A Study in Sight: 5 Months Old

Friday, August 16, 2013

5 Months Old

Well, Dulcie turned 5 months old yesterday. It comes as a reminder as to how little time I have left with her and how little time I have left back here stateside. It makes me both sad and excited. I'm ready to be done honestly. But I am pretty excited to see what this last year of undergrad brings.

Since this is my dog blog, this post is meant to be about Dulcie. Dulcie is my easiest puppy so far. I thought I would be really bored with an easy puppy, but she is proving to have her own challenges while still being very easy. And she's got a great personality. She's stable and very eager to please.

I would definitely call her a confident puppy. Nothing like Freya, but definitely confident. Confidence doesn't mean "not scared of anything". Confidence means being able to shrug off what does scare them and be able to work past it with grace. And that is Dulcie. She isn't startled by much, but when she is she shrugs it off and easily works past it. And it's not even for food which I love. She looks to me, sees that I'm ok and then starts to prance again with her big, goofy grin. I sometimes feel like, with our softer puppies, we pump up their confidence with food alone and for me, if a puppy needs food to be happy while working then they shouldn't be working. And I sometimes feel like we have come to be far too dependent on food. So, I absolutely love that I don't have to fill her full of food. She's such a great, little worker.

She also has a lovely, golden personality. She isn't too needy, but definitely needs her attention sometimes. And she definitely has the "I will be whatever you want me to be" attitude. She loves to please.

So, I suppose it's time for one of those "5 Things at 5 Months". Happy 5 Month Day to Dulcie and the rest of the "D" Goldens!

1. I love her focus. She is very observant of her surroundings, but when I ask for her attention to be back on me, she gives it. She notices things like birds and other dogs, but that's about all she does. There are rare occasions that she is too interested in the other animals, but it is definitely rare. I love that I have an observant puppy, but not a distracted puppy. Of course, this may just be because I have had super distracted puppies in the past and she is a breeze in comparison.

2. I love her smarts. Now, I really love goldens. They are my favorite breed. But, most goldens you meet are a little...you know...ditzy. I guess this might go along with her focus, but she's one smart cookie. She picks up on things pretty quickly and doesn't often forget them.

3. This might be superficial, but I love her color! I love dark goldens or white goldens. I'm not much for the in between colors. But any dark golden out there can steal my heart in an instant. She's also got absolutely lovely eyes. She has dark eye-liner instead of that pinkish kind. She's actually such a pretty dog and you can tell that she knows it.

4. I love her happy, little personality. She's always just so happy! She has such an expressive face which tells me exactly what she is thinking. When she sits, she looks up at you and smiles like "Did I do good!?"

5. She is such a cuddler. For any of you who have ever met a golden retriever before you know that they can be a little very needy. I have one of my own and you have to pet her until she says she is done being petted...which could be anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour at a time. But Dulcie really isn't all that needy. She does love her attention, but she also likes her alone time. Truly, Hilly is more needy towards me that Dulcie is.

Really, I love this golden girl. I know that I am really going to miss her when I have to go back to school. The good news is that she will be staying with the group! I was worried there for a second that I would transfer her and then never hear from her again until graduation. I'm so happy that I can get constant updates about her while I am across the Atlantic. Here are some pictures of her at our fire station meeting this past Tuesday the day before she turned 5 months old.