Wednesday, December 30, 2009

I Am ONE!!!

I am one year old today and because of that I finally get to post on the blog! It is called Settertails, which is plural so the blog shouldn't just be about Niamh (and her complaining about me).

I've put a lot of pictures in my post so you can see how I've grown from a little puppy to a big dog.

Here I am at 7 weeks old with some of my littermates. I'm the one in the red collar. This is the first time that I met Barbara. She liked me right away. She said that she wanted a "mushy male" puppy.



This is the day she came to pick me up from my breeders. I was sad to leave my siblings but little did I know that I was going to have a new sister and lots of adventures.



We had a long drive from SC to my new home. I did a little exploring and then crashed on my new bed (a bed that I eventually ripped to shreds).



You can see that Niamh was not really thrilled with me at first. I wanted to be close to her since I missed my littermates. She did not think it was a great idea for me to share her bed or her toys. She had to teach me to respect her.



I had a lot to learn. Barbara exposed me to lots of people, places and new things to socialize me properly. I love to go in the woods and explore.



My first time in the snow.



Niamh decided that I could stay and I learned to play great bitey face games with her. She was very gentle with me when I was little and taught me excellent bite inhibition. I never put my teeth on human skin and I have a soft mouth.



To help me be a well socialized pup, Barbara introduced me to dogs with good social skills. Here I am with my friend Cherie.



This is me on my first track. I love tracking. The smells are great and I get good treats too.



Of course I went to puppy class. I learned to make nice new dog and people friends. We also practiced obedience skills. My recall is great. It is all positive reward based training so I really enjoy it.



Barbara took me to interesting places so I would get exposed to lots of new things. Here I am at a garden center.



Scout is my best friend. We get together frequently for walks and for bitey face and chase games.



Niamh always says that I am goofy. Well sometimes I am. But mostly I am very sweet. Barbara says so.



Since I am a Gordon Setter, I am going to have a lot of long hair which requires quite a bit of grooming. Barbara got me used to the grooming table by putting me up on it for short periods and giving me lots of treats. It is really not that bad. I don't know why Niamh makes such a big deal about it.



You can see in this picture with Scout, that I am growing up.



We played in the pool during the hot summer.



We like to get silly together. We are puppies after all.



I get to go to the dog park and meet other dogs. Barbara is very careful about who I am allowed to play with. Here I am making friends with a Boston Terrier. I do like little dogs.



Look how big I am in this photo taken last month.



I'm still a pretty goofy boy though.



It has been an exciting year. I know that Niamh complains about me a lot and she is sometimes horrified by my behavior but I am trying hard and I am just a teenager. Barbara is my special person and I am the mushy boy that she wanted. She thinks that I will make a great therapy dog when I am older. I know that I still have a lot to learn before I am grown up. I am very glad to have all of you as blogging friends.

Since this is my first birthday, I am not sure what to expect. But I understand I may get some presents and treats. I hope so!

15 comments:

Tama-Chan, Benny, Vidock, Violette, Ollie, Heloise, Momo, Ryu said...

That is a very sweet post, Ambrose, and we all wish you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We loved all the photos. You are growing into a very handsome boy.

MurphyDog said...

Happy Birthday Ambrose! One of my favorite doggie friends at dog park is a Gordon Setter named Rags. He's a ton of fun!

wags, wiggles & birthday slobbers
Murphydog

Dexter said...

Ambrose! Happy birthday! You are so lucky to have Niamh for your sissy to teach you how to be a good dog, but you are still kind of a doofus.

I liked looking at your silly puppy pictures. Goodness, how to puppies manage to be so annoying and endearing at the same time?

I think at only one year old you are still kind of a teenager, so mind Niamh, OK?

Slobbers,
Mango

Lucy-Fur, as typed by Dr. Liz said...

Happy Birthday! I love looking at puppy pictures!!! And I know what you mean about how cool it is to have a big sister to look up to (or, in my case, as I got bigger, and she didn't, look down to) to learn the ropes. And Mango is right - you are still a teenager!

*kissey birthday face!*
-Fiona

D.K. Wall said...

Happy Barkday!

Lindsay said...

Happy birthday!! And what a handsome boy your are!

Clive said...

Wishing you a very happy birthday Ambrose! You have grown into such a lovely handsome boy and we're sure you would make a wonderful therapy dog!

Best wishes,
Clive and gang

Hero said...

Happy Birthday, Ambrose. It's been great watching you grow up into the handsome and polite dog you are now. Niamh may complain every once in a while, but I'm sure deep inside she's proud to have a brother like you.

Gus, Louie and Callie said...

Awe how cute you were..
Happy Birthday a bit late..


Big Sloppy Kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie

Agatha and Archie said...

Well little buddy HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! and A HAPPY HAPPY NEW Year to all of you!! You might as well know ,now that you are one ,that I have been giving your sister a few little tips(but really all ones meant to help ONLY you little buddy) As for goofy?HAHAHAHAHA you MUST meet my brother!! and as for mush face??HAHAHAH you MUST meet my brother( I on the other hand only dole out mush on my terms..I am a girl terrier don't ya know) Hope you had a FABULOUS birthday!!! lvoe and a million kisses A+A

Unknown said...

Aw..Ambrose, I know Niamh may not agree but my humans and I think you are just GORGEOUS!!!! Happy Birthday!

And I think you are so lucky to have such an knowledgeable human who did all the "right" things with you as a puppy, so you could grow up into such a lovely dog. I think if all puppies could have such a good start & continuing education in life like you, there wouldn't be so many doggies in shelters! My humans wish that they had someone like Barbara to advise them when they got me as a pup (and their 1st dog) as they made lots of mistakes and didn't know things like choosing the right playmates for me...Hsin-Yi hopes that they will do better with their next puppy!

Anyyway, welcome to the blog world and hope to hear from you lots more now!

Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane

Lorenza said...

Happy Birthday Ambrose!
I am sure you had a pawesome time celebrating your big day!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza

Molly the Airedale said...

You are such a handsome boy, Ambrose! We're glad your mom got the mush that she wanted!
We hope you and Niamh get to celebrate your special day with ice cream!
Happy birthday, Ambrose!
And Happy New Year!

Love ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Ambrose!
Hope yo see you soon and play.
Your cousin,
Coby

Samantha ~ Holly and Zac ~ said...

Belated Happy First Birthday wishes, Ambrose. We can't believe how quick that year has gone by.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a very happy new year!. :-)