Plastic bag spit balls and meeting new people...

Tripp's first time with more than one person in the pen...





Tripp gets to meet Brian's daughter, Madison....



Thursday evening before the storms hit I thought I would tie some plastic bags on the panels of Tripp's pen. He came out to check on me when the wind picked up. Of course those bags started making a racket and poor Tripp freaked out! The one close to him made noise, he jumped up in the air, turned and landed facing it! Then the others started in and he jumped and turned again, then the wind came in hot and heavy and all the bags started making noise. He looked terrified, squatted down low and was shaking like a leaf, and I almost cried because I never wanted him to be that afraid of anything while he is here. :-(

At that moment I decided that night wasn't a good night to work with him, so I gave him the night off from me. He had enough to think about. He spent a while under the canopy (no bags there). I started feeding the other critters after convincing myself that he would be okay. When I came out of the barn, he was poking his head around the corner to check out the evil bags. He never did completely relax while I was out there, but it was better than when he first noticed them.

Friday morning I went out to feed and most of the bags were gone! ACK! I walked around the pen and mixed up with the mud were a bunch of bag pieces that look like he was using them as spit balls! Great! Now I am worried about him eating plastic....that can't be good! I will keep an eye on him.

In spite of the crazy storms we have been having, Friday was a good evening. I decided it was time for Tripp to get used to someone else being in the pen. Up until now, it has been only Tripp and myself. He did so great!!! My husband Brian came in the pen and Tripp looked at him and was a little uneasy at first, but he quickly settled down and let Brian pet all over him and lead him around. I was so proud of Tripp!

Then I asked Brian's daughter, Madison, to come in the pen. She didn't want to at first - she was scared. Her and her brother are city kids and are afraid of everything country - I am working on that! :-) I finally talked her into coming in the pen, and told her she could stay by the gate so if she got too scared she could just leave. That was acceptable to Madison, so in she came. Tripp was so cute - at first he buried his face against Brian, then he stuck his nose out for Madison to touch. Brian's son Jordan was outside the pen, and Tripp decided to go sniff on him a little bit too. Yay!

After our group session, I just worked on petting and rubbing all over him. He is getting much more comfortable with that. He is still tense at times, and doesn't want me around his hind end, and he will get pushy about keeping me away, but it isn't as bad as it was. I think he is realizing that the pushier he gets, the pushier I get back.

I am very pleased with how the evening went! I spent well over an hour with him. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the time goes with him.

Until later....... Tripp and Karen