Jam Meets a Horse While Being Puppy Sat

Last weekend, Fred and I jetted off to New York to visit dear friends (and see The Book of Mormon) and celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  We had to leave Jam behind.  But we had an awesome puppy sitter in Heather and her family who opened their home and took him in and took him on some great adventures.  They took excellent care of him! Here is her account of what all he did while in her care:

Jam always kept me company as I got ready for the day. :)

Jam in bathroom.

I kid you not, when I pulled out the camera, he started posing!

Jam posing in bathroom

(Here is Jam on the bathroom rug.)

Jam on the rug.

Here he is in the wheel well on the car ride to school. (They have a big SUV, which is a new experience for Jam! We have very tiny cars (Prius and Honda Fit).)

Jam in the wheel well.

Here are some photos of Jam relaxing at my school desk.

Jam under Heather's desk.

 Here he is not paying attention to the lesson, which is my favorite!

Jam, asleep, under Heather's desk.

 After school Heather took him to her stable to meet her horse Scout.  Jam had never been to a stable or meet any big animals, so this was a huge deal.

Jam, as seen from the top, stepping onto green grass of stables yard.

Jam steps foot on the barn property. He is very calm.

Jam, looking up, still on stables grass.

Here he is with the Stable bench

Jam sitting beside bench that reads Amber Glen Stables.

 Here he is with Heather and the bench. 

Jam and Heather sitting next to Amber Glen Stables bench.

He is walking confidently towards the barn now.

A look from behind as Heather and Jam walk toward the barn.

Jam, walking toward camera, on his way to barn.

Now we are approaching the stable.

Jam,stopped, standing next to Heather, in the barn.

Stepping foot inside the barn aisle-way. His first meeting with Scout.  He's still very confident. 

Jam, leaning up to the stable door of Scout's area.

First greeting with my horse - Scout, nose to nose.  I picked him up, so he could have a better view :)

Jam and Scout are nose to nose.

Scout has pulled back a bit but Jam is still leaning forward toward him.

 (CD- I think this is great! No fear here, just curiosity.)

Heather is holding a 40 pound Jam in her arms!

Jam's just a big baby! :).  Now some photos of Jam and Scout together. 

Jam is on the ground and Scout is 4-5 feet away.  They aren't looking at each other.

Below, Jam seems pretty unconcerned.

Jam is lying down and licking something as Scout eyes him.

Now it is Scout's turn to play hard to get.

Now Scout licks something and Jam looks delicately away.

Sizing each other up.

Jam and Scout make eye contact.

Jam on the stable floor. Having fun.

Jam lying on the stable floor with a happy look on his face.

Jam and Scout, hanging out.

Scout's face in the foreground with Jam in the background on the stable floor.

Jam and Scout, sharing a secret.

Jam is standing leaning up to Scout's nose.

Jam seems awfully intent on telling Scout something.

Jam is sniffing Scout's mouth.

Jam and Scout both look down to the floor.

Curious looks.

Jam and Scout both give each other some curious looks.

 Then, it was back home.  Squinting from the flash.

Jam squints his eyes to protect them from the flash.

 He was keeping me company while I did my homework :)

Jam is on the floor with his wubba and is looking up at Heather.

Jam rode this bus.

Jam is standing in front of a big silver bus.

 And he also went with us to restaurants.

Jam is lying done on the floor.

Under table at the Frog Pond restaurant.

  

Jam has fallen asleep.

  Where he fell asleep.

Summary of Jam's adventures:

Jam had a busy stay with me for the duration of his sitting. He attended school with me at my homeschool co-op for several days and did great! The students and teachers adored him. Being the handsome boy that he is, he received many compliments. He slept under my desk during class hours and happily led me around the property during break and lunch times. 

Jam also visited the equestrian facility where my horse Scout lives. Not once did he show fear. He was confident and upbeat the entire barn visit, with the numerous sights, sounds, and crazy smells he experienced. 

Jam also experienced a ride on a charter bus. He tackled the huge step at the bus entrance, and laid under my seat when we were situated. After his bus ride, we went to the Frog Pond restaurant in Madeira Beach, where we sat near a table with a working service dog named Irish. It was such a neat coincidence! Many of the customers and restaurant staff visited our tables to take a look at the dogs. Irish and Jam behaved beautifully, and neither one really payed attention to the other. 

Lastly, Jam was able to go into work with my mom on the weekend. He was able to see an office environment and explore out of coat. The big "scary" copier machines did not phase him in the slightest.

Thank you for letting me watch your baby! Jam (aka Jammie, Jam-o... he picked up a few nicknames during his visit :)) is a beautiful, sweet little pup, and I wish him the best of luck with his training. Hopefully after his visit he can check off a few more things on that exposure checklist that all of us puppy raisers work so diligently to accomplish!

Your fellow puppy raiser,

Heather