Muppet's getting Handsome

So, we've continued to trim away the mats and the dirty fur, and it turns out that under all that filth, Muppet's actually a pretty good looking dog. Come to think of it, Sam's not half bad looking either. :)

Hazel & Muppet Finally Play Together

So, these photos are actually a few days old now, but this week we were finally able to let Hazel and Muppet play together. We gave Hazel her second set of vaccinations on the 25th, and that meant she could finally have contact with other dogs. We waited a day for her body to process the vaccines, and then finally let Muppet into the front yard with Hazel. 

I was a little reserved about this- Muppet has been steadily growing more and more active, but I wasn't sure how he'd respond to a puppy jumping up and trying to play with him non-stop. As it turns out, Muppet's as much of a puppy as Hazel is. Seriously. 2 weeks ago, I would have sworn that this dog was elderly and on death's doorstep, but today he was as playful as the 12 week old pup.

And they play so well together. They run and jump and chase each other, one minute one will be the chaser, and the next they'll be the chased. Muppet is very gentle with Hazel- he can fit her whole head inside his mouth, but she never squeals in pain or panic, he always knows when to back off and let her breathe a little. 

For Hazel's part, she's learning so much from playing with Muppet- he lets her know when she bites too hard or when he needs a break in a language she can understand, and I think that she's finally learning how to be a dog- at least a little bit. Honestly, Muppet is just about the best thing that could happen for Hazel. I'm so glad he chose to adopt us. 

Also, now that we're looking at him with a new set of eyes and seeing him as this young, energetic dog, we're going to have to start getting some tools to train him! And figure out vaccinations and getting him fixed! And getting him home (if he ever puts on the weight we think he might, he'll be enormous...) But all these problems are for another day. Today, we're just happy that our dogs are playing together. 

Muppet's First Haircut

Now that he's eating two square meals a day, the shaggy old boy is starting to show some renewed energy, and we're starting to slowly trip away the mats that he's got all over his body so we can see what's going on under all that fur. 

She loves The Slop

Today we discovered that Hazel loves to չփչփացնել ("chpchpatsnel" or, as best I can translate "to splish-splash") in mud puddles. God help us all. 

Consolidation Point Meeting

A few weeks ago, I was the fortunate winner of a packet of Taco Seasoning in a Peace Corps contest. Today, we got the chance to share the wealth as our entire Sisian Consolidation Point group (all 11 of us!) gathered in Sisian to meet with Vahagn, our Safety and Security Manager. The point of the meeting was to establish a chain of communication and a tentative action plan to be executed in the event of an emergency in country. But the real highlight of the day for me was Sam's homemade lavash-tacos and having the whole group (minus a few folks who couldn't make it into town before the actual meeting itself) over for lunch. It was a fun day. 

Sam Loves Muppet

Muppet doesn't really move from his spot against the wall in the garden. Unless we go out to see him, he just sleeps all day and all night. But when we do go out to see him, he's such a sweet dog. He's just really happy to have us sit next to him and pet his head. All we have to do is give him a kind word and his tail starts thumping away against the ground. And Sam loves it too. 

Dog Walks

We go on regular dog walks with Hazel in the mornings and evenings. This has actually been a great integration tool for us- we get stopped by our neighbors all the time on these walks to chat and catch up while the kids play with Hazel. This is especially true in the evenings when it seems like all of Sisian comes out into the streets to relax and socialize. We have to go pretty far outside of town to get some serious walking in. Still, its' a really nice feeling to be part of the neighborhood in this way- even if it did take our quirky American attitude towards dogs to get us there.