{151 days old: the cone of shame}

Day after spay day, Darwin was still so pathetic looking.  Since we were leaving her home unsupervised, we decided it would be safer to put her cone on just in case!  So we put it on, and it was like her kryptonite.

She just sat there with her head down.  I took her outside for her morning potty break and she couldn't even manage to pee with it on.  I had to take it off, and then she could use the bathroom.  
We got back in the house, and put her in the kitchen, and tried to feed her.  She was so sad, she couldn't even stand to eat.

So sad.  We left her with her cone on while we were gone, and promptly took it off when we got home.  She was so relieved.  We monitored her cone-less, and she didn't bother her stiches, so she remained cone free for the remainder of her healing time.
Jason's parents even sent a get well card to her:

{150 days old}

SPAY DAY!
After researching when to get Darwin spayed, we decided to take her in at 5 months.  There are some places that say to wait after her first heat, some that say to wait after a year, some that say do it before her first heat, and we didn't know what was the right answer, so we went with the fact that we didn't want to have to deal with a dog in heat.
So the day came and we headed to the vet.  Darwin gets excited going to the vet, I think cause she gets treats and lots of attention when she goes in.

She waited eagerly in the lobby and was more than willing to go back with the vet tech.  
The vet called after the procedure was done to update us, and we were able to pick her up after work.  
We got her home and she looked so sad laying on her bed with a shaved belly.

She was still pretty tired from the medication, so she slept through the night, cone free!

{149 days old}

Since Darwin was so well behaved on the 4th of July and her spay day was coming up, we took her to Marymoor the next day.  We found some of the dane group, but Darwin still seemed a bit pooped from all the excitement the day before.
{Sirus checking on Darwin}

But then a new little harlequin puppy showed up and Darwin perked up.

After some play time with the new guy, Darwin and I met up with her bff Juneau for some water time.

First we tried to use the rubber chicken to lure her in... no luck.
Aileen had better luck with the tennis ball!

Once she was in, she realized she actually liked it in the cool water versus baking on the steps.

Me, wanting to test her out a bit, threw the tennis ball out which she willingly fetched (and she doesn't usually fetch).  So on the last throw I throw it a bit farther out, not realizing the ground falls away pretty quickly.
{we're ok so far}

{uh oh, where'd that ground go}

{oh no! no ground!}

So she sank, and then swam back very quickly and out of the water she went.  She would not go back in after that.

Juneau on the other hand looked at Darwin like, "swim girl swim"!

I was worried she'd be traumatized after that experience, but it turns out she wasn't!  woo hoo!

{28oct2009: terrible two's strike again}

Darwin's grandma and grandpa (Jason's parents) sent Darwin a Halloween package yesterday.  She got some yummy treats and her very first bandana!

It says, "I'm the princess that's why."

After we got it on her she went a little nutty trying to reach it to bite it.  Of course by the time I got my camera out to record her, she stopped and accepted the fact that she was going to be a dog that wore a bandana.  Jason and I couldn't agree on if the bandana is supposed to sit on her back, or hang down her front... any help for bandana newbies?

Then I went to take a shower, came out, and found her CHEWING ON A PAIR OF MY SHOES!!!!!!  Terrible two's strike again!  My second shoe casualty, the first to chewing though (the other to explosive diarrhea during Harry Potter night).  At least they were "cheap" pair of heels, though I really did like them, and not an expensive pair of boots.  Oi.

{148 days old}

The nice thing about summer in Seattle is how perfect the temperature usually is (I say usually, cause this year we hit record high's in the 100's).  The other great thing is the heat made Darwin nice and lazy.  Now that it's fall/winter and the temperature has dropped from 80's to 50's, all that pent up energy is coming out. 
Back on the 4th of July, we were planning a roof top bbq with views of the fireworks on Lake Union.  The nice warm day, meant Darwin was nice and calm.  
Started the day off with some breakfast and ice cold water.

Then it was a bunch of lazing about.

At one point she buily up enough energy to dig a toy out of her toy box, but that was about it.  She only had enough in her to lay on the floor and mouth it.

 {I'm pooped!}

She was pretty much like this all day.  We weren't sure how she'd handle the fireworks, so we put her in her crate before they started, and when we went to get her out she seemed totally fine.  We then all got to enjoy this view:

{147 days old}

Chewing on an antler

 

{141 days old}

We made the drive out to Tom's house for a little get together, and Darwin got to see her doggy parents for the first time since we officially adopted her.  
{who is this giant beast hovering over me?!}

Atlas could not get enough of her.  Where she went, he was right there, standing over her.

Her mom, Misty, on the other hand wasn't as keen on having another female in her house, even if it was her own daughter.

Since that first reunion, Darwin has stayed with them twice while we went on vacation, and Misty has finally warmed up to her.  Or at least she doesn't growl and bark constantly at her, she tolerates her.  Darwin has since established her dominance over her dad, and she now is the one who can't leave him alone.

{26oct2009: terrible twos?}

So maybe Darwin is approaching her terrible two's... or her rebellious adolescent phase... what age do puppies go through that?  It must be Darwin's time being 8.5 months old and all.
She's never been one to really destroy a toy... a few have worn out after playing, but nothing that she's sat and just killed.  Tonight changes that.
I was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and I turn around and see this:

Even as I'm sitting a few inches from her face taking pictures she continues de-stuffing the poor hippo.

The other morning we found a pair of plastic toy eyeballs on the floor, and I couldn't think of where they came from.  I found out tonight, they were the hippos eyeballs and she was de-stuffing him through his eye sockets.

Poor Hippo.  He was one of her toys from when she was a tiny puppy too.  
{De-stuffing takes a lot out of a girl... I need a break}

{You're gonna tell everyone about this aren't you...}

On a happier note, Darwin now has new puppy cousins down in California!
My cousin and his girlfriend just got a brother and sister pair of golden retriever black lab puppies.
World, meet Kava and Pele:

{25oct2009: Marymoor Dane Days}

A cold cold overcast Sunday, but another day for Darwin to hang out with her friends at Marymoor.

Darwin's first dane friend of the day was this good looking 7 year old, Axel.

For an older guy he was pretty active and was willing to put up with hyper Darwin for a while.  Luckily for him 2 other danes were around and Darwin got distracted by them.

In an effort to warm up, we started walking around the park and met up with more of the group.

We also ran into the merle puppy Bella again, and she and Darwin and the irish wolf hound puppy Tessa got to chase eachother around.

I think I need to invest in some warm junky clothes to wear to the dog park, cause I was freezing yesterday, and my snowboarding jacket is now covered in dog slobber.