The dog at 10 months is much improved from the miserable, bratty, pants-tearing cur she was just a few months ago. She's still a puppy and therefore a pain in the ass: She chewed a bunch of holes in my favorite rug this week. She keeps the cat in a state of mortal terror. She growls at us disturbingly when she's chewing on the stupid bacon-flavored plastic log we got her.*
But she is also calmer, more obedient, and a lot more fun. We can actually kind of play fetch now, and every once in a while now, on a walk or as I'm patting her head while I watch TV, she'll look up at me and I'll get a glimpse of the sweet, steady companion I'm hoping she will be. It feels fantastic.
It helps that the bitch will do anything for a treat.
*HTF do they impart bacon flavor to plastic anyway? I probably don't want to know.