The Daily Parker

Politics, Weather, Photography, and the Dog

Today's Daily Parker (Bonus Weekend Edition)

There will probably be no Daily Parker on Wednesday, so I'm hedging. Anne took this photo today after Parker had a bath and a good nap:

We love our puppy, but after a couple of weeks without shampoo he gets pretty rank. Now he's soft and, well, only a little rank. We still love him though.

Today's Daily Parker

It's cold this morning (-6°C, 21°F), but not cold enough to keep Parker from running himself ragged at the dog park. I love this, because today is an Office Puppy day. As is our custom, we left from the park, stopped at my office to pick up my coffee mug, and then made our ritual pilgimage to Peet's. There Parker and I met Georgiana Penelope ("my husband called me Georgiana but my family called me Penny"), a local resident, who said Parker had beautiful markings and was the sweetest puppy she'd met. Parker ate it up and fell in love with her. Actually, Parker ate up the banana muffin she gave him, which contributed to his good behavior.

When I came out, Georgiana had Parker's complete attention:

Today's Daily Parker

It's amazing what dogs will eat. Parker (whose food ration just got increased today) consumes just about anything vaguely food-like, including sticks (high in fiber), rugs (made of fiber), and, apparently, yogurt:

Yesterday he also got an onion off the counter and started peeling it before I could get to him.

He won't eat figs, however. He barks at them. We don't know why.

Today's Daily Parker

Another photo of Parker at one of his favorite places in the world. We stopped by the dog park Saturday afternoon, but we arrived after everyone else had left. He may have missed his buddies, but he also seemed to have a good time:

Still growing

Lisa might have a point about those paws. We've had him almost two months, and in that time Parker has grown 71%, from 7.7 kg (17 lbs) on September 1st to 13.2 kg (29 lbs) yesterday. Even since the last Puppy Pounds update, he's grown 20%:

Being a brat

After enduring Parker chomping on my office rug for half an hour, I finally took him for a walk. First, he hates the Halti, so instead of doing his business on the grass he tries to get the Halti off:

Oh it looks cute, but when you know he has something better to do on the grass, it's kind of frustrating.

Then there was the stop at Whole Foods. I was inside for—no kidding—four minutes. I heard him crying all the way over at the checkout counter. Then, when I put my food out of his reach so I could un-clip him from the fence, I ran into a difficulty:

He had to climb up a 50 cm (20-inch) wall and then get over the fence, all for a green salad.

And yes, I probably should have gotten him out of the flower bed immediately instead of taking a picture, but come on. Even when he's a brat he's criminally adorable.

Today's Daily Parker

I love Parker's play group. So does Parker. Here's our dude and his friend Goldie:

Erin, a miniature pinscher:

Erin's brother, Jester:

I completely forgot this guy's name:

And of course, Parker's mom: