My Monthly Diary forJune, 2011

This was a pretty quiet month for Mommy and me. We decided to take it easy after my fall down the stairs to let everything heal up. It took about three weeks for me to get almost back to my normal self, but I am still slow and a bit limpy and I've been getting tired after about 5 miles so Mommy took me to see the chiropractor. She said my back was fine and that slow and limpy and getting tired faster is now my new norm. It seems that since I don't feel my back feet like I should I'm walking kind of funny. I also don't seem to be able to make my ankles and knees bend quite right anymore so I am compensating by using my hips to lift my feet off the ground. That way I don't foot scrape, but it is why I get tired a lot faster than I used to. My hip muscles just aren't up to the new task I am setting them to. Mommy says she knows how that is since her knees don't work right and she uses her hips to lift her feet off the ground too.

Another reason we haven't done much is it was much hotter than it should have been in June. We had days in the upper 90s early on and then big storms. Then more hot days. Really hot days are hard on Mommy and me because we don't have air conditioning, but on the good side it does mean that I get to spend time swimming in the lake. I took quite a few evening swims with Mommy and sometimes we went for Pup Cups afterwards, but other times we didn't. I don't understand how you can go for an evening swim and not follow it up with a Pup Cup. That's just not right.

One great thing that happened this month was that the four kids who I see on my evening walk sometimes found our house and they came into the backyard and played with me! It was very exciting and I played You Can't Get the Toy from Me, and Kick the Ball Up in the Air So I Can Bounce it with My Nose, and Tug-of-War with Sticks and Toys. Mommy broke up the playtime after about an hour when she noticed I was gasping for breath and limping a lot, but it was great fun while it lasted.

I did take Mommy for an 8 mile morning walk early in the month. We had had one of the big storms and it was a cool Sunday morning so I thought the long walk was in order. Mommy said, "We shouldn't do an 8 mile walk. We should do the 5 mile walk instead." but I got stubborn and refused to move until Mommy gave in. That is the great thing about being a 75 lb dog. If you decided you aren't going to move, you don't move. Mommy can't just pick you up and carry you like I've seen happen with some of the little dogs in town. They whine and complain, but they get no say in the matter. Anyway, I decided it was a cool enough day to take the 8 mile morning walk and insisted on doing it. Mommy gave in. Well, after 5 miles I decided that I had walked enough and, since we were at the forest preserve parking lot, I went to the nearest car and sat down and waited for Mommy to give me a ride home. Mommy said it wasn't her car and she was not going to hotwire it just because I bit off more of a walk than I could chew. I tried doing the stubborn bit, but Mommy wasn't having any of it and she went all stubborn herself and she sat down in the shade of a tree by the lot and said she'd wait. We waited for quite awhile and I finally gave up and we continued our walk home. When we got to the playground part of the walk we found a very sad fallen nest with dead baby birds inside. They must have gotten knocked down in the storm that night. I decided to sit by the nest for awhile and so Mommy joined me on the ground. Then we got up and walked to the creek, and I sat on the bridge for awhile. Then we got to the church parking lot and I tried to get Mommy to hotwire one of the cars parked there. She said no, so we sat on the berm by the lot for awhile. Then we got to the old pear trees and I lay down in the shade and refused to move anymore. Mommy took her sweatshirt off and turned it into a pillow and we napped under the pear trees for about a half hour. I decided I could walk again after that and we got all the way back to town and to where Gunner the lab used to live. Gunner's mommy and daddy were working in their front yard and I lay down under their tree and refused to go again. Mommy considered asking Gunner's mommy and daddy to watch me while she walked the 5 blocks we had left home and got the car, but then she said, no, I wanted this walk I was going to finish it. So we sat and watched Gunner's mommy and daddy work and Mommy talked to them some and they came and pet me a bit and then I decided I would walk the rest of the way home. When I got home I ate my milk bone and fell sound asleep. Mommy went outside to work in the yard and the four kids came by and asked if I could come out and play. Mommy said, "Sorry, not this time, he is too tired." I barked hi, but then went right back to sleep.

Oh! On one of my Saturday walks to the lake I CAUGHT A FISH!! I caught a carp in Lake Michigan once when I was younger, but it was bigger than a cat and it scared me when I saw what I had by the tail so I let it go, but this time I caught a bluegill which fit in my mouth nicely. I love chasing the bluegills and trying to catch them and finally all my work payed off! I pulled it out of the water and proudly showed it to Mommy and then I realized that it was slimy and wiggly and pointy and it grossed me out so I dropped it. It plopped back into the water and swam away before I could catch it again. Catching fish would be a lot more fun if they tasted more like my freeze dried salmon treats and less like a wiggly sharp blob of slime.

I also conned Mommy into buying me cheese fries this month. I pretended like I wanted to take the 8 mile walk again, and when Mommy said no and made me turn around right after the Dog n Suds I acted all sad and then pointed out that I could be cheered up if only she'd buy me some cheese fries. Mommy said, "It is 10 a.m. It is WAY too early for cheese fries." I hung my head and looked so sad, then I turned and looked towards the 8 mile hike and looked sadder and Mommy said, "Fine. I'll buy you some cheese fries, but we are only taking the 5 mile walk." I perked right up then and trotted over to the Dog n Suds and told the girl that I wanted cheese fries. It is never too early in the morning for cheese fries.

Finally, I went to see the town's 4th of July fireworks on Saturday. I love fireworks. I like watching all the bits of light appear and I love the ones that fly around like birds (Mommy calls them chasers) and the best ones are the chasers that make screaming noises while they dart around. When the boring ones that are just little flashes of white light with big booms go off I usually turn and glare at Mommy because she should do something about those duds. We went to the feedstore lot to watch with the feedstore regulars, but the elderly foursome whom we usually sit by weren't there this year which was sad. The other regulars were there though as were a bunch of people we hadn't seen before. Mommy brought my sleeping bag for us and a pillow for her and we stopped and got a Pup Cup before the show. We were all comfy on our sleeping bag when a know-it-all little girl about 10 years old and her friend decided to sit behind us. They yammered the whole time about shoes and other non-fireworks things. One of them complained to her friend about the little RV kids in front of us (the RV family are regulars) who were calling out "Oooh!" and "Aaah!". Mommy says she was complaining because they were making it hard for her to hear herself talk. One of the things one of the girls kept saying was how terrible it was to take a dog to see fireworks because "all dogs are afraid of fireworks". What a little idiot. Mommy turned once after about the fourth time the girl said it and said, "If you are talking about my boy, you are wrong. He loves fireworks." but the snotty little girl kept repeating how all dogs are afraid of fireworks and you should lock dogs in small rooms on the 4th of July so they won't get scared and hurt themselves and stuff every 10 minutes or so. Whenever she would say, "dogs" I would turn and look at her because I knew she was talking about me. Mommy would say to me, "Mind nobody's business but your own." and I'd turn back to the fireworks, but it WAS my business since they WERE talking about me. When the show was over the new people (snotty girls included) left bottles and stuff in the parking lot and Mommy and I picked up what we could carry to the garbage so that the feedstore people wouldn't make their lot off limits in the future. Mommy wishes people would teach their kids to behave as well in public as I do.

Flashback to Dog Scout Camp--Day 7

My Camp Diary
Saturday, July 26, 2003

I slept until 7:00 because I was sooo exhausted from that CAT IN A CAGE!! When we did get up I went to look for the CAT IN A CAGE!! I looked under the tables and behind the door and other places I knew a cat could hide, but he was definitely gone.

Mommy packed up the car and I got worried. What if she decided to leave me here? When other dogs came to say hi I barked at them. I then told Mommy that I wanted to sit in the car. It was cool and raining so Mommy said it was okay.

I missed breakfast and the awards ceremony, but Mommy got my patches for me. She said some of the other doggies got 8 patches, but she thought I did rather well with only 4.

We left camp about noon and I slept the whole way home. When we got home I took another nap. Then it was bedtime.

My plans for next week are take a nap, eat some food, follow up with a nap, followed by a short nap, followed by some more napping, dinner, followed by bedtime. I hope I get to go back to camp again in a couple years!

If you'd like to learn more about the Dog Scouts of America or find out how you can go to camp, click here.

Flashback to Dog Scout Camp--Day 6

My Camp Diary
Friday, July 25, 2003

Lonnie reminded everyone at breakfast to keep their dogs under control especially when yellow bandana dogs are around and I guess the Belgians' mommy got mad because she left.

We took a five mile backpack hike and then I painted my best painting yet, "On the Puppy Playground." Then we went to our final Dog Scout test.

On the Puppy Playground
Can you see the three black dogs of three sizes running?

We were in the big room and they wheeled in A CAT IN A CAGE!! They expected us to "Leave It!" for A CAT IN A CAGE!! Some of the other dogs didn't even seem to notice or care that there was A CAT IN A CAGE!! I did though and I barked and barked. Mommy made me leave the room quite a few times. The other dogs would walk up to THE CAT IN A CAGE, look at it and then look away and walk off. They walked away from A CAT IN A CAGE!! I walked up to it and sniffed and sniffed and sniffed and had to be dragged off. Then I barked and barked. Then I stared. The other doggies all passed, but I wanted that CAT IN A CAGE!! Mommy and I had to stay about an hour after class before I could finally "Leave It!" the CAT IN A CAGE. The way they finally got me to pass was that when I would turn away from THE CAT IN A CAGE, I would get to walk up to THE CAT IN THE CAGE!! Then if I walked past it I got to beat up my anxiety toy.

THERE IS A CAT IN THAT CAGE!!!
Photo by Joanne Webber

After all that work Mommy and I took the rest of the day off. We just sat around reading and stuff, but each time we went back into the lodge I checked to see if I could find THE CAT IN THE CAGE!!

All the tired puppies and their people

Mommy and me relaxing
Photo by Joanne Webber

Later, Mommy and I tried something called "Rally-O". We had to walk around a course and do various obedience things whenever we got to a station. Mommy was sure a klutz at it! We tried both courses once and then took a little break and then tried to do them again, this time for a Rally-O patch. I only have so much patience for obedience so, after we did the first course perfectly, I decided that was enough. I'd let Mommy line me up for the second course and we'd do the first station and then I'd jump up and grab my leash and shake it and fight Mommy and refuse to move any further. Mommy tried it three times, but I made sure I did the same thing each time. So, Mommy said, "We quit." and we didn't get the patch. Mommy says maybe we will find a Rally-O group by us since SHE thought it was fun. HMPH!

Flashback to Dog Scout Camp--Day 5

My Camp Diary
Thursday, July 24, 2003

I was very tired last night. I slept until almost 7:00! We took a short walk before breakfast and then we did a two mile backpacking hike. I was very good and walked in the crowd. I didn't mind when a shepherd barked at me. I even walked next to a Belgian for awhile!

After the hike Mommy and I practiced "Leave It!" with food until I got it down well enough to pass the test. (Cheese and peanut butter! They expected me to choose not to eat cheese and peanut butter!) Did another painting for Mommy, but I wasn't having fun. It was a nice one though and she called, "A Bouquet for Mommy." Afterwards I got to play in the play yard with BOTH Emma and Skippy! Then Mommy had my caricature drawn.

A Bouquet for Mommy

Skippy

My caricature
I don't like to look people other than Mommy in the eye

I went for a boat ride on the lake with Mommy and got to swim for a loooong time and I chased frogs too. It was lots of fun. Since I was such a good boy for the whole day and didn't bark at anyone Mommy let me go for a dog's choice walk. I chose to walk down the trail and come back behind the pond. When we got to the pond Mommy called out that I was coming and everyone made sure their dogs were doing something besides running up to me except for the Belgian pair. Their Mommy let them both run straight at me! I got scared and barked and lunged at them and Mommy had to haul me off. She said that they only wanted to play with me but she understood that it wasn't my fault and I was still a good boy.

Mommy didn't say anything to anyone except Alex's mommy, but someone who was down at the pond told Lonnie because she came to talk to us about it later that night. I went to bed early and Mommy made a letterboxing stamp for me.

Flashback to Dog Scout Camp--Day 4

My Camp Diary
Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Shadow woke us up around 4:00 a.m. by throwing up. She had spent all day yesterday swimming, swimming, swimming. She even escaped from our room and tried to run out the door for a swim! She must have swallowed an awful lot of water. After the disturbance, I overslept and didn't wake until the little dogs down the hall barked at 6:30 so I told Mommy to get up. After she was dressed, I got back into bed and went back to sleep. Mommy shook her head and joined me.

About a half hour later we took our walk. Mommy put my food into the training treats bag because I have decided not to eat any meals. We had our first group hike. It was fun. I walked with a doggie named Jade. Jade looked like a littler version of me! Mommy said he was the sport model. Jade didn't want to walk much because he didn't like his pack and he wanted his Mommy (he was with his Daddy). I walked with Emma for awhile too and I even walked beside a Belgian shepherd. I think Belgians are German shepherds with a different hairdo so it was very brave of me to walk with her.

Me

Jade, the sport model of me

Jade and me

After the hike Mommy was talking to some people and I was sitting with the dogs when Katja came up. I kept waiting for her to turn into a shepherd again, but she didn't. She made me nervous, though, so I glared at her, then I puffed at her and finally I barked. For some reason Mommy kept trying to get my attention the whole time I was watching Katja. Doesn't she realize you can't trust a wereshepherd?

Mommy made me take a nap for about a 1/2 hour. Then we went to painting class in the "arfs and crafts" building. Mommy put this funny thing on my paw and dipped some stuff in paint and then had me do that "scrape the tray" trick we had worked on. It was amazing! When I scraped the tray paint showed up on the paper taped to it! I painted a nice picture Mommy named "Walk in Tall Wildflowers." Mommy wanted me to paint another one, but I didn't want to so I just made one swipe of blue paint. Then I tried to walk away and I painted some nice blue marks on the floor. Mommy called the second painting "Operant Conditioning Blues."

Photo of me painting by Joanne Webber

My first ever painting! Walk in Tall Wildflowers.

Operant Conditioning Blues

Paint covered paws

We cleaned up and went for a walk and then Mommy went to put me back in the room for my lunchtime nap. Alex and Shadow were already napping in their crates. When we passed Shadow's crate she went nuts barking and biting at the bars. She had snapped at some other dogs that day too. Mommy told her person what she was doing, and Shadow's mommy decided they would leave camp for the day and move to the motel for the nights. I think Shadow had a bad tummy ache from all that swimming.

Mommy took me to try Search and Rescue. I really thought it was exciting when the other dogs were watching as their humans ran off into the woods. Finally, it was our turn and Mommy ran off in the woods while the instructor held on to me. Then Mommy called and the instructor let go of me. I ran into the woods and found Mommy and then I looked all around in the bushes and up in the trees to see what it was that everyone was chasing. Mommy grabbed my leash and made me leave the woods. She wanted to practice some more after class so we went to a fenced area and Mommy had me wait while she hid. When she called me, I was busy sniffing the fenced in area. She called again and I went towards her, looked right at her and went to investigate other things in the fenced in area. Why did she think finding her would be fun? Squirrels and goats had been in the fenced in area. Finding THEIR smells was what was FUN!

What missing person?
Can't you smell how nice these flowers are?

Passed more of the Dog Scout tests then just hung out with Mommy, did some swimming and stuff until dinnertime nap. After dinner we went to a talk about geocaching and then we played a game called "My Dog Can Do That!" I did a trick nobody else could do!!! I carried a ball across a goal line made of doggie treats. It was EASY for me because Mommy set it up so that I saw a door on the other side of the goal line and then she said, "Get Out!" and I know that means run through the nearest doorway, so I ran straight to the door.

Flashback to Dog Scout Camp--Day 3

My Camp Diary
Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Woke Mommy up at 6:30. I refused breakfast. We took a walk (No shepherds). Then Mommy went and bought me a pack. I look SOOO cool in it! We took a practice walk then went to backpacking orientation. Learned what to put in your pack. A leash, collar, water, water bowl, poop bags, flashlight, first aid kit, matches, id, compass and knife. We tried walking with a filled canteen, but the water sloshed around and made me walk funny so I made Mommy buy a platypus (collapsible canteen) for me.

Mommy made me take a LOOONG nap while she went to a lecture about aggression and had lunch. We skipped the second Dog Scout Class because we had missed the first one last night. I started practicing "Look at the gooood shepherd." with a shepherd named Braxel. If I looked at him and didn't go nuts, I got a treat. Maybe shepherds aren't so very terrible after all.

Braxel the Good Shepherd

Went to the water safety class but was told I could only be a "Puppy Paddler" because I need to stay on a leash, but I already KNOW HOW to swim, so it took no time to complete that course!! Mommy says that means we have free time every day. Then someone said that we couldn't get our patch unless we took the dog scout class which we had skipped the first two of. So, we had to do a make-up of the parts we missed and pass the tests to catch up. It wasn't hard though because it was the first parts of a CGC.

Nap time and dinner again then we went to try carting, but I didn't like the rottie that was there so we left. I got to have some playtime with Emma (I LOVE Emma she's a lab), then we practiced painting again and worked on sitting by shepherds some more.

The lovely Emma

Neva is not a shepherd because she is white

Mommy wanted to go to a PhoDOGgraphy class so I came along. While class was going on Katja came by. I was lying on my side half sleeping when I saw her. I wagged my tail at her and she wagged back. Then she went in her room. That was when I made the horrifying discovery that Katja was a wereshepherd!! She can go from a floppy-eared not-a-shepherd to a German shepherd just by putting her head in the door! I barked hysterically at her, and it took Mommy quite a while to calm me down.

Katja the wereshepherd

I was more than ready for bedtime after our busy day.

Flashback to Dog Scout Camp--Day 2

My Camp Diary

Monday, July 21, 2003

Another sleepless night. Alex had to sleep in his crate and he spent a lot of the night showing his displeasure by clicking his toenails on the plastic bottom and moaning. I just couldn't get comfy on the bed because it was smaller than the one at home and Mommy was hogging all the space. Besides, how comfy can you get when you are on an eight foot lead?

Alex

Decided to wake Mommy up at 6:00 a.m. (that's 5:00 a.m. our time). Finally agreed to poop in the puppy play yard. Mommy tried to get me to eat breakfast, but nope. I want my feeding station. Mommy said, "Maybe you'll eat if we go off to a quiet spot in the woods." She gathered up my food and stuff and wrapped my leash three times around her hand and we went to get some fruit for her. When she was shutting the fridge Kyra, a German Shepherd, came up. Kyra's mommy said, "Can we come by?" Mommy said, "Wait." That is when Kyra's mommy made the fatal mistake of trying to move backwards to be out of our sight. I SAW THAT GERMAN SHEPHERD MOVE!! With a ROAR I yanked the leash out of Mommy's hand and went after Kyra. My food flew everywhere. Kyra's mommy was too quick for me though because she let go of her G.S. and pinned me to the wall with her leg. I kept growling and barking while Kyra tried to let herself out the door. Mommy grabbed my tail and hauled me off to the car. Boy was she mad at me! She said one more of these and we were going home. I gave her a 3 inch by 1 inch bruise on her thumb from yanking the leash too!

Kyra

I had my picture taken for our camp ID and we kind of just avoided other doggies until lunch. Mommy tried eating with me in the dining room, but then suddenly decided that naptime for doggies would be a better idea. I didn't think it would! Another roommate arrived. She was a black and white border collie named Shadow. Mommy told shepherd owners to keep away from me at introductions. Then Mommy went to a class to learn the first stages of how to paint and I had to have another nap. She came back and we practiced this silly Mommy trick where she would click this thing and hand me a treat. Mommys are strange. Dinner, then painting practice. Mommy held a board and if I scraped my foot on it she would click that thing and give me a treat. It was fun for awhile, but then, half way through practice I had had enough so I stopped cooperating. I spit out the treats and paced and whined and bumped Mommy with my head and tried to climb on her lap until she FINALLY got the hint and we went for a walk and quiet time. At least Mommy walked me to the road so I could poop in comfort! I refused dinner again, but then got mad at Shadow when she came over to sample it. I didn't growl, I just gave her my "sideways eyes."

Me learning to paint

The path to the woods trail

Tired me

Flashback to Dog Scout Camp--Day 1

It is Dog Scout Camp season. Back in July of 2003 Mommy and I went to Dog Scout Camp. We were very excited to go when we signed up, but then two things happened: 1. I got attacked at the dog park by a rottweiler and a black and tan German shepherd which started my extreme fear of big dogs and 2. I tore my ACL which meant that I wasn't supposed to do any running or jumping so Mommy's dreams of letting me try agility went out the window. Even with the restrictions we had fun though. I have decided to re-post my camp diary that was lost when my old Geocities page went away. Here is Day 1:

My Dog Scout Camp Diary

Sunday, July 20, 2003

Didn't get much sleep last night because Mommy had packed bags. She said we were going somewhere that wasn't Wisconsin. We left the house about 11:00 a.m. and we drove and drove and drove and drove. At first Mommy would stop every once in a while and roll down her window and throw something out into a basket. I tried to fetch what she was throwing the first few times, but my seatbelt held me back. After a while I got bored and decided to nap. We stopped at a gas station and I drank some water and peed and ate some of the breakfast I refused this morning, and then we got back in the car for more driving. It was past my dinner time by the time Mommy stopped.

We were in a place I had never seen before. Mommy left me in the car and went into a big building.

Then she came out and moved the car and started to unpack. After what seemed like FOREVER she let me out to sniff trees and pee, then we went into the big building.


They gave me a nice yellow bandana to wear. I liked it until a lab named Chelsea told me it meant I was a bad dog.* I showed her bad dog. I tried to bite her. Mommy was appalled. She said the yellow bandana means I don't like German Shepherds, not that I don't like EVERYONE. Mommy gave me my dinner, but I refused to eat it. I ate Mommy's bread from her dinner instead. Then we took a walk in the woods. Mommy kept telling me to poop, but nope. There are no curbs and no lawns, how does she expect me to poop here? There was a lake, but she wouldn't let me swim.


When we went back to our room there was a poodle in it. He had a yellow bandana too. We decided we are the cool dogs. Mommy tried to get me to go into the dog crate she rented for the week. NO WAY!! Finally she figured out she could attach a rope to the bed and I could sleep with her, and stay in my space only. Good thing, otherwise we would be sleeping in the car.


*NOTE: Chelsea and her Mommy wrote me on August 19 to tell me that Chelsea DID NOT tell me the yellow bandana meant I was a bad dog. What she said was, "You're bad, Dog!" because black dogs look so good in yellow. So, much to my embarrassment, I must admit it seems the fight was all caused by a silly misunderstanding.

My Monthly Diary for August

This month Mommy and I went up to Wisconsin for vacation. We were supposed to go the last week of August, but there was a misunderstanding with Grandma and Grandpa so Mommy had to change our vacation the the week before the last week of August. It ended up that we got the better week though because we had great weather and the next week it got cold and rained. I had a great time. I chased squirrels and chipmunks and fish and frogs. I took a couple of hikes and I swam for my ducky. I also got to go for peddleboat rides which is one of my favorite things to do. I did fall up the stairs one day and had to be on pain killers and muscle relaxers for a night and then a few days later I fell down a hill and went back on the meds for two nights and one day. The falling down the hill part was Mommy's fault. It was mid day and I was napping in the boathouse while Mommy was reading in the shade of the boat house. She went for a swim and she spotted a nice colorful big rock. Every summer she puts a new pretty rock on my predecessor Boo's grave so she got that rock and climbed up the hill to his grave. I woke up and realized I didn't know where Mommy was so I sniffed around and discovered she had gone up the hill. I climbed up the hill, but when I got to the top she wasn't there. I couldn't figure out where I was or where Mommy was (some trees had fallen down and Mommy had to walk in circles to find Boo's grave which made tracking hard). Mommy had gone down the less steep side of the hill instead of the very steep way she had gone up and when she got back down to the boathouse she was worried that I wasn't there. She whistled for me and I did my worry whine-bark so she whistled again and I was so excited to discover that she was down at the boathouse again that RAN down the steep side of the hill. I got about 1/2 way down when I caught my front foot on a root and I stumbled down the rest of the way. I was very sad and sore and had to do nothing for the whole next day. It was very windy and choppy that day so it wasn't so bad to not get to swim and ride in the boat. Mommy told me that if it wasn't windy the next day she would take me for a peddleboat ride first thing after our morning walk the next day. The next day it was WINDIER than the day before but after we took our walk I ran straight down to the boat and wagged and wagged. Mommy said, "I said if it WASN'T windy." but I refused to listen and Mommy gave in and took me for a 2 hour ride. It took us 1 1/2 hours for Mommy to peddle us across the lake and then 1/2 an hour for us to float back with just the waves and wind propelling us and Mommy not peddling at all! It was lots of fun and I slept for three days when we got home.

Also this month Mommy and I took some hikes in the forest preserves by our house. She noticed that I hike at about half the speed I did two years ago, so we have to plan our hiking times much more carefully so we are sure to be home before dark. It is still fun though.

We got new renter neighbors this month. The trash that were living next to us for the past few years got kicked out in December and it took the owners SIX MONTHS to make the house habitable again. They had to buy all new appliances and carpets and stuff as well. The new people seem nice enough and the good thing is that they have a girl cocker spaniel! I haven't met her yet, but she has looked out at me through the window and I have seen her from my porch when she has been in her yard. The last time I saw her it was about 9 at night and I ran to Mommy and barked at her trying to get her to let me go say hi. She said no we would wait and meet her during the day. I decided that I needed to be really impressive for her so on my next walk I rolled in a big pile of fox poop. It was wonderful! I was covered in orange poop from above my right eye to the middle of my back and I smelled soooo good. I knew the cocker spaniel would be impressed, but when we got home Mommy tied me to the fence and gave me a dreaded BATH!! I ended up smelling like cherries! It was awful! How could she do such a thing to me. The new doggy would think I was some kind of wimp. Luckily for me we have not spotted her since then so I have had time to get a more normal dog smell on me again, but I sure wish I could have met her when I smelled like fox poop.

Finally this month I suddenly had trouble standing up a couple Sundays ago and I couldn't squat to poop and I didn't want to walk far. Mommy called the chiropractor and got me an appointment for the next Saturday. I was a sore boy for a week, but after the chiropractic adjustment I felt so much better that I was jumping on the bed and being silly by bedtime. The vet said I had somehow gotten my hips all crooked. I don't know how I did it, but it sure felt good when it was undone.

My Monthy Diary for October, or When Squirrels Attack

Yes, this month was the month of the vicious squirrels, but I will get to that later.

First off this month Mommy got sick. She was coughing and sneezing and had a low grade fever so I let her stay in bed all day on the Saturday she was sick, but then on Sunday afternoon her fever broke so I told her it was time to get up and take a hike. Mommy said no, she was not going to hike,so I got my big Grunty Fish and smooshed it into her head. Mommy told me to go away, I smooshed her with Grunty Fish, Mommy pulled the covers over her head, I pulled the covers off the bed and smooshed her with Grunty Fish. Mommy said she was too sick to hike, I smooshed her with Grunty Fish. Mommy gave up, got dressed and took me for a very slow three mile hike. We stopped a lot, but that was okay because we were hiking. The next day Mommy's fever came back so she stayed in bed AGAIN! That afternoon I got Mommy up and told her that it was nice outside and we should be in the backyard. Mommy said she was too sick, but I bugged her and bugged her until she gave up and brought a sleeping bag and pillow out to the hammock so she could sleep while I chased squirrels and sat in the sun. Mommy really needs to think about me more when she is sick.

Also this month Mommy has been bad to me because she is walking my neighbor Benji three nights a week because his mommy hurt her back. I don't like Benji, he is a snot and tries to bite me so we can't walk together. So, Mommy goes and takes him for short walks after we take our long one. When they pass our house Benji slows down and sniffs MY grass and looks at me and acts snotty until I get mad and start barking at him. So, in revenge now when I pass Benji's house I slow down and sniff HIS grass until he barks.

Oh, I also hurt my back again playing with a ball in the backyard. I was throwing it around and chasing it and I stepped wrong and fell. My back was really sore that night and Mommy had to give me a Tramadol around midnight. I woke her up again at 4 am and asked for another pill, but Mommy said no. So I asked to go out and refused to come back in. Finally Mommy gave me two pieces of cheese like she does when I get pills and I came inside and went to bed and waited for the pills to kick in, but they didn't. Mean Mommy had left the pills out of the cheese! She did give me another pill later that morning and I had to stay on them for a few days. My back feels better now, but it still hurts a little if I overdo it.

Also this month Mommy got me the best present EVER. It was an elk antler. It is even better than butcher bones (which I can't have anymore). I chewed it so much the first day I got it that I was still chewing it at 1:30 a.m. and Mommy told me ENOUGH! and GO TO BED! You should see how shiny white my teeth are now.

But you have all been wondering about the squirrels mentioned in the title of this blog and I will tell you about it.

First off, I was outside and a I spotted a squirrel who didn't spot me. I crept up on it and got to about 6 feet from it and between the squirrel and the closest tree before he saw me. When he spotted me he froze and looked around for an escape. The nearest trees besides the one I was blocking were all about 12 feet from him. He knew that if he ran to one of those trees I'd get him for sure before he reached it. He stared at me and I stared at him. He faked like he might run one direction then another, but I didn't fall for it. I was waiting for him to lose his nerve and run for one of those trees. Then he went CRAZY!! Instead of running to one of the far trees he ran STRAIGHT FOR ME!! I was so shocked I took a step backwards and that squirrel ran between my legs to the tree behind me and I totally forgot to grab him when he was in reach! I thought Mommy would hurt herself she was laughing so hard. It wasn't funny. The squirrel attacked me!

The second squirrel attack happened a couple days ago. I was walking in the Squirrel Park with Mommy and we stopped at the Squirrel Tree. I love the Squirrel Tree in fall because you never know how many squirrels are going to be in it, and better yet, how many are going to run out of it. I've seen as many as 12 squirrels run out of that tree in one blurry fuzzy gray line. I checked the tree and there was one squirrel inside and he wanted to be outside. He would peek out of the hole at me and I would jump up and try to grab him, but he never put enough of himself outside the tree for me to get. We had a stalemate for about 5 minutes until he ducked all the way back into the tree and vanished for a little bit. Then he came back to the hole with a black walnut in his mouth. Now, for those of you who don't know black walnuts they aren't like regular walnuts. They are a little bigger and instead of having thinish smooth shells they have very thick, very hard shells with pointy parts all over them. Anyway, that squirrel came up to the hole with a black walnut in his mouth and he peeked out at me, then he went to the other side of the hole and peeked out at me, then he went to the top of the hole and peeked out at men, then he went to the bottom of the hole and peeked out at me. I was staring up at him the whole time wondering what he was doing when he suddenly shoved that walnut out of the hole and dropped it right on my head! It hit me between the eyes and I jumped back in shock and that rotten squirrel ran out of the hole and up the tree at that exact moment! Again, Mommy laughed so hard I thought she'd break something. How could she laugh at such unsportsmanlike behavior?

So be warned...squirrels are evil, evil things and they are out to get us. They have stopped obeying the rules of all our squirrel chasing games. Who knows what they will do next?

Hopefully I'm Done with the Meds

Saw my regular vet yesterday. She said she was surprised how good I looked considering all the info she had faxed to her from the emergency vet. I have finished off the icky meds so I don't have to dodge Mommy three times a day and can now have kibble mixed with rice and eggs. This I like. The bad news is that I am not allowed to walk more than one mile twice a day. I walk five miles a day thank you very much. One mile isn't even a warm up! I also cannot get on the couch or bed, run, jump or swim until THE END OF AUGUST!! Mommy and I have arguments on every walk now though because I want to go into town, or all the way through the park and Mommy says no because all the way into town is two miles and through the park is a mile and a half. Waaaah! It is a good thing Mommy spoils me. She has moved her mattress onto the livingroom floor so we can sleep together and I can sleep on it when she isn't home too. Also, I'm tall enough that if I stand on the mattress I can see outside and I can reach the window with my nose so I can sniff at what is passing by. Everyone keep your paws crossed that I continue to improve because I don't want the icky meds to come back and I really really want to be able to take long walks again.

Well, I'm Home for Now

Things went from bad to worse in the past few days. After the pooping incident I stopped eating so Mommy took me to the emergency vet and they gave me something to calm my stomach down. About two hours after we got home I threw up blood, tons of bright red, rotten smelling blood. Mommy rushed me back to the emergency vet and I had to spend two nights in the hospital on IVs and all sorts of meds. The vet says the Deramaxx gave me bleeding ulcers which is why I was puking blood. I still don't feel well. I don't feel like eating and I mostly just want to sleep. Mommy says I have a general bloody smell about me although my breath doesn't smell bloody which is good. I finally pooped today and, while it wasn't diarrhea it wasn't normal either and it was a black in parts, so there is still blood in my system. I have to take a bunch of meds, including one awful chalky one that Mommy has to squirt down my throat. As sick as I am I have enough energy to dodge her when I see the syringe and make her chase me down and trap me in a corner. We are just hoping that I get better and don't relapse or anything. Keep your paws crossed for me.

Okay, Maybe I Went Too Far

I'm mad that I'm not allowed to walk, so to show Mommy how I felt I refused to poop for 42 hours. I finally had to give in last night. Deciding this wasn't the best plan I changed it this morning to refusing to PEE. Seemed like a great plan. Don't pee in the backyard, Mommy has to walk me. Sure enough it worked. After a half hour of Mommy getting eaten by skeeters in the backyard while repeating, "Go pee. Go pee." over and over again Mommy gave up and took me for a three house walk. I peed on a neighbor's wall and then bad Mommy made me walk home. Guess what Mommy, I didn't pee as much as I would on a normal walk so there! I said when we got home. Mommy left the house anyway. When Mommy got home she had a not so good surprise for her. A HUGE pile of poop. Five puddles of the runs and my diningroom bed soaked through with pee, pee on the floor and pee on the wall. Boy was she MAD!! She said the pooping she could take because I have trouble with anti-inflamitories so she wasn't surprised the Deramaxx gave me stomach trouble and she could blame it for that, but the lake of pee had no excuse. I was a BADDOGSHAMEONYOU! Now she won't cuddle me because of the pee and I'm only getting rice for dinner because of the poop. Perhaps my grand plan was not so grand after all.

My Monthly Diary Entry for June

Well the big news is of course that I have a real live genuine blog now. No more crude updating my web page every month. The bad news is I don't have any place to store my old blog entries where people can read them, so if anyone out there knows of a good FREE storage space, let me know.

Anyway, on to my life this past month. We've had a lot of thunderstorms this month. I am not a happy camper because I don't like thunderstorms when I am at home. I'm always afraid that the thunder will make the power go out and then the beepy thing will go off and it'll be scary. When it thunders at night I climb in bed with Mommy and cuddle up until the next thunder, then I sit up and GLARE at Mommy because she should make the thunder stop, but she doesn't. So, Mommy and I haven't gotten a whole lot of sleep lately.

Grandpa had a birthday this month and the only day the family could celebrate was on his actual birthday (which never happens in Mommy's family), but I wasn't invited and since it was going to be a late night Mommy had me go stay with Auntie Laura and the kids for the day. They were predicting big thunderstorms that day and Mommy warned Auntie Laura that I could become a real pain in the neck, and that Auntie Laura could return me home early if I was disrupting her work. Mommy didn't need to worry though because I wasn't scared of the thunder at Auntie Laura's house. They don't have a beepy thing that I know of, so when the thunder started the boy and I went into the boy's room and I caught up on all that sleep I was missing. The boy was very happy to cuddle up with me and sleep too. It was very nice. Mommy was a little bit mad when Auntie Laura told her about it, and she showed me that the beepy thing wasn't even plugged into the wall anymore so it can't beep, but I don't care. If we are home and it is thundering, I am scared of the beepy thing.

Also this month Auntie Naomi and Uncle Fred came to visit me! I was outside in the backyard when they came and I ran to the fence and screamed and screamed and screamed. I was so excited to see them. They came in while Mommy got ready to take me for a walk and then I got to show them a short version of my evening walk. (Auntie Naomi wasn't wearing walking shoes so we cut it short to save her feet.) They really enjoyed my walk and when we got back I KNEW there was a present waiting for me. Since they hadn't brought it inside I knew it had to be in their car. So I took them to the car and when Uncle Fred opened the trunk I jumped on the car. This was BAD DOG SHAME ON YOU! but I didn't seem to scratch it. I was just too excited to NOT jump on the car. Auntie Naomi got my gift and I wanted to take it right there, but she said there was something in the bag for Mommy too and I had to wait. We went inside and Mommy got one of her jelly jars back and then I got my gift! It was a squeeky bison!! I've never had a squeeky bison before. It was very exciting. I played with it and entertained everyone with the squeeking. They acted like they were talking, but I know they were actually watching me. After a little bit they all got up and left me!! They went out to eat and didn't take me with. Mommy did bring home some sweet and sour chicken for me to share though so it wasn't all bad. I was happy when they all came back, but after a very short visit they left again. I whine and cried at the door and then ran to the back door so I could watch them leave better. It was too short a visit.

Another thing Mommy and I did this month was went to the anual picnic that her friends have to celebrate their anniversay. It had rained and rained all morning so we got there late (for some reason Mommy didn't think wet dog would be welcome at the picnic). Not many people had showed and by the time we got there most of those who had showed had gone. Mommy's friend gave me some cake and Mommy had some pasta which she shared with me. Then I spotted another piece of cake that nobody was eating so I took it off the table. Got in a bit of trouble for that and Mommy decided that we should go for a hike. I wore my camera and took some pictures. Here are some of them:





















The best food seemed to be here.






















Picnic!

We had a good hike and I saw a snake. I poked him and poked him and sniffed and sniffed, but then he got tired of me and disappeared into the grass.

Finally it has gotten VERY HOT recently. It was cold and nasty for so long and now it is summer. No spring. I have not been ready for this and neither has Mommy. Last night we tried to sleep on the porch, but the dumb, renters next door kept coming outside to smoke every hour on the hour and I felt the need to yell at them that they are dumb and shouldn't smoke, so Mommy and I had to go back in around one a.m. and sleep in the warm house. Mommy says maybe she can figure out a way to block my view of their house without blocking the air and I won't need to bark at them, but I'll still be able to smell their smoke.

My First Real Blog Entry

I made myself a new blog today since Geocities is going away. What a shame. I've been there for many years, but at least now people can subscribe to my updates, and who knows, now that it is going to be easier to update blog entries maybe I'll update more than once a month...or not. There are too many bunnies and squirrels out there to chase and bark at to spend too much time blogging. By the way, I caught a bunny on my morning walk today! It was hiding in the bushes. I jumped in, grabbed it and shook it and shook it, then I jumped out and showed Mommy and she said I was a BAD DOG SHAME ON YOU because the bunny was hardly bigger than a chipmunk. I knew that fish had size limits, but I didn't know that bunnies did. Hopefully the DNR man won't come looking for me.