...because I'm a smart dog now, I can play in the backyard without being tied up...

I want to tell you my story, at least as much as I remember. I went to my forever home on October 31, 2015. I was excited to be in a new place but sad to be away from my siblings. Mom kept taking me outside to go potty and I didn’t care for that, but when I went, I got a treat, so pottying outside paid off good rewards. On a daily basis, I’d go for walks with my owner. Somedays I just wanted to go a different direction then Mom wanted me to go, ultimately, she won out but once I was bigger and stronger, I’d be the winner and I’d control the direction of our walks. I only got to play in the big yard when I was tied to the deck. Not much fun when you have a big yard but can’t run all over it. Inside was another story. I was kept in the kitchen with gates keeping me from going to other parts of the house. I like jumping on Mom when she was getting my food ready, or for no reason at all. I really liked jumping on the counter. There must be something good up there for me. I heard Comet off, Comet no, Comet stop, Comet leave it…. sheesh, I’m ready to change my name. I liked going for car rides and one day we went to meet a new friend. Her name was Lea. Lea was really friendly and told me I’d be a smart dog soon. I’m not sure what that meant, but Mom said it was a good thing. The dog my Mom had before me had training with Lea and she was a really, really smart dog. I sure heard a lot about her, so maybe this Smart Dog thing is good thing.

Now it’s January and I’m getting bigger. Unfortunately, I still was not big enough to reach the counter tops or control the direction of our walks but I wasn’t going to give up. Another car ride and I was back at Lea’s house. This time I went to another room that had dogs in it…woo hoo, heaven on earth…I went in a kennel next to Sam. He was really friendly and my first new friend at Lea’s house. There were three other dogs in the area and I knew it wouldn’t be long and they’d be my friends too. Sam showed me how to go outside to take care of business. He walked through this flap and was gone. Hey, where did he go???? Then he came back the same way. It didn’t take long, and I figured out that magic trick. Little did I know that was the first of my lessons. I thought I’d just play all day.

Well, I was partly right, I played a lot, learned a lot and slept a lot. More importantly, I grew a whole lot. Mom isn’t going to recognize me. When Lea called me, if I came right away I got a treat and a lot of praise. She would say “Comet, Come” and make a hand motion. It didn’t take long to figure out listening to Lea was a good thing and she kept me out of trouble and safe.

We went for walks but when I tried going a different direction, Lea would have me stay by her side and give me lots of treats…hmm, I think I’m getting the hang of this, stay by Lea’s side, get praise and treats; go a different direction, get in trouble. Some days we went to a farm where I had a lot of room to run and play. There were other dogs at the farm, Toby, Rozia, Gunner, and Easton. I’m so glad there are a lot of dogs around for me to have as friends. Every day I went on different adventures with Lea. Some of our adventures included the park, stores, walks in the neighborhood or woods. There was another person that looked like Lea (must have been her assistant). She gave me treats when I listened to her too. Woo Hoo, now I’m getting the hang of this; listening is a good thing and keeps me safe. On one of our trips we met Cooper at the park. He’s really cute and close to my age too. Plus he’s a smart dog and listens well. We played together and had a blast. Who knew learning was going to be so much fun!

After six weeks Mom came back to get me. Lea gave me a bath so I was all clean and fluffy. Mom almost didn’t recognize me. I was almost twice my weight from when I was dropped off. We went for a short walk with Mom and I knew when Mom told me to do something, it was best to listen because she, like Lea, would keep me safe. Next Lea took just me for a ride in the dog bus…guess where I was going…back to my own home.

I knew we were almost home because I knew the roads around my house from all the walks. We went inside and I had to check if all my toys were still there…yep, all accounted for. But now I have a bigger kennel. Sorry Mom, I grew a lot while at Lea’s, but I learned a lot too. Mom put the gates away and I had to be on my best behavior so I could go in the different rooms. When I went to sniff the trash, Mom said “leave it”, and I walked way. It must not be a good thing to get into the trash because I got praised for walking away from the trash when I was told to “leave it.” I thought I could reach the counter without jumping since I was so much bigger, but then I remembered Lea taught me “off” which means four paws on the ground. I tried to jump at the counter once and heard “off” and knew I better get off and stay off the counters. My first day back from camp was busy and exciting. Early the next morning I started whining for Mom to feed me at 5:30 AM. I heard her yell, Comet, quiet!! Oops, better stop whining. Apparently Mom doesn’t get up as early as Lea which is okay, I’ll just have to change and eat when she wants me to eat.

Since I’ve been back home we go on more walks and I know we’ll go all different places but it’s not always the direction I want to go, but it’s the safest direction. All the people that stop and talk tell Mom that I’m such a smart dog and so well behaved. If I sit by Mom’s side people pet me and I really like that. I went to a friend’s house where there were a lot of people. They were putting colored plastic things around the yard. I tried to get one and someone said “Comet, leave it” and I just walked past it. Oh boy, I got a lot of loving for that. Then a little girl was picking up those plastic things and putting them in her basket so I thought I’d check them out again. She told me to leave it and I guess they aren’t for me. No problem, I have tennis balls to chase.

Because I’m a smart dog now, I can play in the big back yard without being tied up. That’s awesome and gives me freedom to run and stretch my legs. I’m still a puppy so I have more learning to do, but now I’m a smart puppy and am glad I went to Lea’s house. I even get to go back when Mom isn’t able to take care of me so I get to see my old friends and make new ones too. Being a smart dog sure has its benefits!!!