Vincent Sits

As you can see from the Week 19 photo, Vince can sit like a good boy when he is told to do so. However, when left to his own devices Vince chooses to sit on the stairs as shown below. Vince knows that he's not allowed upstairs and he is corrected if he puts his front paws on the step. He has apparently decided that if we won't allow him to put his paws on the stairs, his butt will just have to do!

Puppy Camp!

Vince took his first day trip to puppy camp this week and we've been paying for it ever since! The place that Vince went allows dogs of a similar size to run around free together and they don't discipline the dogs at all. As a consequence Vince thinks that he can act however he pleases so we've been reinforcing the no jumping or puppy nibbles rule.

As noted Vince is a fully licensed and accredited pooch in the eyes of the city of Chicago so we've been visiting the local dog parks. For the most part it has been enjoyable but there always seems to be one "bully" dog at each park. The worst part is that the owners of these dogs always say the same thing "oh, he won't hurt anyone." In the meantime all the other dog owners are slowly leaving because they are afraid that their dogs (or the people) are going to get hurt!

One dog was pushing Vince around a little and he stood up for himself, but the bully was just a little too big and strong. I felt like saying to the owners as we were leaving "my dog's going to get bigger, and when he does we're coming back to take care of you and your dog!"

Lone Star Paula

So here I (Paula) am in San Antonio for work this week. I just wanted to point out that not everywhere I go for work is fun and glamorous. I have been to Jersey, Cleveland, Houston all in the name of work. Recently, I was in Wichita, Kansas a couple weeks ago. I took one picture the entire 3 day trip. Here it is:

That sign was by far the funniest and best thing I saw while I was there. Although truthfully, I was a little frightened after seeing that sign at baggage claim. It was certainly an eye-opening way to start a trip. Now we can compare and contrast San Antonio:

Yes, a world of difference. Here are words I never really thought I would say: Texas rocks. Not to rub it in, but it is sunny and in the 80s. Need I say more? Next stop for me - Prague. Hate me if you must.

Vince Can Go To Puppy Camp!

First I want to say that I was very happy with the performance of the Boilermakers in the NCAA tournament. Yes, they lost to the #1 seed Florida but they were competitive the whole game and the game was closer than the final score indicated. I think that Matt Painter has it going in the right direction and we'll be seeing Purdue back on top of the Big Ten standings sooner rather than later!

Vince has been a joy to have, but one of the issues we have had is that we haven't been able to board him even for a day trip because he hadn't had a rabies shot. That all changed on Saturday as he is now officially fully vaccinated! After getting his rabies shot Vince got his official City of Chicago dog tag so we can now take him to the dog parks as well.

After the vet we went to meet Penny - our friend Sharon's dog. That wasn't a great trip, while Vince was wanting to play Penny wasn't too sure about having another pooch in her house. We're afraid that Vince is going to get some ideas about decorating since Penny has her own room painted with dog bones and paw prints! All told it was a huge morning for Vince which lead to his usual Saturday afternoon nap.

Our vet is the Banfield Animal Hospital which is part of the local PetsMart. So it seems that each time Vince goes for a vet appointment he comes home with a new toy. We finally broke down on Saturday and bought him a plush chew toy. As other dog owners know already, the problem with plush toys is that they all have a squeaker in them. Vince loves his squeaking toy as you see below. He's now a Chicago Dog munching on a Chicago dog!

We hit Moonshine in Bucktown last night for Grady's birthday dinner followed by a few beverages at Easy. Notice how every bar and restaurant in Bucktown has only one name? We were discussing that last night and nobody could figure out why that was. Smile if it's your birthday party:

Busy Week

No time for posts, we've been quite busy this week. We had a spectacular St. Patrick's day at our house. We started with having 12 people over for an Irish breakfast; much Guinness was drunk and a good time was had by all.

Vince and I went for a walk downtown among the revelers at the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Vince was a good boy and a big hit with the ladies. The Intern from Germany that works for my company was with us and commented that Vince was a lady catcher; the girls all wanted to pet him.

While Vin and I were downtown the majority of the group from breakfast was spending the day in a bar. When you see one of your friends wearing a thong over the top of his jeans, you know that the day is going well:

Paula got called away on business so she was out of town most of the week again. At least this time Paula got to experience business travel like the rest of us for once: she wasn't traveling to some beautiful classical European city this time! Nope, Paula got to experience Wichita, Kansas. She insists it is everything you could imagine and more.

Vince is Advanced for His Age

Those were the exact words that the dog trainer used today! Not that he's perfect, we had four separate "accidents" today, but he is learning his commands at a very good rate. Vince can do sit / stay / come.....as long as there isn't anyone around to distract him! He will however wait at the top or bottom of the stairs if told to stay and will wait until he is told to come before he releases so that's what the trainer was impressed with.

Since Paula is out of town Vince and I did our usual on Saturday - a visit to the vet for a booster and long walks in the park. Actually we did two park trips on Saturday. We went to the park with the fenced in tennis court before the vet. Vince loved playing catch with the tennis ball until somebody would walk near the fence, then that was his total focus point. Oh well, he is just a puppy.

We then went to Lincoln Park for a second walk after we ran some errands and had lunch. Vince is now riding in the front seat with his car harness when it's just he and I so I took some pictures to share:

Before getting to the park Vince was mildly bored. After the walk he couldn't keep his eyes open! We looped the North Pond again and then headed up to the Botanical Garden. Vincent was the first puppy that a little boy got to pet. He was very sweet, (I'll admit that I was holding his leash so that he couldn't jump up), and was very happy to receive the attention and the chance to lick hands that were coated in sugar!

Before:

After:

They Made It!

By "they" I mean the Boilermakers, and made it where? The 2007 NCAA tournament. I'm very jealous of the kids in the band because they're travelling to New Orleans for the first two rounds. (I'm sure most people know that I was lucky enough to travel with the team to NCAA tournament games for four years when I was in school.) They are a low seed (9) but being in the tournament is a testament to the fact that Matt Painter has things going in the right direction!

Get your bracket for the office pool here:
http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/brackets/viewable_men

Unfortunately as the General Manager at the plant I cannot lead or participate in an office pool this year. I'm just hoping that somebody puts together a pool I can enter! (BRIAN CRANE!?!? How about a CPP tournament pick off?)