I no longer worry about crating him for the half hour it takes for me to pick QM up from school. He's quiet and content when we get home. The longest he has been crated has been for an hour and a half while QM was at gymnastics. Again, when we returned home he was nicely settled and usually takes his sweet time coming out once the crate door is opened. It's been great that he's so comfortable in there since I can now to run errands without stressing.
This morning I went to the grocery store and when I got back I took Porter on his first trip to Lake Miramar. Once he's older it'll be a nice place for a walk but today we just explored the dirt area and watched the ducks from the bridge. He was able to meet a few men, including the guy who's in charge of the lake, who showed me a picture of his JRT. Porter seems very eager to approach people but not over the top and if I don't allow him to get closer he moves on and does something else. We only saw one other dog there (I was hoping for more) and Porter was very interested in getting closer but we kept a polite distance.
As we drove away I decided to stop by a nearby pond for more exploration and duck sightings. There was more shade here and only a couple of other people so Porter was much more at ease than with the hustle and bustle of Lake Miramar. He felt comfortable getting two paws up on a tree stump (with the help of a cookie) but was unable to get all four feet on due to the angle and slickness. He was again fascinated by the ducks but did not continue to pull towards them constantly. Just behind this pond I found a huge open field which might be great for working with a long line.
I didn't see any "no dogs in the water" signs and this pond isn't a water reservoir like Lake Miramar so I let Porter approach the water. I thought he would hesitant but he waded right in and didn't look worried. He was up to his belly in no time but I didn't let him go in farther since it became deeper fast and he has never been swimming before. Plus I had no towels! Next time I might give him more leash, but I think I'll switch back to his regular collar and not the martingale just in case he gets in over his head, so to speak. Tomorrow we will explore other hidden pond in the area ad see if it'll make a good swimming hole for Porter. Typically in San Diego the only water for dogs to play in are the dog beaches. I want to wait for another round of shots before we hit the sand.
Taking family portraits with Porter and Indi is really difficult. Porter does well when he's sitting all alone for the camera, but if I place Indi near him he can hardly resist playing with her. Indi is not amused since if there's food in the picture that's all she wants.
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| Out Take |
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| Getting Better |
Getting a picture of them lying down is even worse. Porter has no stay yet. He will down easily, but when I an eye level with the camera he wants to come investigate and either slob on the lens or munch on the cookies I have.
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| The best I can get right now |
How could I have forgotten to mention how darn smart the little guy is. Porter had not even been home 5 days and he figured out the doggie door. Over the last week he's used it here and there but now he's really gotten the hang of it. At first he would get stuck half way through and I worried he's scrap his belly and boy bits right off! Indi is small enough that she takes the doggie door at warp speed and unfortunately Porter followed her last night. He's her size, but doesn't have her grace and ended up bashing his shoulder into the frame and not making it through. Little cartoon birds flew in circles over his head. Sadly, I don't think that is going to be the last time he tries that.
Doggie door + doggie pool = sad wood floors
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| Indi's arch nemesis |
The next door neighbor's cat was hanging out on our fence again. It was neat to see the dogs pick up the scent on the air and follow it back to the source. Porter was interested in seeing more of the cat, but I think she'd kick his butt so we kept our distance.
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