Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Well I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday week so far, I know I have!!! I woke up to lots of presents for me to open up, and I was in doggy heaven opening all the presents as they were all for me!!! Mommy sat on the floor and laughed while taking my picture and she has yet to download them. I want to post them for you all to see. And Mandy well she was just not that into opening gifts but she liked her gifts.

Mommy always gives her a can of wet food on the holiday's and this year she gave her this cool plastic mouse with wheels that moves really fast. You pull it back then let it go forward and it zips around and Mandy loves chasing it, so fun to watch. I think mommy took a picture of her playing with it too. It snowed last night and well as a matter of fact it is snowing again right now. I love snow. Mommy let me out on the deck last night and I ran around and did some spins and sprints on the deck as the snow was falling and I war trying to catch the flakes.

Mommy then took me out back to play in the yard and laughed while I did major sprints and ran in circles and around trees and bushes and out of sight and as it was dark, she laughed because she could see my white body zipping back and forth. She laughed so much I knew I was entertaining her so I kept it up to make her laugh. It is so cold out right now, I do not know how to tell mommy that I want and need some snow boots!! My paws get cold out there in the snow, and it is so freaking cold outside when we walk I want to be able to stay out longer than a few minutes. I keep lifting my paws up and holding my paw one by one in the air, hoping it will give her a hint but so far nothing. I suppose I should pull up a web site after I am done posting and hopefully she will get the hint.

Mommy also bought me a very cute and handsome collar that I am wearing in the photo, she says it makes me look classy. She also bought me this new and very ( I have to admit it) preppy new collar and leash!!! It is blue and kind of checkered with different colours but it is masculine and distinguished looking and I love it of course!!! She says it is a special occasion item because it is so pretty, uh I like to use the word masculine, and when she walks me downtown or takes me on vacations with her or to events then I can wear it, but she also allows me to wear it on walks, but not to the dog park. She knows sometimes I pee on my leash and she does not want that to happen so I think she will be on strict observations with me when I do get to wear it.

I mean come on I am 11 now so I think I can manage not to pee on it, well maybe because I am 11 I may not be able to aim better due to age and could end up peeing on it, that would be something I can see happening so maybe she is right. I will agree this time. But too maybe she will allow me to wear it in the house sometimes just to make me feel special and in fashion. Ohhhh I may actually find a girlfriend wearing this too, it really is a beautiful piece of work. Mommy has good taste. But I really do need and want those booties, maybe she can get me a hat to wear as well, that would be nice and a sweater. She saw a sweater for dogs downtown so maybe she will go back and get it for me, you know it would be nice to be warm and protected during this cold weather. As I get older I feel I need to be pampered more.

Of course in the house I just snuggle up to mommy every chance I get to stay warm and to feel the love, I love feeling the love from mommy as she really knows how to give me the love. And I love her too because she spoils me so much, just yesterday she gave me a very special holiday treat that she got from the vet, a kind of treat that fights bacteria in my mouth and helps clean my teeth and it is a raw hide and I love raw hides, it is awesome, woof!!!!!! Just awesome and groovy! When she goes into the kitchen I follow her to see if she is going to the cabinet so I can get another one.

She is onto me of course and just laughs and tells me to go to my Matt. Now sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't!! Like the other night when someone came to the door, for some reason i was wired tight. I began barking and barking like crazy and she would not open the door until I settled down, I was on my Matt where she told me to go and every time she turned her back to go to the door I would bark, then she would turn around and tell me not to talk back to her and to be quiet, but then when she turned her back I would bark and she was not happy.

I on the other hand found it amusing because I quickly learned that by barking when she turned her back she would turn back around and come to me, just like a child, but it worked. Eventually she did manage to get me to be quite, and the poor visitor in the cold thought they had the wrong house as mommy was not opening the door. Finally she did and finally they came in, and I of course was the sweet little pup everyone loves and it was no wonder the visitor said, "Oh you should not call him Outlaw as he is an angle" Haaaaaaa!!!! Little does he know that I do live up to my name, but not so much since mommy has had me to herself. Anyway, all is good in our little family and now I am going to lay down on my Matt and watch the snow fall outside and find a way to get mommy to buy me some booties!!!!

Alum Creek Festival of Lights

Wow what a fun night we had!!! At the dog park we learned that Alum Creek has what is called the Festival of Lights and so mommy and I went. For the first time ever she allowed me to sit in the front seat and have a nice experience looking at all the lights with no obstruction. I was a little afraid at first. I was never allowed in the front seat before. So after some gentle encouragement I hopped in and had a wonderful time. I was awestruck at the beauty all around us. I was not used to having such an unobstructed view before and I was totally taking it all in.

It was huge, lots of beautiful light figures and decorations!! The night we went it was nice outside, so we could roll down our windows and truly enjoy all the sights. So many fun images and very bright colors. I enjoyed sitting in the front row but not when we left the show. I was not used to all the headlights coming at me. Mommy saw my distress as I began to drool, a huge sign of anxiety so we pulled over and she put me back in the rear seat where I promptly felt better. All those cars coming at me made me feel as if I had no protection and even though she seat belted me in, that was truly funny as one movement from me in re-positioning myself I came out.

She just giggled and was like, noooo this wont work. But the light show was only 10 mph, so it was safe and I did enjoy all the beautiful colors and fun images. I did smell the water though as it is near a huge lake, but mommy said "no swimming buddy, not tonight" and I knew from that tone of voice I was not going to be allowed to jump in. I can so easily see me costing mommy almost 800 this year in baths, heee heeee. Hmmm, not funny right. Oh well. She loves me and takes good care of me so I am blessed, and happy this Christmas to be on this new adventure with her and to be able to explore the area with her. Canine boot camp was a great thing for me as I walk so much better now with her and I heel well, there is no more pulling and she is able to walk me in a crowded street and window shop and I sit at each window and wait till she is done. I have learned trust me that if I want to hang with mommy more I need to be on good behavior.

This Christmas we are all very happy and blessed. We all have each other!!!!!

I met Santa!!!!

Whooo hooo!!! Mommy did it, she finally did it!!! She took me to meet Santa for the first time in my entire 11 years on this earth and I was over the moon happy to meet him!!! He liked me too, he said I was a good boy, does that mean I am getting lots of presents this year?? I think so, mommy tells me I have been a good boy this year too.

Now, just because my sister, Mandy is not in the picture don't fret. She had no desire to venture out into the cold to meet Santa. She is a rather bah humbug king of gal. poor baby, but I am going to buy her something very special this year. I still can not get over meeting Santa. Mommy found out where he was going to be and showed up with me in tow and voila it was done. Mommy has a way of making things happen. I think she carries around magic dust from time to time just to make my life exciting.

She also took me to see the festival of lights and it was amazing!!!! I will have to put that experience in another blog, she actually allowed me for the first time ever to sit in the front seat of her car to see the lights better!!! It was fun. Tomorrow night we are going to the training facility where I endured book camp and we are going to use my paws to paint a card and Christmas wrapping paper. Mommy finds the funniest things to do with me.

Here is a funny note though, she has spent over 100 dollars since Sept in bathing me at the Mutts and Company pet store. She I know loves me dearly and allows me to swim or play at the dog park knowing i will get dirty and then she bathes me. We actually received a discount the last time we went as mommy spent 100. They said she is a valued customer, hee heeee. We were looking at a house, an old converted 130 yr old farm house with a beautiful river behind it and she took me with her, needless to say I found the river and jumped in and got dirty.....well, that might be a driving point not to get that house!! She would never be able to let me out unsupervised for fear I will run and jump in.

Rightfully so as I would do this, just like I did last January when she took me to the frozen lake in VA and I ran and jumped in, ice did not bother me and I had so much fun rolling in the mud. My first post talks of that. I guess being named Outlaw fits me, although when people meet me they say I am not an Outlaw at all but an angle. Nice knowing I have people fooled. Not mommy of course but others yes. Mommy is my biggest love in my life, we are best buds and really does take great care of me and I am so glad she has me, my life is filled with constant love and warmth and protection and not to mention a very nice life.......

I am the man!!!

Well I had a wonderful day today with mommy, she took me to the local dog park and it was soooo much fun!! It was a fenced in dog park located at Alum Creek and it was fenced in and I ran free and played with so many dogs. Mommy was surprised, I mean surprised at how I left her side and just ran free and played and did not worry about where she was and played till I was tired. She was very happy with the experience as it showed her I am able to be away from her and have fun. Actually this was the first time we went to a dog park and the experience was wonderful.

She met a nice woman there and that chatted while I played. Now mommy still has me on the E collar to keep me in line with my training and well if you have read any of my past posts you will know already that I like to hump other dogs, or try too. OK, so some things we can not, no I wont say can not, choose not to change about ourselves. And one for me is humping. I noticed that even though I am not watching mommy the whole time she is watching me.

I think she picked up on my stalking this male dog around the park and with her keen observation she waited for the move, and when she saw me do the sniff then begin the walk to the rear and WHAM!!!! I felt the tiny zap, and knew it was not something I should be doing. And I stopped that real quick. And then she continued to watch me as my stalking did not stop, I do not know why but I was drawn to that fury little rag o muffin. And anyway, mommy did what she does best, she distracted me and had me sit and it took my mind off what I was doing, or wanted to do. And then I played some more and then I was totally surprised as mommy took me to the lake to swim!!!

The dog park has a swimming area for dogs and although it was muddy, my favorite thing not mommy's, she let me go for a nice swim and then of course I rolled and rolled in the mud. At one point momm y threw a Frisbee and guess what, yep, it sank to the bottom. Now what in heavens name would make her think for one second it would float?????? So there I was swimming and swimming and there she is on shore yelling at me, "sorry buddy who would have thought it would sink" and so I swam to the other side about 100 yards away and then swam back to her. I know in my heart if I had any trouble she would have jumped in with clothes and shoes on to get me, bless her heart. Maybe I should have attempted a fake drowning to get her to come after me, would serve her right for throwing my Frisbee in the water and having it sink to the bottom!!!! Heee, that is OK, we are cuddling tonight together so I am sure I will get back at her with a little bed hogging.

She did give me a nice warm bath after the swim, but boy was I dirty, and then she allowed me to sit on her favorite piece of furniture. And I did, I love sitting on couches, the floor is beneath me, giggles. tomorrow is Halloween and I am so excited to wear my pumpkin costume and greet the kids!!! Maybe I will work on my bark and scare the little ones who knock on the door, hee hee hee. Mommy's evil side is rubbing off on me, or maybe I am rubbing off on her. Either way, we are two peas in a pod. Well, I am beat, totally beat and think it is time for mommy to give me an ear rub, belly rub and neck rub, in that order and then to put me to bed. I am not spoiled if you think that I am, no really I am not spoiled at all. Image of me smiling!!!!!!!

Howl-o-ween at Acme Canine!!

Woo-hooo, I was a pumpkin!!! Finally after all of my 11 years mommy found a costume that fits me perfectly!! We were thrilled when she found this costume at a local store called Mutt's and Company, and it fit wow, mommy was amazed at how well I allowed the hat to stay on my head, of course before I went to training boot camp I probably would not have allowed it, the post below this one tells about about my experience with Acme Canine training and how I am a new dog now! Mom bought this outfit not only for Halloween but for the Howl-o-ween bash at Acme Canine that we went to this past Sunday and we had so much fun. When I got home I crashed as I was pooped out.

They had fun games for dogs and pet owners alike, we played tic tac dog, I think that is what they called it, anyway, we were divided up in teams of sits and downs. If you were on the sit team, you had to sit when your owner placed you in one of the grid's squares and if you were a down you were supposed to lay down in your square. Which ever team got all their dogs to form a straight line won. Now the kicker is, if one of us dogs who were sits and down did the opposite of what we were supposed to do then the other team got a point, and if you got up the other team one a point. Our team lost, it is much harder to keep a sit position than it is to keep a lay, I did very well but then this little sexy dog with a pink costume walked by me and I gave up my sit for a sniff and we lost the game. Rats!!

Well then we went to the next game which was musical chairs, how fun that one was. Actually our owners walked us around some hoola-hoops on the ground, and when the music stopped our owners had to get us to sit inside the hoop. Who ever was left not sitting inside of a hoop was out. We lost that game too. And then we had the balance a ball on the spoon race, that was very funny as all us dogs just wanted to jump up and grab the spoons but our owners were trying to walk with the ball balanced on the spoon and who ever made it to the finish line first won, we lost that one too. All in all we had the best time ever!! There was this maze which mommy laughed so hard during my attempt to find her, that was beyond funny to her but eventually i did find her and it was full of hugs and praises.

And then we had a professional portrait taken and I got some treats and then I got some fun time playing with other dogs and we all went on a dog walk parade. All the dogs and owners were dressed up and it was fun as mommy and I never did this before and it was a blast. Acme canine does a lot of fun things and mommy is so happy and so am I that she found them.

When trick or tr eaters come to the door this Halloween I am going to greet them with good behavior with my costume on and wont grab their candy, like I say in my post below, I learned how to "leave" it, and guess what, mommy also uses that command for when I try and sniff crotches and I listen, no more molesting visitors when they come to our home, damn, that was my favorite thing to do.........

Acme Canine Training, move over Dog Whisperer

Mommy pulled a fast one on me recently. After our move I became a little more clingy than normal, lets just go ahead and call it separation anxiety OK. When mommy would leave me to do errands I would bark and bark and bark and bark until she came home. Perplexed with my new habit she actually tried to find out if the dog whisperer could come and help me, but not able to wait she did what Cesar Milan's website said to do, enlist the help of a professional dog trainer in your area and that she did. She contacted Acme Canine and they came to our home and met me and spoke with my mom to find out what was going on, they explained that I had separation anxiety all along but it had become more intense with the move and training could help with this.

Mommy learned so much during just that first hour visit and quickly realized she had contributed to the separation anxiety big time by spending so much time with me and letting me sleep with her every night and cuddling together, we both like that and I am a lab so I really like it but when mommy would leave me I still wanted that close feeling and well, I began barking to soothe myself because mommy would spend so much time rubbing my ears and belly and back and we were inseparable so it was hard for her when they presented her with the best option for my situation. 2 weeks at their facility where they would train me and work with me all day and help me build my confidence to be alone.

Mommy had a hard time with not seeing me for two weeks but she was told this was the best plan as I needed behavior modification and having me at the facility with training all day to work on my issues and re-learn the sit position and lay and come and wait position ( OK so I had re-defined those to meet my likes) it would help me greatly and they had the time where mommy did not have the time to spend all day working with me, plus they knew how to train and mommy did not.

So I went to boot camp!!!! I learned how to walk on the cat walk!! That was fun, I was so afraid at first but my trainer was patient and gentle with me and encouraged me to do it because she knew I could do it, and I DID IT!! And then I even sat down while at the very top! We had many fun exercises and activities and I learned how to be quite in my crate and not bark when someone came in the door. I did re-learn the sit position and come and wait and down, they even taught me how to leave the treats until I was told I could take it. And that was hard for me as I LOVE my treats. Mommy was able to see me twice during my time, to work with me and learn how to continue the training. I had so much fun seeing mommy and she was so happy and I was so proud to show her my new tricks and how well I followed commands. She saw me as more confident and happy. And mommy almost cried when she saw me so happy.

Mommy said that the Acme Canine trainers were just as good if not better ( they are local) than the Dog Whisperer, it was truly as if Cesar Milan had trained me himself, she saw a new dog and oh get this, I even walk so much better with mommy now, I learned how to heal!!!! mommy loves this new learned behavior and when we walk now mommy is so happy as I walk so nicely with her and we are able to window shop and explore together because I am not pulling the leash so hard that mommy's hand turns red from all the rubbing and so forth. And I am happier too because I am more confident in myself and I am proud of all the things I have learned to do and because it makes mommy happy too as she is so proud of me and does not have to worry about me barking all day while she is away and getting myself worked up and freaked out.

The other great thing about Acme Canine is they have fun social activities for pets and their owners!!!! This is in my next blog!!

Moving

Well, mommy and I are about to head out on our adventure, it feels like just yesterday she brought me home and showered me with lots of love and attention.  We have been through a lot together, from daddy leaving to other personal losses, but the whole time I have been her support and best friend.  We are packing the house right now, well, she is and I am supervising.  Occasionally getting under foot but she just pats me on the head and gives my ears their rub and sends me on my way.

Now the car trip is going to be rather interesting, my sister does not like to ride in the kennel so she needs a little help IE, medication.  Uh huh, hope it helps her as we really do not want to spend hours upon hours listening to her meow at the top of her little lungs, it sounds like she is dying.  And there is no way to hold her or comfort her so we hope this works out well.  We saw my favorite Vet Brooke and she gave mom a prescription for her and we tested her out and she seemed pretty mellow to say the least.  She kind of looked like a stoned kitty.

Anyway, the house is an utter mess, mommy had a moving sale this weekend, she did very well, and now we are just finishing up all the little tid bits here and there and packing and doing errands and going to the dump and blah, blah, blah I am already tired just writing it and I am not the one doing it.

OH mommy was so funny yesterday, she is so sweet, we went to do errands together as that is our thing, and we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for mommy to get a large iced coffee as she needed caffeine and she bought me a kid portion ice cream, and then pulled over and fed me.  She said she wished she had a camera because I had all this love in my eyes while eating the ice cream.

It is  a rare treat so I was in heaven and digging it!  Well, mommy is about to disconnect the computer and pack it away so I just wanted to get on here and tell all my friends and Brooke that I will miss you guys so much and hope mommy and I are as blessed in our new place as we were here in making friends and finding a good vet!!!!  Oh well look at that, I have to go lick mommy's face and wake her up so she can finish packing us up so can get out of dodge!!!!!!!!  So glad mommy got me and not daddy :-)  He proved to not be too good at being there when things get tough and with mommy no matter what I know she will always be here for me and sis, and us her.

Sniff, sniff..........bye bye Brooke

Oh what a bittersweet day I had yesterday.  I went to see my favorite Vet, Brooke, yesterday and it will be the last time I do see her.  Since mommy and sis and I are moving at end of month, we wont be able to come to Brooke for our check ups, and shots and belly rubs and it was sad, mommy almost cried in the office when Brooke was saying good bye.

She has been my vet for wow, over 6 years if not more.  When mommy and my then daddy first got me they took me to this vet that was close to our home, and I was 9 weeks old, and they quickly learned that they did not like this vet as he kept talking about me and calling me a girl but clearly I was a boy dog, and mommy looked at daddy and said, "hmmm, how can you miss that" so they opted to get a new vet and then they found Buckeystown vet and wow, it has been bliss since.  But Brooke did not come on board till I was around I think 5 or 6, and she was the only one mommy wanted me to see as we had a connection and I like Brooke.  She always gave me so many kisses and hugs and belly rubs and was just so sweet.

I hope I find a vet or mommy finds a vet as talented and nice.  Lately as I have gotten older, I have been scaring mommy big time with these new fatty lumps that I seem to be getting and mommy rushes me right in for a check up.  So, lets just say since January I have been to see Brooke about oh close to a dozen times but I knew in my heart I was going to be moving so I wanted to make sure I got my visits in.  This last time mommy was pretty worried, she found this new lump on my neck and brought me in but Brooke took a biopsy and found it was just another fatty lump, she called them old man lumps on the other visit.  Only mommy worries about everything, so I take advantage of that you know what I mean.  Haaaa.  But, it was a sad day as it was my last visit and I am going to miss everyone at Buckeystown Vet because I was always well taken care of even if boarded and when groomed and when I had my teeth cleaned and the good ole, snip, snip.

So, well, I was so sad yesterday but mom brought Dakota over as we are watching her for the neighbor's next door and that was well, worthy of it's own blog post!!!!

OH YEAH!!! IT"S MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Oh yeah!!! I am 11 years old today!  I had a fun day with mommy, she had friends come over for dinner, and they were nice, I really liked them.  They brought mommy a gift, Mozart, we will listen to that together.  Then after they left, mommy shared a very small piece (bite) of chocolate cake with me, then she brushed my teeth.

Not sure I enjoyed that as it was directly after the bite of cake, so there is this lovely chocolate flavor then a burst of chicken flavor.  Well, after she spent around 200 for my teeth cleaning a couple of days ago, I kind of figured she would keep up on the brushing.  

Then we went out on the deck and Dakota was outside, so mommy asked if we could have a play session and then Dakota came over to play.  You know, I figured, a young sweet lab comes to play, it's my birthday and well, I thought it would be OK to get my groove on with her.  But nooooo, mommy said when I tried to hump Dakota "I did not bring her over as your birthday present, it's your birthday, but not your b-i-r-t-h-d-a-y, get me!"  Basically meaning that just because it was my birthday it did not mean I was going to get a cool birthday present but hey I tried, what do dogs do right???

OH YES!!! WE ARE MOVING SOON!!!! Our house had a buyer and only after 2 months, so we are all excited, mommy, sis and I.  Mommy said I do not act like I am 11, she still sees me as a puppy and I do act like one, probably because she takes good care of me.  I try not to pay attention to the vet bills, she takes me all the time.  She is one of those overprotective mommies but I love her, I think my sis is going in soon, like Monday.  Mommy wants her checked out as she seems like she has dry skin, hell, I just say throw some water on her and she will moisten up, oh damn did I just say that????

I love my sis, she is fun.  Oh so sweet, the other night in bed, she actually rubbed her face on me and I think wanted to get close and give me love, but I am so afraid of her devil claws I do not want to take any chances.  Therefore i moved away from her approach. Mommy said I was being mean, but hey I have to protect myself.  Always anticipate an attack that way you wont be caught off guard!!! Well, it is my birthday and I am getting sleepy so good night.

Zombie Pets

I took this picture in the dark of me and my sister to show mommy how her eyes glow in the dark (Which freaks me out) but mommy said after looking at this picture that she has zombie pets because both our eyes glow, but she loves us anyway and for me not to fear my sister as my eyes glow at night too.  But I think my eyes look this way from the camera's flash, but look closely at my sister's eyes, they look white!!!!!!

And it is not the flash I tell you because when there is no flash and it is pitch black in the room, and I look at her when she is laying next to me, she lifts her lids and all I see are glowing white eyes.   In earlier posts I stated that I fear she is the devil's spawn, and now I fear I have proof, she acts so innocent when mommy is around but then alone, those eyes, those eyes, they haunt me!!!!!!

My beautiful sister, Mandy

So this is what my sister Mandy does all day, she sits near a window looking for birds.  We have three beautiful trees in front of our home and she sits there every day looking at all the little birdies that she wants to pounce on, which is OK, but NOT AT 6 AM IN THE FREAKING MORNING, she makes this cackling sound in the back of her throat when she sees one she wants to eat and it wakes me up from my peaceful slumber.  Mommy has tuned her out but not me, I hear a noise and I am awake, ready to protect the house and it irritates me to discover it is my sister playing some kind of 007 game in the early morning hours.

And mommy wonders why I sit and stare at her with such disdain in the early mornings.  I just sit there and stare at her and I swear she smiles back at me, I swear she does, her little whiskers flicker and flicker like she is giving me tiny little smiles over and over again, she always finds a way to get me.  She is just jealous that I got to go to canine spa, but hey, I would love for her to go with us, I would love to see her in the pool (image of me with an evil grin) but mommy wont allow that.  

I am Mommy's boy but Mandy is Mommy's girl, and she really is a princess in this house, but I am the prince, mommy balances us out but we do fight for her attention and we do things to each other when mommy is not home that I am sure mommy would pull her hair out if she knew, but she does know about Mandy stalking me.  She has caught her doing that a few times already.  But lately Mandy has not done that either in front of mommy or behind her back.  Hmmm, I guess that evil spell is over which is good.

But I do like to chase her when mommy is not home and we run around like mad dogs, I think mommy knows something was up when she comes back from the store as she can see skid marks on the carpets, and by skid marks I mean a tuff of fur here and there in a straight line from the quick zip both Mandy and I do when we dig our claws into the carpet to stop ourselves and turn around and face the other.  It is a quick stop, mommy is not a dummy, maybe that is why she has been taking me everywhere lately with her.

But all in all, Mandy and I do love each other, as a matter of fact, she really loves me, when daddy was with us Mandy kind of stayed to herself a lot, but once he left she came out of hiding, she even began rubbing up against me, rubbing her head on my head, sleeping next to me, and now at night, she, mommy and I all sleep in the same bed and even though it is a kind size bed, we still do not have enough room, but Mandy is very cute when she sleeps, and so soft, occasionally we actually touch while sleeping and then in the morning we go right back to "don't touch me" mode.  We love each other, and she is my beautiful sister, even if she does get on my nerves from time to time........

My new indestructible toy, has worn me OUT!!!

Well mommy did it, she finally did it, she found me a toy that gives me full mental stimulation, exercise, treats, and wears me out.  She found it at the Pet Loft,  you put treats in it which are hard to get out!

We are talking about a good hour entertainment here and it is FUN!!  She helps me out at times when she sees me struggling to get a treat, she will come over and pull it out a little to give me an edge, but this toy is unbelievable for sure.  It is made out of some kind of rubber that is soft so it works against your efforts, you would have to try for yourself to understand.  It also comes with this large disk like treat which is so hard, a knife wont cut it, and trust me mommy tried as she struggled to get it in the correct way and she did not have the strength to pull the rubber apart to get it in.  Once you get it in, you do not get it out unless you have canine teeth and tongue to eat it, which provides at least two days worth of entertainment, but cleans teeth too.

Which is why mommy bought it, she has been trying to clean my teeth for me, but that has never worked, and soon she will be taking me in to get my teeth cleaned, but in the meantime, she gave me this toy and we both love it, she is my best buddy, she is always finding something new for me play with and new places to go to, like the canine spa, WE WENT AGAIN LAST WEEK!!!! YEAH!!!  I love that place, I swam for over 30 minutes again, with the pool all to myself and had a blast!!!

Mommy would throw toy after toy for me to run and jump in after and I did a great job, as always, I am a water dog of course so to expect me not to do a great job well, that would be underestimating me and my desire and love for the water.  Mommy promises to find a new spa for me when we move, and hope that is soon, we are hoping our house sells quickly!!!  It is very hard for her to keep the house spotless with me in it, as I like to shed, oh well, sue me, but hey, I probably would not shed so much if she would not rub me so much and massage me so much and chase me in the house and wrestle with me so much.  those things do make my loose hair fall out, and she does brush me, oh yes she does so do not think she does not do it.  We sit on the deck together in the evening and she brushes me over and over, but I just shed.  

She even brings my sister Mandy out to sit on her lap and brush her too outside, it is so funny, sometimes I wish Mandy would hop down and get away from mommy so I could chase her around the yard, but mommy would not like that one bit as Mandy is an indoor cat only, but hey, what do brother's and sister's do anyway but have fun right, and give each other hell.

She gives me hell, I give her hell, and all is well in our household.  And then of course the real balance in our household comes from mommy loving us and caring for us with all the love and affection that she has for us, we are truly a happy little family..

canine spa

OK, not my best look I have to admit, my eyes look a little strange, but I had a blast at the canine spa in Dillsburg, PA!!!  Mommy took me as a surprise, it was such a long ride, 50 minutes and well worth it when we got there and I discovered I was GOING SWIMMING!!!

I have the best mommy in the world, it was a grand surprise to say the least and I swam for a little over an hour.  Mommy and I had the place to ourselves for about 40 minutes then five other dogs showed up but by then I was pooped and ready to go home.  

So mommy washed me and dried me off then loaded me up and we went home where I was in need of a massage as I am an old man and swimming that long was good for me, but a little tiring.  Mommy knew it was time to leave by watching me and if not for her I would have stayed there all day and collapsed from exhaustion, when it comes to water I have no boundaries and will swim and swim till the cows come home!

Mommy did a great job rubbing when we got home, she does it so well, and then she tucked me into my dogie bed and covered me with a blanket and I slept all night, it was a good day and she promises me it will be a weekly outing for us both.  Now, if I can only get the cat to swim we can have one hell of a family outing, but I just can not seem to get my sister Mandy to enjoy the water, when mommy leaves us alone I try and dunk her in the toilet but she runs away and hides.  Oh well, still need to work on her but only when mommy is away.

I want to suck your stuffing!!

OK, so I like a little vampire action here and there so sue me.  This is my favorite stuffed bear, he is a Halloween bear and just playing with him makes me want to bite his neck, and the stuffing is so tasty how can anyone dog pass that up.  I find a little rough play with my stuffed toys keeps me sane.  I enjoy a good bite session and as I have advanced in age I have kept my toys in tact, no stuffing oozing out from ripped seams, I just bite and bite and bite, and if stuffing comes out I eat it.

Although my favorite thing to do is take my toy outside with me but mommy does not approve of this as i end up leaving them out there and then they are ruined, like Ducky, he has been out in the elements for three weeks now, but mommy promised to wash him and make him close to new again.  I just love that little yellow squeaky duck.  Mommy found a new game for us to play, it is called "toss the treat" mommy throws a treat in the back yard and I run after it, I get great exercise this way as I run and keep running as I want a treat.  I for some reason just wont run after a ball and bring it back to her.

I usually make her come to me to get it and then have her throw it again.  I like this game a lot, but mommy says it is not normal, she should not be retrieving, I should be, so she came up with this new game in the back yard and I have to say, I like to eat so I run and run for those treats.

And just when I think I have her trained, ha, she comes back and finds a way to get me to run.  You may think I am lazy but I am not, I just do not want to run, it is a choice.  I choose not to unless there is something in it for me, like a treat, then I run.  And now it is time to turn in as we have a long day tomorrow getting the yard in tip top shape. 

I am back with Mommy, YEAH!!!!

I was so happy to see mommy and as soon as the door opened I ran out to her and welcomed her home with lots of tail wags and wet kisses and so much love, when we got home I ran to all of my toys and picked them up one by one in a frenzy as I was so excited and could not decide which one to play with.  Mommy was so happy to see me too, she could not get over how much I missed her. 

She was smiling from ear to ear and gave me all the belly rubs and kisses and ear rubs I could ever dream of.

My visit with my daddy was minimal to say the least.  I actually stayed with my grand pa and grand ma, my daddy did not bring me to his new house with his new family.  I stayed with my grand parents and they loved me and played with me and walked me.  I am not surprised at all by my daddy not wanting to spend time with me.  When he left he just forgot all about the life he built here and walked away and did not turn back, the funny thing is though, he should have looked back because only when you look back can you see a brighter tomorrow.  I feel sorry for my daddy, he thinks the grass is greener on the other side, but even his friend who had an affair and left his wife told him that the grass is not greener on the other side.  And when he wakes up in the morning he says good morning to his ex wife before he says good morning to his present wife.

So, daddy will forever and always have to live with what he did and accept what he lost because when you turn to an affair as a way to make you happy and do not work on a commitment then you are bound to never be happy and make the same mistakes all over again.  It is like running away from a problem, but you can not run when the problem is you.  I am not saying mommy and daddy's marriage was perfect, but when you marry a person you say the vows, "For better or worse, for richer for poorer and in sickness and in health"  when the marriage needs work you need to work at it, not turn to someone else outside of the marriage as a distraction and then run from your problems.  But, anyway, mommy is so much more happier now than she ever was being married to daddy.

She lost who she was in this marriage and since he left she has found herself again and she really enjoys not having anything tie her down, she gave up so many dreams for daddy.  So many things were given up for him and he never gave up one damn thing for her.  So, mommy has a brand new exciting life ahead of her and in a future post, I will make sure to post the turn of events that my daddy could have shared in had he stayed and worked on the marriage but opted not to instead and that leaves him out of sharing in a wonderful, truly wonderful thing.......it pays to live up to  your word like, "I promise to always tell you if our marriage is in trouble, I promise to tell if you if I feel attracted to someone else, I promise to tell you if I am not happy in our marriage, I promise to always work on our marriage and never just walk away."  Yes, daddy did not do any of these things he promised mommy.

Instead he cheated twice, then left her and me and now, what he always wanted more than anything else in this world, is about to land in mommy's lap and she is very happy she will not have to share that with him.  And I am happy she kept me, because I get to share this with her but more than that, I am glad to have her as my mommy because she loves me so much and takes such good care of me.

I am not too sure what to make of this

Well, I am not too sure about the turn of events.  Mommy is going out of town, and instead of leaving me in the house and having the neighbor watch me and let me out and feed me and play with me, she is letting Daddy take me for a week.

Mommy and daddy are putting their house on the market, so while she is gone, he offered to take me for the week so the house could still be shown.  Mommy was happy he asked as he has not seen me since last year and it has been two years since I last spent a week with him.   He kind of forgot about me, I wish he was letting me stay with him because he missed me and wanted to see me but he only offered because the house needs to be shown still.  Anyway, I am not too sure how I feel about this.

I think I will be nervous and excited to see him again.  It has been such a long time and I love my daddy.  But I love mommy more because she is always with me and treats me very well and loves me and spoils me.  I know daddy has a new dog, I think he name is Zoie, hmmmmf, what ever.  Anyway, I just hope he is happy to see me and spends time with me and rubs my belly and  plays with me and remembers the good ole times we had together.  This will be my last opportunity to spend a week with him as mommy and I and Mandy will be moving.  I know mommy will worry about me, but I am sure I will be OK.  I will miss her greatly though, and I will do what I always do and send her an e-card reminding her how much I love her and miss her and to wish her a happy mommy's day!!!!  Well, this is my last night with mommy so I am going to go and spend as much time playing with her as I possibly can and give her lots of kisses and hugs.  I truly hope and pray daddy will be happy to see me and show me some love.  Divorce is hard on everyone, even the pets.

Now that is a kiss!!

Well, welcome to my world of being the most spoiled dog ever!!  Mommy's friend Tina gave me one hell of a kiss on Sat when she came to visit mom.  Mom's other friend Joy dressed me up and then Tina well, she just felt the over powering urge to kiss me, I know I am a looker, handsome, hunk, and irresistible and adorable all rolled into one.  When mommy takes me downtown everyone stops her to pet me and comment on how cute I am .  No, I am not stuck on myself I just know I am cute and work it.  I work it for food normally, but a kiss, well that is cool too.  She was not a bad kisser either.  Not that I have much experience in that area, but I was pleasantly surprised.  She can come back anytime!!!  I bet Dakota would be very jealous if she saw this picture.  

OH baby!! I am in heaven!!!

OH MY Goodness, I was in dog heaven on this day!!!  Mommy's two friends, Joy and Tina came to spend the night and this was my first time meeting them and they loved me, I mean they LOVED me!! I got a tail rub and an ear/head rub. My two favorite areas were being rubbed and scratched at the exact same time.  They were laughing at me because I was making my happy noise.  I could not help it, it felt sooooooooo damn goooooooood!!!

I kept thinking, "don't stop, oh please don't stop, I love you, more, more, more!!!"  And they must have read my mind as they continued rubbing me and laughing and having a ball.  I think they got more out of it than me, Tina even gave me a little kiss, I will have to make that my next post entry as it was one hot kiss.  I had so much fun with them, and they even played with me outside a little too.  Of course they were here to see mommy but to meet me two but I did not get to go with them for lunch but I met them on their return and I got a lot more love from them again.

I am one spoiled dog, and I love it!! Thanks Tina and Joy for a wonderful, relaxing, invigorating afternoon!!!

Ah come on, please????

Meet my new friend Dakota, young, sweet, female and one hot momma.  She and I had two play sessions in one week.  The first time ever, and she is fast, I mean physically fast.  She can run circles around me.  I find her as attractive as I find Jake, now Jake is still my first and only true love, but when Dakota comes over and swings her Hiney and I just loose it.  

I tried to sneak up on her at one point but she caught me and let me know right away she was not over for a naughty play session. OK, so I am a male, a 10 year old male so I tried.  

I like her though, we live next door to each other, she lives in Jake's old house.  Jake would let me jump on his back and get a little action in of course it was the dominance thing but still, Dakota wont allow it, but I bet I can work her into submission.  Although she is a hard one to catch.  It seems I try this with all dogs, heeee heeee, well OK, so I am the kind of dog that likes pleasure, dogs will be dogs right?

I got caught!

Damn!!  I brought ducky out again to play and mommy caught me, she was not too happy because Ducky had complained the last time I took him out because I was playing with Jake and I forgot about Ducky, or was it that I played too hard with Ducky but what ever reason mommy told me I could not bring Ducky back out again, he was an inside toy.

Only when she was not looking as she has been super busy I grabbed him when she let me out and was having fun sunning with him in the back yard when I forgot about mommy until she snuck up on me and caught me.  She was not too happy, but she let me play since she said I was having so much fun with Ducky and just to make sure and not leave him outside again and not to chew on him too hard.  Which was nice of her, I mean, it is not like she is playing with me right!! She has been so busy she has not walked me in three days, she told me I could get two extra walks once she was done to make up for it, but she hurt her lower back lifting that wooden chest yesterday and is moving really slow today, and she has a deadline, 10 am Friday morning!  Doubt she is going to make it but she says as long as she can take frequent breaks to rest her back she will stay up all night to get the house in tip top shape for potential home buyers to walk through.

One thing she did do tonight though was let me play with Dakota from next door, a 1 year old black lab who lives in the house Jake used to live in so I had a lot of fun big time!!!!!! We played for 1 hour while mom mowed the yard and weed wacked, it was nice.  I am very tired but hate going to bed without mommy but she wont go to bed until tomorrow some time as she is busy, but I had a nice play session and hope to have more.  Dakota is a cute one, she is not Jake but she is a close second, nothing like having a soft furry animal buddy to snuggle up to.  Just hard to keep up with her as I am a geriatric fella and she is a prime young pup.  I am just not he young man I used to be, but here is to still trying!  

I almost got killed today!!

Whew!! I had a close call with death today and it left me a little shaken for at least an hour today.  Mommy has been trying to get the house ready for the Realtor and for the public to come and look at the house.  The Realtor told mommy to move some furniture around and remove some from certain rooms to make rooms look bigger.  Well today mommy was having a difficult time moving this handmade wooden chest up the stairs and finally reached the top, I was at the bottom of the steps supervising, and she let go to move something that was in her way and then it happened!!  I heard mommy scream, "NO, NO, NO!!!"  Two times and I was frozen and mesmerized by this wooden chest doing flip flops back down the stairs and heading right for me!! I moved in the absolute last minute and mommy cried.

She was so worried the wooden chest was going to seriously hurt me and I seriously had only seconds to move before it landed at the base of the stairs.  The funny thing is, that handmade wooden chest survived the tumble down the steps and it did not crash into any of the walls nor did it scrape or damage anything on it's way down.  I was amazed, which goes to show you that if you are going to buy anything of good quality, you probably want to purchase something hand made.  Those can take a licken and keep on ticken, or better yet, they can take a tumble and live on to rumble.  OK, OK, so I can not find anything that will rhyme with tumble but my point is the wooden handmade chest was so well made it survived a fall down the steps and lets face it, if you had purchased something store bought, assembled via assembly line, I doubt it would have survived. 

That was my only adventure today if you do not count getting the chance to sniff the AC man's crotch twice, LOL, mommy was so embarrassed as usual but I just could not resist getting a sniff in as it was right there, right at nose level, so I smelled.  It is not like I buried my nose in his crotch, but hey, given the chance.  What is really funny is how these repairmen that I do it too try and act like nothing is going on, which makes me wonder if they actually like it you know??!!!

I mean, mommy will raise her voice firmly and say no!!  And they just say "Oh it is OK" and keep on talking to her, as if nothing was going on but something was going on, my nose was in their crotch, but like I said, not a one tried to stop me or move, not a single one and I am 10 1/2 years old and I have been doing this since I was a puppy so over the years I think I have accosted at least 12 repairmen, and not a one flinched.  Go figure ;-))))

Well, it has been a long day today, mommy stained the deck yesterday and then it rained today and it was not calling for rain, and she has been packing and cleaning and fixing and just watching her today as exhausted me, at one point she actually looked at me and said, "do you think you can grab this end for me" then she laughed.  You know you would think that my daddy, the dead beat ex, would help mommy out with getting this house ready for market, but hey, he wont even help her in the sharing of repair work that needs to be done to this house like he is supposed to per the court agreement, but that is another entry, do not feel like thinking about him right now but another funny thing is this, he actually asked the Realtor is mommy was being cooperative and what is funny is that this is coming from a  man who is supposed to help with repair costs and wont fork over a penny, so really, which one is being cooperative and uncooperative?? ;0(

I have this saying in canine world, "If you leave shit to be stepped in you too will step in shit", you really need to learn how to treat others like you would want to be treated, it is sooooo simple

Love is in the air!!

Now,  I have to say I love spring!!!  All the birds and flowers and tons of time I spend outside with mommy just make my heart leap for joy.  Plus the warm weather is a blessing, I love to lay on the deck and sun myself while listening to the birds sing in the trees.

You can just see the joy in my face as I gaze up with such love and merriment.  It is during this time, spring time, that I find myself loving all things around me.  Even the air is filled with a myriad of aroma's that wet my mouth and make me want to drool puddles and puddles on the deck.

I am not speaking about romantic love, my love is Jake, I am speaking about the love which equals the depths of being re-born, like loving a new you, spring brings forth new beginnings, life to the dead, it awakens the spirit which has been shut in by the cold and dark winter.  I love life, and I love spring because it is a reminder that those things that are in the past and gone, are gone, a new beginning is right around the corner.  

Now you may wonder what kind of new beginning can a canine be talking about, well you see, a new beginning means a new city to live in, a new home, being closer to family, helping mommy start her life again, in a new direction, living the adventure, it is fitting that she is planning to move us to another state, to a new home, to be closer to her family, our family, and it is poetic and more meaningful to me that we are about to embark on this new adventure in the spring time.  Spring is a metaphor as new bulbs, buds, petals all push their way through the thorns and thickets and dead leaves and dried twigs to reach the sunlight and bloom and blossom.

My mommy and I have been doing this for a very long time, since daddy left, and then since her mommy died, we have endured years and years of long cold winters, but now spring is here, literally here, and mommy has been pushing and fighting her way through all the dead leaves, dried grass, thickets and thorns and twisted and knotted debris that only winter has, to begin to bloom and blossom, she is almost at the point to where all flowers reach the sun and open up and drink in it's warmth.

She is so close right now, and the move and enrolling full time in school will be her breaking through the dark, cold bitter season of heart ache and loss.  Through it all, she had me and I have her and together we will set out on this journey and together we will make a happy new home and enjoy all the sunshine life has to offer us.  This is why I love spring because not only is it really here but metaphorically is has been a long time coming and I welcome it with open arms.  

Come on I dare you! Touch my ball and see what happens!!

Go ahead, try it, just try it!!  Do not for one second think you can come into my yard and try and take my ball from me!!   Mommy and I live next to a day care center, our yards back up to one another and we are separated by a fence.

Those little tykes keep trying to take my ball from under the fence, sometimes I forget when I am playing not to leave my ball too close to the fence, mommy has had to retrieve many a toy from the day care children's little grubby pudgy fingers after they have worked their slinky little arms under the fence and grabbed my balls and toys.  We did not notice that the fence has a large hole in it near the end but now we do.  

I was playing ball with mom and left it near the fence and came and sat by mommy on the deck and was sunning myself when I looked up and noticed the kids going after my ball using a stick to bring it closer to them, well enough is enough, I ran to my ball and just dared them to try.

 A few mean looks and a few loud barks and the little sweet darlings got the hint.  Doubt I will have a problem with them again but lets just say those little fingers better never come across my property line to go after my toys again as I will have to drag them over and make them my new play thing.

Well, I did it, I pushed mommy out of the house and into the car and drove her to the park for a nice long walk.  It is so beautiful outside and mommy was and has been busy with getting things ready and paying bills and all sorts of boring stuff so I just grabbed her and went.

We had fun, at first it was a little scary having mommy as a back seat driver, always yelling at me to slow down and yelling when the light was yellow!  Whew was I glad when we got there and I gladly gave her back the keys and told her she could drive.  I wonder how she feels now being the passenger, she never hears me barking at the top of my lungs when she takes a curve too fast and I slide in the back and talk about those sudden stops she likes to make for animals in the road like squirrels, just run them over already!!! Anyway, we had a nice long walk, met some new friends on the walk and she let me off leash which was nice too.

Then we did some errands together, I love it when she takes me shopping with her, did you know that Home Depot lets you go inside their store with your owner!!???  THEY DO!! Mom was told she could do this when she was buying carpet back in September and they told her to bring me in and not leave me in the car, she thought they were pulling her leg but the carpet guy said "no, bring your dog in we love pets and we would rather have them in our store than in a car"  so she went and brought me in and everyone loved me and we had an awesome time shopping together.  So now when ever she goes there I go with her as she knows how much I love meeting new people plus they give me treats.

Then we came home, and played in the back yard.  We had a good day today and the weather was great and tomorrow it is going to be even nicer and although she will be very busy, we will still have fun as I will make sure she enjoys the day and makes time for herself and me as well.  

Mommy is still grieving

Mommy is not doing well, at least I do not think so.  Since her mother died two months ago, she just isn't the same anymore.  She used to talk to me, joke around with me, but she does not talk anymore, or laugh with me. 

Sometimes I see her smile when she is on the computer or watching TV or maybe when she is on the phone, but it never lasts.  The other day I overheard her say that she feels dead inside, like a part of her died when her mother died.

She seems to be living in a state of darkness, no light, no joy, each day she seems farther and farther away from me.  I try and give her my sad look but sometimes she does not even notice it.  She seems so sad, like today she was on the phone with customer svc and they asked her to verify her account and asked her what her mother's maiden name was and my mommy just broke down on the phone.  I just sat next to her, I could not do anything.  If only I could speak.

I would tell her funny jokes or maybe speak to her and tell her what I did today and maybe even tell her what I saw the neighbor's dog doing to the cat that wanders the neighborhood, but doubt she would have enjoyed that.  I feel like walking around with a sign that says, "dog needs walk"  mommy has forgotten to take me on walks the lat two days.  She just seems to be in another world.  She is very busy though, trying to put the house on the market, but my daddy wont help her with any of the repair costs and costs needed to get the house ready for market.

He left mommy for a skanky skank of all skanks and they bought a house together, anyway, he is not worth mentioning because why waste my breath on a man who was never there for me anyway.  Mommy was the one who really took care of me and took me on super long walks and I am talking about walks that lasted over an hour, through the forest and on trails, swimming, she did everything with me, all daddy wanted to do was stick his cheating nose in his computer and email the skank, which is probably why he never went with us, it gave him time to chat via email.

I think mom needs a vacation but she is too busy to take one, now if I could convince her to take one maybe she would take me with her.  Maybe I can get her to take me swimming tomorrow, what I need to do is get her out of this house!!!! I need to get her to start taking me on walks again, playing ball at the park again, taking me to the lake again, taking me for walks in downtown again!!!  I need her to remember our relationship, spend time together, she is pushing everyone who is close to her away.  She can not push me away because we live together.

I think I am the only one who can really help her right now, what it all comes down to is I am the only one who is really here for her and the closest family she has.  She has me, but she really does not see me. Not right now, her grief is too great.  I somehow need to get through to her, and well if all else fails, I suppose I can start ripping up the couch cushions or marking in the house but that just is not the response I want to get, I want her to look at me and remember me as her best friend, the friend that LOVES her UNCONDITIONALLY and is ALWAYS here for her and WILL always be here for her no matter what.

Tomorrow is a new day, I will get her out of the house, on a long walk, no worries about bills or mowing the yard or cleaning the house just a nice walk with me and she will remember our bond and remember and realize I am here to help her through her grief because that is what a loyal companion does, we support those we treasure and I treasure her just as much as she treasures me.  They don't say dogs are a mans best friend for nothing right!!!  I will help her through her grieving!!!

HELP ME, SAVE ME, HIDE ME!!!

It has been 6 days of roughing it out in the cold, hiding in the tall grass of my owners home!  My master Outlaw who always played with me ever so gently (take a look at my picture as it is evidence of the beastly man handling I have been through) decided to share me with his friend Jake.

Outlaw brought me out at first just to show Jake how cute and soft I was and to let him hear what kind of cute squeaky sound I make when he ever so gently puts me in his mouth and applies lite pressure but then his excitement most have over taken him as I became a real chew toy, a tug toy and was discarded after  what seemed like hours of abuse by the two dogs and I hid.  

I fond a tall patch of grass, a few actually in the yard and I stealthily manoeuvred myself from each one ever few minutes to keep from being found.  While Jake was playing with Outlaw he really did not look for me all that much but once Jake left I continued to hide as I feared Outlaw had gotten a taste of me so to speak and was going to continue the harsh abuse so I remained hidden until today.  But I have not made it in the house yet due to fear but the owner of the house is getting ready to mow the yard and it is either the sharp blades of a powerful engine or the not so sharp teeth of an aging dog.

My choice is not looking good right now, maybe I can plead my case with the owner, oh wait here she comes, she spotted me, damn!!!!  Wait a minute she looks a little sad to see me in the condition I am in, oh ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, she brushed me off and soothed my hair and put some of my stuffing back into my head, she says she will fix me up like new and encourage Outlaw to play with me only in the house and gently.  How nice, only thing is do I trust her?????  Well for now, that is all I can do but from watching her with Outlaw I think she is a woman of her word.  I think I am finally in good hands, hopefully the jaws of the old beast will prove to be just as gentle and good.  I only have so much stuffing left before I become an empty shell.

My friend

Well, sadly my best friend left after our last play session last Friday.  We had so much fun together and this time I did not limp after he left.  My old body was getting used to the activity and all my kinks had worked themselves out.

Jake and I played until we were too tired to do anything else but rest next to one another.  We were playing with one of my favorite toys, a yellow squeaky ducky, could not find it anywhere.  I call it "Ducky" I know simple but hey, it fits and I like it.  

Mom said we would eventually find it.  Jake and I just enjoyed the cool grass under our bellies and the attention our mommies were giving us as we rested and enjoyed each other's closeness.  Jake lives in New York, upstate New York and it gets very cold up there.  Mommy plans on taking me to see him sometime this summer for vacation, I am really looking forward to this as Jake lives in a very nice house and it in on 2 acres of land, so we can play and play and play all day.  Hmmmm, mommy may need to bring a lot of pain med's but i am sure she will.

This time after Jake left I did not try and go with him.  I think I hurt mommy's feelings the last time when I tried to jump in the care with Jake.  So this time I showed mommy I loved her and did not try and hop into the car, instead I sat next to her and put my head in her lap so she would pet me and she did.  She is so loving towards me.  We plan on moving soon and it will be such an adventure to take an 8 hour car trip with her, and my sister well, she will need to be sedated as I am not sure she will last in her crate for the entire 8 hours.

Plus I do not feel like listening to her meowing all the way there either.  Well, mommy is ready for bed and is about to turn out the lights so I need to end this and go to sleep, we have a big day tomorrow and I sure hope we find Ducky, he has been missing since Friday and I really love him, he is my favorite toy!!  

Second play session with Jake

Ahhh, how sweet today was.  Mommy again surprised me with another visit with Jake, the love of my life.  Jake and his mommy came to our house and Jake and I played and played, it was so fun, Jake even kissed me and then he whispered how much he has missed me and how he loves me and how he never wants us to be apart again.  We played for a very long time and mommy said Jake's is coming back tomorrow morning to play again and I am so happy.

Although our play session was fun, I was very upset when Jake's mommy called him to her to leave.  When I heard her call for him I ran over to her and tried to get her to take me too.  I ran to the gate with Jake and when mommy opened the gate I ran out onto the driveway, I could hear mommy calling me to come back but I ignored her, then she grabbed me by my dog color and held me as Jake's mommy put him in the car.  then Mommy accidentally let go and I ran from her and she chased me around Jake's car and caught me just as I was about to hop in with Jake's mom who was sitting in the driver's seat.   Mommy kept telling me NO, NO, NO, and I was like, YES, YES, YES, I want to go with Jake.

But then she said the magic words, "Do you want to go for a walk" and I left Jake's car and ran to the porch for mom to put my leash on me, and then we went for a walk and mommy said she understood how much I loved Jake, but sometimes we have to say good bye but Jake would come back tomorrow for one more play session before he and his family left to go back to New York.  I will be sad when he is gone, but truthfully, I am getting too old to try and hump Jake anymore, which is what I try to do the whole time he is with me, after Jake left, I was limping at the end of my walk and we were only gone for 20 minutes.

Mommy rubbed me and massaged me again and gave me a pain pill as my limp was as bad as it was on Sunday.  I felt better after mom rubbed me, for some reason I really respond well to her massages, and now I feel fine.  I just have not played like that since Jake left over a year ago.

But, all is well, I feel better and after my play session tomorrow I am sure mommy will rub me again and I even heard her say she will take me swimming as swimming is good for me.  She really loves me, and I love her.  Well, I am hitting the bed so I can get some rest so when Jake comes tomorrow I can play and enjoy him before he leaves until the next time we can see each other and who knows when that will be???

Mystery about my sibling's torment

So, this is Mandy, my sister.  Mommy and I finally found out what was wrong with her and why she was acting out towards me, she actually had an ingrown toe nail!!! OUCH! She never showed pain, and it was on Easter Sunday that mom found it.

Mandy was sitting on mom's lap and mom was holding her paws and noticed how warm the left front was and she noticed the nail on one of her toes was curled under and when mommy looked she found out that it curled all the way into Mandy's pad and it looked painful.  Poor Mandy, she would not let mommy look at it, so mommy took her right to the emergency pet hospital and they removed it and gave mom antibiotics and told her to buy some new cat littler so Mandy would not get any of those tiny little litter in her open wound.

So Mommy did that and guess what, when Mandy got home she came right up to me  and rubbed up against my leg and arched her back and purred.  I guess she was trying to tell me she was sorry for acting so poorly towards me but she was in pain and irritable and was acting out. Since the nail has been removed Mandy has been very nice to me.  Gentle and sweet and cuddles up with me, I guess she loves me after all and was not trying to be the demonic cat I thought she was turning into.  She is my sister and I love her, glad she is better.  But she did stalk me when I was a puppy and I can prove it, just check out the photo of me sleeping in my crate the first week home and how she was studying me.  But we are good friends now and I would not trade her in for anything.  She is a keeper.