fluffy. I wish he sat still long enough for a picture. Rowdy played very well with Abe and loved the attention from the family. He slept most of the day on the floor by my feet or sat quietly watching my little brother play his guitar. He seemed to really enjoy that. He also enjoyed the company of my cousin's 8 month old baby, Weston. He just sat and played gently when the little guy kept whacking Rowdy instead of petting him. After dinner, the family got in their places on the couches and chairs for turkey-comas. I got stuck with the floor. As I was napping, little Rowdy had woken up and looked for me (out of all the awake people calling him) ran over to me, curled up in my side and went back to sleep. When everyone asked how long we had him, my mom replied "we just picked him up last night." They were in shock that he already knew me. 

Christmas day rolled around and he successfully slept through another night. This time he stayed in his bed 50% of the time, and cuddled me the rest. We got up and running, got a few pictures by the tree in (I tried the whole Christmas sweater thing, but he wanted no part in it), and opened our first set of presents. My parents had a few gifts for their dogs and when we opened the tennis balls, Rowdy went nuts. Classic corgi. He loved rolling them around even though they're too big for him. We carried on to the next grandma's house for more presents and more family... he started getting more comfortable and rough-housed with all the kids and then slept some more under the Christmas tree. That evening we went to my Aunt's to have dessert and games. She has a jack russel, Jack, and a 100 pound lab, Tank. Her mother in law was also there with her jack russel, Bandit.  Jack usually runs off, he doesn't care for anyone. Bandit loved him and wanted to be near him. Tank was so in love. Rowdy, being used to a golden retriever, was all over it. He was taking his toys, running around, and kicking him out of his bed. Tank was very well behaved and played so gently. I was impressed.

Our next day meant traveling back home to Fresno, I crated him for the 2 1/2 hour drive and he did really well. He whimpered for a bit, but if I put my hand near the cage, he was fine. We went to Petsmart and got him his real crate (I grabbed the 36" one so he can grow into it) and he was introduced to his real home. My apartment is single story and I have a huge abandoned golf course outside my front door, so he has some nice grass to run around in. I had to work that night really late and was so nervous about his first time alone. I put his dinner in the crate, put in blankets and toys, and then left the tv and light on... once he stopped paying attention to me and started eating, I bolted out the door. I was the typical worried mommy all night at work and hoped he wouldn't whine too loud for the neighbors. I got home and he was sleeping and ready to potty.

In the days since, Rowdy has shocked me with the fact he's fully potty trained. He whines at the front door, and if for some reason I can't make it in time, he goes right on his potty pad. He has not (knock on wood) had a single accident on the floor. He's been back-talking me when I correct him, so we're working on that. He also likes chewing up my carpet and coffee table. He's been eating right through the bitter spray, so I'm starting "Leave it" as his command to stop. It's been doing ok so far, he just lays his head down next to whatever he's chewing on for a minute or two. He started learning the concept of fetch with the tennis ball and is doing well with it. He met our neighbors puggle/doxie mix and loved him, as well as meeting a human neighbor, who when I asked if he whined or barked while I was at work, he said "no." (Let's hear a sigh of relief). 

He had his first bath today, I got the Paul Mitchell puppy tearfree shampoo and he liked it. He really likes the mud and water, since it's been raining, he can't get enough of it.  There's a large puddle next to the front step, he jumped in it. He found out that next to the grass there was a fence with a pool in it, he tried busting through the bars to get to it. We got done with the bath, he just sat in the tub looking for the water. He scared me with the pool though... if I hadn't caught his back legs when he tried busting through the bars, I would have had to run to the apartment to get the keys to the pool and run back with hopes he didn't jump in the water. (Note to self, bring pool keys on potty runs, just in case) He's been playing almost like a cat... when I get on the ground to wrestle him, he gets low and stalks me like a cat before pouncing. It's pretty cute. It also looks like his left ear will stand up first, it's starting to perk up when he holds his head just so. I can't wait until they both pop up. 

We're going in for more puppy shots and his first vet visit next week. I'm going to get the "puppy health insurance" from Petsmart. It is a really affordable monthly fee that covers all his shots and unlimited vet visits. Being a first time mommy, that'll work for me :) 

Rowdy and I thank you for stopping by, and can't wait until he's big enough to start going to the dog parks and we hope to find some local corgi moms and dads to play with here in town!

Take care!

<3 Rowdy and Kayla