Brotherly Love

A couple of weeks ago we had a visitor at our house, Brubeck's sister and liter-mate, Rosemary. She is a sweet firecracker of a gal and we love her. Affectionately, we call her Rose Darlin'.  We invited her over based on the advice of a local dog trainer in order to help Bru with his separation anxiety. You see, Brubeck is an amazingly sweet and well behaved dog but he goes bonkers when left in isolation. What can he say? He's a pack animal and hates to be lonely. Come on, we know his hobby is snuggling so we shouldn't be shocked that he doesn't enjoy a cold and lonely crate.

Rosemary come over and her and Brubeck picked up where they left off. Best Friends Forever. It took David and I a couple of weeks to make the best decision for Rosemary and for our family, but we're moving forward in the adoption process for Rosemary and are excited about it. I emailed in our application today and am keeping my fingers crossed. Here is a glimpse of these two little best buddies...

Rosemary is the dainty, but feisty, lady version of Brubeck. She has a smaller, longer and more narrow snout and is about 10 pounds smaller right now. She has pink nail and he has black. She has bigger ears than he does and also has a fantastic raspy loud bark. She'll make a fantastic little den mother and will keep ole Brubeck on his toes. Even though she chewed my brand new sneakers that I had finally bought myself after years- I still look forward to her joining the family! I hope everything works out. 

43lb Brubaby

Oh what a big love bug our Brubeck is. We've been really busy lately and Brubeck is as smart, fun, and lazy as ever! He loves to snuggle, eat peanut butter, and chew his toys. Brubeck has never chewed on any furniture or shoes and for that I sure am grateful. Knock on wood...

The past two nights Brubeck has been a little sneaky. He is usually dead to the world once those droopy eye lids come down at night. Sometimes we have to drag him to his bed! But lately he wakes up a few times in the night and slowly, quietly, and softly tries to sneak in the bed with me! He has never been allowed on or in our bed, but he sure would love it since it smells like us and he loves to cuddle. And not to mention that Bru isn't one to turn down a nice memory foam nights sleep!

To Grandma's House We Go

When you get your first pet you're so excited. But it dawns on you early on that everyone else may not be quite as happy as you are, especially if your new addition is a real handful. We knew after having him for a couple of days that Brubeck is really laid back and chill, but will he stay like this? We he go all Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on us the second company comes over or we take him to someone else's house? Well good news, so far so good!

Brubeck ran and played in my parents beautiful fenced in back yard and had so much fun. I was nervous he would fall in the pool, but I was proved a worry wart and it never happened. My parents love him! He is fun to play with, doesn't bark or mark (so far...), and when he got tuckered out he took a long peaceful fireside nap. He is near 100% potty trained and minded his manners perfectly or grandma and grandpa. Ok, so who wants to have us over next?

Our First Week

Life sure has been fun with Brubeck! He has been a spunky and fun addition to our family. I have been amazed by how much the little guy sleeps! He gets more and more comfortable with us and with his new home every day.

I have been by his side constantly since we adopted him last week. Today was the first day I left him home by himself, in his crate, and he did so good! Brubeck is great at going to the bathroom outside, not marking territory, playing with other dogs, getting compliments from the ladies on how handsome he is, at sleeping, and at practicing his 'leave it' command as well as starting to learn his name.

David and I are both determined and committed to training Brubeck faithfully and to teaching him to be a well behaved little gentleman. There is a time for everything. A time to run, a time to play, and the time to listen to your pack leader- and that's what we're teaching him. We have been learning a lot about dog training and are planning to use positive reinforcement and leadership to show Bru the way.

Brubeck does have a few opportunities for growth already. He is slightly fearful of unknown areas, of men, and of loud cars and trucks. Also, he refuses to go use the stairs in the back of our apartment building. But I have high hopes for the little guy! The first few times we tried to get him to hop in and out of the car, he was very reluctant. The first time I tried to take him into PetSupermarket, he wouldn't do it. But on the second trip to the store, he took his time and then went on it! And now he hops in and out of the car like a little champ.

We'll be spending the next week putting Brubeck in a variety of social scenarios, both with people, dogs, and traffic, as well as getting him on a more regular exercise schedule.