Kona did really well on her second night with us. She woke up around 3:45 to go potty and again at 5:30 and 7am. When she goes to the bathroom at night she immediately goes potty and gets ready to come back inside. We are very happy she is catching on so quickly!
This morning Kona had plenty of energy again. I put on her harness and walked her down to the juicery so I could get some juices for the day. She was a very good girl and walked the entire way! This is great progress since yesterday she only walked about 10 steps from our house to the juicery. She learned how to walk on her leash by watching Bailey and it has stuck. Yay!
When we left the juicery we ran into a family with two little boys that had a skateboard. The boys loved Kona and put her on their skateboard. They were such cute little Manhattan Beach skater boys. Here is a picture of Kona skateboarding with them:
[Pic of Kona Skateboarding]
After the juicery I spent some time throwing one of Kona’s toys back and forth to tire her out. I wanted her to be nice and sleepy so I could put her in her crate and shower and get ready for the day. We played for awhile and then I put her in her crate and went to take a shower. I heard her whining like crazy and it was the most I’ve heard her do that. I went to the crate and petted her and then went back to taking a shower. She was still whining but she had just gone potty so I knew she was just sad to be alone. I let her whine and took a shower. It was very hard to do but I knew she needed a little tough love. And sure enough, by the time I got out of the shower I went to check on her and she was in her crate fast asleep. I am just happy the neighbors weren’t home to have to hear her whine like that.
While Kona slept I got some work done. She slept for over 2 hours which was super helpful. In fact, she slept all the way until it was time for her to go to her first vet appointment. The breeder had recommended that we get Kona to the vet for her first check up within one week of her arrival. I scheduled the appointment for Friday because I wanted to give her a day to settle into her new home but also make sure to get her to the vet and make sure she is healthy and in good condition after the flight.
I wasn’t sure how to get both Kona and her crate down the flight of stairs in our place. Since she was sleeping, I decided to carry her to the car in the crate. She woke up and was a little disturbed but she seemed okay. When we got in the car she whined and continued to whine and cry the entire way to the vet. I kept talking to her in a soothing voice but she was not having it. I even tried singing “Pretty in Pink” to her (it was on the radio) but she whined even louder. I guess she doesn’t like my singing!
When we got to the vet we saw another golden retriever in the waiting room. We sat down next to her and the owner and I started talking. The owner told me her dog’s name was Daisy and I remember meeting a golden retriever puppy named Daisy in Manhattan Beach about a month ago. Turns out it was the same dog! What a coincidence. When I met Daisy and her owners I told them how we were awaiting the arrival of our puppy from Alaska. And then they got to meet her. So cool.
Then we met Kona’s vet, Dr. Steen. He has a golden retriever himself and he was so great with Kona. Kona weighed in at 10.0 pounds exactly. She had to give a stool sample which she didn’t like so much, but she got it done! After the doctor examined her we went through all the standard puppy questions and a list of all the vaccines she will need to get. The doctor also talked through pet insurance and recommended a provider for us. We are definitely considering pet insurance as we think it will be a wise investment. Kona won’t have all her shots until she is 16 weeks old, so we have to keep her isolated from any areas where dogs without their shots might be. No more strand for Kona.
After the vet I took Kona to the Bia headquarters and she met her new friend and puppy intern, Anna. Kona loved Anna. We think the feeling was mutual:
[Pic of Anna with Kona]
After Kona’s big outing we came home and she took a nice nap. Then Marion came home and we had dinner and took Kona for a walk all the way to the end of our block. We are amazed at how many new neighbors we are meeting just by having a pup. It is pretty cool. After dinner we snuggled up and watched Breaking Bad while Kona laid next to us on the couch fast asleep. It was very sweet. Happy Friday night to us and many friday nights to come. We love our little girl!
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