A Tight Squeeze

Sometimes a guy likes variety.  I mean, I sleep all day and sometimes need a change of scenery.  In my recent search for a new place to rest my head I found some socks that were left in the clean clothes hamper just waiting for me to snuggle up on.  I spend most of the night here but after serious hacking and wheezing the peeps made me get out.  When I have to make myself into that tight of a ball some things just get a little too squished including my airway. 

A Good Read

I am a very sophisticated dog.  I appreciate a good book when I see one.  Recently I was caught on the bed enthralled with Thunderstruck by Eric Larson. If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it.  Thankfully both of the peeps like to read so I have a whole collection of things to read while they're away. 

I LOVE the snow!  We got about 9 inches the other day. When we went out for my morning stroll I was pleasantly surprised.  It was so tall I couldn't walk.  I had to rock back and forth otherwise my belly would hold me up and my legs didn't touch the ground.  Yep, I'd be high centered.  I love to prance and jump and run in the snow.  I never seem to get tired.  I feel like a puppy all over again, until I get home and crash. 

Vitamin Water

When the peeps leave in the evening it really irks me!  It doesn't matter if they're home all day, they just don't understand that evenings are for families.  Well, the other night they left.  I don't know where they went, but they left.  Actually to make things worse the girl didn't even come home from work.  The boy just disappeared.  Awful! 

I like to get into things when they're gone in the evening.  Mostly because I'm trying to train them to be better peeps.  They don't seem to get it yet, so I will probably continue to cause trouble until they figure it out.  

I found a whole 20 pack of very colorful vitamin water sitting in the kitchen.  Okay, I know I'm color blind but they were many different shades of gray which is possibly as stimulating as it comes.  I helped myself to one.  Just one.  Nobody would know.  I carried it to the living room, chewed on the top until it popped off and flew around and disappeared.  As this happened my delicious vitamin water spewed all over my bed, my blanket and unfortunately the living room floor.  I licked up as much as I could but there is so much in these bottles.  No wonder they come with a lid.  I tried my best to hid it, but the darn stuff wouldn't dry.  I even moved my bed a little to cover the stuff on the floor.  I was going to be in big trouble.  

The peeps came home and I was hoping instead of scolding me they would say 'oh, Deebo always causes so much trouble when we're gone in the evening, maybe we shouldn't do that again'.  Nope.  It didn't happen.  I was in trouble, but not much because neither of my peeps are good at scolding me without laughing.  They're going to be marvelous parents. 

Christmas Pictures

The other day we took a picture as a threesome.  It was so great!  We look smashing.  It took a few tries but we finally got it to work.  I should say the boy owner got it to work and I just looked at the camera when it beeped.  Well, most of the time. 

the tub

I love the bathtub. I like to jump in and drink any residual water in the drain and then lay there. I especially like to do it when I'm hot and I can't seem to cool down fast enough. Don't get me wrong. I certainly don't like to take baths. If anything I'll tolerate a shower but I certainly would rather be dirty.

Don't Leave Me... Or else....

Today is Saturday. Saturday is a day when the people should stay home and really just hang out with me. They can do dishes or whatever else they want to do, but if there is any exiting of the house, it should include me. Believe it or not, that didn't happen today.

This morning after some usual lazy activity the girl owner left. I tried to tell her I was displeased. I howled and jumped up on her while she put her coat on, but she didn't understand the seriousness of my Saturday expectations. Sure, the boy owner was still here, but they are a lot more fun as a pair and I do get twice as much petting time when there are two of them.

As soon as she shut the door I decided I should let her know how unhappy I was with her actions. So, I peed on the kitchen floor. Yep, I just let it go. That will show her. She'll never leave me again. Hah.

My plan was fumbled by the fact that my boy owner (who thought a pipe just broke in the kitchen) came rushing in to see the mess I made. He was not happy. Someday they'll learn I don't like them to leave the house. EVER. Unless I'm with them of course.

Dog Hotel

Every so often the people get out the big blue suitcases. This gives me a bit of anxiety. I find myself running around the house and acting ornery. I know they are going to be leaving and since I've never been anywhere with the blue suitcases I figure I'm not going.

The first time the suitcases appeared I had to stay at my Vet's place. It was terrible. I was in a small cage where there were cats and dogs all around in their own small cages. I only got two walks per day and the food gave me the runs. I tried to let them know that there had been a terrible mistake and my people really did love me and didn't want to give me away. I lost my voice.

The last two times the suitcases came out of the closet I got to go to a very cool place. I ran and played with other dogs all day. The food is just like it is at home. I got to take my stuffed squirrel from home and my bed. They even gave me a kong at night. It was like heaven. Of course I missed my peeps but it wasn't bad at all! The people were so nice. When my people came to pick me up they were given a report card. It said I was a very good boy and OUT RAN THE ENERGIZER BUNNY! Yep, it was a good time.

Bring on the blue suitcases!

Worried About the Boy Owner

Ok, so I'm a bit concerned about my boy owner. I don't know if he knows where we live. As shocking as it may seem, there have been multiple occasions where we all left the house together and then he just disappeared.

This one time we all left together. My girl owner had her running pants on, so I thought we had finally convince my boy owner to come running with us. We all started out the back door and headed down the stairs. The next thing I know we have lost my boy owner. So, I expressed my concern (through vigerous barking) that we were down a boy owner to my girl owner. She seemed less than concerned. In fact, she tried to get me to run down the street! I am still shocked at her apparent lack of care.

I had to re-trace our steps. We went back by the stairs so I could get a good scent of him and out the door we went. I was on the boy owner's tail. I knew if we hurried we could catch him and hopefully my girl owner would give him a stern talking to about staying with the pack. Well, I went all the way down the block, nose to the ground, tail in the air and girl owner dragging behind. We had to find him. I traced all the way to an empty parking spot. I now know he took the car to make his dangerous escape, but I didn't at the time. My girl owner though I figured it out and we could now go for a run. NO!!!! I did not come this far to say 'forget the boy owner'. We had to be on watch. I hurried around the block (as far as I thought he should go unsupervised). We had to go back to the house to see if maybe he had made it home on his own (not likely). I dragged my girl owner towards home. Of course I was panting and still had my nose to the gound just in case I caught another scent.

We raced up the stairs and into the house. I inspected every possible spot and didn't find him. So, again, my girl owner suggested we go for a run. (She really needs to be more concerned about my boy owner). I stood my ground. We were going NOWHERE until my boy owner came home.

Well, as luck would have it. My boy owner did find his way home. I'm not sure how. Oh, and then there was this morning!

My girl owner and I ran to the Point (the part of land that juts out into Lake Michigan). It just so happens that my boy owner showed up there. I'm sure someone picked him up and brought him. He was playing a frisbee game with a bunch of other boys and when my girl owner was ready to run home, she forgot the boy owner. I tried to tell her before we left by laying on the grass, but she insisted we leave. Well, we got a few blocks towards home and my anxiety was maxed out. I couldn't stand the thought of my boy owner standing at the Point all alone waiting for me. I turned and ran. Yes, we hauled butt back to the Point and luckily my boy owner was still playing.

I made sure we all went home together. So, as you can see I have definite cause for concern. I think I need to get him a leash.

Dog Bites Suck

So, I got my third dog bite today.  I know what you're thinking. There must be something wrong with me right?  I mean, how could a dog get bit three times and not have something wrong with him.  I promise if there is something wrong with me it would be the fact that I'm so darn friendly.  Let me tell you about my bites.

The first was an innocent little lip grab.  I was at the tennis courts playing with a bunch of friends.  One of them was trying to leave and he kept getting badgered by other dogs. (Really, other dogs I promise.)  I happened to meander over and he lunged at me and grabbed my lip.  It bled for a little bit, but I was cool.  I just licked at it and continued to play.  You know, it's hard to let a bite get in the way with friend time.

So, the second wasn't so innocent.  I was at the tennis courts (a trend begins) and there were a lot of friends there.  I was getting ready to leave when a larger German Shepherd jumped at me.  My girl owner picked me up and the Shepherd grabbed my thigh.  He wouldn't let go and unfortunately his owner wasn't close and can't move fast enough to help. Luckily another owner pulled the dog off of me.  That bite hurt SO BAD!  I limped home and then to make matters worse my girl owner made me go to the vet.  They drew a bunch of blood because I needed to be tested for heart worm anyway and sent me home with antibiotics. I don't go to the tennis court anymore.

Well, then there's today. I was out for my morning jog when I came across a new dog.  Normally words are exchanged before I'm allowed to say hello.  You know, things like 'is he friendly' and such.  Well the answer that came back was 'she's unpredictable'. That's never a good sign.  Well, the owner of the other dog put her hand down for me to sniff. At the very moment I moved in to sniff her hand the dog jumped on me and bit my neck.  The worse part was that the dog wouldn't let go!  Goodness gracious I got the point shortly after she grabbed my neck that she wanted me to leave, she didn't need to hold on for emphasis. It was quite the scene.  Both owners were trying to pull their dog away from the other dog.  Finally she let go.

I didn't bleed for a long time. In fact my silly girl owner thought I hadn't been bit hard enough to puncture the skin.  I could have told her it hurt bad enough there was no way it didn't break the skin!  Finally she stopped talking to the other owner so we could finish our jog.  I really wanted to continue the jog.  I thought maybe I could run off the pain, but I was a little less enthusiastic than at the beginning of my jog.  On the way home, my path crossed with another dog's. I wasn't feeling all that certain about the kindness of my fellow men so I decided I should just throw myself into the bushes while he passed.  Luckily he got the point and didn't try to talk to me.  

After I got home from my run this morning my girl owner noticed the two large puncture spots that had started to bleed right between my ears.  They were pretty big and she had to apply pressure for a while to get the bleeding to stop.  It was rather uncomfortable, but I was strong and didn't show her that it hurt.  Well, then my girl owner decided she should wash the area with soap and water.  Unfortunately in her mind that translated to a four letter word: BATH.  So, not only did I get bit today, but I had to have a bath too.  Yikes.  Could a guy ask for a worse day?

My Daily Schedule

5:00 AM: Get up with the sun. I like to sit on my bed or wander the house until my people's alarm goes off.  I'm much better at this than I used to.  I thought I could simplify things by being their alarm clock and just getting them up with me.  I found this to be ineffective and wouldn't recommend it!

6:00 AM: My people's alarm goes off.  I generally get pretty excited when this happens and will howl at them to get them moving.  It seems okay because they are supposed to be up anyway, right?  

6:05 AM: (Or as soon as my girl owner can get her running shoes on) We are out the door and enjoying a good run.  Sometimes we go pretty far, but most of the time we stay around the 2-3 mile distance.  It feels good and I smile the whole way!

6:30 AM: Watch the people get ready to leave.

7:00 AM: My people leave.  This used to be a big problem around my house, but since they figured out that I like frozen dog food in a kong, it has been pretty sweet.  I especially appreciate it now that it is getting warmer.  

7:30 AM: Back to bed.  Yep, it is time for my morning nap.

11:30 AM: Wake up from my morning nap.

11:30-4:00: Watch TV, Read some Criminal Law books (If they are left home), eat whatever people food I can get to, drink water and maybe nap a little more.  

4:00 PM: Start waiting for my girl owner to come home.  She usually gets home first around 4:30 or 5:00, so I have to make sure I'm ready.  

5:00 PM: My girl owner gets home.  I love to whine like it has been months since I saw her.  I think it makes her feel special.  

5:05 PM: (Or as soon as I can get my girl owner back out the door): I take an evening walk.  This is a great time to get out of the house and see what I've been missing all day.  It feels nice to walk in the grass and watch for squirrels.  I'm really good at remembering where I left the squirrels last time I saw them.  I always check the tree out front just in case I get lucky. (Oh, and I've talked to my girl owner about letting me have a squirrels if it lands in front of my face again).

6:00 PM: My boy owner gets home!  This is great.  I usually jump up and whine to him like I have not only been missing him for months, but I have been neglected since the girl owner got home.

7:00 PM: Eat dinner.  I sometimes try to hold out for people food, but I always end up eating the dry stuff.  

8:00 PM: Bed Time.  If you got up at 5:00 you would probably want to go to bed around this time too!

10:00 PM: My people make me go outside one more time.  UGH, I wish they could just take me at 5:00AM!

New Food

I got new food today! I am so excited. When my people brought it him from the store a few days ago I could tell it was going to be good stuff. I finally finished my old food and could start on my new stuff this morning. I LOVE IT! It has real lamb and veggies in it. How could it not be good? The best part of all is the bag is the size of Texas. That means I'll have it forever! I am livin' the high life.

Froggie

I have a friend named Froggie. He is pretty swell. I got him about a month ago and I feel like we've been friends forever. I make sure he's taken care of. I've saved him numerous times from the vacuum. He can squeek, but I can't make him do it. My people have to do it for me, but that's ok. Sometimes I like to play catch with him, but most of the time I just like to sleep by him.

People Food

I love most people food. I really do. I usually have to eat my small brown pellets, but sometimes I get a special treat. Most mornings I get the end of my girl owner's banana. It is so great! She just tears it off for me. Hmm... yummy! I also get the occasional bacon or steak. Those only come on very special occasions.

But I hate fruit! And yes, tomatos are a fruit. I tried one this morning and I would certainly put it in the fruit category. I put it in my mouth and immediately spit it out. There it laid on the floor for a good 10 seconds. I thought maybe I was wrong, maybe I like tomatoes, maybe it takes a little getting used to. I tried it again. Oh, my goodness, it was just like the first try. I just can't believe my people like this stuff.

Squirrel

Aaah, I think it is every dog's dream to be able to catch a squirrel. I run every morning with my girl owner. She is not as fast as I would like, but it's better than nothing! Yesterday morning I found a squirrel, right there on the ground where I can get it. I chased after it (the whole time my girl owner was chasing along after me). The squirrel scurried up the tree and I thought he was gone for good, but NO!!! He fell out of the tree about 4 inches in front of my face. I started howling! I was so excited, I just couldn't believe the day I had dreamed about for the last two years was finally here!

The squirrel froze. Sweet victory was mine!

My girl owner started pulling back so I couldn't get him. I thought I had told her that it was a lifelong dream, but she must have forgot. Unfortunately the squirrel turned and ran up the next tree. I really need to talk to my girl owner.