Schmutzie has much more independence today!  His ecollar came off last night and he got a better look at his surroundings.  It has made him somewhat bolder.  He is ready to jump on chairs and couches and gives us limed room to move around.  I wonder if he has some shepherd in him.  Jane, the pet sitter came by today to meet him.  She will spend Sunday and Monday with him.

Right now, he seems to think everything is a game, and it's tempting for us to play along.  He's very cute and funny, and I'd love to have him cuddle with me in the chair. He loves to be petted and stroked.  But in the long run, I don't want him jumping on furniture and displacing people.  Also, at least right now, he's very excitable when we give him attention, and situations can easily turn into roughhousing with mouthing behavior.  That is not something I want to encourage.

Despite his new-found independence, Schmutzie remains leery of stairs.  He has demonstrated that he is fully capable of negotiating going up and down the stairs, but so far he stops right at the start of up or down and won't move on his own.

Next week we'll make an appointment for him at the groomer for the end of the month, and give him a real "look."

Wow, this place is big!  Every time I think I have a picture of the whole thing, I discover a new turn. Today, when I went into the back yard  for a stroll, I overheard several conversations among my lantzmen.  (I know, I 'm suddenly speaking Yiddish, me a former good ole boy, but it looks like I'm staying here, and Stan keeps handing me Mel Brooks shtick to learn, so--when in Rome...) Anyway, I heard these guys talking, and I made my own little announcement so they'd know I've arrived.  Haven't met any of them socially yet.  It remains to be seen what kind of a social life I'll have here.

They have a giant chair I like to jump off of.  It's kind of slidey.  I love to get on it.  Suri says, "Off," I make like I'm thinking about it, sometimes I get off, sometimes I don't.  I like to keep my people hopping.  Don't want to train up too fast, gotta undermine their confidence a little bit.  Like tonight, I peed on the hall carpet.  Just because I got Suri to take me out at 1:30 for a pee, didn't mean she could skip my 5PM walk.  She's got to learn!

Believe me, this tires me out.