sleeping on my feet

As I type, Madison is sound asleep on my feet, under the desk at the gallery.

She is getting bigger by the day - she gets weighed at the vet next week to keep tabs on her Heartguard and Advantix dosage. And to make sure that she is gaining weight at an optimum rate, not too fast so as not to stress her joints with too much bone mass, too quickly. This is a concern in large breed dogs, with dysplasia issues. Madison's parents are both hip certified "good" so we are not worried, just being diligent to take the best care of her that we can.

It is hard to believe that just about 5 months ago, she was this little. This is Madison with her littermates and her mama dog, Ariel.

Madison was so well behaved at the dog park today. Her recall is pretty good, considering the excitement of play and chase and finding odd things, not to mention really stinky well-used tennis balls. She comes when called, charging, full out and just about crashing into my legs. And, she comes when I shout "Go Home," waiting by the gate. I haven't had to chase her in circles even once, unlike some of the dog owners who have to run after oblivious or stubborn dogs in order to leave.

Madison has great vision. Today Madison found:

1. Black wrap-around sunglasses
2. Alien spaceship toy
3. 7" of green garden hose
4. McDonald's bag
5. a foot of yellow marine rope
   

With each of these items she pranced in circles, showing off for the other dogs. She did a great job with "Release," though, when H-Mom honed in on the bounty.

The stinky tennis balls are abundant and a fine substitute for any odd treasure.