Author: Allie Zottola

Scream laughing, Panera, and violin practice

Hi and happy Friday! I feel like it has been a while since I did a random life post, so that’s what today’s post is all about.

First, I have to ask a question. Have you ever scream laughed? Like when you get to a point that you’re laughing so hard that you’re basically yelling? Have you ever done it in public? I just did last night because Jimmy was putting hats on Mavis in Petco an I just couldn’t. stop. laughing.

Cocker spaniel puppy wearing pink sun hat and sunglasses

She looks like she’s ready to go on a vacation!

On the topic of Mavis, she’s doing great! She is halfway through her adult level II training and can take her Canine Good Citizen test in a few weeks. Eek! I hope she passes. The only issue we’ve been having with her lately is occasional food guarding. She snapped at me the other day when I tried to take a bone away so we really need to keep working on the “leave it” command with her.

Just thought I’d keep it real here. Mavis definitely isn’t perfect, but she’s also a puppy and still learning what is/isn’t okay. Alright, one last picture of Mavis (and her golden retriever friend!) for this post. These two are the cutest and get along so well. Makes my heart happy 🙂

Golden retriever puppy and cocker spaniel puppy hugging with tongues out

Onto other things! I ordered Panera Bread home delivery the other day and it hit the spot. I was really impressed with how easy it was to order from my phone and how fast the food came. Plus the delivery fee was only $3.00. This could be a dangerous new addiction. What’s your go-to order at Panera?

Panera Bread Fuji Apple Chicken Salad and Bacon Turkey Bravo with chips for home delivery

I have a little Jimmy violin update. He has been in lessons since early January and can now play Mary Had a Little Lamb! He told me it is tough to learn an instrument from scratch in his late 20s, but he’s glad he’s doing it.

He said one of the toughest parts is just finding time to practice. We’re hoping he can learn some hymns and be able to play at our church sometime!

Guy practicing violin in kitchenGuy playing violin with dog

I think that’s everything I wanted to blog about for now! I hope everyone has a great weekend. I’m excited for Valentine’s Day next week! Does anyone have any fun plans? I want to hear all about it 🙂

Mavis at Eight Months

Okay, how is Mavis already eight months old?! She’s growing up so fast! I brought her home at eight weeks old, and she was so tiny. Now she’s almost fully grown!

Cocker Spaniel puppy at eight weeks and eight months

New Things

  • Mavis graduated Adult Level I training classes in January and moved on to Adult Level II! She is doing wonderful in her Adult II classes and continues to impress me with how fast she can learn. She now knows how to do “paw” and we are hoping to teach her other fun tricks along with her basic commands.

Cocker spaniel at Petco Positive Dog Training

  • She has been practicing her training in different places like the library, bank, and stores to really keep her focus on meeting and interacting with people in hopes of working towards becoming a therapy dog.
  • Mavis no longer uses her crate except to sleep in it at night with the door open. We now put her and Lola in our spare bedroom when we leave the house and we haven’t had any chewing or bathroom accidents. We watch and talk to them on the Petzi Cam and it’s adorable!

Dogs on Petzi treat cam

Hard Things

  • She has been trying to counter surf! This is kind of funny because she’s so little, but man can she jump. She has swiped a few things off of our counters, so we really have to watch her.
  • She’s still in that “teenage” phase of puppyhood and can just be really challenging sometimes! I have to remind myself that she’s still learning and growing.
  • I was recently walking two other dogs with Mavis and her leash slipped out of my hand. She ran straight to one of my other clients’ doors, LOL. It gave me a heart attack, but it was also adorable the she remembered where her friend lives! Note to self: work on recall more.
Cocker spaniel and golden retriever sitting on couch

Mavis ran from me to try and see her golden retriever friend!

Other Things

    • She still hasn’t gone into heat yet, but I’m guessing she will before her first birthday.
    • Now that she’s out of her crate at night, she tries to sleep on the bed with us. It’s cute, but she’s not allowed!
    • She’s very social. She likes being with people and dogs. She plays really hard with all of my pet sitting clients and then crashes when we get home.
    • She enjoys playing in the snow and tries to eat it.
    • She loves riding in the car. She gets all excited when she knows we’re going somewhere.

Cocker spaniel puppy in car therapy dog in training

I think that’s everything for Mavis’ eight month update! She’s our wild, sassy, and fun little pup and we love her so much!