Puppy Update #1

Bailey, our little Chorkie, is growing up quickly. He's been part of my family since Dec. 14 and he's made himself at home. He's about 14 weeks old.

He's doing well in the potty department, using the pad probably 90 percent of the time. The remaining 10 percent is when he misses the mark or finds another convenient place to relieve himself.

For the most part, he sleeps through the night. That's if we go to bed after 10 p.m. If we turn out the lights at 9 p.m., he'll usually awaken us at 3 or 4 in the morning. But he's good about going back to bed for a couple more hours before getting us up at 5 or so for breakfast.

He loves to play ball in the hallway. We usually spend some time each day teaching him the three R's of that doggie pastime known as "Fetch!" He's great about retrieving and returning the ball, but is still a bit reluctant about releasing it.

We've had a few nice days in the past week or so and I've been able to take him outside on his leash. Since he's been a house pet, it's been fun to watch him discover the outdoors, such as leaves blowing on the ground or responding to various sounds. We're looking forward to spring.

He's also has a couple of girlfriends. There's Callie, a German Shepard mix next door, and Lady, a dainty white Poodle from across the street.

Bailey is a healthy pooch. He's probably closing in on four pounds (he weighed about one pound when we brought him home). And he gets his final shots this week.

Bailey has been a godsend as well for us since Baxter passed away on Dec. 28. We still miss Baxter a great deal but Bailey has eased some of the pain in dealing with the loss of our beloved pet. 

Until the next time...