This month, Ender...

• Weighs 47.5 pounds.
• Is almost nine months old.
• Is recovering from kennel cough, which has been so sad to watch--he was up all night for three or four days and seemed really confused about all of it. He's been sleeping a lot this past week, but now that he's finally feeling better (the vet gave him some antibiotics) and coughing less, he's starting to get his energy back and is really annoyed that I won't let him play with any of the other dogs in our building. 
• Loves licking the carpet, the wall, and pillows. Will also chew on anything that has a tag.
• Sits on the bed behind my desk with one of his paws on my chair and pats me on the head with the other one. It is so cute and one of the weirdest things I've ever seen.
• Cries any time I take the peanut butter out. His obsession is only growing.
• Will sometimes be really full of energy during the day when I'm trying to work, but mostly will just lie at my feet underneath my desk with a toy and chew/nap.
• Went on his first run(s)--I took him for about a half mile and about a week later Rob took him for a mile. Once he's fully recovered from kennel cough and the weather gets a little cooler I want to start running with him regularly. He does really well with it and I think he'll be the best running buddy.
• Has gotten so incredibly cuddly--he used to lie on the couch or our bed and give himself enough room but now he wants to be up against one of us. It's inconvenient sometimes but always so sweet.
• Befriended an eight-week-old puppy who looks exactly like he did when we brought him home. It was so cute but made me a little sad--he has grown so fast and I can hardly believe he was ever that small. I'm so glad we were able to rescue him as a little puppy and have that time together.

Ender turned seven months old a few days ago and I'm already planning his first birthday party. Basically, I'm up for any excuse to celebrate anything at all, which is why I write these blog posts every month around the time we got him and acknowledge his little monthly birthday and can't wait to buy him a puppy cake and a party hat in November.

Until then, I'll continue with my lists. This month, Ender...

• Weighs 43 pounds.
• Had his first swimming experience--we were in Charlottesville and went to this dog park that has a big lake attached and it was so hot that he got right in. He swam out and back in over and over again for probably twenty minutes. It was so cute to watch him figure it out--I felt so proud!
• Has never really been into his food and seems to be getting more and more bored with it--we switched from Merrick to Iams a couple weeks ago and then this week I brought home the lamb and rice instead of the usual chicken flavor, which he seems to be a little more interested in. He usually eats everything I give him but just slowly munches on it all day long--is that weird? Rocky used to bark and howl when it was time for dinner and he'd devour it all in about ten seconds.
• Loves napping on the kitchen floor, especially on hot afternoons.
• Is suddenly quite possessive of sticks. It's always a little random, so it's been a challenge figuring out how to deal with it.
• Has mostly lost all his soft puppy fur, but still has the silkiest head and ears in the world.
• Is currently very freaked out by large items a human may be carrying at any time. Examples include golf bags and groceries.
• Sometimes cries outside of the shower until he gathers the nerve to jump in and join one of us for a quick bath.
• Has mostly outgrown any weird walking behaviors (he used to jump on me randomly and/or refuse to take another step forward), and going on walks with him has become really easy.
• Met a tiny little puppy the other day and was so sweet and gentle with him that I wanted to take him out for ice cream afterward.

Photo by Sarah Gatrell.

Ender just turned six months old, and I can't believe he's been part of our lives for a third of a year. The time has flown by and at the same time I feel like we're just starting to get to know his weird, hilarious personality.

• Weighs 38.5 pounds.
• Just lost what I think were his last two puppy teeth in what ended up looking a little like a crime scene--he was playing with his friend, Lyla, who happens to be predominantly white and ended up covered in his blood.
• Graduated from puppy school and won the "Puppy Push-Ups" category of the end-of-program contest, which means he did the most sit/lie down combinations for 30 seconds. It really did look like he was doing push-ups.
• Follows my mom around like a shadow any time she visits. She actually stopped by on her way to the beach last night and he cried when she went to bed.
• Re: birds, his once-innocent wonder has transformed into stalking and pouncing attempts. It's still pretty cute.
• Went to the kennel for the first time over Memorial Day Weekend and made so many friends, both dog and human. Maybe they do this for everyone but it seemed like the staff was actually really sad to see him go.
• Really loves plush toys but destroys them in about five minutes. He's also a big fan of big rawhide bones and any toy that has a braided rope attached to it.
• Is terrified of mirrors/windows/framed paintings that haven't been hung yet--he sees his reflection in them and absolutely loses his shit. The other day we were waiting for the elevator in our building and it was dark outside and he saw himself in the window and he ran toward it, barking, before running back to us and hiding behind Rob's legs.
• Falls asleep in our bed with me every night but happily goes into his crate when Rob comes in (he's a bit of a night owl).
• Is starting to shed and I don't even care. Worth it.