Duncan and Darcy have played together nicely right from the start, but it's mostly been wrestling, stealing toys from each other, and running. But in the last few days, they've started playing tug of war.
Sometimes Duncan starts the game, by moving in on a toy Darcy's got:
And other times Darcy starts it. Sometimes she crouches down and stalks Duncan (haven't caught that on video yet, but she's good at sneaking up on him!), sometimes she just pounces at him:
We've noticed that when Duncan and Cerys play together and get tired, they just play slower. Well, it looks like Duncan and Darcy might do the same:
Duncan and Darcy had a very happy Christmas. They saw all their special people – Erin and Megan were home for two whole weeks, Evan was here for a few days, and there were grandmas and cousins to visit with (human and canine)! And, for a house with three dogs and a cat in in it on Christmas day, it went surprisingly well.
Christmas morning was exciting, and probably a bit puzzling for Darcy:
Now what do I do?
They had lots of presents to explore:
Darcy especially enjoyed the box the gifts were stored in:
But they each found a moment to just pose for the camera:
Meanwhile, Jax – who simply doesn't DO toys or treats – showed his usual level of excitement for a while...
I don't understand why humans get so excited about this catnip stuff.
Christmas started officially yesterday, when Erin arrived home. The first thing we did was to go to the Christmas tree farm. It was a bit crowded in the car with five people, two dogs, and a crate, but we made it, and set off to find the perfect tree:
Sniffing out the perfect tree
It was snowing a bit, and Darcy found the snow quite interesting. But the wind can really mess up a girl's hairdo:
There were lots of Christmas decorations around the farm. Duncan found the life-sized Santa doll a bit scary, and Darcy seemed worried by Noah's Ark:
What happened to these animals?
The tree is up and the part of it that's out of puppy reach is decorated. Darcy has taken this strange behaviour in stride. It will be fun to see what she thinks of her first Christmas!
Darcy had a vet appointment this afternoon for her second vaccination. Afterwards, Dr. Susan took this great photo of her posing beside their Christmas tree. And last year they took a great photo of Duncan posing there as well.
It wasn't easy getting this picture, but after a few wiggly, blurry attempts, Darcy spotted Mary-Kate the cat on the counter, which held her attention for a moment or two!
Yesterday Darcy was exactly 73 days old. Not exactly an occasion we would normally celebrate, or even notice, is it? EXCEPT that it's the exact age Duncan was when he broke his leg – a day we will never forget! So I thought it might be fun to see photos of them at exactly the same age. Interesting how different their coats are:
So here's Duncan, sound asleep at the vet after some creative Christmas casting:
Duncan - 73 days old - December 7, 2012
And Darcy, exploring the deck (and looking positively scruffy despite her grooming session not long before):
Over the last few days, we've been getting the yard ready for winter.
One day last week, Darcy was astonished to observe a man on the roof (Duncan was enjoying a treat in his crate at the time, and was happy to stay there. Men in trees are strange enough!) Never, in all her weeks of experience, have men been up on roofs. Still, it turned out to be harmless – he was cleaning the eavestroughs, and when he came down she discovered that he was very nice and fond of puppies.
Once he was done, we had to put the hose away and turn off the water. Duncan, who is an expert on drinking from bathtubs and other running water, gave Darcy her first lesson.
With the gardens cleaned out, we wanted to spread a few last bags of mulch in an (probably vain) attempt to limit the amount of mud the dogs track in. Darcy checked out the bags carefully, but decided they were too big for her to carry:
Or even to open:
,
But once the work was done, the result is a nice place to play:
We've been trying to give Darcy some kind of socialization outing almost every day. So far, we've visited three pet stores (she likes the big fancy goldfish, whereas Duncan preferred cichlids), had a couple of short neighbourhood walks carries, looked at Christmas lights, watched the noisy creatures who inhabit the PJ schoolyard at recess, and a few other things.
But today was our biggest outing yet. We drove all the way to Guelph to give Megan and some of her friends an excuse for a study break!
Since we arrived a few minutes early, we started by introducing Darcy to the horses who live beside the parking lot. (You've got to love a university with horses. And cows, and sheep. But they stay in the barns.) She seemed quite fascinated.
Then we met Megan and her friends, and Darcy ran around and played with them. (She doesn't usually get to walk around in public until she's had all her shots, but we thought the front steps of the vet college should be healthy, if any place is.)
And speaking of the steps, she had a wonderful time running up and down them:
It took almost an hour of playing before Darcy got tired, then we headed back to the car. On the way, we noticed another puppy, trapped inside a mirrored door. She was almost as cute as Darcy.
Darcy was exhausted, and slept all the way home. Meanwhile, Duncan enjoyed an afternoon of peace, quiet, and no sharp teeth while we were gone, but he seemed glad to see us when we got back – even Darcy!
Well, it will be 2 weeks tomorrow since little Darcy joined the family, and life Chez D&D is beginning to settle into a routine, though still a bit (quite a bit!) chaotic at times. Darcy is adorable – cute but feisty – and I could have posted a dozen fabulous photos a day, if I had a spare hand to hold the camera.
We have several playtimes a day in the yard, because this is when they enjoy each other the most. They run and run – sometimes with each other, sometimes away from each other! They chase toys, and seem to enjoy stealing the toy du jour away from each other.
Darcy won this round of "Steal the Purple Squeaky Toy"
Darcy loves exploring the garden; she has trampled the big patch of ribbon grass in the corner almost completely flat pouncing around in it.
Indoors there are a few disagreements, mostly caused by Darcy's sharp little puppy teeth. They didn't have to connect with Duncan too many times before he decided she was dangerous and should be kept at a safe distance. He's also appointed himself Chief Disciplinary Officer, and comes running from anywhere to bark at her if he hears one of us yelp when her teeth connect, so we try to yelp quietly.
Yes, she's blurry. Blurry photos seem to be the norm!
She spends some of her indoor time playing in her "play pen" in the living room, and some of it learning things like Sit and Down, which Duncan is happy to demonstrate (for a small fee, payable in kibble). Next week, she's starting school at Duncan's alma mater, Scholars in Collars. Stay tuned...
