What I'm learning these days

Okay - so "dog" is very much on my mind these days. Guess it has something to do with having a dog in the house and the fact that I've never owned a dog before. Let's just say that old dogs (me) CAN learn new tricks (or how to co-exist with a canine in the house).

What I've learned about myself:

1) I'm not OCD (I already knew this but others may not) as I only wash my hands only after I've petted Skye, or after she's licked me, or after I've touched her food (or toys or anything else she's touched), or after I've groomed her, or after I've looked at her. All other times, I don't bother to wash my hands.

2) I do not need to have a SUPER clean house as I see dog hair all over the floor. I only vacuum once a day (with the pet cleaning system attachment on the vacuum cleaner). Kids using the light-weight vacuum don't really count. Swiffering, using the vacuum without the pet attachment, and hand-mopping do not count toward the daily vacuuming as well.

3) I am not a control freak as I do let Skye come into and out of the house as she pleases, provided she rings the bell by our back slider and sits and waits for permission to enter/exit (and gets all her paws wiped before she enters the house).

What I've learned about Skye:
1) She's very sweet and mild (as long as there are no furry creatures around)

2) She is very well-behved (as long as there are no furry creatures around)

3) She loves stuffed furry creatures which (sadly) may already belong to 'Shroom or Lolli [note to self: I better tell them not to bring their precious George and Mimi downstairs where Skye will claim them as her own]

4) She does not care to fetch (with or without furry creatures around)

5) At the dog park, she loves other dogs to chase her so she can have an excuse to run top speed

6) She can jump really high (which is kind of scary)

7) She can poop white crumbly stuff after eating bones

8) She can howl (when furry creatures are around) and bark (which has happened very rarely so far)

What I've learned since becoming a dog-owner:

1) A mild, dainty dog can have a nasty snarl when another dog tries to take away a stuffed animal

2) Many people do not like dogs and are scared of "wolf-looking" dogs (our neighbor); Air Boss thinks it's the black "eye-liner" that makes her look fierce

Skye with her "black eye-liner" fierce eyes.

3) The staff at PetSmart are super helpful and great with dogs (I wonder if dog-ownership is a pre-requisite to employment with them)

4) Dogs do not necessarily die when they jump over huge dogs charging at them and land sideways on their head (another scary moment)

5) People are not shy in coming up and complimenting on how beautiful Skye is (I had an impromptu conversation by the side of the street as a truck pulled over; there was a 5 minute one-sided conversation as the driver gushed about huskies)

My favorite Air Boss and Skye photo taken over the weekend

(The Strand, Hermosa Beach, CA)