Hello Mr. Moose!

One may think it's dead... one would be wrong...

Chanel actually ingeniously didn't "destroy" her moose, rather she created TWO toys from one! Our dog is brilliant!!!

Shmooshy Face...

About a month ago Chanel was at Concorida University with me as we were building one of the sets for an upcoming show in the theatre. It was just me, Tim and Haley (one of our students) setting stuff up. Chanel had long since worn herself out chasing her tail and had crashed out in the shop. She successfully found one of the largest piles of sawdust and bedded down in that. A short time later admissions brought a tour through. The theatre is just one stop on the campus tour and for those of you who don't know Chanel, she's one of the most social Akita's I've even known. The tour (of about two dozen people) walks in and Chanel doesn't budget. She's out cold. Tim softly calls her name... still nothing... he calls her again and her ear twitches. So he calls her again and she sits up. There's sawdust ALL over her face looking very much like what we look like with pillow lines on our face after a long nap. She staggers to her feet to reveal sawdust all down her side. And now she starts to make her way to the waiting crowd.

She doesn't look quite awake yet and the sawdust shmooshy face just makes her look that much more ridiculous. I was laughing pretty hard at this point. Two steps before she rounds the corner and all will be able to see her she shakes and surprisingly all the sawdust falls off. Looking pristine and clean and with a big smile plaster on her face, (yes, I really do think dogs can smile), you can hear the instant she comes into view as the entire tour says "Awwwww! So cute!"

Chanel, in true fashion makes the rounds to each and every person, though I think she was doing some recruiting of her own as she lingered at someone little brother who was only about 8" taller than her. After she made the rounds she quickly returned to her sawdust bed and was snoring, (yes snoring) soundly once more.

A moment of crazy...

A year ago today Jon and I were married. And not to sound too clichéd but it's been marital bliss ever since. I think one of the things that has made it work so well is that I have moments of crazy. I admit I'm crazy. Jon lovingly accepts my crazy and either embraces me through it, or hides in the other room. Both are usually equally affective.

Then there are those times we both have a moment of crazy. We had talked about getting a puppy this coming summer. We both really wanted a dog but agreed that we'd like at least a year of just the two of us before we add another living thing into the mix. We hadn't even bought fish for the fish tank yet. So many big changes already... single to married, living alone or with roommates to living with a spouse, once driving 5 minutes between home and work, now it's 30 minutes... Yea, definitely gonna wait on that whole dog idea till we get more settled. Or at least until we have a back yard.

And then June 23rd came along and Jon and I executed our moment of crazy. With a postage stamp 2nd story condo for a home, no backyard, (or front yard), no extra time in our lives to devote to one more thing, and only 8 months into our marriage we gleefully (and maybe just a little apprehensively) drove home with our brand new adorable puppy... who was actually three and a half years old, but we still refer to her as a puppy. Moment of crazy? Oh yea! But as I sit here as our anniversary day comes to a close, and think back over the last year of adventure, change and excitement and welcoming Chanel into our lives with open arms definitely sticks out as one of the highlights. Don't get me wrong, marrying my best friend certainly makes the cut as well!

Some may say that marrying someone you've known less than a year is crazy. Buying a condo in this economy is crazy. Beginning the process of remodeling when you know you won't have the money to complete the process for years is crazy. Adopting a dog and taking on all the responsibilities, (financial, emotional and practical) that go along with that while still newlyweds is crazy... And maybe it is. But maybe that's why Jon and I fit so well together - we both have moments of crazy, but usually at different times and in different areas and because of that we can balance each other out. We don't demand the other to stop being crazy, but rather step into the craziness and either join the fun, or lovingly invite reality into the mix.

It's been a great year and we're looking forward to many more and having Chanel as part of our family has been a moment of crazy that we wouldn't trade for the world!

 

Happy Birthday Chanel!!!

Oh my goodness... has it really been 67 days since we last posted anything...? So much has happened since then! We left Chanel home by herself for the first time and she helped us redecorate the binds in one of the windows... The three of us experienced 4th of July together for the first time and we discovered that she could fall asleep to the loud pounding of the fireworks exploding over the lake across the street, but the little fluffy dog walking by puts her in a tizzy... she went to her first day of school and didn't steel anybody’s lunch money (and by school I mean training)... she went to her first day of school and made all sorts of new friends (and by school I mean Concordia University in Irvine)... she has fallen in love with a stuffed moose... she had a long weekend sleepover at the trainers when Jon and I attended a wedding down in Escondido... and she continually keeps us entertained on a daily basis!!!

Today we celebrate 4 years! This birthday is especially exciting as it's the first one we get to share with her! We got little cookies that she'll take with her on Friday to share with Taicho and Suki. They almost look like people cookies with frosting, but I promise, they came from PetsMart and said they were specifically for dogs. Enjoy them now Chanel, 'cause you're only gettin' 'em on your birthday!

And she got a new stuffed dragon that has been a really big hit most of the night. Which is especially great, because the squeaker doesn't really squeak as much as honk... can't wait for the night she discovers it at 2a in the morning...

 

And tomorrow she'll get to play with a brand new stuffed octopus! The other one has slowly been destroyed by both her, Taicho and Suki. It's de-stuffed and limp-less back at Gothic Moon.

We also got her some pretty special treats just for her birthday...

...but the birthday girl was a little pooped out so we'll have to wait till tomorrow for those.

When I first walked into the bedroom she was crashed out and twitching - clearly in the middle of a dream. I even turned on the light and she didn't move. I thought, "maybe I stand a chance to grab my camera and capture this fairly hysterical shot..." However, by the time I went to get the camera she had rolled over and was posing... alright fine birthday girl... but next time I may not brush it off just because you're so cute and adorable... (though chances are I will... even when it's not your birthday...)

Chanel has been a real treat these last few months and we feel continually blessed to have her. We're excited to see what the next year of her life has in store for both her and us! Keep the adventures coming!

 

Family Camp 2012

Here are a few pictures from Family Camp at Pismo. Chanel did so good, and met lots of new people.

Rasta Pup :-)

Sitting in the GMP shop talking with Tim and Tina. I put Chanel's purple octopus on her head, makes her look like a Rasta pup :)

Ducky & Me

Chanel really loves her duck :-)

Sunday driver

We got a late start this morning and now we are off to run errands. I think Chanel is really bummed to go for a car ride. What do you think? :-)

Have Dog Will Travel

Jon's car... :)

Workin' Like a Dog...

Today was Chanel's first day at Gothic Moon. She did fantastick. The first half hour was spent wondering all over the office so she could sniff all the smells left by Tiacho and Suki. Never have I seen a nose move so fast. Then I had to help her understand that she would need to stay in the main office area and not go wondering down the hallway. This was a little bit of a challenge but eventually she caught on.

Unlike Tiacho and Suki, who have been coming to work with Tim for the last two and a half years, Chanel doesn't have her "spot" yet. Suki is almost always found on "her" couch and Tiacho is either on the hardwood floor in the main office area or tucked in behind the desk that Tim and I work at. Chanel on the other hand was all over. She was on the couch at one point but that didn't last very long. Then she was laying in front of the couch, but again, not quite right. At point point I saw her next to the couch but apparently that wasn't satisfactory either. Then she was over to the filing cabinet...

Then over by Sean's desk. Later, and for quite some time she was tucked pretty far under my chair...

Eventually she settled in at the doorway to the office Tim and I share...



She ended up falling asleep here for a while with her head sticking out the door just far enough so she could see anything coming. Well... she would have seen it had she not been comatose...

It's pretty exhausting trying to find just the right napping spot!

Zzzzzzzz...

Our dog snores... And she decided to cuddle on the bed last night. It just might be time for a king size bed...

Fluff & Fold...

Monday we had a meeting with Dan. Dan is wonderful. He's a trainer I met through Tim and Kate as that's where they take Taicho and Suki, (their two fuzz ball puppies) once a week. Dan isn't an obedience trainer. He's not a magic worker, or as Tim refers to it tongue-in-cheek as a Fluff & Fold. It's not a place where you drop off your dog and in one day Dan works his magic and your dog is now perfect. He's an owner trainer, and while Jon and I are pretty smart, we're no expert - we want to be trained on the best way to care for our dog.

Since we want to be able to take Chanel out in public to places like the Irvine Spectrum, or the Orange Block, or Fashion Island or even just around the lake, and we know other people will take their dogs there as well, we want to make sure she has the best experience possible which means we'll have a good experience as well. If she doesn't do well with other dogs we'd be nervous the whole time. And if she doesn't do well with noisy rolling trashcans that could be a little stressful for all of us also. And if people make her skittish that could be rather challenging. Thankfully she seems to be doing great with people, kids and all sorts of things. However, meeting dogs isn't something we've ventured to do yet. So like I said... Jon and I need training.

Chanel will go to training once a week and be introduced to other dogs, people and things by someone who know what to look for and has a controlled environment to do it in. That's where Dan comes in. Then at the end of the day Jon and I will get our homework for the week; things to work with her on. After our Monday consultation he recommended holding off on having her meet other dogs for a little while. She's not fixed and every six months gets a little exciting and she's due for that excitement any day now. While she's going through that it's not the best time to introduce new dogs. He recommended that when we do take her for walks, keep her focused on moving forward and every time she passes another dog without getting excited we should shower her with praise. She's been doing really well - still has a ways to go, but more than half the time now she barely even acknowledges there's another dog walking buy.

Kind to Canines is the name of Dan's business, and once Chanel is finished with her every-six-months-adventure, (which she started this morning) we'll start taking her once a week. We do plan on getting her spayed but once these 18 days of excitement are up we've got 5 and a half months to get it taken care of. We'll probably let her settle in a little more and get used to us a little more before major surgery. In the meantime life is full of new adventures and new things to learn. And boy are we learning a lot!

First day on the job...

I brought Chanel to Vinyl Visions today. Everyone was so excited to meet her! I brought her crate so she could hangout in the A/C in the office, but while I was out in the shop I set up a long lead so she could be near me.

Not too bad for her first day :-)

Bigfoot sighting!

So it had been asked...

"How much does she weigh?"
95lbs.

"How big are her feet?"
This big!!!
I
V

I could get used to this...

After the A/C repairman left Chanel and I went to the lake for a nap in the grass. Our next appointment is with trainer Dan later this afternoon.

Did I mention I could get used to this? :-)

Out and about...

While Tina went off to spend time with a good friend that is in town Chanel and I ran a couple of errands.

We first stopped at Pet Smart to see if they had a long lead (for the beach). Then we headed over to Lowes to get some car cleaning supplies for the side of my car and windows (Chanel is a bit of a drooler).

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Irvine Spectrum where she got LOTS of attention. She is so good with kids! On the way home after we got off the freeway and rolled down the windows, she didn't even get up to stick her head out the window :) She is one tired puppy, and so am I....

Around the lake we go

Chanel an I went for a walk around the lake this morning. She is doing so well with other animals in her space. We haven't allowed her to meet any other dogs yet, not until we do some training classes with Dan the trainer.

She has met several people of all ages. She is a real head turner. Especially because of her size and the show dog walk the she has.

Resting only for a moment. What adventure lies ahead???

Good Night Moon...

Chanel made it through her first night in her new house. And for that matter, so did Jon and I. Surprisingly she didn't whimper or whine at all. Of course, maybe she was so wiped out from all the excitement of the day - long car ride, new home, walk around the lake - that she was too tired to put up a fuss. Then again, maybe Jon and I were so wiped out we were too tired to be woken up by it.

Jon was in bed under the covers and as I dug through our duffle bag searching for my phone charger Chanel jumped up on the bed. By the time I got my phone plugged in for the night she had successfully situated herself right in the middle of the bed between the two of us and was curled up leaning into Jon. We giggled pretty hard for several minutes over this one.

Our saving grace was that I remembered that we hadn't taken her outside for a couple of hours and it would probably be a good idea to do that before bedding down for the night. So I got up and took her out and when we got back into the house I made a beeline for the bed so I could lay down next to my husband. Chanel came trotting in and looked a little perplexed... her spot had been taken... to which she was met with more giggling from Mr. and Mrs. Lee.

Eventually she laid down and surprisingly landed in the bed that we got for her. However, that didn't last long...

This is the bed we bought for her...

Turns out we already had a bed for her and just didn't know it... 

You Won't Need Those Water Wings Where You're Going...

Ok, I'm all caught up. Below is the last email that was sent out about getting Chanel home. Theoretically, from here on out when a post is made it'll be current instead of, "this is what I wrote before." Enjoy!

We made it home about an hour and a half ago. We stopped at Tim and Kate's on the way so they could meet Chanel. It felt like a really long drive home and it's so nice to sit and relax. Chanel had a good time checking out her new home and actually settled down pretty quick. For the most part she didn't bother us while we ate only coming over a couple of times and getting pretty close to my food. We went through the Chic-Fil-A drive through for dinner and Chanel was given a doggie treat... which she promptly turned her nose up at. For those of you who don't know, Akita's are notorious for being picky eaters so while it was just a smidge disappointing, it wasn't at all surprising.

She sat at the screen door listening to the kids playing but didn't seem like she was trying to get out. The water bowl is in the kitchen under the sink, (there are currently no cabinets under the sink so it's wide open) and she gulped down a bunch of water. Then we heard water splashing that didn't sound like she was drinking... and then we heard the bowl move. I came around the corner to find a pretty empty bowl and a pretty wet floor. Her right paw was sufficiently soaked. And then it occurred to us... all three and a half years of her life she's had a swimming pool to cool of in... hmmm... the water bowl could be a bit of a challenge...

After dinner Jon took her for a walk around the lake while I stayed behind to bring all our bags and new dog stuff up from the car. My intent was also to write this in the time they were gone, but alas, either I was too slow or they were too quick. Chanel got back and went straight for the water dish practicaly inhailing the water. And then she laid down by the water dish... and drank, and drank and drank.

Then she came over to the concrete floor in the living room and sprawled out. I think this might be the most exercise she's gotten all at one time... Then back to the water dish she went and after a few gulps in goes the paw to splash around. She's really going to miss her swimming pool!

Chanel's new collar

We got Chanel a new flat collar :-)

Life in the Windy City...

She's doing pretty good in the car. She was pacing a little bit at first and finally calmed down about the time we stopped for a potty break. Then it was back to pacing until she finally calmed down again.

We quickly discovered that she LOVES hanging her head out the window. We hit a momentary slow patch on the freeway and rolled the window down all the way. Not knowing what she'd do I had a really good hold on the leash. Within a minute she had both front legs out the window, one hang limp down the side of the car, blowing in the breeze, the other hanging onto the window ledge. Mostly she's got her nose in the air getting high off the overload of scents, but occasionally she'd stair down at the ground, almost with a look of, "maybe I could get farther out into this magnificent breeze..." Traffic picked up and we closed the windows, to which we were met with more pacing, though with a purpose this time and several heavy sighs.

Currently she's sitting by the window... waiting... staring... the air is thick with anticipation as I'm sure she must be thinking, "this darn window must roll down again soon! And you better believe I'll be ready for it!"

Driving Our Puppy Home...

On the drive home from Bakersfield I sent the following email shortly after the first...

Ok, just took two more pictures. Still using my phone and in the car so definitely not my best work, but still pretty fun :)

We're Getting a Dog...?!

This is the first of what I hope to be many blogs... given my schedule, responsibilites, and now brand new puppy we'll see how well I stay on top of this. At any rate, here's goes! Some of you have probably already read what's written below, but for those who haven' yet, this was the email I sent out to my family on the day we brough Chanel home... that being today...

Eight months, eight days into our marriage and Jon and I have added one more to our family. Today we go from a happy couple to a very happy three-some as we are currently on our way home with our very own dog! :) She's a three and a half year old Akita and attached is a pretty bad picture of her I took with my phone.

Not to worry, there will be plenty more pictures to come that will actually be pretty good. Currently her name is Chanel, (as in the perfume) and that's probably the name we'll stick with. We thought about giving her the Japanese name, Takara, meaning treasure, seeing as how she's a Japanese dog, but decided to just stick with her current name. It's possible we'll change our mind on that one, but probably not.

The Aunt and Uncle of a student of mine were the owners of Chanel. They travel a lot and when they are home they tend to be out pretty late and feel really bad that they can't be home with her and give her attention. After several months of debate they finally decided to try to find a good home to put her in. Trent, the student, sent an email to Tim, (my boss and as you probably remember, maid-of-honor) because he already has two Akitas, (which you may remember as well from the wedding). Jon and I had been talking about getting an Akita puppy next summer from the same breeder Tim got his dogs from. So when this opportunity arose we spent many hours discussing if we could make this work. We had been planning a trip to Bakersfield for Father's Day and the Thurs before was when we found out about Chanel. Friday we found out she was in Bakersfield. Sat we called to see if we could come by and meet them and the dog on Sun. Sun night after we got home, (after spending the three hour drive discussing all different aspects of having a dog) we called them up to let them know we'd like to have her and could we come up the following weekend.

So here we are... we drove up last night and spent the night with Mom and Dad and after breakfast at Pannera Bread we met up with Jerry and Sue, the Aunt and Uncle. We spent some time with them and had lunch and then packed up Chanel. I had decided a week ago that I wanted to get Jerry and Sue a gift. Even though they wanted to find her a new home it still felt a little bit like we were taking their dog. Plus, just because it's the right thing to do doesn't mean it's easy. I wanted to get them something to, in a way, say thank you for entrusting us with your dog. I was racking my brain trying to come up with something that would be special yet having a hard time since I had only met them once. When we left Pannera I suddenly had a wave of insight. I remembered from our meeting with them that they had lost many an inflatable pool toy to the fangs of Chanel. And with a Target in the same parking lot as Pannera we picked up a couple inner tubes and a beach ball before heading over for lunch. It was perfect and both Jerry and Sue laughed pretty hard when they opened the gift!

We're pretty excited about our new puppy, though most people probably won't agree that she's a puppy. And we're looking forward to all the new adventures we're going to have with her! :)