Benelli at Seven Months with her Kids

Benelli is growing fast and becoming quite the lady. The mouthiness issues are largely over, as promised, and she's becoming gentle, except when provoked by "the boy." She's SO smart. She's doing long division now. 

Boys can be lots of fun because they can play tug-of-war and fetch ALL DAY. They have become quite good playmates.

The girls love Belli, too. They can't keep their hands out of her soft, soft fur. They like teaching her to do things like "sit" and "fetch," and they love to give her treats. She makes a fine pillow, too. 

Belli saw her first snow on Christmas day. Here, we show her how to eat it! Benelli mastered her technique for running, jumping and scooping up and eating snow ... all at the same time.

Benelli at 6 months

Belli hiding

Benelli at 6 Months

When Benelli has a toy or treat that she thinks she's not supposed to have, she "hides" in a hula hoop (the Hoop of Invisibility) in the back yard. We haven't got the heart to tell her that we can see her. So I guess it works after all.  

The Bully Stick is allowed, Belli. (They saved us during teething.) By the way, if you have a puppy and haven't discovered Bully Sticks, you might give them a try. Dogs love them, they last a long time, and they don't become a soggy rope like rawhide.

Train Encounter

During a recent walk along a rail-trail in Denton, we noticed a commuter train approaching. Although not as long as a freight train, it was still big and loud. To her credit, Belli stood there and just watched it go by. She didn't hide, flinch, bark or attack. Just watched it go. SO proud!

When she's napping, she really shows how long she is. Tiny little waist, too. Still big feet like frying pans. She's very expressive, putting her ears down for a pat on the head. At night, she comes up on the bed for a little patting time, and when she's had enough, she gets up, jumps on the floor, and walks into her crate. I've never seen anything like it. 

Benelli at 5 months

Benelli 5 months

With her favorite ball thrower (easy throws)

"This is my far-away look." 

Our little Principessa Benelli of Sparta is growing  up so fast. Next week she'll be driving and then it's off to college. : )

Here are some pics from October. Pretty girl. As predicted, once the teething was over (and by the way, that is a violent thing going on in their mouths), she did settle down quite a bit.  

A Grand Romp with Mom, Sisters

It's been two months since we brought little Benelli home. She had a play date with mom Kyrie, sister Blazie and half-sister Astra today. What fun! It has been raining off and on for two days, so everything was good and damp. Woo-hoo! Benelli's timidness from the dog park was GONE and she had a grand romp.

Blazie likes a good belly rub.

Kyrie: "I remember you! How big you've grown!"

The girls pat Astra.

Blazie: "Catch me if you can!"

Water break. Just like old times.

Mom Kyrie supervises.

"Almost ... got ... the ... tail ... "

Run, Forrest, run! (As of this writing, Benelli is still sleeping off the playdate.)

Woo-hoo! Wet grass is loads of fun!
Looks like Blazie doesn't mind getting wet any more than Belli does.

All the girls. Left to right: Astra, Kyrie, Blazie, Benelli.

Astra graces us with a pose. She's such a lady.

Blazie: "Erm ... not so rough, Benelli."
Confidence is not Benelli's problem around THIS gang.

Dog Park - First Visit

We took Belli to the dog park and met some other puppies there. The big dog section was a little to exciting for her, so we went to another section. There, she met a five-month-old Boxer named Bean, a five-month-old Australian Cattle Dog named Brandy, and a bunch of laid-back dogs and puppies. What fun! Here, she's shown in a moment of repose. She showed good social skills, even though she got overwhelmed from time to time. She stuck to the kids pretty well, and interacted with the other pups without fear or aggression. Good girl.

The Ravenous Belly Meets Her Match

Benelli came into this world hungry and she hasn't stopped. In fact, she doesn't stop at food. Like most puppies, she explores with her mouth and everything goes into it. She eats rocks, tissues and all the normal stuff. We've done our best to keep an eye on her and puppy-proof the house. However, a couple of weeks ago, she got ahold of some hair bands (including one with little plastic ends) and ate them.

One week and $1700 later, she's recuperating comfortably.

She had to go to the emergency vet hospital, where X-rays showed us the objects she had swallowed. She had surgery, but fortunately, they didn't have to open up her bowel or intestine; they were able to "milk" the blockage out the other end. So the recovery is going well and she gets her sutures out on Friday.

So now she's a cautionary tale for other mouth machine pups. I re-puppy-proofed the house and this time, found a few additional things that should be put out of reach. The girls no longer drop their hair accessories on the floor and all's well that ends well.

Belli has had her last round of shots, so she's ready for more active socialization. We sure do love our little girly-dog and we're glad she made it through her ordeal. It has not affected her appetite, I must say.

: )

Owies, bath time and modeling

Benelli has been super cute the last week or so, also she is SO smart and easy to train. She and Finnegan are getting along better and are playing and showing some affection.

About a week ago, Benelli was playing on our bed and jumped down, spraining a shoulder. Our vet told us not to worry but that it would take a few weeks to totally resolve, and to "keep her calm and sedate for a week". Lisa's response was "how do you keep a 13 week old Shilo puppy "calm and sedate for a week"?". Benelli is doing much better, no more limp and she has learned to be a lot more careful.

Here are some pictures from the last week or so.

Benelli siting in Dad's lap after the jumping from the bed incident.

Benelli's first bath at home. looks like a huge Chihuahua. 

And lastly, a couple of my favorite pictures from this week, they really show how beautiful our puppy girl is.