If you remember my previous post, Spencer was due to visit a new grooming salon after a less than positive experience. Well, he did it! :) Spencer had his first grooming experience that was POSITIVE - with J's help, of course. He was frightened, poor pup, but he managed to be bathed, combed & clipped; even had his paws and toenails tidied.
Poor puppy. He's such a sweet boy, but he is so easily frightened. I rang around a few other places today after this morning's disappointment, and have found a lovely lady who we're going to try next week - she's happy for us to stay with him during the wash, and will start slow - even just a bath if he gets too nervous. She's dealt with scared dogs before, and is happy to try and give him a pleasant experience. We'll see how that goes. I hope she can tidy up some of his fur (and give him a good stripping, right down to the undercoat) because he LOVES lying in his wading pool in summer & gets a lot of matted fur. I've already had to cut some out, which I hate doing to his lovely coat; but the mats get so big, so fast. Hopefully by next Tuesday, he'll be a new pup.
I've had a few requests for more Spencer updates, and I am happy to oblige! :) Oh, this dog.
He is an absolute joy to have around; I've never seen my husband smile and laugh quite so much as when he's playing with his dog. It's a joy to watch. Spencer is a good boy; your typical golden retriever. He adores meeting new people, and seems to recognise regular visitors, which is awesome. He digs holes, he chews everything that moves, he's a puppy! He's growing at a really rapid rate. (All muscle... and fluff.)
We've been taking him to a puppy class, which will lead into a beginner's obedience class, which eventually turns into quite rigorous training. I think we'll keep him there until he's at least six months old, because he's learning a lot - and he's getting much better with meeting other dogs. He spent the first class with his head hidden under our legs, and was terrified by the other young puppies and their excited barking. Thankfully, we've had some more progress with him over the weeks, and he's learning how to be a social, happy little man.
In the meantime, here's a photo walk-through, showing just how fast he's growing from puppy to big dog.
I wish I had something positive to write about in terms of where we're at in the TTC-journey. It's CD22 and I'm still nowhere near ovulating (if I do at all) so despite using the OPK sticks & the Fertility Monitor regularly, things aren't working. This is with Clomid, too. Seriously - I must be the most unresponsive ovulator on the planet.
The main decision I have to make over the next week or so is when to bite the bullet & start taking Provera to bring on a period. I want this cycle over, which makes me think I should start taking it tomorrow. But at the same time, what if I'm just a couple of days away from potentially ovulating late? Super faint OPK's mean nothing in the grand scheme of things... but do I give it more time and see? I'm so over this. At least with IVF you have a good idea of your time-frames. I don't know.
In the meantime, how about a token puppy picture? Spencer has grown so much in a week - his stubby legs are starting to get bigger, he's eating more, and he's full of energy. He's also discovering that chewing & digging are FUN FUN FUN past times. (Not so fun for us!)
Our baby boy is home - and he's so handsome! Meet Spencer, our chubby little Golden Retriever puppy.
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