Valentine's Day brought more than candy and heart-shaped balloons to our house this year. Levi showed up with this little squirt in the middle of the afternoon, saying someone didn't have any money for a part but that their dog had unexpectedly gotten pregnant. The original owners lived in a camper trailer and couldn't afford much, let alone dog food for 3 dogs (mommy & 2 babies).
Levi got suckered into accepting the rollie-pollie and *POOF* we now have Gus.
He's been a fun addition. Gracie didn't know what to think of him at first, but they became fast friends and he gives her a run for her money. He also learned how to operate the doggie-door rather quickly, and I am very grateful for that!
One of the biggest hurdles I had to help him overcome was the fact that he would always have food. It became very clear to me that he thought every meal just might be his last. He would eat at the bowl of dog food until his stomach was stretched as far as it could go and he was barely able to walk or breathe! So, I had to give him little bowl-fuls at a time. He would also go nuts any time he smelled "people food" (which was what his diet consisted of at his previous home). He would claw at the cabinets and look and sniff around frantically.
Now, I am happy to state that I can leave a full bowl of dog food on the floor and he'll only bother with it when he's actually hungry. Yay!Oh, and his face is even flatter than Gracie's, if you can believe that!
We've made a new backyard friend recently. This brave little guy learned very quickly where he could find "the good stuff". We've affectionately named him Jimmy the Squirrel. Sounds a little "mafioso" but it works.
These pictures are a couple weeks old already. Now, there's no hesitation on his part. He will wait either up in the tree or right on the platform until I come out in the morning. He strains to see if he can spot the peanut I always have waiting for him in my fingers. He gently takes it and munches away as I pour the rest of the critter food on the wall.
It's so much fun for Eric to watch, but it just about kills Gracie. :) Teehee.
Last Friday (the 6th), I took Eric to Hands On so we could spend some time being "productive".
It's in quotes because just because we produced something doesn't necessarily mean we accomplished anything. :)
Anyway, he painted a round coaster with turquoise and purple paint and had a blast. He really loves to paint. He had me help him paint his name on it when he was all done. (Though, he can write almost his whole name all by himself already! I'm very proud of him!)
I chose a light-switch cover and painted it in SpiderMan theme for Eric's room. The one that was still in there was a Classic Pooh one from when he was a baby. He was thrilled with how they both turned out and we had so much fun together!
