My Day at the Jersey Shore!

Well, today was a big day for me....I went to the beach! My foster Mom took me to visit some new GSP friends, too.

I went to this place called the beach at the Jersey Shore today...I didn't mind the sand at all, or getting my feet a little wet in the sand, but those waves are scary! I didn't know what to do, they were coming at me, so I kept backing up, but they kept coming.....

I met 2 GSPs today, and the first boy, Belmont didn't really like me, but his Mom said it takes him a long time to warm up to new friends, so I hung out with him for a while to try to get him to see how cute I was. I went in his house and played with his toys while he was staring at me from the deck..ha ha! I was definitely scared of him, but once we got to the beach, he was a lot better and we walked side by side with each other like a nice couple. I also met a new boy named Hunter. He is the same age as me, but he has way more energy than I do...he plays with a tennis ball for hours. I was very comfortable with him, and at his house I was not really nervous at all. I really liked it there, especially because they have this thing called a "fenced in yard" which was full of nice plants, grass and trees....I learned that when you have one of those, you don't need that leash! It's nice because you can go where you want, sniff what you want.

I also went to lunch with my foster Mom and 2 other GSP volunteers, Cate & Sue. They fed me sweet potatoe fries and I had a cheeseburger as well, but it's all good because I need to gain just a few more pounds. I sat outside nicely with them at the restaurant while they ate and cautiously watched the people go by. I was nervous of both of them, and our waitress at first, but after the piece of cheese she gave me and the fries, I was in love with everyone. Until the food ran out....then I had to go back and hide on them.

Over the past week, I went to the park and it wasn't as bad as I thought. There were lots of people there and other dogs. I was pretty scared, but I marched on like a trooper and did the whole mile....I mean, yeah, it may have taken an hour, but I still went all the way around! I snuck up on a big swan in the grass and it hissed and came at me, and I backtracked out of there as fast as I could, I almost ran my foster Mom right over. I was approached by a big doberman, and I growled and snuck away. I met a very nice lady, though, and she came down to my level and sat and waited for me, so I let her pet me, since it was on my terms. When the next person came at me, I must admit, I ran behind my foster Mom.

But, I've been making great progress at becoming more independent. I no longer whine and cry when I'm outside on the long lead, I do my own thing and I don't really care where my foster Mom is. In the house, I've become pretty brave...I even go in other rooms now all by myself and
look for things to play with. I love socks and sneakers!

I've also been better in the crate. I will admit I haven't been on my best behaviour in there, but it's better than it was. I stopped rubbing my nose and howling, but now I have this new thing where I slobber all over my self. By the time my foster Mom gets home, I look like I went in a swimming pool...pretty gross for such a nice little lady like me, but hey, I love to be around my people, I can't help it! I'm also a very good girl in the car. My foster Mom got a new car recently and none of her dogs are allowed in there...except for moi! That's because I'm such a nice little girl, I just curl up in the front (or even the back) and nighty-night I go!

I've been getting along great with the other dogs in the house and I follow what they do a lot, so it's helping me learn a lot about what my life is supposed to be like, and how I'm supposed to act.

I've gained another few pounds and I'm really starting to look stunning they tell me! You'll see my pictures and you can judge for yourself.