So, we’re one week into dog ownership. How has it been?

Overall, I have to say that we are very happy dog owners. We have established a daily routine with Buddy and he seems to have adapted to it pretty well. Between takaza and me, we’re walking him through the neighborhood about 3-4 miles each day. The only downside is that on weekends he has to go out at around 6 AM. It’s a good thing I don’t mind waking up early on weekends!

We took him to the vet last week for a full check-up. The vet agreed that Buddy is around 8 and 9 years old, based on his teeth. He is unfortunately afflicted with all the things that go with older dogs: bad teeth, bad hips, and bad eyes (early signs of cataracts). The bad teeth probably explains why he rejects all hard food. He tested negative for heartworm, but did test positive for whipworm, which is apparently pretty unusual. Fortunately, a short round of anti-parasitic meds should clear that up. The vet also gave us a painkiller for his hips (Previcox, a Cox II inhibitor); that seems to make a difference.

Buddy has only had one accident in the house, and it really got me to thinking. At his foster home he was used to being let out immediately after being fed. We had hoped to break him of that habit, but when we didn’t let him out right after eating he simply couldn’t wait and peed on the carpet. I don’t fault him one bit for that (OK, I wasn’t happy, but it cleaned up fine), and realized that part of the familiarization process is as much him training us as us training him. I think it’s amazing and gratifying that we have had so few issues with him, and it makes me very glad that we decided to adopt him.

I did a little doggie shopping yesterday, using a PetSmart gift card that Dan got through credit card rewards. We picked up a new dog bed (nice and floofy), some more dog food, and some chewy treats that contain glucosamine and chondroitin. He loves the treats, and seemed very happy with his bed as well.

We spent the weekend hanging out with roho and genet, and their pretty-but-brainless Samoyed, Brianna. I should point out that both Buddy and Brianna are fixed, but that sure didn’t stop buddy from trying to mount Brianna every chance he got. Fortunately, Brianna had no problem demonstrating her lack of interest (with a snarl and a snap) and eventually he settled down.

On Saturday we watched a few shows off the DVR and made country-fried steak, mashed potatoes, and sauteed escarole. On Sunday we were joined by Linnaeus, and we celebrate Pi Day with homemade pizza (pies), chocolate cream pie, and key lime pie. Linnaeus also brought over an awesome toy for Buddy: a raccoon (of course) made of the same canvas used for fire hoses. Buddy loved it!

And here we are back at work today. Dan and I are making lists of stuff we need to do before company arrives this coming weekend. I’m catching up on some MFF work, and hopefully some stuff for Anthrocon as well.

I’ll leave you with a thought I had as I walked Buddy back after today’s lunchtime walk. I’ve joked with friends about not wanting a cat because I didn’t want a box of crap in the house. Instead, I’m walking through the neighborhood with a bag of crap in my pocket. Oh, that’s MUCH better. All of you cat owners, feel free to tell me to shut up 🙂