Charlotte: 9 Months

Brace yourself for some extreme cuteness, because it's time for Charlotte's 9 month update!

Charlotte is 9 months today (4/14/15), and has been ours for 7 months next week. She weighs about 35 pounds. She keeps getting longer and taller, but hasn't started bulking up yet. She's also grown into her ears, which is good for hiking, but also makes me sad that she doesn't trip over them in that cute, awkward way anymore. She's also hiked nearly 100 miles with us!

When we hiked Mt. Wrightson a couple weeks ago, we hiked with a guy who grew up owning many different Basset Hounds, and he said that he had never seen a basset have so much energy for anything, aside from eating. (He also said that she'll continue growing till she's at least 2 years old, and gave tips on how to make her bay. Sadly, singing to her hasn't worked so far...)

Of course, all that hiking takes place on the weekends. During the week, we are usually at home, and Charlotte loves to be involved with whatever we're doing. Sometimes that means just sleeping nearby, other times that means helping put together puzzles. And maybe even stealing a few for herself.

Charlotte also likes to get into the laundry, recycling, toilet paper, my shoes, and Curtis' rock collection. Her favorite things to steal are the water shoes I wore in while hiking through the Havasu Creek, and Curtis' sample of travertine rock from Supai. I think this means we need to take her to Supai with us next time. She'd love it there. :)

The only time that Charlotte spends in her kennel is when we're gone, or while we're eating. She just can't keep herself away from our food! We are still suckers for the puppy dog eyes, so I guess you could say this is our fault... Here she is, scoring some sorbet. ;)

I know I've shared this picture before, but I just love how happy she looks. I love having her around all day while Curtis is gone. While we still have our disagreements which end up with one of us in time-out (usually Charlotte), we have fun together, just as long as there's enough outdoors time.

She's becoming more of a hunter every day. It used to be just flies that she would chase after, but now this has expanded to bigger bugs, birds, and lizards. She has yet to catch anything bigger than a cricket, but maybe one day she will learn to chase the creatures she was bred to hunt.

We've been getting into more set routines when it comes to going to bed or waking up. Charlotte will sleep wherever she wants during the night, we just have to understand that if she isn't in bed with us yet, we need to make sure we're comfortable and have adequate space and covers before she comes and takes that away from us. Then, right around 6 every morning, Charlotte will be our own little alarm clock when she jumps on the bed and licks our faces off until Curtis takes her outside. I appreciate him so much for being the one to get up first, but I know when he's in the Navy, it'll have to be me. :p After he takes her out, they'll usually come back and snuggle with me until either Curtis has to leave, or we're ready to wake up for the day.

When late afternoon rolls around, Charlotte can be found in one of 2 places: Either helping Curtis with his homework, or helping me make dinner. She has become more respectful with keeping a distance from me and not chewing on my feet while I work. She's always willing to help clean up the floor or dirty utensils whenever I need it. But as soon as I have our food on the table and Charlotte's food is in her kennel, she magically disappears - hoping to get out of being locked up while we eat.

And our biggest news is that Charlotte now has a boyfriend. They grow up so fast! Where did our little baby go? She met Max while hiking Wrightson a few weeks ago, and they hit it off right away. It was as if they had known each other their whole lives! Max is a Mini-Labradoodle, about a month older than her, and is full of energy. It's not hard to see why she likes him - he is absolutely adorable and cuddly like a teddy bear! When they're together, they can spend hours just chasing each other all over the place. Max is one of the only dogs Charlotte plays with that can not only keep up with her, but wear her out! We are so happy to see her with such a sweet young dog (and his owner is even sweeter!) ;)

Here they are, in a very rare moment of standing still. This is just way too much cuteness for one picture. :)

A few months ago, Charlotte would have been way more timid around other dogs. She used to only run up to someone who wasn't walking another dog. However, ever since her stay at Kennel Nirvana, she has become quite the social butterfly with all dogs! Her experience was truly a very positive one, so I'll just say it again - if anyone in Tucson is looking for a kennel for dogs or other pets, check out Kennel Nirvana!

And finally, here's a picture that sums up why Charlotte loves going outside so much. The manager at our apartment keeps dog treats in her office, so Charlotte loves paying her visits. I'm pretty sure she can sense that she's here when we walk past her car in the lot. Yesterday while we were taking a walk, we walked past the car and she made a beeline for the door. The manager happened to be at the moment, but Charlotte decided that she was okay with waiting a half hour for her to come back. As our luck would have it, the manager happened to still be on the property and showed up shortly after this to grab something from the office. We all had a laugh over Charlotte's true devotion to getting what she wants, and then she got the treats that she deserved. :)

And that's our Charlotte! We couldn't be happier that she's a part of our world. We still think that she is the most adorable puppy on the face of the earth (but only because it's true). This summer may hold many different transitions for her, so it will be interesting to see how she handles it. So far, she's always just gone along with whatever we throw at her, so hopefully she'll be able to enjoy the adventure as much as we do!