Monday, July 13, 2009

Emma Turns One!

I'm a "bit" late on this post. I drafted it in July, but never published it...


Emma was born on July 1, 2008, in Livermore, California.


First meeting

On August 21, 2008, we met Emma for the first time. She was a mere 7 weeks old, and I don't think she was much over 1 pound in weight. We met at the breeder's home in Livermore, CA, to see if we there was a connection. While we knew that just seeing a puppy is enough for most people, we felt there had to be some kind of initial bond before we made a final decision. She was quite a little handful, and started out a little shy, but soon warmed up to us. When she flipped over on her back and stared at me, we knew she was the one!

Who you lookin' at?


Take me home soon OK?

I think this person should be my new Mom!
Having made the decision, we needed to wait until she was 12 weeks old before the breeder would release her. There are developmental things that need to occur in that time frame, including dog and people socializing.
On October 1, we picked her up. After spending a few hours with the breeder (Georgina - check her website at http://www.sapphireyorkies.com/) getting orientated, we headed out. We were staying with our daughter and her family in San Jose, so the trip home was quick and uneventful. Once we got there though, things changed! It had been years since we had had a puppy...they are a LOT of work! One thing about new puppies: you never know what's going to happen. They eat a piece of fuzz - they throw up. They swallow a leaf - they get the runs.
One of the feeding instructions that Georgina had given us was to take 1/4 cup of dry food and mix it with a tsp of canned food. Emma seemed interested, but would not eat, so I called Georgina and asked for some suggestions. She had neglected to tell us to soak the dry food in a little warm water, then mix in the canned. As sharp as those puppy teeth are, little Emma didn't have the jaw strength to chew the hard dry food. After we softened it up, she caught up on her meals quickly.
Last winter, in February, we were staying with friends in Benson, AZ. While there, we were referred to a vet in Tucson, who spayed, micro-chipped, and pulled her remaining baby teeth. That day was her worst day out of her young life, but the next day, she was amazingly back to normal.
We never thought we'd get through the demanding puppy stage with Emma. She turned into quite a wild child. People we met on our journey told us to wait until she was about 10 months old, and then she would settle down. Well, at least their Yorkies had! Gradually though, she did seem to mellow slightly. At one year, while definitely still a pup, she has matured quite a bit (she's almost 14 months now, and is still quite a handful!).


Guard duty
At our summer place at Stoneridge, in Blanchard, Idaho (http://www.stoneridgeidaho.com/), she is known throughout the Motor Coach Village, and she is getting recognized around other parts of the property now. She has been called the "town slut" by some, due to her submissiveness around dogs she is just meeting (she flops over on her back so they can get a good sniff). We are hoping she will get over this soon! Emma has lots of dog friends there, including Abby, Jaxson, Jake, Kate, Cobber, Sadie, Tucker, Yogi, Zoie, and "big" Sheila. By far though, her best friend is another Yorkie, also named Sheila. Sheila is about twice Emma's weight, but that doesn't matter. When we let them off-leash, they play crazy Yorkie games until they poop out. They would do this all day if we would let them.
Emma at 1 year
Emma now weighs somewhere between 5.4 and 5.7 pounds, well within the breed standard. Her black puppy hair is gradually changing to silver. She's one year old, and we're glad she's a part of our family!! Happy Birthday Emma!

1 comment:

  1. From Superior California, I read a lot of your posts and enjoy them very much. If I can find them again, I will be looking for more "adventures". Enjoy!! Beth, etc.

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