Today Chopper is Seven!!!

What a year we have had!!!  The pros were definitely getting his barking at garbage trucks under control with the help of a trainer, a clicker, treats and my awesome clicker/treat timing.  Tuesday morning walks are so much more pleasant now.  Also I finally got a portrait of Chopper done - something I have wanted since forever.  It was a birthday present from my parents and I LOVE it.  The artist was great to deal with and really captured his spirit.



Chopper's custom portrait from Lamanda Designs. 

 

But his health issues this year were definitely a bit of a wake up a call.  For months it was unclear what was wrong with him.  After four months on steroids and in and out of the vet's office every other week, we finally got a biopsy and an answer that it was Autoimmune Skin Disease which is now under control.  Before that the vets were throwing around terms like lupus, pre-cancerous, cancer, organ failure, and who knows what else - most of it was a bit too much for me and I just focused on getting him better. 

The day I picked him up after his biopsy.  I was not expecting how bad he would look. 

He's been on new medicine for almost three months now and it's been two months since he had a flare up so I am really hoping the worst is behind us.  We have a check up this weekend.

In the past I've done up some pretty fancy dog parties for Chopper but I think today I will bake him a little cake and have his best buddy Mumble over and just take it easy and enjoy the fact that we made it through this year.




Chopper's Official Seventh Birthday Photo

 

 

And because it is his birthday I let him lay on the couch for a few minutes this morning.  

 

 

My Sweet Boy

Chopper's 7th birthday is next month and I have not started planning yet!!  I need to pick a theme and get decorations.  We have had a rough few months but he is looking good and his new medicine seems to be taking care of his autoimmune skin disorder - his eye is all healed up at least.  He has a check up in a few weeks so we'll see what the vet says then. 

In the mean time we are enjoying the fact that it stays light out longer which means longer evening walks.  And more photo opportunities.

My sweet boy enjoying the smell of the jasmine.

Mr. Mellow

"He's so mellow."

Never over the last six years would I imagine that someone would say that about Chopper.  Chopper who came to me six years ago and tried to chase runners, every dog, barked at every truck while on a walk.  Chopper who still will bark at imaginary threats outside when we are in the house.  And Chopper who until six months ago hated garbage trucks so much that garbage day was an anxiety inducing event at our house.  But now Chopper is one of the best walkers in our neighborhood. He doesn't pull on the leash, not even to chase a squirrel.  He ignores (most) crazy dogs that are barking at him.  He sniffs politely.  And thanks to a few sessions with a trainer and a clicker, and lots of practice on my part, garbage day is no longer the low point of my week. 

But today while we were talking with a neighbor - whose two year old lab can pull her across streets and who was going this way and that while Chopper just stood next to me patiently said to me "He's so mellow," I was shocked.  After I picked my jaw up off the ground and told her he was a "faker," I went on to explain all of the non-mellow things he did.  As we walked away I thought - well actually he is pretty mellow compared to how he was and maybe I should give him, and me for that matter,  some credit.  I put in the hours of training this dog, displayed patience I reserve for no one else in my life, and gave him a million and one second chances. I drove him in LA traffic to training sessions for agility, obedience, sniffing, herding - you name it he did it - all in an effort to forge a human/dog bond that would get him to listen and trust me. I read a stack of books about dog behavior.  I took him to a vet behaviorist and I implemented her plan. So the next time someone pays us a complement, instead of calling him a "faker,"  I will say "thank you, it was a lot of work."

I need to learn to take a complement about Chopper.  This dog who is actually pretty mellow most of the time (except when he's not, as a friend pointed out).

Poor Old Chopper Part II

So since November we have been dealing with a recurring eye rash around Chopper's eye, which has been pretty time consuming and expensive.  After FOUR months, a skin scrape and a biopsy (and stitches) he finally got a diagnosis of Autoimmune Skin Disease.  Today we went to the vet and the stitches came out (without any sedatives!) and he is starting on a new medicine, cyclosporine that will hopefully help keep the disease from attacking his skin (and not be harmful long term the way steroids might have been). He's really been a trooper over the last few weeks (he's had a cone on 24 hours a day since February 26th until we took it off at the vet a few hours ago). 

Even with all the scabbing and itchiness he has had the last few months not much prepared me for picking up the dog from the vet after the scrape and biopsy - the skin around his eye was pretty bloody and gross and the friend I brought along for moral support (who actually bought me Chopper as a birthday present almost six years ago) started crying when she saw him so then he started whining.  So I had to hold it together for everyone.

This disease is apparently rare in dogs and getting the diagnosis was a long process.  At first they didn't want to knock him out for the biopsy so we were on antibiotics and steroids for months.  Then we though it could be a type of localized mange which would have shown up on the scrape.  Finally the lab results came back with the diagnosis of Autoimmune Skin Disease.

Some this sounds like it could be pretty serious but he is good health otherwise so I'm trying not to worry and to look at the positives: 1) While it is a little costly, I can afford the medicine to keep him healthy; 2) He doesn't have to wear that cone anymore (he ran into everything wearing that cone); 3) In the process we ended up switching vets for a variety of reasons and he seems a little more cooperative at this office than the last; and 4) He doesnt' need to wear the cone anymore (I really hated that cone).

Poor Old Chopper

Since the day after Halloween Chopper has been fighting a nasty infection of some sort. The morning after I took his picture in his Dopey costume he woke up looking like Rocky Balboa with a big swollen crusty nasty eye.  We of course went the vet immediately but it wasn't our regular vet and he prescribe some antibiotics and sent us home.  A few weeks later he got his teeth cleaned and got knocked out and the vet was supposed to scrape his eye but since it was almost gone they didn't.  Then he got boarded for Thanksgiving and when I picked him up it was back.  Sheesh. 

I called the vet and we got more meds and he was doing pretty good.  Then Christmas and the poor old boy got boarded again.  From what I can tell it wasn't quite gone yet and he picked at it and made it worse.

You can see his right eye is all red and missing hair.

I tried a cone for a few days to keep him away from it but it wasn't enough. So back to the vet we went. The doctor put him on more steroids and antibiotics and said to come back in a week.  We went back and it was better but the vet did a heart worm test (negative) and put him on a new flea medicine that also blocks mites.  At this point they would have done a scrape of his eye if he didn't think vets were devils in white coats.  There was a lot of fuss about how they should have done it when he had his teeth cleaned.  The vet said to come back in two weeks.

By the time of our next appointment he was looking pretty good to me but the vet was still worried and said that it could be an auto immune disorder which could be pre-cancerous and we had to take him off the steroids to see if it came back. And come back in two weeks. And another two weeks of antibiotics  Well that was not a fun car ride home (Chopper barking and me hysterical on the phone.)

So today we went in for our another visit.  He looked fine to me but he had looked ok to me the last time as well.  The vet gave us the all clear today!  But still no definitive answer on what was the matter, which sucks.  A few more doses of antibiotics left to go and I will be happy to not be spending Thursday afternoons at the vet anymore. (Once I got home I realized he needs vaccines next month so we get to go through this all again.)

So after 13 weeks, 5 vet appointments, 8 weeks of antibiotics, 6 weeks of steroids, and 5 days with a cone, his 1 nasty eye infection is (hopefully) gone.  On the upside I can use the cone to make him a martini glass for Halloween next year.

Halloween Costumes

Apparently I did not publish this on Halloween - oops!

Once again Chopper and I were in matching costumes this year!

Dopey was a little Grumpy about his costume

 

 

 

I've always loved Snow White so this year I finally dressed up as the princess for Halloween.  I made my costume and Chopper's (it took all weekend as my sewing abilities are very limited). 

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Working Dog

I had to work this past weekend and since the office was (mostly) deserted I brought Chopper along with me.  At home Chopper is content to lay down, have a bone, take a nap.  But at the office he wanted to hunt - he tracked down every stray crumb anyone had left behind or stash of snacks.  After two days he had found everything and he was bored.  So he sat and stared at me until I stopped working and took him home. 

Sir Chopper

Chopper has always been good with old dogs - especially lady dogs.  All the cougars seem to attract him.  They will nuzzle his face and he will sniff them so gently and never do his puppy pounce nonsense.  He's always a gentleman.

Well there is this guy in our neighborhood who has a basset hound and an older American lab - Molly.  Chopper has known the lab since he was a puppy - she's a few years older than him but the basset hound has not been around as long.  This guy always says hi to Chopper - calls his name from across the street and Chopper seems to not mind him too much. ( On a side note - I have no idea what his name is or most other people's in my neighborhood but I know their dogs' names and they all know Chopper's name - I am sure I am known as "Chopper's Mom.") Chopper is not a fan of the basset hound - when it first came he barked at it twice and now this guy reminds me every time we see him that "oh Chopper doesn't like him."  To Chopper's credit he just walks past this dog - he doesn't bark or growl - he just doesn't acknowledge that it is there.

The other day we saw the guy and the basset hound coming our way but no Molly.  I was starting to get worried as Molly has been limping a lot lately and looks tired.  As we get close to them - here comes Molly around the corner half a block away.  I have definite opinions  about basically ignoring your poor old dog on your walk but I kept them to myself.  We said "hello" and then proceed to go see Molly who by now was taking another rest in someone's front lawn.  When Chopper got to her he sniffed and did other things I can only imagine mean "hello."  Poor Molly just kept sitting there with her person half a block away.  Chopper appeared rather offended by this set up and took up a post next to Molly and proceed to stare at her human for some time as if to say "come get your dog."  The guy laughed at Chopper and then eventually kept walking with his other dog and I got Chopper to leave Molly - who proceeded to follow her human half a block behind but he kept looking back at Molly. 

It's nice to know that Chopper can be a gentleman at times.

A Sweet Treat

It has been super hot here for days.  Over the weekend I took Chopper for frozen yogurt.  He gets original flavor with bananas.  Usually I bring it home and he gobbles it out of the cup.  He was having none of that though.  He made me feed him off the spoon, even the bananas!  I'm not sure when he learned to eat that well off a spoon.  I live in constant fear that he's going to learn to open the refrigerator and if he's learning to eat off utensils without me knowing about it who knows what he's capable of.

Gimme Gimme

Someone is too tired to even eat his bone - poor Chops. We are both definitely ready for the weekend.



She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

This dog will do anything for a few pieces of hot dog.  Including getting on a mini tractor and posing for multiple photos.

Pillow Soft

Usually I buy cheap toilet paper - nothing fancy - but my dad was visiting and he opted for something nicer.  I think we know which one Chopper votes for.

Dogs on the Bed.

Due to a long term house guest Chopper has been allowed a little more leeway with the "no dogs on the bed" rule.  He is even using my pillow now.  Sigh. 

Car Ride From Hell

Or so I was told as I was not a part of it.

Chopper has some severe separation anxiety which is pretty much under control.  There are bouts of screaming when being left at the groomers and an occasional lay down in front of the door as I try to leave but usually a piece of chicken will solve the problem.  (He has even passed the CGC test which involves supervised separation.)

Last night Chopper and I ended up at friend's house and Chopper couldn't really get in my car as it was full of boxes of furniture.  So my friend drove Chopper home and I drove my car home.  At some point I pulled up next to him and she rolled the window down and I said "hi."  This was clearly not the right move.  What followed was  a lot of whining which morphed into hysterical coonhound screaming. At one point I am told that he attempted to climb in her lap.  He weighs 70 lbs on a good day.  That's not really a lap dog. 

When we got home he practically burst out of the car and leaped in to my arms.  He was immediately freaked out by a paper bag across the street and went into crazy bark mode.  At midnight.  Fun.

Five minutes later he was back to his old self and asleep on his bed.  Oh Chopper.

Five Years and One Day

Five years and one day is how long I have managed to keep Chopper out of harm's way and keep him from getting into too much trouble.  Sure he occasionally tries to bolt out the front door while I am leaving (thanks to his separation anxiety) and I have to bribe him with sausages from Pennsylvania but that's a small price to pay.  

The bolting was originally a problem.  He did it with me, with  my mom and sister when they were visiting and with friends.  It only happened a handful of times but chasing a dog down Sunset Boulevard is not my idea of fun - watching him cross Sunset Boulevard while cars are zooming down the street is even less fun.  We have not had an incident of this since December 2007.  Until today.  Chopper was boarded for almost two weeks while I was at a conference and then vacationing in Florida. I picked him up midday and brought him home and attempted to go back to work.  That's when the trouble started. 

Chopper (who drags behind me during agility runs) weaseled his way out the screen door - I grabbed his back leg which resulted in a pig-like squeal but but he shook me off and was gone.  He was a few yards in front of me and not quite around the corner with me yelling "Chopper, come" over and over and he did quickly turn around and come back (thanks to hours of training I'm sure).  It took a few more attempts before he let me leave (including a piece of a Pennsylvania sausage) but think it will have to call it quits early today and get home to him before he decides he needs to eat a book or some other puppy behavior that he hasn't exhibited in four years.  (Personally I think he was mad his present was Pluto Mickey Ears and not sausages).

Poo Bags for Christmas

The last few weeks have been a little frazzled in our household. I had to take off the week after Thanksgiving for a family emergency and Chopper had to be boarded. Apparently running home in the middle of the day and packing for him and me in an hour and rushing to the Kennel was a sign to him that all was not well. He was a little more vocal than usual at drop off and seems to have shrunk while he was away. All that and he has to go back for more than week during Christmas.

Given the unexpected circumstances Christmas shopping ceased and I haven't done much to catch up during the last week or so. I did order Chopper something nice for Christmas and some treats but generally speaking he's not going to make out as well as he has in the past.

We are running low on poo bags though so he may end up getting a supply of those for the holidays. That seems like it could be the doggy equivalent of coal though. I'm sure once he notices the treats though he won't really care. Another reason dogs are better than people.

Chopper Christmas

Every year I have a Chopper Christmas. During the weekend before I fly across country to be with my family there is a special day just for Chopper. He opens gifts, I let him eat people food for breakfast and we go on an outing or a long walk. The first year I had Chopper though I flew him across country with me. This is a story of that Christmas.

Almost immediately after I adopted him in March I began to research how to get him to Pennsylvania for Christmas. I learned about the acceptable crates that could fly (not the one we had already bought), the paperwork needed (lots) and cost. (At the time it was $100 to fly him each way. The new crate was another $100. The cost for the flight has gone up a lot since then.)

One of my big concerns was weight. Chopper was a 9 month old 43 pound puppy when I adopted him but he kept growing. And growing. And growing. Despite the assurance of the vet that he would "just fill out a little." The airline we were flying had a 100 pound weight limit at that time BUT that included the dog and the crate. Chopper was weighing in at over sixty pounds back then. I was buying his crate online and trying to figure out how much they weighed. There was not a lot of information on all the crates available. Finally I found one that said it was 30 pounds. That left me not a lot of wiggle room for Chopper to keep growing. I cut back treats to keep in at under the weight limit. (He is now somewhere between 70 and 78 pounds so if the weight limit was still in place we would be in trouble.)

Next there was the hassle of getting the actual flight. The crate had to be big enough for him to stand up and turn around in so we ended up with a pretty big crate which therefore did not fit in the loading door to all planes. My parents live closest to the airport in Harrisburg, PA. But none of the planes that flew in had big enough doors. Not to mention there were no direct flights there from LAX. So Chopper and I had to take two flights to get to Philadelphia where my parents picked us up. Sheesh.

Then there was weather to worry about. If it was below some temperature on the ground or predicted to be where he was flying to he couldn't go. TH is meant having a deposit for Christmas at somewhere he could be boarded just in case the temperature got too low and stressing out the whole week before about whether or not he would make it on the flight. And the the added stress that once I got him to Pennsylvania would I get him back?

I enlisted a friend to drive us to the airport in LA in my SUV that would fit the crate, Chopper and my luggage and the cart. The cart is this awful thing at my office that has a pop up handle that I borrowed because I wasn't sure the crate would fit on the carts at the airport. After all that Chopper had to ride in the crate in the car, which he was not happy about. This did not bode well for the airplane ride. In the twenty minutes it took to get to the airport Chopper cried and ripped to shreds the airplane piddle pad that was in his crate. He then refused to go potty once we were at the airport. Meanwhile my friend was hungover and texting her boyfriend every three seconds. I took the cart and the crate with the dog in it and she took my luggage. The elevator in the parking lot however only fit me and the cart. I got us in and when it was time to get out we got stuck. I couldn't turn the cart in there. When I did turn the cart the crate tipped over and got stuck between the wall of the elevator and the cart. Chopper gave me a look from inside that crate right then that said "What are you doing to me?" I pulled it together and got him back on the cart and after riding up and down only one extra time than was necessary got the darn thing rolled out.

Now all we had to do was check in.

The lines at LAX at Christmas time are awful. Doesn't matter the day or time. This happened to be a weekend so even worse. There was no special line for large or unusual objects (which dogs and crates fall into) so I was directed to wait in the regular line and have my friend wait with the cart on the side. When it was finally my turn and the dog came rolling up next to me the airline employee was not too happy with us. She tried to pawn me off on someone else but I told her this is where I was told to go (I was not going to get in another line). So we had to lift the crate and dog on to the scale (he passed) then put more stickers on the crate (even though I had pre-purchased all required stickers ahead of time) that said "Live Animal" all over them then fill out more paperwork (because the dog did not have a reservation it is first come first served so you have to be early but not too early or they won't take the dog). After all that we headed to TSA.

Now for as unfriendly as the airline lady was the TSA guys were super friendly. They had me take Chopper out (we tried one more time to make him go potty) and they checked inside the crate. And then we put him back in. At this point Chopper had had a tranquilizer but he was still on complete alert barking at things and whining in the crate. One of the rules with the crate is that you have to tie it with cable ties so the dog does not escape. I had ties but the TSA guys assured me they would take care of it. So they rolled Chopper away. He screamed the whole way.

The next time I saw Chopper was at the layover with the crate coming out of the plane. I never saw the crate go on the other plane so I was a little nervous if he would be in Philly with me when I got there.

I had instructed my parents to bring scissors so we could cut the ties off and free Chopper upon his arrival in Philly. After asking numerous people where the large items/dogs come from we were instructed to wait at an elevator. Not to get in the elevator - just to wait at it and the "items" would come. After awhile the elevator doors opened and there were three crates (and no person) inside. Two were tiny little puppies with big curly ribbons on top - no doubt someone's Christmas gifts and then there was screaming, whining Chopper in his giant crate. Without any ties. Luckily for me Chopper is more apt to stay in a crate when he doesn't know someone then try and flee. The piddle pad (that had replaced the one he had chewed) was in perfect condition. I took him out to go potty and nothing. See the airports were all surrounded by sidewalk. No trees, no bushes, no grass, no dirt. Chopper doesn't potty on sidewalk.

Then we disassembled the crate and loaded everyone in the car. I was worried about the two hour drive back coupled with the long plane rides without peeing. At the last minute I saw some pine trees and dirt and ran him over and he relieved himself.

Christmas was great. He got lots of presents. He boarded at the vet's for the night when we went to NYC. Then we had to leave again.

The experience at the Philadelphia airport was the exact opposite. The airline lady was super nice (he didn't' get weighed) and she wasn't annoyed about the paperwork or anything. The TSA guy was another story. He made me take Chopper out of his crate. Ok. Then he told me to "make him jump up." This dog had just had a tranquilizer and now knew what was coming so he wasn't in the best mood. "Jump up?" I asked. "Yes I need to see his stomach." I guess in case Chopper was trying to smuggle something back to California. "Can I lift him up?" "That's fine." He looked at his belly. I guess he passed that test. Then he inspected the crate - he didn't' comment on the prime rib bone from Christmas dinner my mother insisted he needed to fly back with. Then we had to put the cable ties on. Turns out that one tie wasn't enough to reach around the crate and the door of the crate so I had to put two together. I tried to get my mother to help me and the TSA guy said she couldn't touch the crate. Sheesh. Again they wheeled him off and he went screaming all the way.

Upon arrival at LAX there was more screaming and crying until he was released from the crate (this time we really did need the scissors). We were both glad to get home that night.

So yes it was a lot of work and super stressful but it was great to have him with me. The down side was that it didn't snow that year in Pennsylvania until after we left and he didn't get to see the snow. For now we are happy having our Chopper Christmases and lending our crate to a friend whose dog has flown back to the East Coast a few times. He keeps chewing through the cable ties and last year bent the gate open and broke his tooth so I think he's staying home this year too.

Chopper's Halloween

This little corner of Chopper's world seems to have been a little forgotten. Chopper and I are still running around doing our thing - visiting Starbucks, running in Agility League (though Chopper is more of a prancer than a runner), outings to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica now that the tourists are gone. And a lot of work on my part.

Also one of our favorite holidays has come and gone - Halloween. In the spirit of keeping up Chopper's end of his adoption bargain he willingly subjected himself to yet another costume. I think he wouldn't have agreed if he had known I would make him wear costumes that matched me.

We went to the Zoom Room's Halloween Party as Mickey and Minnie and I forced him into donning the costumes again on Halloween for trick or treaters. We only got one trick or treater this year (which means Chopper got to sample some Skittles and he likes them). But on the positive side Chopper didn't bark at her or her dog that accompanied her to the door.

Chopper, however, was not a fan of all things Halloween this year. Our neighborhood notoriously has some GREAT Halloween decorations. Inflatable spiders, clowns with heads removed, talking lights, ghosts hanging from four story high palm trees. Everyone goes all out. This year one of our favorite houses had a few new decorations however - giant cats.

Chopper and I were on our morning walk and I was admiring the decorations and didn't notice that when we came around the corner there were two giant inflatable cats - with moving heads and glowing eyes - in the driveway of this house. These cats were at least seven feet tall and in the crouching attack position. Chopper immediately started growling and then barking and refused to cross in front of these cats - he was convinced that they were, in fact, giant cats that were obviously going to kill him. After a lot of convincing and more pulling on his leash I got him past the house but he refused to stop staring at the house and growling and even ignored his doggy buddies at the park. So what did I do - well the next day I videotaped it. It's pretty hilarious (though not as great as that first day). By the fourth time we passed the house that week he was not at all affected by the those cats and this week when a giant inflatable football player appeared he gave it a quick inspection and decided it meant no harm and moved on. Another learning/conditioning experience for the old guy.

Now we are getting ready for Christmas (work obligations means that we have for the time being at least had to "cancel" Thanksgiving at our house - although I managed to pick up some special Thanksgiving Dinner canned wet food for my favorite guy). Chopper's been on his best behavior recently - I think he's trying to get on Santa's "nice" list (as opposed to the "naughty" list).

Locked Out

Chopper has had his share of accidents and trips to the vets for ridiculous things but in hindsight the most hilarious thing that dog has ever done is lock me out of my own house.

I had not had Chopper very long at this point and a few friends from work were coming over to hang out - they had gone to pick up food and I had driven home to take Chopper out for his walk. I got to the front door and as usual Chopper came running to the front door to greet me (I could see him through the window). But when I tried to open the door it wouldn't quite open. I told Chopper to move as I thought he was blocking the door. But that didn't work. A few more shoves and odd looks from Chopper and I figured out what had happened. For some reason my door had three locks when I moved in - a deadbolt, a chain and one of those flippy kind that they have in hotels. Chopper had jumped up at some point during the day and flipped the flippy one over just enough that it was keeping me from getting the door open. After a few minutes Chopper stopped waiting for me to come in and went back to his bone (thanks buddy).

Now how to get in. By this time my friends had arrived and we came up with a plan. The windows in the front weren't open enough and the ones in the kitchen would require a ladder but the bathroom window in the back facing the parking lot was open - now it was high but we backed my Blazer up to the window and lowered my friend through the window. It wasn't quite that easy as the window had a screen we had to push out and the window sill was full of shampoo bottles and what not. Needless to say this all made a bit of a racket (not that my neighbors noticed) when it came crashing down into the bathtub and by the time my friend got inside poor Chopper was quite upset.

The first thing I did when I got inside was get a screwdriver and take the lock off the door. I'm not sure Chopper would ever be able to stay in a hotel (ones that would allow it) as he could possibly get himself trapped inside.

Therapy Dog Class: The Conclusion

Well we finished our six weeks of Therapy Dog class. Needless to say Chopper has no fear of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, large wood boxes falling on the floor and annoying children's toys (but if I drop a remote he jumps three feet in the air - go figure).

On the last day of class some of the dogs were missing (again) so there were only four of us - which Chopper doesn't mind at all. We went through a simulated version of the testing situation since the trainer is not certified to give a therapy dog test for the licensing organizations. The intent with Chopper was never for him to be a therapy dog - he has a few too many neuroses for the time being - but someday it may be in the cards for him. Chopper did extremely well on everything but the trainer didn't give him the "hug test" as we know Chopper is not a fan of this (unless its me doing the hugging).

One area where Chopper has improved leaps and bounds is with the supervised separation. He initially stayed with the trainer but after a few weeks I wanted him to try it with a new person - enter the pretty girl behind the counter. Up until a few weeks ago Chopper wasn't aware she existed - which is how he likes it. She didn't try and pet him before he was ready or even talk to him. Then I started giving her treats to give him while we were waiting for our turn on activities and then it was time for her to take him. The first time I handed the leash over he tried to follow me. The second week he sat on the floor with her. The next week she was awarded with a kiss before class started and needless to say was fine when I left him with her during the separation part of class. Now Chopper and I have taken three back-to-back classes at the Zoom Room so he had about 5 months of seeing her once a week until he was ready to be totally 100% friends with this person. But still it is impressive for him and if she ever needs a therapy dog Chopper will be ready!

All in all we had lots of fun taking the class and now we are doing Agility League which meets up once a week and the dogs run through the obstacles and see who has the best time. Chopper is pretty slow (I'm usually in front of him) and he doesn't like jumping through the tire but I can't get over how well he listens to me and knows where I want him to go (even when I use the wrong words). Agility League runs almost until Christmas so we will be busy until then.