The First Year

A year ago, our lives took a turn and went straight to happy land!

On September 6, 2012, I landed in Tiendesitas and bought all the essentials for the puppy that we're getting that same afternoon. I spent quite a lot on a large wire crate (I thought he was gonna grow real big), 5 kg of food (which I was stupid enough to think would only last for a month), a clicker (which later on proved to be useless), three toys (all of which are now broken), a huge retractable leash (which I massacred when we needed a long line in school, and it's a lot more useful now), a huge collar (I was stupid enough to think we were getting a big dog, not a little puppy, so we had to buy a smaller leash and harness the day after), soap, shampoo, and a comb. My brother and I were interviewed by the breeder the night of September 5, and the day after that, we went to Ortigas with our driver to finally meet the puppy who endured the trip from Laguna.

Odie was inside a crate which carried two other puppies who also went to their new families. Since we had no travel crate yet, we put the precious little puppy in an eco bag as we made our way to the car. We unleashed him inside the car to get a good whiff of his new humans. He was really shy, took tentative baby steps, and was mostly asleep on the drive home.

One of Odie's first photos. Poker face!

Sleeping 8-week old Odie

Looking at Odie's baby photos, I couldn't believe we really had such a small pot-bellied puppy! Time just FLEW and he grew up pretty fast. I looked through his albums and saw how I used to carry him with just one hand. I remember his first time with a leash and harness (I was afraid to use a collar) and it took a while for him to get used to it. The first few days, whenever he wore a harness, Odie would lay flat on the ground and would refuse (or forget?) how to walk!

Most of the time I spent (and am spending) with Odie is focused on training. We were lucky enough to have found a training center 10 minutes away from our place. From the time he was a week shy of being three months old, Odie started formal training at Pet Centrics, and then proceeded to Basic Obedience (Beginners), followed by Basic Obedience (Intermediate). He graduated all three classes with honors (meaning, toys).

Third place, Puppy Class, November 2012
Photo from Pet Centrics

Third place, Basic Obedience (Beginners), February 2013
Photo from Pet Centrics 

First place, Basic Obedience (Intermediate), April 2013

We weren't able to get individual photos of Intermediate Class graduation as Doc Marose's brother (and Pet Centrics' official photographer) was unavailable at the time. I only took a photo of my baby in the car, except I couldn't get him to sit still. The photo above was the best we could come up with.

Odie proceeded to sit in at the Basic Obedience (Beginners) Classes in April and July of this year. Because of his enthusiasm (thanks but no thanks to my tiger mom ways), Odie landed a TV spot for the dog training feature in TV5's Good Morning Club. He is also Pet Centrics' unofficial demo dog because training involves lots of treats, and treats make Odie very, VERY obedient. 

Odie breezing through the agility course
Photo from Pet Centrics

After doing his job in class, he gets to play with the other students and has a really good time.

Odie with his favorite playmates, Barney (Labrador Retriever)
and Chief (West Highland Terrier) 
Photo from Pet Centrics

 When given idle time at school, he surprises me by being a brilliant poster boy.

Posing in front of the agility course with his signature smile

It's been a year since this family met the crazy dog who brightened up a stagnant household. Lots of dog owners ignore their most loyal companions when they are no longer cute puppies. It's been a year, and Odie is no longer a sweet puppy. He's not the perfect, most obedient dog, but I'm thankful for him every single day.