We think it's very funny every night when Joss has a total hyper zoomies fit at about 11pm. He romps all around the house, barks and growls at his toys, gallops and bounces and generally makes a huge attempt to prove that there is no way he's getting tired or EVER going to sleep. The nearest thing I can relate it to is a child trying to show they are in no way at all ready for bed. Of course we play with him and laugh and wait - 10 minutes later he's usually konked out asleep on the couch with a stuffie toy. Ahh, our little prince is amazing.
I wanted to share a funny observation. Every morning as I prepare to go to work (usually I am first up and let Amber out, give her a good morning kiss, feed her and let her run a little in a house), I can hear her walking around like this – top … top … top … top …
But as soon as I hear that – toptoptoptop – I run to the leaving room to see what she is up to. Usually she would be on her armchair chewing something she just “hunted down” – like hat, glove, sneaker or a sock. It makes me laugh every morning.
When we coming back from walks sometimes Amber would grab a stick (or a stone) and would be hopping back home. So happy with her new “toy’. It’s like - “Look, mommy, what I got!”
I was watching yesterday my daughter playing piano after I came from work. Amber come to my side and bite my hand. I looked at her surprised – she brought me a toy and put on a floor next to me – she was asking for a treat. I know she is not supposed to bite me, but she made me laugh.
On a walk next to school yesterday Amber was very excited and running very fast. We came closer to school building and she run in to the glass doors. First I yelped, because she bumped her head and felt back. When I gave her kisses and hugs, and knew she was fine, I was laughing. I shouldn’t come close to glass doors – she doesn’t know it yet.
Well Iz has entered a whole new phase of puppydom. This morning, getting ready for work, I had made Izzie's breakfast and it was on top of the stove which is a bar/island in my kitchen. Doing my hair I hear, "clink, clink - clink, clink" think that's strange, look out into the kitchen and Iz is on her back legs, eating her breakfast off the top of the stove! Once again, no piece of meat, nor appealing desert is safe on a counter top in the Erickson casa! Lora
Well Lora at least Iz is just eating her own food. As Joss has gotten taller his sniffer is of course closer to the wonderful 'buffet' of the countertop and hence, he's more apt to stand up for a looksee at the delicacies. I've been keeping a close eye on him to nip any counter surfing in the bud but I guess I blinked for a second to long earlier this week. We made pizza on Monday night and while James is a pepperoni and pineapple only kinda guy I like everything! So he had his side of the pizza and I made mine - meatlovers and just covered in mushrooms too - I love em' but James hates them. If I add mushrooms to my side it's safe from ever having to share LOL.
Now, last I'd checked Joss had been asleep on the sofa while I'd been asembling the pizza. Anyway I turned the oven on to warm and left the pizza on top while I walked out of the kitchen to change the TV channel. When I come back in - you can guess where this is going.... Anyway Joss is leaning on the oven, nomming on MY side of the pizza! He's pushed all the mushrooms and even the pepperoni's outta the way with his nose (its now got marinara on it) and is carefully picking the sausage off! So much for never having to share my side.
Autumn, James & Joss
That's hilarious! so glad to hear that Joss is feeling well enough to be a "sneaky" thief! Any puppy that will eat will get better! I haven't had a thief in the house for over 3 years, setter that passed away in September went blind two years prior and although the nose worked it put a kabosh on the stealing and the fat little border collie can't get up there (I know, I'm the only person in the world who owns a fat border collie). Course the eating fetish (which I find so intersting that setters are sooooo foood motivated) extends way beyond the confines of the house. This morning while running Izzie dropped behind me and didn't catch up, when I went back for her, she was hauling butt my way, chewing of course the whole way and when I made her drop it was a large chicken bone! My dogs have always been able to find any piece of discarded food and swallow it before I can get to them. When we went up to get Izzie from Pam we were talking about how their mom is so food motivated and I told her my old setter was the same way. We had a story on the news about a guy walking his dog and they found a dead baby wrapped in a towl and I'm not trying to be gross but Emma would have had that baby ate before I ever got up to her. One time she hauled a whole turkey carcass home that someone had pitched out of their car onto the sidewalk. I didn't notice until we got to the garage and emma had sat down beside me, all prim and proper (course I'm thinking what a great dog I have) and my husband says, "what does Emma have?" yeah whole carcass. (see how much I pay attention to the dogs when I run).
So glad to hear Joss is feeling better. You, he and James are three lucky "people"!
Oh geeze Iz!! Joss is obviously taking after his mom with the food too. When offering him a particularly tastey morsel he has a crazed eyeroll - all whites and focused right on you. Its amazing how easy it is to get him to stay when you have ham. He will sit for a full minute, eyes wide and set onto the food. You can move your hand and he'll shake his head yes and no also.
We took Joss over to James' parents house for new years eve dinner. Now he'd been a perfect angel for the madhouse of christmas with 15+ people over, presents littering the floor, food a plenty etc etc. Anyway he was also perfect on new years too, so much so that James mom convinced me he would be fine off his leash. And he was, for at least an hour. We'd finished dinner and everyone was having coffee in the kitchen when in runs Joss with a full chicken leg dangling outta his jaws trailing grease behind him - he'd jumped up on a chair and gotten to the chicken on the table in the kitchen. I will grant him his dainty thefts though. From my pizza to that chicken leg he doesn't MAUL his items of choice, he just carefully picks and chooses then scampers off.
I love it! I'd say Joss and Izzie are twins but gee, I guess they are!
I remember one time my old setter found a chicken foot, you know claws, nails, scaley leg buried at the horse arena. By the time I was done riding she had dug it down so that it was sticking up all by itsellf like some kind of sick statue and frankly I was afraid the whole chicken was down thereI was so was glad to get out of there before she uncovered the rest of the bird feathers and all!
Hopefully we can one day reunite the food duo! This weekend I'm hoping to go over to my friends house to get Joss groomed. It will be his first time being with other setters since he left the litter. I can already imagine the cataclysmic happy reaction he'll have to see other dogs like himself. He lost his shorts the first time he met our family friends golden (she's really dark red), he'd barely been home a few weeks at this point, just before Christmas. We think he thought she was Journey! He piddled himself then proceeded to try and nurse on her. She was very patient with him.