Monday, May 28, 2007

Vacation

Everyone is back from vacation! Hooray! Mommy and daddy went to California for the weekend, and mommy had to stay there for the rest of the week for work. So, I went to visit grandma and grandpa and Aunt Tori for a day. Then Aunt Tori and I went to camp for the weekend. Camp was fun! I went swimming in the pool. Actually, I ran in circles around the pool and got in for a little bit. I got a bath and had a pedicure too. I made a lot of new friends at camp -- dog and people friends. I didn't see much of Aunt Tori because she didn't want to play all the time like I did. All the workers at camp said how good I was and how much fun I was. They wrote on my report card that they want me to come back soon!

Grandma picked Aunt Tori and me up from camp and took us back to their house. Aunt Tori kept stealing my bones. I wouldn't steal them back, because I'm a little scared of Aunt Tori other dogs. I like to play with them, but I won't take anything from them. That would be rude.

On Monday, daddy came to grandma's and picked me up. We spent the week as bachelors. Which was fun, but not as much fun as it sounds. Daddy still had to go to work during the day. Mommy came home on Friday morning. She played with me all day when she wasn't working on the computer.

While I had fun at camp and at grandma and grandpa's, I missed mom and dad. I sure am glad everyone is home!

This weekend we had so much fun. Mommy and daddy even stayed home with me on Monday. I thought it was because wanted to spend an extra day at home be since I was so good. But mom said they were home because it was Memorial Day. I don't know what that is, but if it means more play time, I like it.
So over the weekend, I helped daddy with the yard work. I helped him pull out weeds. He said I was pulling out the flowers, not the weeds. I think he was mistaken. They looked like weeds to me! Besides, I was just trying to help!

On Monday we all went to Hartwood Acres. The park was so much fun! We started off walking on a path, then off to the side I heard water running. There was a creek and I was allowed to swim in it! I splashed around for a while. I wish mom and dad would have let me off my leash so I really could swim, but mom says that's how doggies lose their parents. And I don't want to lose my parents!

After I was done swimming, we went up the hill to a big fenced in area where doggies like me were allowed to run free! And there were other doggies there too! Dad said it was the dog park. Daddy tried to get me to chase a frisbee but I was more interested in playing with the other dogs and their owners. There was a boxer puppy and a german shepherd who were fun to play with. The german shepherd was there with his dad and people-sister. His people-sister was very nice. She kept petting me and saying how soft I was. I wanted her to come home with us.

After we spent a long time at the dog park, I got really tired, so we came home. Mom said she was very proud of me for being so good at the park. I'm really beginning to be very well behaved! At least in public!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

I love garbage day!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I went on vacation to grandma's and to camp, neither would let me use the internet! I'll write more about my vacation later. Mom is away on business and I don't want to tell you about my vacation before I tell her about it.


I just wanted to stop in to say how much I love garbage day. It smells so good! And the night before garbage day everyone puts their garbage out at the curb and I have so many good things to sniff that I can't focus on my walk. It makes mom and dad mad, but it's so fun for me! I do my best imitation of a bloodhound and keep my nose to the ground. I like to pretend I'm looking for clues to solve a mystery...mom and dad don't understand and they usually try to make me stop sniffing.


I also love garbage day because when dad takes out the garbage, he takes the garbage can out of the cabinet. Sometimes I go into the cabinet and find something that missed the garbage can that I can steal. I steal it and make mom chase me around the house. It's fun! Mom says one day she's going to shut me in the cabinet. I don't think she'd really do that, do you?

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Happy Mother's Day!

Today was Mother's Day. My other set of new grandparents came over to visit me. They were very nice and told me how handsome I was.

For Mother's Day, I tried to be extra-nice to mom all weekend. I even snuggled with her on the couch for a little bit. But only for a little bit because it's so hard for me to sit still!

Happy Mother's day mommy! And grandma! And grandma!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

My first doctor's visit

Today I had a doctor's appointment. When mom came home from work we got in the car and drove to the vet's. I was wild in the car, moving from the back seat, to the front seat, to the back seat...Mom says it was lucky the vet is only 5 minutes away from our house.

Once we got to the vet they made me get on a scale. I weigh 69 pounds! After that, we sat in the waiting room. There were a lot of cats at the vet's, but I didn't bother any of them. They were all in crates, and I wasn't, so I just laughed at them because I was free and they weren't.

Then we went into another room and doctor came in. He was very nice. He said he had a golden retriever just like me. Mom says it's good that he has golden retrievers because then he'll understand me. Doctor said he couldn't understand why my original parents would give away a great dog like me. Mom was right, doctor does get me!

Doctor looked in my mouth, in my ears and up my nose, felt my tummy and listened to my heart. He said I was perfectly normal. Then he gave me three shots. The first two were in my scruff and they didn't hurt, the last was in my bum and that hurt a little.

Mom asked doctor about a bump I've had on my head since before I moved to Pittsburgh. She said some people thought it was a tick, and it had gotten bigger in the last week and a half. Doctor squeezed it and pulled out a big clump of fur. He said it was an ingrown piece of fur. It was over an inch long! And it was thick! Mom said it was gross. I tried to eat it. Mom said that was even grosser.

Then doctor took me into a different room away from mommy, and they gave me another shot. This one really hurt! Mom said they put a microchip under my skin so if I ever get lost, mom and dad would be able to find me. Which is good because I don't want to lose mom and dad, but still...ouchies.

Doctor says I don't have to come back for another year. I'm glad, because even though doctor was nice to me, the shots hurt!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Take me out to the ball game

This afternoon when mom and I went on our walk, we went towards the church. Mom saw a couple of people on the baseball field and thought that they were setting up for a game. She thought since there were only a few people on the field, it might be a good time to test how much I've learned from my lessons. So as we walked towards the field and came up over the hill we saw a whole bunch of kids in matching t-shirts. It turns out there was a t-ball game going on -- the kids who were playing were very short, so mom couldn't see them over the hill!

Mom let me go over to the game, since she had already told me we could go in that direction, and I was so well behaved. All the people at the game commented on how handsome I was -- some said I could be a show dog. I shook paws with a little boy. Then we spent a long time talking to three nice ladies who were shocked at how good I was being. The one lady even asked mommy for teacher's name so teacher could work with her dog.

In between innings, one of the nice ladies called her grandson over to say "hi" to me. He said he thought I looked like Air Bud (from the movie) and that he wanted a dog just like me so I could play sports with him. Then his coach yelled at him to pay attention to the game so he had to go back and sit on the bench. Mean coach. The boy said he wanted to play with me after the game, but mommy said we couldn't stay because we had to go home and work on our lessons and make dinner before daddy came home.

As we were leaving there was another little boy having a meltdown. I don't see why mom was worried about taking me to the game, I didn't have a meltdown, not even when mommy told me we had to go home. I was better behaved than the kids!

Speaking of meltdowns, today was my first morning walk without a meltdown! Mommy was so proud with me, she says it will be much easier for her to wake up knowing that our morning walk will be a pleasant experience. In fact, I was so well behaved this morning that my friend Cookie the springer spaniel's mom told my mom how good I've gotten in such a short time!

My lessons are going very well, and overall, I'm being much better. Mom says that I'm much better in that my badness has gone from "bad" to "annoying." My new game is to nip at mom's feet and pant legs. I think it's fun. Mom does not.

I have perfected "sit," "stay," "down," and "shake." I'm working on "off" and "leave it." Those lessons aren't any fun, because they ususally mean I have to stop doing something fun, like standing on the couch or coffee table or that I have to give mom and dad something I've stolen, like the remote control. I'm hoping that if I refuse to learn those commands my parents will get frustrated and decide to skip those lessons, but they don't seem to be giving up!

Monday, May 7, 2007

I'm brilliant!


I am brilliant. I am brilliant in two ways one good and one bad. I'll tell you about the bad first, and the good second. That way, maybe you'll forget about the bad after reading about the good.

So first, after teacher was here yesterday, mom and dad kept working on my lessons with me. Part of what I learned was if I'm bad, then stop being bad, I get a treat. So last night and this morning I was really bad, because I figured out that to get a treat, I needed to be bad, then stop. Serves mom and dad right for trying to trick me! My new game is to bite the bottom of mommy's pants. Mommy says it's better than biting her arm, but it's still not good.

The second piece of evidence regarding my brillance is that I really love my new dad and mom, and I don't want them to give me away like my first set of parents did, so I have decided that I shouldn't play the above mentioned game too much. So, this afternoon when mom was working with me and when we took our walk, I was very good. I followed all the commands! I was sitting and staying, even when mom walked out of sight! Whenever a car passed, I sat on my own! Mommy said I was so good! She gave me lots of hugs and kisses and lots of treats and kibble. When daddy came home we worked on my lessons again, and I was so good! Again!

After my lessons daddy took me out. He thinks something bit me because I went crazy when we were outside, but I got a hold of myself. Then when we got inside I ran around in figure eights really fast like someone was chasing me. Mommy thought it was funny, daddy thought that there was something wrong with me. There's nothing wrong with me! I'm just "high energy"!

Sunday, May 6, 2007

School Days, School Days

Today my private tutor came to give me lessons. Mom says I'm being home-schooled. Teacher was mean. She sprayed some yucky tasting stuff into my mouth whenever I tried to "mouth" her. It tasted so bad I tried to get it off of my tongue by licking her paper, her pants, the couch, everything. Then she got nicer and taught mom and dad things to do to help me to be good. Teacher had lots of treats. I like treats.

Teacher said that I didn't have "the social skills." I'm not sure what that means, I'm very social! I love people and other dogs! I'll crawl all over anyone! Am I not supposed to do that?

By the time teacher left I was so tired. School is hard!

Update on my tummy

For those of you who know my parents, you might have heard that I may or may not have eaten something that I shouldn't have on Friday. After two vaseline sandwiches, the verdict is in...I didn't eat it. Thanks to all for their concern, my insides are a-okay!

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

A bad day and a good day

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I had a really bad day, especially in the morning. Mommy took away my internet privileges -- I was that bad. Mom says not to dwell on it but not to repeat it either. So moving on...

Today was a GOOD day! I was so good! Mom thinks it could be my best day yet. I was good on our morning walk. I was good while mom and dad were at work (I always am) and I was phenomenly good when mom got home. When she let me out of my crate, I greeted her with wiggles and kisses, I didn't jump at all! Then I waited patiently while she changed clothes and we went on an hour-long walk! I didn't act up once, and we met a lot of my new neighbors. It was so nice outside everyone seemed to be out taking walks just like mom and me do everyday. Why don't they take walks every day? Everyone I met commented on how handsome I was. When we went by the church, there were lots of little kids playing softball and soccer, I wanted to play with them soooo bad, but mommy said I wasn't ready yet. I was good and we turned around and went the other direction. We saw lots of other kids on the street riding bikes and riding in wagons. I was good and only said hi to the ones who said they wanted to say hi to me first.

After we came home mom made dinner and I played with my toys all by myself. Mom didn't even have to tell me to play with the toys instead of trying to play with her. It was the first time since I got here that I played on my own! Then we did tricks. I did so good! I was staying for 7 whole seconds! It also was the first time that I didn't need a time-out before dad came home! In fact I didn't have one time-out all day!

At dinner when mom was preparing the plates, she took a really long time so I jumped up into her seat. I thought dad looked lonely and he needed some company. And I was hoping if I sat at the table mom might put a plate in front of me! Mom said it was a funny coincidence because my foster mom just emailed her today and told her that I used to do the same thing at their house! Mom says that they are reading my blog -- Hi foster mom, foster dad and foster brother (but not foster cats)! Thanks for reading!