Well April 21, was Gemma's birthday.  I bought her a stuffed animal with a voice box type squeaker that sounds like a screaming ape or maybe a screaming baby.  It is made by Hartz which I find their toys to hold up well.  I gave it to her and watched her take it and prance back and forth with it in her mouth in the living room.  She is not destructive and does not tear apart her toys which is great. To make a long story short I was watching TV and heard a screaming sound at first I got scared and thought it was one of my cats, I turned my head toward her, but I realized it was the toy.  She had discovered the squeaker and dropped it immediately when she heard it scream.  The cats even came around the corner to find out what the noise was, they looked scared too. She was staring at the chimp bewildered.  She turned her head from side to side trying to figure it out.  Well she picked it up again very carefully and gently and continued her walking and prancing every so proud of her prize not realizing what had really happened.  To this day I believe some maternal instinct kicked in and she dropped it thinking she hurt it.  I have never heard the squeaker again since then.  She is very gentle with it and takes it from me with her lips not her teeth.  Interesting. 

When I give her a dog biscuit she takes it with her lips very gently to the point of almost dropping it.  She is quite the character with an interesting personality.

I thought I would share my story because she is so cute when she gets a new toy. This is her special toy it gets put up when she is done playing with it. The other dogs have other toys to play with and they are destructive.  She still has the teddy bear you sent with her.  The little blue rabbit is around here somewhere half chewed by one of the other dogs.

 

Two more weeks and Maximus will be finished with dog obedience one.  He will need additional training.  He is an adolescent now and very energetic.  I may just retake part one with him and practice more at home. He has not picked up the exercises as well as I thought too many hormones I think.  He is very active at this stage.  He is not neutered.

 

cindy