Rule 32: Enjoy the little things in life.

It’s been just about a month since I drove down to central Indiana and picked up Reilly. It’s been an interesting month. When I got Quinn, he was already seven months old, and had gone through the puppy phase prior to my receiving him. The first week in particular was rough. Took a little while to get her to sleep through the night. I can’t say I enjoyed getting up at 3 AM.

But really, it’s been fun. True, a big learning experience, but still also fun. She’s be a rolly poly bundle of energy. Usually, unless she’s down. It’s quite amusing actually, one moment she’ll be running around the coffee table, the next she’s passed out in the kitchen, like someone flicked a switch. She’s up, then she’s down.

One other thing that’s changed is her appearance. When we first got her, she looked like any other adorable puppy, very cute but not like a corgi. Also, her head was red with a bit of white around the scruff of her neck and the rest of her body was pretty much a solid grey. Now, a month later her head’s still red, but there’s more white around the neck, more of a mane. Also, her body that was grey is much more reddish, like the expected red corgi color scheme. Not only is her body red it’s getting longer and she’s looking more and more like a corgi. Big ears, short legs, no tail.

I couldn’t have gotten this far without Quinn. He’s been the best dog I could have asked for. Somehow he knows exactly how to be the older brother. Not sure where he picked that up, I certainly didn’t teach him that. He play with her excellently, they wrestle and roughhouse alot, but he know just how far to go as to not hurt her. Such a good dog, couldn’t ask for a better partner in bringing up little miss Reilly.

Such is the state of theindiegeek, Quinn and Reilly, one month in.

Sorry I haven’t posted recently, been busy. New job, new games, new dog. That’s right, recently I got a new corgi. She’s 8 weeks old named Reilly. Here are some pics!

Happy Independence Day from Quinn & theindiegeek! Keep hope alive, your morals high, and your fingers un-blown-off!

Took Quinn to the Dunes today, and guess what? He can swim! It was pretty exciting. Enjoy the pictures!

For your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of Quinn.  Mostly at the Dunes, our backyard, and the bathtub. In the pictures besides Quinn are myself and my two sisters. Enjoy!

Quinn

Just got back from a walk with Quinn, who is now curled up on my feet. I’ve had Quinn since November, and he is totally awesome. Very well behaved, cute, and friendly, this Pembroke is truly a great dog. Allow me to enlighten you as to why you want to get a Pembroke, whether you know it or not.

10. Very intelligent – Corgi’s are very smart. They learn new tricks and words very easily, occasionally as fast as a couple tries.

9. Talkers, but not barkers – Quinn doesn’t really bark. He grunts a bit and makes this sound I cannot describe except that it’s his attempt to recreate human speech. It is hilarious. But doesn’t bark.

8. They excel at agility courses – These former herding dogs generally perform very well on agility courses, placing very well in competitions, often winning them outright.

7. Fantastic temperament – I’ve had many dogs over the years, Beagles, Australian Greyhounds, Shepards, and Quinn is the mellowest of ‘em all. Nothing phases him. Not birds, other dogs. Excellent for walking.

6. Short but strong legs – Despite their short length, Pembroke’s legs are quite strong. They can still run decently fast (for short distances), and they really can jump. Quinn is able to jump onto my bed, which is about three feet off the ground. Not bad when your shoulders are barely a foot above the ground.

5. A big dog in a small dog’s body – Corgi’s are small dogs, physically, but they act like dogs much bigger. They act more akin to a Shepard than a Terrier. Quinn loves to roughhouse and run around outside and get dirty.

4. Very obedient – Just got back from a walk with Quinn where I didn’t have to use a leash. He knows to stick around and not wander too far from me. Amazing, especially given their inquisitive nature.

3. Good with kids. And the elderly. And other dogs. And just about everybody.- I have yet to meet someone (human or animal) that doesn’t like Quinn, and vice versa.

2. Very adorable – With that goofy grin of his, and his silly proportions, there really isn’t a time he isn’t doing something cute and looking totally adorable.

1. The ears.

Need I say more?

–theindiegeek (& Quinn).

So incase you hadn’t noticed, I have recently brought another living thing into our house.  At least this time it was intentional.  Quinn has been with us since last Saturday.  He is a seven month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  And he is awesome.

I’ve always liked Corgi’s.  They’ve been on my list of favorites breeds for a long time, up there with Shepards of all nationalities and Collies.  From Ein in Cowboy Bebop, to my friend’s Josh’s corgi, I’ve always thought they were very cool dogs.  So, come graduation and apart from a job, guess what my next priority was?  No, not moving out of the house.  Not getting married (SeeThe Bro Code by Barney Stinson for why not).  Nope, my priority was getting a dog.  And not just any dog, a world-class (or at least midwest-class) Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  That was May.

Now fast forward to October.  The timing was finally right.  Got a steady job, a steady car, steady room at the folks house.  Came time to get a dog.  So I started calling breeders.  Allow me to interrupt myself for a second for a PSA.

When buying a dog, never go to pet shops.  The majority of dogs in pet shops are from puppy mills, which are really terrible things.  You all have heard the stories about chickens on farms.  Like that but much worse.  Go to a breeder or rescue service.  I decided to go with a breeder.

So I started calling breeders.  And I called breeders.  And I called breeders.  And I emailed breeders.  And I emailed breeders.  And I called breeders.  And I emailed breeders and I called breeders.  Get the picture?  Found a few pups, but either wrong color, too far away, too expensive, etc.  Eventually I found a breeder over by Ann Arbor that had (at the time) a six month old red and white male.  She was going to show him, but because of a small defect she couldn’t show him.  See, Quinn had the amazing ability to pull one of his testicles up into his body cavity (past tense, he’s fixed now).  Really, an amazing dog.

So we worked out the details, and agreed to meet midway in Grand Rapids where she had show for some of her other corgi’s (including Quinn’s mother).  Drove up there early on a saturday morning, listening to Guster and Something Corporate on the way.  Sneaked into the show, (really, no joke), and looked for the proper area.  Picked him up, payed, drove home.  This time it was Rilo Kiley and more Guster on the way home.

Then came the week of adjusting.  Y’know, taking him outside every hour or so, feeding him, getting him to not eat our other dog’s food, hoping they play nice, hoping they don’t kill each other, etc.  But really, it’s been great.  He’s a fantastic dog.  Been alot of fun. Very friendly, great looking, probably better looking than me.  He’s like me, but prettier and awesomer.  So yeah,

–theindiegeek (and themightyquinn) out.

Here are some pics of Quinn, my new Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  He’s 7 months old.

On the Kitchen Floor

Mom's got a treat...

Searching for food...

Look at those ears!

Quinn

Look at that face...

Going for the treat...

Everyone pays attention when there's treats around