We celebrated Mavis’s five-month birthday on June 19th with a new swimming pool. She loved playing with the hose as I filled it, splashed around in it for maybe ten minutes afterward, and then never went back. I emptied it two days later.

We’ll try again. Getting towel-dried was the fun part for her. She’ll roll in wet grass just so I’ll dry her off.

Walks are her favorite part of the day. Weather permitting, we go for a serious walk at dawn–the walk/run I’ve always done by myself. We’ve gone as far as 2 1/2 miles and always go at least a mile. Our average time per mile is about 18 minutes–three minutes slower than without her.

Later, we go for a more social walk. This time of year, peak walking time is right before the sun goes down. These walks are shorter, but take a lot longer. No matter which route we choose, Mavis stops every few houses to see if her friends are coming out to see her.

When they do, Mavis goes nuts. Her pals include everyone she meets, regardless of age or other factors. She’s friends with every friendly dog in the neighborhood and Wanda–a tiny, short-hair chihuahua with six teeth who has finally stopped trying to kill Mavis. Though they tend to keep their distance, she’s also open to relationships with cats.

Mavis graduated from puppy kindergarten and is halfway through puppy high school. We go to class twice a week and are almost always the only students. The training is customized to meet our needs so we get a lot out of it.

We’re working on keeping her from jumping up on people and dogs. She’s great on a leash and has been house-broken for weeks. For five-and-one-half months old, she seems like a very good girl to me–head of her class.