Meet Stanley!

Isn't he precious?!

We survived our first night without incident! I was even able to drown out the poor puppy's snoring, which I'm pretty sure could wake the dead.

Stanley is a 3 year old Stafforshire Terrior (aka Pit Bull) and his prior owners trained him well and spoiled the heck out of him- I can tell the latter by the fact that he thinks he owns my red chair and that the pillows on my bed are for him... and honestly, I don't have the heart to kick him off right now. (that, and he bounds off of things, so his dead weight hitting the floor at 5:45am would not make my downstairs neighbors very happy)

Once he got into the red chair, he fixated on my birthday balloons- I could barely get him to look away for a picture, and even then I think he was mad at me because I took away his squeaky toy... it gets him really excited, and I didn't think that'd be good at 10pm. Maybe I'll let him play with it when I get home today. He knew exactly what to do, and would almost head butt it with his nose on the squeaky end! He sits, stays-ish, shakes your hand almost every time he sits! He lays down, backs up, knows "kennel up" and kind of knows how to heal when on a leash with a training collar or harness.

He's such a little lover-boy, giving kisses like crazy! My goodness, I don't think I've ever had a dog lick my face this much! It makes me a little leary, the reputation of the breed... but he just looks so vulnerable when he's all curled up sleeping, his paws chasing his dreams. He has a little bit of kennel cough that we're working to clear up, doggy bronchitis, and other than that, he's healthy!

We survived our first morning outing, he did all the appropriate bodily functions, checked his pee-mail, and even found a little bone that someone's tiny dog left in their "yard". I was worried that he'd choke it down, or growl when I tried to take it, but he let me reach right up to his mouth and take the bone away! Major indicator of a dog with a gentle disposition- he'll let you take things he wants from his mouth. Also, he'll let you play with his food when he's eating, and he'll let you play with his mouth, paws, and ears when he's sitting/laying down. The only time he made a peep was when he was bouncing around at my feet last night and I accidently stepped on his paw. He immediately rolled into a submissive possition, belly up, and looked at me like it was his fault for getting in my way. I proceeded by getting right down on the floor with him and giving him the best belly rub I'm sure he's had in a long time!

I can't tell you how relieved I am at how well trained he seems to be, and how well he's house trained. For some reason I am afraid he won't like me, which is stupid, because I already know he does... but still, it's just a tiny fear I have... I just want to do right by him. I want to be able to keep him well exercised, I want to be able to keep him well mannered, and I want him to be able to socialize decently with people and dogs, so if I take him somewhere- even on a walk on any trails or in neighborhoods here- I don't have to worry about him getting away from me and hurting anyone. It's the reputation of the pit that's feeding these fears... I'll just have to work with him, make sure we prove to everyone how gentle he is!

Okay- time to get ready for work.... as much as I'd like to sleep some more, I can't. I am thinking that we can sleep till 5:30am tomorrow though. (of course, I was so nervous and anxious to see how everything would go that I woke up at 2am, ready to take him out. He, of course, was fast asleep on his doggy bed next to my bed. He's adopted my giant green, soft-as-can-be bath towel.)