I take it back! I take it all back!

My last blog post was entitled "Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!" Little did I know that someone was listening. We have been slammed with one snowstorm, blizzard or Nor'Easter after another these past 8 weeks. It's not cute anymore. I can't even find anywhere to poop, okay? So I take it back.

NO MORE SNOW!

Mommy & I had no power the first weekend of February due to one of the biggest storms. It was about 18 degrees at night. At least *I* have fur, but Mommy was wrapped up like a mummy with fleece throws and me on top for body heat. We got taken in by some neighbors for the night.

In between storms, I love to play in the snow-- like here, where I'm plowing through drifts. Mommy says I'm fearless and quite the adventurer as I will hop through snow three times my height and love every minute.

Here is our mailbox. Can you say "Enough is enough?" They've run out of places to put the damn stuff. And now it's frozen, so I can run over top of it, but Mommy can't cuz she's too heavy and sinks and then yells at me cuz she's stuck or cuz I made her fall down by pulling on the leash.

Mostly, she's been letting me off leash and letting me run in the snow, which I love. I admit that I am a bit of a crazy dog when I am loose to run in the snow. I also love to eat the snow. Don't know what that's about, but I enjoy the heck out of it!

And finally, a little video of moi checking out the last snowfall:

Let it snow, let it snow, let it SNOW!!!

I am not quite 2 years old yet so I haven't had much experience with snow (we don't get that much where I live). We had one good snow last winter, my first with Mommy, and I discovered that I LOVE it! Seeing snow (esp. new-fallen "virgin" snow) puts me into hyperdrive. Mommy says I act kinda like a rabid squirrel--hopping around and acting crazy--and that I drag her around by the leash and ignore her commands.

This past weekend, the weekend before Christmas, we had a huge storm where I live. Saturday, it was nasty--freezing rain, sleet and a little snow with gale force winds. I'd whine to go out and pee and then, when Mommy got us all suited up to go out in that mess, I'd get cold feet (literally--DANG, it was cold...and WET!). I'd go out and pee but then run back home.

But Sunday, when we came out for our first walk of the day, it was BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL! White everywhere...not so much you couldn't walk through it (even me, and I'm built pretty low to the ground) but definitely covering everything. As soon as I was out the front door, I started eating snow and hopping around while Mommy was locking the door. I could almost hear her say "Here we go again!" But she started to laugh and take pictures and enjoy herself, too. She doesn't eat snow or hop around, but she says the snow reminds her of growing up in Ohio.

On a later walk that day, while off leash, I went hopping through a really deep drift of snow and suddenly completely disappeared. Mommy started yelling cuz she was scared for me, but I'd just fallen into a drainage pipe that had been covered with snow. I popped my head right up through the snow, jumped out and continued to play! Mommy said "WHEW!!!! Scared me!"

When Mommy took me off leash in the back field, I ran SO FAST and jumped into as much snow as I could. I always forget about the aftermath--the snowballs. When I get back home after playing in the snow, I have a hundred little snowballs hanging off my legs and belly. Brrrr!!

Here is a video that Mommy took of me acting like a rabid snow bunny:

Let's Par-tay!

October 4, 2009, was not only Bless the Animals Day, it was also the 1-year anniversary of the day Mommy adopted me from my previous family, who surrendered me due to a medical crisis in their family. Because Mommy has met so many new friends & neighbors through her walks with me, she decided to throw a 1st Anniversary Gotcha Party for me on that day (October 4) and invite some of them to celebrate the occasion with us.

Unfortunately, while the parents of my best friend, Jazz, had initially RSVP'd to attend, they canceled the day before the party due to work obligations. I was very sad that Jazz wouldn't be there to celebrate with me.

I was happy that my gal pal, Rosie, and her parents, Bob & Verna, came. Rosie, a cute-as-a-button Pomeranian, wore a party dress with matching pearls. Mommy didn't get a picture of her with her dress on (bad Mommy!), but here she is with her pearls still on.

Our pal, Lana, from down the street brought her "grandbaby" Mojo (a Shih Tzu like me). Mojo & I weren't the best of friends before, but we played together very well while the humans chatted and ate the yummy food Mommy prepared!

That's Lana and Mojo on the left. Mojo is such a cutie--I'm so glad that we got to know one another better at the party!

Here I am enjoying some of my prezzies from the party. Miss Denise & Miss Carol gave me the pink plushie bear. It has a tough chewie center (kinda like a Tootsie Pop!). Mommy has named her Pinky LaRue (ooh la la!). The other toy, from Lana & Mojo, is a cloth bone with tuggy ropes. Since it has pictures of Snoopy the Dog on it, Mommy calls it 'Noopy! I have already torn out its stuffins and Mommy has put it away until she has a chance to sew it up. :(

Being the photogenic pup I am, I of course had to pose with some of my favorite humans at the party. Here I am with my Uncle Mikie and with Miss Denise.

How can they help but smile when they are around adorable ME? :)

Well, there are lots more photos, but my paws are getting tired, so I think I will end this. I have to go give Mommy more kisses to thank her for having such a great party for me!! Bark atcha later!

My First Year

It seems unbelievable but, in just one week, it will be one year since Mommy adopted me on October 4, 2008. What a year it has been! Here are some of my recollections of my first year:

Fall 2008: Wow, a scary time. I was confused about my former family giving me away. It hurt my feelings. I missed them. Why? I must have been such a bad puppy to be given away. Is that why my new Mommy was so hard on me? My old family let me do whatever I wanted but this new Mommy expected me to learn things, like to sit down to get my leash on before we walk and to sit to be fed. The first night at my new Mommy's house, I cried and cried. I chewed and clawed at the door. I was SO scared and stressed out.

The highlight of my first month with my new Mommy was seeing the ocean and beach for the first time. Mommy took me downtown to walk on the boardwalk my first weekend with her. Oh man, incredible! The sights, the sounds, the smells! So many people & dogs to meet! She could barely restrain me on the leash! I wanted to meet the people, sniff the dogs, soar with the gulls, eat the french fries...and do it all at once!

Winter 2009: Once I got used to my new Mommy, I discovered that she is really nice. She is a lot of fun to play with and she is very affectionate. On my 1st birthday, between Christmas and New Year's, she made me a birthday burger out of Angus beef and put a candle in it. Wow, was it good. YUMMO! I would love to eat like that every day! And it snowed--a lot! Oh man, SO much fun! I hopped around in it like a snow bunny, though it was very deep. I would purposely go into the deepest part cuz I loved to hop through it!

Spring 2009: When the wintery weather gave way to lovely spring days, Mommy started taking me on longer and longer walks. We walked so much that we both lost our winter weight and were lean, mean, walkin' machines! People in the neighborhood would say to Mommy "Boy, you sure do walk that dog a lot." and she would answer "Well, I need the exercise and so does she!" I love that she loves to walk, because I notice that a lot of the other dog owners around here either don't walk their dogs at all (if they have a yard) or barely walk them far enough to pee and poop and then it's right back in the house. Whew! So glad I have a walkin' Mommy!

This was the first time Mommy left me for more than a few hours. She went back up to Virginia for a few days to go to the doctor and see her friends and former coworkers there. I stayed with my Uncles Mikie, Dave and Bill and I did okay but man when Mommy came home, she thought I would NEVER stop kissing her! She said "Love means never having to say I'm sorry for slobbering all over you." hehe That Mommy, she can be so funny.

Summer 2009: WHEW, did it get hot! I had to get Mommy up early so we could get out for our long morning walk before it got too hot. Neither she or I deal very well with hot weather so we would do our long walk early in the morning and then right before dark...and during the heat of the day we just ran out long for me to pee and right back in the AC! hehe Mommy put me in basic obedience class this summer. Didn't go very well--Mommy says I am a little ADD and get too easily distracted by other dogs and people--but I did at least graduate and learned some new stuff!

It was also during summer that Mommy left again for another trip. This time, a whole week! Yikes! But I stayed with my uncles again and had GREAT fun! Unfortunately, not long after Mommy got back, I got really sick. The dogtor diagnosed me with pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas) plus inflamed liver and colon. We don't know exactly what caused it but I had to go on several medicines and eat a special diet until I got better. I'm finally getting back to normal now.

Fall 2009: I'm so excited cuz Mommy is throwing me a party for the 1st anniversary of my gotcha day! In the dog rescue/adoption community, Gotcha Day means the day that a dog was adopted or rescued and got a new home. So the party is going to be on October 4, 2009, which also happens to be the day of blessing for animals. How appropriate! I can't wait. Many of my friends, human and canine, are coming to the party. What fun! Check back for pictures later!

Rest in Peace, Murphy

Early this morning, after our walk, Mommy was reading her email and I heard her gasp. She picked up the phone right away. When she hung up the phone, she was crying.

I was sitting at my window perch and turned to see what was wrong. Mommy came over to the bed and lay down, sobbing. I came over to kiss her and make it all better. She explained that our pal Murphy Brown, Uncle Dave's pup, had passed away during the night. Mommy had called Uncle Dave to express her sympathies and he was very, very sad. Murphy Brown, gone? But she was just fine when we were over at the house for the cookout. I didn't understand.

I snuggled up and laid down next to Mommy, but turned my head back to look at her because I was concerned...I hate to see my Mommy upset or sad. We stared into one another's eyes for a long moment. I could see sadness in her eyes, but I could see fear too. Somehow, looking into her eyes, I understood that, when you have a pup, it is extra hard to hear about another pup dying...because you start to think about your own pup not being in your life anymore...and that is very, very sad.

As I wrote in my previous blog entry, I loved Murphy Brown, but she never really took to me. She was a quiet older pup and I was a rambunctious young pup who was often invading her territory and taking the attention of her people (not to mention that I stole one of her chewies just about every time I came over to her house). In those first few months I knew Murphy, I was pretty intense. I was insistent that she was going to like me. I guess I made a big pest of myself. :(

Mommy told me that Murphy didn't always have a very happy, peaceful life before she came to live with Uncle Dave. I figure that at least she had those 7 years of living with Uncle Dave--knowing she was loved, getting lots of belly rubs and lovins, having her brother, Paco, to play with for a few years and having a nice big back yard to run around and chase squirrels in (she loved to chase squirrels).

Mommy says Murphy was a sweet, gentle soul. I know she had to have been to put up with me being up in her face all the time.

I will miss you, Murphy Brown. We will all miss you.

Rest peacefully, my friend.

My Five Uncles

If you are as ancient as my Mommy, you may remember there used to be a TV show called "My Three Sons"--about a single Dad with 3 boys and 1 Uncle Charlie. Well, in my case, there is a single Mom of 1 girl (me!) and my five uncles (who, unlike Uncle Charlie, do not live with us).

My uncles have very different personalities and different ways of interacting with me, but they all have one thing in common--they love pups and I love them! Hmm. Maybe that's two things ...but I digress. Here, you can see my 5 uncles in their native habitat! hehe On the left is Mommy hanging out in the mountains with Uncles Russ and Danny. On right, with Uncles Dave, Bill and Mike at a local Japanese restaurant.

When any of my uncles come to visit Mommy & I at our house or we go visit them at their house, we always have a great time...and I end up exhausted from being played with so much!! This is a very good thing cuz I LOVE attention! Let me introduce my five uncles:

Uncle Dave: He used to have a little pup named Mickie who loved to lick his face, so he doesn't mind when I lick his face--this is GREAT, because Mommy isn't wild about face licking. He now has a bigger pup named Murphy. I love her but she isn't so wild about me.

Uncle Dave is gentle in both voice and manner, and gives me great back & tummy rubs!

Uncle Mike: I don't have a picture of me with Uncle Mike yet, but he is the one in the black & white sweater in the picture at the top with Mommy. Uncle Mike is extra special to me because he is the one who is responsible for me being with Mommy! He knew the family I lived with before, who were wanting to find me a new home, and called my Mommy to see if she wanted to adopt me--and she did! Uncle Mike also puppysat me when Mommy went away in April and we had SO much fun playing and going on walks. He has lots of energy and is super sweet.

Uncle Bill: He can come off as kinda gruff when you first meet him,

but he is a total marshmallow inside! He melts for cute pups--like me!! He gets down on the floor and plays with me all the time. Like Mommy, he doesn't like the face kisses, so sometimes when he is on the floor, I will lick his bald head instead! hehehe

Uncle Bill had a close bond with Paco, a Bichon Frise who was also a close pal of Mommy's for many years. Paco died in late 2006, and Uncle Dave, Mike, Bill and my Mommy still miss him to this day. He must have been one special pup!

Uncle Russ: He is the most restrained of all my uncles. He likes me but I tend to be a little too rambunctious for him. He doesn't like face kisses, and he doesn't much like being jumped on either.

Well shoot, those are two of my most favorite behaviors--so where does that leave me, Uncle Russ? hehe You can see in this picture that I am trying to jump AND kiss him on the face, but he is looking at me warily and holding me back!

Mommy says this picture cracks her up!


Uncle Danny: Like Uncle Bill, he can seem a little gruff at first, but he is a softie on the inside! He has an older pup named Mika who has arthritis real bad, so she can't play so much anymore.

Uncle Danny lets me nibble on his fingers--something that Mommy and my other Uncles will usually chastise me for. So you know I love me some Uncle Danny! :)

Mommy says I look like a white Ewok in this picture. I'm not old enuf to have seen Star Wars, so I don't know if that is a compliment or not!

Having five Uncles is a great thing, especially when they all love and pay attention to ME! Of course, they come to see Mommy sometimes, too, and that is cool with me! :)

Here's to springtime and good friends!

Since my Mommy adopted me in the fall of 2008, pretty much all we'd ever known together is "coat weather." I spent much of my 8 months here thinking that she was this big puffy white creature because she seemed to be perpetually wearing her white ski jacket. Now that the warmer weather has arrived, Mommy takes me on longer walks several times a day. The benefit of all that exercise is that Mommy and I have lost our winter weight. I am a lean, mean, zooming machine and Mommy, well, she has a ways to go yet, but she does okay!

I am so glad I got over my fear of other doggies, cuz I have met SO many great doggie friends since I moved here. Our development has quite a few dogs in it (though not all are full-timers--we live in a beach town after all) and the next development over, where we walk frequently, has lots of them too. We often stop to talk to nice people we've met on our walks (or they come to us). They all pet me and say how cute I am and how soft my fur is. I like that part! I even made a baby giggle this week when I licked his toes! :)

Believe it or not, I also made good friends with the neighbor's tabby cat, Lynx. Lynx is an indoor/outdoor cat, so we see him a good bit when we leave for our walks. Lynx does not know how to play like a doggie--which is a disadvantage because I don't speak kitty so that I can explain it to him--but he is pretty cool nonetheless.

Yesterday and this morning, I got to play with my one of my FAVORITE doggie friends. His name is Jazz and he is a big, handsome, black and white Border Collie. He (and his people) are weekenders, so we don't see them often, but we love to play when he's here. Even though Jazz is 7 years old, he is still as playful as a pup. He gets down on his front paws to put his face at my level and then bounces up and down to entice me to play--we mostly run and play follow the leader. Since Jazz is 3 times my size, you would think that I would always be following HIM--but not so! I can run like the wind!

When this post originally appeared, I had no picture of Jazz to include. He was here this weekend and Mommy got a picture AND a video of him, so I'm editing my post to include both.

My favorite doggie friend who lives in town full time is Rosie, who lives in the next development over. Rosie is a tiny Pomeranian who nearly always sports a sweater or other colorful outfit. She is a real girly girl! Unfortunately, though we are great pals, she will not play with me much. I kinda got my feelings hurt at first, but her Dad told us that she just doesn't like to play. She mostly likes to relax. :) But check out this rare moment of Rosie playing (a little) with me:

I have been driving Mommy crazy lately. If I look outside and see it is sunny, I will whine and whine at her to take me outside...even if I was just outside an hour ago...because I want to enjoy the weather and be where the action is! When I whine and she asks "What do you want?" all I have to do is look out the window and she knows....I want more SPRINGTIME!