A week of consolidation – I think that’s the best way of describing these past few days. Teddy had his first field walk last Saturday, and on Sunday we took him to a different park, more enclosed than the previous day’s, but the main change was we took him in the car. So far this has been a real adventure. He was sick on his first journey home. He was sick on his first trip to the vet. He then went one better in his next couple of journeys. So the theory is that he will get better with the car if we take him on short hops, and there is something good at the end of it. We did it once over Chinbrook Meadows, and then twice today over Foxes Fields. There are some nice parks further afield, with Footscray Meadows one of Jake’s old favourites, but we need some stability from Teddy for that to happen.

Chinbrook was a lovely walk last weekend, where he got to meet plenty of different dogs, and new people too. There is a nice enclosed area, bordered by fencing and a stream. We walked over the bridge and let him off his lead. So what did our beloved Teddy do. The one exit we didn’t cover, he walked over, and wouldn’t recall. Something to work on!

Here are a couple of pictures from last Sunday. Again click on the picture for a larger size shot:

Teddy has been getting used to a routine of two good walks a day over the field – while I am at work – and one stroll in the early evening to see if he does his business. Water is lifted at around 8pm, he has a night-time constitutional in the garden and then goes in his crate. Most times he does it like a champion. His wakey wakey call at 6am (or near offer) needs to be a little later if possible!

We’ve also left him alone to go shopping and we have a sneaking suspicion that he’s a bit noisy. It will be important to give him a reward each time we come back to make sure he associates it with good things – a nice rawhide bone is being demolished as we speak – things we learned from Jake. We were aware Jake had minor separation anxiety, and he rarely let us go out without him barking at us, right up until the end. Thankfully Jake never did his business inside the house, and his destructive instincts were very minor. We are aware how great Jake was! But in some things Teddy is already well ahead of our wonder dog. Sit, stay, paw, and best of all “release” are things Jake took time to do, or in the case of the last one, never did it at all.

In looking back on the Facebook page from the breeder who we purchased Teddy from, we came across some old photos of Teddy in his early days. I’ve nabbed them, and hope they don’t mind them being used here! How could they? I dare anyone not to go “aaaaaaaaaa” when they see them:

The picture on the right is his sister, Trouble, as she was known. The eyes are really his key feature. Everyone mentions his eyes and his lovely coat when we see them. Our neighbour a few doors down got to see Teddy in the flesh for the first time today. She melted, even though she got a little sprinkle on her shoe. My brother also came around today and got the kissing treatment. He’s definitely a little character.

He was 100 days old on 18 January, and tomorrow we reach five weeks since we picked him up. It seems so much longer. It feels a little as if Jake is in the rear-view mirror of life now, and that’s not right. But while his memory remains behind, while his joy is in our hearts, and the sorrow of his loss is in our minds, it never will be a rear-view of the unseen. I re-read my piece on his loss last night. It reminds me of what we had, and what we learned. Teddy is our new lease of life. He is, already, a very different animal. We wouldn’t want it any other way.

So to sign off, here are a couple of pictures from his walk this morning. Teddy in a nutshell. A little rascal. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. A set of teeth, and a rapid movement, a long tail, and long legs. A bundle of energy, a bundle of fun, and at times, a trying little puppy. It’s improving. There’s a way to go.

All being well, an update next week to follow. Thanks for following the Teddy Times.

Peter

19 January 2019