Trips

I am helping pack

Going on trips is fun!  There are so many new smells!  Sometimes I can barely contain myself.  I always help pack for trips.  My mom seems to think getting hair on the clean clothes before they go into the bag is a bad thing... I do not understand - being covered in hair is GREAT!

Elite Personal Training Studio - I am wearing an Elite shirt 

We went to a boot camp!  I got to hang out for a little while but I had to stay in the car during the exciting stuff.  I hate being tied up to anything so I make a lot of noise.  Maybe that was a bad idea... but I can't help it.  Being tied up is so unfair!  I like running up to everyone that walks in the door and if they seem to think I'm cute I like to jump up to their face and give them a quick lick.  My mom seemed to think that I was wrong about who liked this and who didn't. 

This studio used to be a doggie day care!  My mom said she couldn't tell at all but boy or boy I sure could!  Especially in the corners!  I sniffed that whole place out!  It smelled GREAT!  Then we hung out with my mom's friend Laura.  Her apartment also had fabulous smells.  Except after my little accident at Buoy's apartment my mom would not let me out of her sight!  This made my play area kind of small.  We did go to the San Jose Pet Smart! It is HUGE and there were dogs!  Lots of people pet me and I got another stuffed duck!  I'm getting so fast at destuffing those!  They are too easy now.  I think it took 4 minutes and Laura's floor was covered in stuffing just how I like it.

I was glad to get home and relax.  I know all the smells at my house.  And Cleetus was really excited to see me!  I could tell!

Yea... super excited... I was really looking forward to fighting for my own food.  

Work Days...

Work days suck...  My dad leaves for DAYS or DAY and my mom is sometimes gone for 13 hours!  I know they hate it too cause they give me lots of love when they get home... usually.  Sometimes I don't want love, I want to PLAY!  It is so hard to SIT when they get home!  I am so excited but my mom especially will NOT PET ME until I sit but it is so hard sometimes the only thing to do is lay down, roll over and wiggle... usually that counts... I think they do not like when I try to jump up and lick them in the face but jeez! I'm just so happy to see them - how do they expect me to contain it??  

Anyway, today was a work day and my dad was gone but my mom got home kind of early!  First thing she did was take me on a JOG!  It is better than a walk but she is so slow - I just wanna run.  Today she had some delicious, meaty treats in her pocket and I got one when I stayed right next to her and she said "HEAL" a lot!  I got loads of treats.  We went for a long time and on the way back I saw my friend Tank in his driveway!  I had to drag my mom up there and she and Tank's dad and Tank's boy talked while we wrestled.  It was great fun but Tank needs lots of breaks.  My mom seemed to think my face was sticky and wet and she did not scratch behind my ear but I did not notice. Tank licked my mom's armpit... that is MY armpit! 

Me and Tank on a water break

Sometimes Tank's boy would call my name but when I ran over there he would run in this box and laugh!  I kept trying to give him a kiss in the face but I could never catch him. The best part was when he started throwing Tank's food all over the driveway... Tank and I raced to eat the pieces... JOY!

Michael, Tank's human boy in the safety box

Then we went home and my mom gave me some food... I thought we would play some more, but she was BUUUUUSSSSY! So I helped... I stayed right next to her while she did laundry and I kept the clean clothes warm by laying on them.  And I supervised the washing of the car but I had other things to do during the vacuuming.  That thing is freaky.  Then, HAPPINESS! she put on my leash and we were off for another walk!  YIPPIE... she said we were going to Buoy's house but she was walking this time and I was trying to hurry her up but she kept yanking me back and saying "HEAL"... there were no delicious treats so I didn't really see the point...completely.  I mean I tried, but there was lots to smell and see and I couldn't do it all right next to her!   The minute we got inside I snuck up on Buoy and we starting playing CHASE, our favorite game.  His house is kind of little but he showed me how you can run behind the couch and SURPRISE you are on the other side... We played forever!  We played tug and wrestle.  Sometimes Buoy grabs my lip real hard with his teeth and I have to yell and then I have to snap my teeth and him and he yells... then our moms yell and make us take a break... I hate breaks.

My friend Buoy and I... our owners said we had to take a break... we did not want to.

My mom and Buoy's mom were watching TV and I kind of had to pee... I wasn't really sure what you did in this house to tell people you had to pee.  We had gone out together earlier but I didn't have to go - even though Buoy did.   There were amazing smells of so many other dog pees and poos I was pretty distracted, but now I had to go!  I usually just whine at my mom or paw at her and she lets me out of our house and I run to the rocks... I sometimes check to see if they are watching so I can sneak a pee in the grass but it is usually not worth it.  Anyway, this was not my house and Buoy was there and he wasn't whining... he was eating his shark toy... and did NOT let me play with that... I thought maybe I could play with his round toy!  But AAAAAH!!! Apparently not, he growled and stole it!  Right after that his mom just put him on his back she DOMINATED him... whee!!! I had the round toy, I had the round toy!  I was nervous when Buoy came towards me, but after that he started sharing!  Fun!  We played and I hurt my foot... I can't remember how but I was limping around when I remembered I had to pee again!  I thought I would see if there were hurry up rocks back in the other part of the house... everyone else thought I was walking off 'cause I was tired or injured... but I just had to go.  Buoy and I had drank 8 bowls of water.  I really had to go and there were no rocks but no one was looking so I peed... All of a sudden Buoy's mom was yelling "NO!" and my mom was yelling "NO!" and then my mom took me outside... she kept saying "hurry up!" but I didn't have to pee or poo!  I JUST PEED!  I guess that wasn't the right place to hurry up?!  There were great smells outside and I found a wrapper... MMMM!  But, then my mom was telling me "C'mon" which means stop sniffing and walk... sigh... Went back to Buoy's!  Except, Buoy was in his crate, my mom started scrubbing where I peed, and I was tied to a doorknob - it was SO BORING!  I still do not understand... My mom kept saying I'm a "rotten dog" but she was smiling a little so I think that is a good thing but she said "sorry" 200 times to Buoy's mom... I wonder what she did?

Anyway, I guess some times work days are GREAT days 'cause even though I was a little bored during the day it sure ended well!

New Friends

COWBOY

Me, Cowboy, at Dodge Ridge

Hi!  My name is Cowboy and I am almost 14 months old.  I think I am doing pretty great for 14 months... people say Aussies, I am an Australian Shepherd, are hyper, but I like my naps as much as the next guy!  And I love snow!  This is a picture of me up at Dodge Ridge Ski Resort.  My owners take me up there and let me run around for a few hours at a time.  Snow is so great!  You can stick your nose in it and toss it around, and it is awesome for digging!  I live with a cat too - his name is Cleetus.  I think he really likes to play with me but he is scary sometimes.  He has a fast left hook and does NOT like it when I get loud.

CLEETUS

Check out my face... pretty tough right?

 Hey.  I'm Cleetus.  No one knows how old I am but I will tell you I am a bad ass Maine Coon.  I was living in Texas but I guess after I kicked all the animals asses there I got to move to California where for several blissful years I had my owners all to myself.  It was great.  I loved running up to the car to greet them when they got home and they would spend hours petting me and talking to me.  I read the news on the computer every morning on my dad's lap... then came that little puppy.  I seriously had to show him who was boss.  I came close to ripping his eyes out a few times, but I just couldn't do it.  It's hard to tear the face off of something that happy and PERSISTANT.  I'm old man, and he is always jumping around.  I think he LIKES it when I swat at him now.  I will say one thing, I think my owners feel guilty cause all I have to do is meow when they open the fridge and I get some good stuff.  For an added bonus they yell at that Cowboy if he tries to take my special treats...sometimes I eat really slowly to see if he will get in trouble, but sometimes he gets my food instead.  I used to hate him but I guess he's alright now.  He's pretty good for warmth sometimes... and entertainment if I am in the mood.

I'm ecstatic. Can't you tell? 

I actually had a pretty good Christmas.  Cowboy got way more stuff than I did, but I don't care.  He took my toy and catnip - what is that stuff anyway?  Doesn't seem that great to me.  

Wait, I have more...

Oh! ME ME ME!  Check this out - they LOVE when I do this!  They say "BEG" and I get some really good food.  I thought I was gonna get this plate of human stuff, but they only let me lick it later. 

 Also, this is my best friend, Buoy.  Look at him, he is probably doing something embarrassing in this photo because he is younger than me but I love him!  We love to play chase!  Well, I prefer if he chases me actually.  It gets kind of boring to chase him.  And TUG!  Tug is so fun!