Carol Ann, watching an older student practice en pointe.

(photo credit: a friend of my parents.)

She’s such a pretty girl.

Yesterday, she didn’t even bark at the guy who usually sets her off into a Majorly Crabby Episode. She had a wee frustrated growl, and then immediately sat and looked at me for treats. I immediately started shovelling cheese down her gullet. She did the same the next day when she was wigged out by a guy coming down a ladder (like an autistic child, she’s not super comfortable with change, like ladders in places where there should be no ladders.)

And huge thanks to my wonderful Nick who’s on vacation for a while now that his game is wrapped up, so he spends his time taking pretty pictures of our dog and sending them to me while I’m still stuck at work.

Sometime this weekend, I want to try to get audio recordings of Justice making wookie noises, because they’re funny.

This was the real reason for this post. This picture amuses me, and I like making funny faces. Took this just before heading out to Sin City tonight. I should wear tophats more often.

And now you’re even older.

And now you’re even older.

And now you’re even older.

You’re older than you’ve ever been, and now you’re even older. And now you’re older still.

He still looks like he’s got pudding for bones, but my he’s getting big. Too heavy to easily pick up now, and that snout is starting to look like a proper snout!

But he’s still a goofy looking puppy!

Nick & I geared up & headed off to Sin City tonight. The above was my outfit. You can’t see it, but my hair is tied back in a fairly long (for me) braid. My god, I actually have hair! Long enough to make a reasonable braid! How did THAT happen? Also not shown: My adorable little Victorian-esque laced up high heels with the peekaboo toes.

It was a great night. Awesome people, got to chat briefly with a few of whom I haven’t seen since the summer (must fix this!), and some “quiet” cuddling on the couch with my sweetheart ringing in the new year telling him how happy he makes me and how extraordinarily amazing it is that he’s in my life.

Being rather unspiritual, I don’t use the word often… but I’m honestly blessed. Happy New Year to you & yours.

Purty!

Taken somewhere in the woods in North Van, where we had gone so Nick a friend of his could run around and take pictures of their armor in a more “natural” setting, and where I could just goof off in the wet forest. It was fun.

Between the firecrackers going off every 30 seconds, the neighbours parties running until 3am, and the horrible things I do to her for photographic amusement… Justice is not a fan of Hallowe’en.

I, on the other hand, think it’s AWESOME.

I am truly, truly, truly outrageous. Aw yeah.

The biggest thing I’ve learned so far: Justice is WAY more anxious outside than I realized. She’s “hypervigilant” any time she’s outside on a leash, not just around dogs, but constantly scanning for ANY danger. I’ve always known she was extremely alert (and not always to me), but didn’t quite make the connection that her hypervigilance was a sign of major anxiety. I could always tell when she was having a “bad” anxiety day, as she occasionally has days where even without encountering a dog or even a person, she’ll start reacting to everything from a leaf blowing in front of her to a stationary garbage can 30 yards away… but I’m realizing now that even when she’s having her “good” anxiety days, she’s still very, very anxious when outside on leash.

So, there are lots of tips & tricks to learn. I’m not going to try starting her on “the program” until after I’ve finished reading the whole book (then I’ll go back and start going over the exercises one by one) but I do like a couple of the things they recommend… like calming exercises. So, this is what we’re working on now: conditioning a command that helps her relax a little. It starts by using the command word and stroking her and petting her when she’s at her most relaxed (like, when she’s flopped out on her back with her tongue lolling around, or even just as she’s drifting off to sleep) and slowly moving up into more every day activity, until hopefully it helps (even just a little) with her outside.

Makes sense to me, anyway. I think I, too, have a “calm” command… although it more involves a certain boyfriend stroking my hair & holding me. Seems to work pretty well, so here’s hoping the same actions work on Justice.