Brrr. Puppy chronicles.
The cold snap in Louisville has been brutal this week. I went into the kitchen to let Gypsi out the back door and saw the window panes covered in ice. When I examined the door handle, I saw a screw had slightly worked loose, and the head of the screw was thick with frost. I had difficulty even opening the door. We haven't had snow - somehow that would make this actic cold feel justified or appropriate. However, we have just had dry cold weather. I've been gritting my teeth over leaky faicets lately, swearing that I will teach myself how to repair them and take care of it. However, after all the lamentations about frozen and burst pipes on my Facebook feed, I'm glad my faucets have a constant slow trickle.
I've rediscovered the savage joys of electric blankets. You'd think it would lull the kitten into a drowsy stupor, but it just seems to invigorate him. I leave it on a very low heat - just enough to take the chill off my feet, and I don't even have to kick off the blankets before morning. The dual controls are lovely - Mick runs colder than I do, and tends to set the blanket a little higher to start. Rather than being under thick piles of blankets that shift and get tugged in the night, I'm able to use a light (warm) blanket and a sheet, and it stays in place all night. Such a mundane thing, a blanket, but it is such a pleasure to use.
I had dinner with my parents last night, then headed home alone. Poor Gypsi had been in the crate all day, and she came FLYING out of her crate to run circles around me, bodyslam into my shins. She was wired for sound, and she and the kitten were playing rough for an extended period of time. I was sitting down to start watching the premieire of Downton Abbey when the dog caught my attention. She was standing in the hallway, shuffling and staring at me. She whimpered and I got really excited. The problem we've had with her training is that she won't indicate when she needs to go outside. She'll usually give one signifigant glance, then run to poop in an inappropriate place in the house. We can't get her to speak or paw at the door, and while we've tried to restrict her access to parts of the house and keep her on a schedule when she goes outside, we can't quite get the pattern down yet. But last night? I popped up off the couch and ran to the back rood. Gypsi was dancing beside me all the way to the door. She flew down the stairs into the darkened yard, and took care of her business in an appropriate place - as in, NOT in the living room! I praised her out in the yard, and when we got back inside, we danced in the dining room I fed her half a dozen stinky liver treats and I sang to her.
Oh how far we've come with Gypsi... From that submissive, covering dog who peed herself if you spoke to her directly, she has blossomed into this confident, spirited dog who holds her tail straight in the air like a banner. She is still fearful of strangers "invading" her space but if she is introduced to people in a neutral setting, she is happy to greet them in her home later. Her first meeting with my parents was a disaster. Earlier that evening, a friend stopped by to drop off a car seat for my nephew. He isn't a dog person, and the whole encounter left Gypsi upset and highly agitated. By the time my folks came by an hour later, she was still worked up and strained at her leash, barking shrillly at them. For their second meeting, I drove Gypsi to their house and handed them the liver bread to bribe her. She did really well that time, as I expected she would.
We have miles to go but we've done so well, so far with Gypsi.