Hesitant, Hopeful

This delightfully furry face is Chewbacca, our 10 1/2 month old shih-tzu puppy. If you've read here you probably remember him. If not, that's fine too. He was my/our Christmas present last year and along with his brothers, Anakin and Galileo, Chewbi is the light of my life--well, okay, Matt should technically get that title, but this little monster comes pretty darn close! He's a rambunctious little guy, too bitey for his own good, and Anakin pretty much hates his mad energy (that and having his ears chewed on).

Aside from being constantly bombarded with cuteness, what I love most about having a puppy is how it seems like we learn something new about him, and how he relates to us, every single day. Strangely true and recently I've had the opportunity to have just such a learning opportunity. I should be grateful, but, actually, I'm a little bit annoyed.

You see, I recently began playing World of Warcraft frequently again. For a long time there I only dabbled here and there (read: turned on my account but never played), but I didn't sit for long periods of time like I have been recently. Since we've had Chewbi, I've always been accessible to him in such a way that he can cuddle with me. If I'm on the couch, or Matt's chair, he can curl up with me. In my desk chair, it's not possible. He sits his adorable little self down on my keyboard tray and blocks the monitor.

So, a few days ago, Chewbi decided he had had enough of my constant attention to the computer and tried to do something about it. My desk is so close to the sofa that my chair bumps against the arm. That means that the back of the sofa and the back of my chair are almost always in contact. In an effort to get attention, Chewbi has taken to climbing the back of the sofa, putting both paws on my chair, and laying his head on my shoulder. That picture, right there, is one I took this morning when he scaled the sofa for just such a purpose. The only problem with this is that when he puts his paws on my shoulder, it sort of hurts. He's only about 12 lbs., but his little claws can dig into flesh pretty effectively.

I always joke that Chewbi is the "king of cuddles and kisses." This is true, he loves to be loved and cuddled. So much so that he's going after the cuddles, whether I want them or not. I still haven't decided what to do about him scaling the sofa, or if I'll do anything at all, since he's not technically hurting anything--both he and Ani think they're cats and climb the back of the sofa. I do, though, think it's adorable that he's willing to go to such lengths to be close to me. He really is a gem!

Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, check out those rabies tags! I just noticed it's fairly clear in the picture. You can't even read them anymore because one of his favorite things to do is chew on them. Bitey doesn't even begin to cover it. ~.^