I Love Christmas!!!

I love Christmas! Now I know what it's all about. I got presents!!!

Mom finally let me have the treats Addie sent.












And I got some presents from Mom, too. First I had to get them out of the bag she put them in.

I got toys.

And I got a bone (even if mom did take it away before I was done with it....)!

I really love Christmas!

New Toy

My mom made me a new toy out of something called fleece. See? Every time I untie the knot, she just ties the two pieces back together again.

I really like to chew it while I'm sitting on her lap when she's at the computer. She says I'm kind of big to be a lap dog but I don't think so! Do you?

Rope Ball Toy pt. 2

Well, I got an end loose on my rope ball.

But now my mom says she's going to cut off the loose ends so it's just going to be a ball again and I don't think that's fair!

New Rope Toy

My mom took away the old rope toy. And the tennis ball I chewed up. And the plastic donut I chewed a hole in. But she got me a new squeaky ball and she got me this new rope toy.

I haven't quite figured out how to unknot it yet, but I'm working on it!

Tree

We have this new thing in the house. My mom put it up this weekend. It kind of looks like a tree but it sure doesn't smell like one!

I thought maybe it was for me to eat so I tried chewing on the branches and some of the stuff mom hung on it. Mom laughed but she told me “no!” really, really loud. So I guess I'm not supposed to chew on it after all. But then what the heck is it for?

My Rope Toy

Dennis the Vizsla asked about a picture in my last post. Yes, this used to be a green and white rope toy. My mom said it was supposed to be for dogs 85 pounds up to 120 pounds but it only took me 3 weeks to do THIS.

First I undid the knot at one end. My mom retied it. (She said some of those bad words again!) So I undid the other end. My mom says she can't figure out how it can end up so long when it started out much shorter.

Mud

I was going in and out the open patio door and it started raining.

My mom didn't notice and I found lots and lots of mud!

I came in and jumped on my mom's lap to share it with her but she wasn't as happy as I thought she would be. Don't tell anyone but she yelled and said some bad words.

Humans are very strange, aren't they?

Dog Food Bags

My mom finally managed to get all the food from the big bag in the bin and she let me check the bag to see if she missed any. Good thing, too, 'cuz I was getting bored with mom cutting our walks short just 'cuz she's still sneezing a lot and it's gotten colder outside. Well, I don't think it's cold but I've noticed humans are funny about things like that. Oh, and my mom's daughter is coming over again today so I'll get extra treats and another human to play with!

Squirrels and Mom Sick

Here's a picture of me chasing squirrels. They ran right up this tree and I barked and barked but they wouldn't come back down.

My mom keeps sneezing. She didn't want to get up this morning even when I gave her my very best rope chew toy! I hope she feels better soon because she didn't take me on my walk today. Good thing there are squirrels and rabbits to chase in my back yard!

Pssst

Psst! Anyone know how to work the latch on these things? My mom filled it up today and I've been trying to get it open. I've never seen so much food just for me!

Oh and I got a new toy! My mom says she hopes it lasts at least a day or two.

Rugs and Toys

I decided to keep my treats inside and eat them and take toys outside instead of food. Here I have my squeaky donut outside.


My mom found the rug I've been chewing on. She wasn't very happy about it. I was going to say it wasn't me but...she found me with it. Can you see the hole I chewed? I didn't mean to but there was this loose bit and I chewed on that and then some more came loose and....


PS What was all that human silliness on Tuesday? My mom and her daughter were watching tv really late and making lots of noise and I could tell they were very emotional.

Hiding Stuff and Forever Homes

Halloween was pawsome! I got to see lots and lots of kids and I was really good. I didn't bark or anything!

Yesterday my human was out for a while and when she came back she gave me a rawhide treat. I took it outside and buried it. She looked surprised that it was gone so fast and she asked where I put it so I showed her. And when she told me to dig it up and bring it back inside, I did that too. I was scared she was going to take it away but she didn't AND she says I'm always going to have treats and toys and stuff and no one will take them away from me so I don't ever need to hide them again.

Can that really be true? Is my human mom telling me the truth that there can really always be toys and treats and love?

I mean, she yelled at me this morning when I took a sofa pillow outside but...but she still gave me treats when I was good on our walk. And she lets me up on her nice soft bed. So... so... maybe.... this really is my forever home? And maybe I really am always going to have treats and toys and love?

Halloween

My human is talking about something called Halloween. I don't quite know what that's all about but she put me in here with this fireplace screen to keep me from helping. I don't know why. If kids are going to come to the door shouldn't I jump up and greet them and lick their faces and maybe get a piece of candy or two myself? Why won't she let me help?

New Rope Toy

Look! I have a new rope toy. My human isn't happy about how fast I go through them but she says it's better than me chewing on pillows and blankets and sheets and other stuff.....

Costumes

Humans are very strange. My human decided to try to put me in something she called a costume. She wanted to take pictures for a contest on Addie's blog. Well! I made it very clear THAT wasn't going to happen! Then she tied this ridiculous scarf around my neck.

I took off the scarf as soon as she finished taking this picture. I don't need anything silly like clothes to make me look beautiful!

Drapes and Blankeys

I found out how to pull down the drapes! I don't know why my human wasn't happy that I found a way to look out. So I comforted myself by playing with my blankey. Sometimes I put all my toys on my blankey and sometimes I take it with me when I want to lie down in another part of the room.

Books, Awards and Windows

My friend Suka gave me this really great award. I'm wagging my tail 'cuz it's so cool. I'm so glad I've found so many new friends on the internet!

My human has lots of books. So I thought maybe I could figure out why they were so important to her. But she got really upset when I snuffled around in the box she had on the floor. If they weren't for me, why did she put them there?

I am kind of grouchy because one of my windows disappeared. I wasn't trying to break the blinds. I didn't chew them or anything. But...this hole kept getting bigger. And now there's something in front of the window and I can't look out the way I did before. My human calls them drapes.

The Very Long Week

My human says it's been a long week. I had to take that medicine again and my human is muttering something about me going nuts. But I just had lots of energy—honest!

But my human is grouchy just 'cuz I try to chew through my leash when I see other dogs when we're out on our walks. I don't know why she doesn't want me barking at them and trying to run to them. Once I got so excited I flipped upside down even in my harness!

I did chew a hole in my tennis ball but I've been really good about putting my toys on my blankey every time I find them somewhere else.

Anyway, my human has been doing lots of work on the computer. I keep trying to climb in her lap and remind her to play but she hasn't been listening very well. At least she's finally putting up my post. I've been trying to tell her to do it for days!

Pet Blessing Day

My human took me to a pet blessing this morning. Right before we left for the pet blessing I was out in the back yard and I FOUND MUD!!! I came in to show my human and she made the funniest sound when I jumped up on her and then on the bed and ran all around the living room. I think the carpet looks prettier with my paw prints everywhere but she didn't seem very happy about it. And she wouldn't come play with me in the mud either.

I wore my new red harness to the pet blessing. I don't like my harness very much but my human says I tug too much without it plus now she can hook me to a seat belt and I can't try to climb in the front seat while she drives any more.


There were lots of other dogs at the pet blessing and I barked at every one of them! We stopped at the store on the way home to get me more food and I barked at every dog there, too! I don't understand why my human wouldn't let me off the leash to play with them. We could have had lots of fun running around the store together.

It was a really good day and I don't understand why my human used words I've never heard before or keeps rubbing her forehead and saying she could use a good shot of something called whiskey right now.

New Game and New Toy

I found a new game! I get on the couch and drop my toy over the back and then I jump down after it! It's lots of fun and it makes my human laugh.

Oh and my human got me a new rope toy. It's for dogs over 85 lbs. I weigh about half that but I kind of totally destroyed the one for my weight so she's hoping this one works better. Here's a picture of the shreds of the old one with the new one.

Tumbles and An Award!

My human is kind of grouchy. Just 'cuz I chased some birds and rabbits. Well, okay because I pulled so hard she fell down and dropped the leash. She gots bruises and scraped her hand and knee. But I came back! And I TRIED to lick it all better! And what was I supposed to do? THEY WERE BIRDS AND RABBITS!!!

But my tail is wagging 'cuz I got another award from Addie! I'm nominating Rusty and Lorenza and Opy for this one.

Outdoors

I really like being outdoors. I tried to get there through this door but I couldn't fit. I could put my paws and my head through but then I got stuck. I don't know why my human has a door that's too small for me.


In our back yard there is a really interesting plant. I don't know why my human doesn't like me eating it.

Windows and Awards and Such

I'm so excited! My human has been hogging the computer. She says she's working. Finally I get my turn. While she's been busy I discovered something wonderful! EVERY blinds in the house have a window behind them! Every single one!

I did NOT chew this one. It just kind of fell apart when I nudged it with my snout. But how else am I supposed to look out and see the dog next door?


And the other windows, well, I'm just so happy to know they are there!

The other thing I'm excited about is that Addie gave me an award! She is sooooo cool and likes to chew things—just like me. Here is the award.


The rules are that winners can put the logo on their blog. You're supposed to link back to whoever gave you the award and then nominate 7 more blogs! Put the links on your blog and leave messages on those blogs that they've been nominated.

I don't know a lot of doggies yet who have blogs and they are all sooooo cool! I looked to see who hasn't got the award yet and I found some friends who could use one. I nominate:

Moshi & Kibo
Lulu & Lolly
Opy
Scuba, Keiko, Toby & Norman

Oops, here comes my human. She says she needs the computer to work. I really don't understand why she doesn't just play all day! We could have so much fun if she did.

Feeling Much Better

I'm feeling much better and my human can take me on walks again. She still won't let me eat dead birds or dead squirrels though and I don't know why. You would think she would be glad I can find my own food! But she just goes ewwww when I crunch on bugs in the back yard and stops me with the leash when I try to eat what I find on our walks.

But it's fun to go on walks and even more fun now that it's not so hot. My human is willing to go farther before she says we have to go back home. I keep telling her we should take my toys outside to play but for some reason she doesn't want me to do that with the soft ones like the rope toy I chewed in two.

Storms of All Kinds

We didn't get the storm my human thought we would get. But she got upset yesterday anyway and made me go to the vet. I don't like going there even though most of the time they are very nice. They gave me nasty medicine and when I spit it out they gave me even more! And then they gave some to my human to give me at home. I have to take it again in a few weeks--and I don't like it.

Then, today, my human started a cleaning up storm. She took my rag toys and my blanket and put them in the washing machine and she washed a bunch of other stuff, too. AND she made me take a bath! A bath!

I don't feel so great and my human isn't too happy right now. The vet said maybe it was from when I was in the shelter and is changing the medicine I take every month. I hope it doesn't taste as bad as the medicine I had to take yesterday and today and tomorrow!

New Leash

Finally! My human got a retractable leash for me. That's what she calls it anyway. I call it freedom. I get to run up and down the gully and ahead and back on the sidewalk. It's much better than before. Now she doesn't constantly tug on my leash. I make sure that I go back beside her a lot so she doesn't get too lonely and we both have a much better time. By the time we get home I'm usually happy to rest.



Of course, she still doesn't get that I'm meant to chase birds so I've still got to work with her on that. But all in all, she's learning faster than I thought she would.

Being Left Alone

I really, really don't like being left alone. My human got upset when she got home and saw this. But all I wanted to do was look out the window and see where she was going!

Another Dog

I like my human's daughter. She comes and plays with me sometimes. And it makes my human happy when she does. But she brought another human and another dog! First I thought it would be fun. But the other dog didn't want me nipping her and growled.

It was fun to run around in the yard but not fun when the other dog was going to play with one of my toys. I've never had my own toys before. What if she didn't give it back? Fortunately, my human seemed to understand and put my blanket and my toys in another room and closed the door.


Still, I got kind of worried. What if my human liked the other dog better than me? It's scary when you know that humans sometimes stop loving you and you have to go to a cage and don't know if another human will ever take you home.

But the other dog left with the humans and I had my human all alone again. That was good. And I got to have my toys all for me. I want to play again with other dogs. I just want to be sure my human isn't going to stop loving me—or give away my toys.

Still Training My Human

Well, I've managed to teach my human that I can't be penned up. All it took was having her come back 3 times from being out and finding the gate open. The first two times I just opened it on one side and slipped through.

But that wasn't getting her attention so the third time I took it down completely so that she found it this way and finally got the message.


I wish she had taken a picture of me opening the patio door, too. I looked very clever standing on my hind legs and using my paws and snout to push the handle so the door would slide open. I think she was too surprised to think of it.

Personally, I don't understand why she has doors at all. I wouldn't! But I suppose that's one of those human quirks we canines just have to put up with.

Training Humans

It's not easy training one's human. I showed mine how to bounce a ball off the tip of one's nose and she still can't seem to learn it! And I'm going to have to teach her how to tell time so she knows when we are supposed to get up in the morning. It's been a couple of weeks since she brought me home and I still have to wake her up every day and she tries to pretend she's asleep even when I know she isn't.

Still, she did bring me home from the shelter. And she tries very hard to please me. She did learn very quickly which treats I like best. So all in all, I'm satisfied. She seems bright enough to learn. I'm just going to have to work very hard to teach her.