1,000 apologies for our absence, but we’re back with new friends, more stories, more holiday costumes (sadly, for Blue) and, of course, puppy tips as originally promised.  It’s good to see you all again.

Those Weimaraners need to move over. Harper’s got a future in the modeling biz.

Send your pictures in — we’ll post ‘em. And expect most of ours to be from one of the subsets of this series called “Napping with Daddy” or “Sleeping on the Couch.” And as you’ll see below, our first picture counts for both.

Behold: A puppy sleeping.

This was a good and bad experience. We didn’t want to leave the puppy in a kennel overnight so we did some research and found out that Disneyland has an on-site kennel. We figured since Disneyland does everything with the utmost of hospitality in mind, the kennel must be inviting too.

Not so much. In fact, it was kind of scary.

The kennel at Disneyland is more like a prison than the modern-day dog sitting accommodations we’ve become used to. The kennel is adjacent to the entrance of the park. It is two rooms full of dogs in cages. Tiny, little, can-barley-shove-a-Lab-inside cages. And, there is no yard. No dog run. Just a square area with rocks and a red, plastic fire hydrant next to a bench. This is where your dog goes to the bathroom when YOU come back to let your dog out.

Yeah, the whole thing is a little weird. Long story short, we had Blue stay there for the morning but then our guilt kicked in so we took him into the park, danced a little, then and left.  We figured there were only so many hours in the day that he can sleep.

Here’s a few more pictures…

(Yes, I know this looks like he’s happy. This picture was taken BEFORE he met the kennel.)

(Happy puppy leaving the park with Daddy.)

Since we last posted, we’ve played in the leaves, dressed up for Halloween, been a dog at Disneyland, seen our first snow, been to Thanksgiving dinner, had our first birthday, got our first insurance check, switched to adult dog food, switched back, modeled for a puppy Christmas card, flew cross country, made a bunch of new friends and found the perfect ball.

And we promise to post about all of it — and soon. But for now, know that we’ve been splendid, happy puppies.

Blue curled up with his Grandpa and then chased Lucy around the house. They even managed to not destroy the house when they played among the turkey and cranberry sauce. Good dogs.

Sign us up for puppy abuse, but he’s just so darn cute. And stoic. What a trooper.

I hope not. Cause we are killing fleas left and right.

Part one of the our flea jihad had not gone well.  The long flea baths helped temporarily. The constant cleaning of the house was good for everyone but didn’t make a dent in the pup’s flea situation. And, Advantage did precisely nothing — except stinking up our puppy.

So, this week we took Blue to the vet, exercising our brand new dog insurance. Diagnosis: Allergic dermatitis. In other words, he’s allergic to flea bites. (Insert sarcastic “no kidding” here.)

Enter Comfortis. It’s a new FDA-approved pill for flea control. Our vet said since the oily stuff wasn’t working, it was time to switch. So, we switched. $80 bones for a six-month supply. Here’s the review so far:

Easy to Eat.

This is the first time in my history of dog ownership that I have seen a dog willingly take medicine. He grabbed it from my hand, dropped it on the ground. Sniffed it. Then picked it up and started chewing away. Glory!

The box don’t lie.

The company claims that the fleas start dying 30 mins after the pet ingests the meds. That’s true and then some. We watched the fleas running for their lives, twisting, gyrating, little epileptic fleas, heading for the hills as this stuff started to burn them like they’d been hit by acid. In four hours, everything on Blue was dead. D-E-A-D. Triumph!

No pukage.

The vet and box said there was a good chance the pupster was going to vomit after taking it. Since Blue pukes at almost everything, we had the potty pads and Nature’s Miracle ready to go. No need. We kept Blue calm for the hour after he took the pill and had no upchuck issues.

But You Gotta Wonder…

Am I the only one who’s spidey sense flares when giving a living being medicine that makes another living being in close proximity die within 30 minutes? FDA approved or not, I can’t help but have second thoughts when I give him this thing; I keep wondering what fifth leg is going grow out of my puppy’s back because of this mystery digestible insecticide.

Okay, fine. Maybe it’s not radiation, but please beware if you opt for this medicine. As with all medicines, it can mess with a dog’s liver, especially if the animals are too young when you give it to them.

NOTE: As always when we discuss medicine on this blog, we reiterate that we are not vets. Please talk to your vet about any medicine you give your little loved one.

You’re in good company, Sarah. We’ve got a dog couch violation too.