Aug 18, 2011: Tonight's Report

This morning we walked Mark to the subway (or at least to the top of the stairs at the end of the subdivision), a longer walk than last night. Thurmon was excited to see people, particularly children. One passerby stopped to pet him and ask questions - he sat calmly while being greeted. He's starting to get the knack of walking alongside, in tandem with us, although he's still got some work to do.

Thurmon also discovered the joys of digging. The first hole was inconveniently located in the midst of the lawn, so I kept warding him off. The second hole was more conveniently located in an empty mulch-covered spot in the flower bed, so I let him work away at that one - might as well have an approved digging area.

Thurmon's kong has gone missing. I suspect that its residual treat smell was irresistible to a raccoon, who made off with it. Poor Thurmon - he needs a new outdoor toy. All he's got now is a rotten old piece of stick that he found - he loves it, but I can tell it won't last long. (Update: Thurmon trotted out of the bushes at the back of the yard a few days later with the kong - reunited!)

While I was out in the evening, Mark found that Thurmon is able to delicately extract a tissue from a Kleenex box on the side table. Not necessarily a skill we want to develop.

Below: Thurmon relaxing in a shady spot in the back yard. The lilies of the valley are starting to look a bit trampled. Happily Thurmon just likes lying in them, and not eating them, since they can be toxic to dogs - but we keep an eye on him whenever he's in them just in case...