Rocky is sitting by the patio door, looking out through the screen at the big, wonderful world out there. The lawn guys came yesterday but didn’t do our unit so they are here again today. I’m waiting for the trimmers to come around before I put the fence back up. In the interim, we have been going out the back with Rocky on a leash to pee. It works pretty well but he has taken to grabbing the leash in his mouth and pulling me along. Uma used to do that too and in fact, I see a lot of puppies do this. I have hung his leather Guide Dog leash up in the front closet for when we go on “proper” walks and I am using Uma’s old nylon leash for the back yard when there is no fence. The chewing was showing up on the leather and the nylon will take more abuse than that.

Here comes someone with a whipper-snipper... nope, they went the other way. I want to sit with him when new and potentially scary things happen and say “Whatsthat? Whatsthat?” in the MOST cheerful voice. I did that with the garbage truck and he was interested instead of scared. Maybe he would have been interested in any event, but I don’t want him to be a fearful dog so I do what I can and what I think worked with Uma.

Rocky sometimes makes this adorable little noise in his throat, sort of a snuffle. I can’t describe it but it's like when humans make that postnasal drip horking-back-the-snot noise in their throats, only not nearly as horrible. I am sorry to be so hypocritical but the dog noises are cuter than the people noises.