Howie

It’s the day of Christmas Eve! Bob and I have had a very full week. A week ago we brought this little guy home and we have been working on getting to know one another and on improving his housebreaking skills.

Meet Howie, a sweet little terrier mix who is about 9 months old. He is from a local animal rescue and came with the name of “Prince.”  The first few times we brought him to the dog park he was recognized by the dog park regulars. Apparently one of the volunteers at the shelter lives nearby and had brought him here to the dog park to socialize him. So here Howie is “the dog formerly known as Prince.”

He was pretty much housebroken when we got him, thank goodness, and after 3 or 4 nights of crying he settled in and is now a perfect lamb in his crate. He sleeps from 9:00 to 6, too. Oh my, getting an older pup is so much easier than a tiny baby one!

He and Auggie are getting along better, too. Each has his spot on my recliner; Auggie is tucked under my left arm and Howie snoozes by my knees. There have been a few squabbles but nothing too violent, and Howie has accepted the fact that Auggie is “first dog.” Bob and I are surrogate parents because Howie will be traveling to our daughter Catherine’s house in NJ in the spring to live with her and her family. Until then, we will be working on making him a well behaved dog and giving him lots of love.

The deck is so close to being finished. We had to place one more order from Lowe’s and sometime in January it should be done.

This photo doesn’t show the gate, but there is one now and it’s so nice to sit out with the dogs. Temperatures have been in the low 70s but a cold snap is coming and in a few days the highs will only be in the mid 50s to mid 60s. Our cold season here is from end of December through January. I’m sure our family in New Jersey and New England won’t feel sorry for us one bit!
Tonight Bob and I will go to see a modern Nativity play in the park. Two of our friends who are sisters, Kathy and Rhea, play a Jamaican girl and a Wise Woman, so it should be very interesting and a lot of fun.

Bob and I want to wish all of you a very merry Christmas!