This year Mother Nature blessed us with a beautiful Easter Sunday with clear skies and temperatures in the high 60's.  Our friends Mark and Susan joined us for a picnic in the foothills of the Sapphire Mountains southwest of our home.  It was Stella's second time out into the big world and she was in the company of four other dogs and four people.  You know it's a good thing when the dogs outnumber the people! After a short hike we settled on a lovely north facing slope under the shade of a large Ponderosa pine tree.  Stella was much more interested in what was in the picnic basket than anything else.  At one point she managed to get her head stuck in a zip lock bag that contained a small slice of bell pepper.  She wasn't about to give up trying to get that slice out of the bag!  Eventually she joined the other dogs exploring the hillsides trying to keep up with Sophie who is always off looking for something to dig up.  Several times when they would disappear from sight I would test Stella's recall skills and call her to come.  Without fail she would appear over the hill running quickly to me, and Sophie was right on her heels.  I will say it again, this one achievement with her is the single most important thing she has learned so far.  To know she will come to me without question could save her life some day and it also demonstrates that she knows it is in her best interest to do so.  It is all part of her accepting Kent and I as her Alpha pair and knowing that her very survival depends on her looking to us for any decision she makes.  We have been very consistent about giving her the correct signals in our every day lives that tell her we are in charge.  It is paying off!
Last Friday was Stella's four month birthday and this last Monday she received her third set of shots including her first rabies vaccine. We also went ahead and had her micro chipped.  There were a few whimpers and she wasn't having any of that thermometer being put in delicate places but Dr. Boer said he thought she still liked him after it was all over.  Another couple of weeks and she should be able to venture into public areas where other dogs are roaming about.  As a matter of fact, very soon she and Gordo will be spending two weeks in a kennel as we are taking a vacation.  My plan is to take them there sometime in the next week or so and leave them for a day just to get to know the people and place ahead of time.  It is a very reputable kennel and I know they will be very well cared for.  I think it is a good idea for Stella to get used to a kennel early so that it is not a traumatic experience.  Most of the time Gordo was left with friends which was great except he didn't learn about kennels and when it was necessary to use one he was very stressed.