This is Charlie. He's a Boxer, like me. On the day before Easter, he came over to meet me and play. He's only 2 years old, and he had a tough start to his life. He's a rescue from the Plymouth pound and he sometimes can be skittish around some people. He seemed to like Mom right away, and me, so that was good. It didn't take too long for me to teach him how to go in and out of the back door, look for bunnies in the back yard and help Mom with kitchen clean-up. (He doesn't eat cookies!! I don't get it.)
While Mom and her friends colored Easter eggs and made a LOT of noise, Charlie and I hung around the house and waited for the dog-fun to get started.
He found the water bowl. He made even more slobber than I do. That's saying something.
Looking for bunnies.
Checking out the back yard.
Waiting for the dog fun to start.
Once we started playing frisbee, it was evident that Charlie was a star when it came to leaping and jumping. He rarely had all his feet on the ground.
I was always careful to keep one foot on the frisbee- when it wasn't in someone's mouth.
Charlie air-borne again.
Both of us are REALLY FAST! Like lightening.
Seriously?
Boing!
I knew jumping was not the way to get the frisbee.
But I didn't tell Charlie that.
Even though he could fly, running was the key to frisbee fetch.
He was a cute kid, and he could jump, but it's who gets the frisbee in the end that counts.
Today I am 10. Well, actually, I was 10 yesterday, but Mom never gets a date right, so I guess I am 10+ 1 day. I have a FaceBook page now, and all my friends are wishing me a Happy Birthday and Mom turned the heat UP and gave me a special breakfast. I don't have the heart to tell her my birthday was yesterday... but I will. It has been a pretty good year, I guess. As a dog, I see things people don't see, because I am shorter, and because I listen the best of anyone. Since dogs don't talk, people tell us everything, so I know how Mom feels every minute. It's also easy to tell from just looking at her and watching what she's doing. In the morning, I wait and see what's going on for the day, I sit and wait by the bathroom, or on the couch. If she takes a shower right away, I know she's working, and she always tells me when she will come home. She's usually right. If she gives me a cookie, I'm staying home, if she puts my collar on, I go to school. Yesterday, though, she put my collar on, and took me with her, to work! She works in a place where a lot of people live, most of them with gray hair and some of them in chairs with wheels. I have been there before, but yesterday we stayed for a LONG time, and she kept me with her the whole time. Last time, I mostly hung around in the office. Yesterday, she just tucked the end of my leash in her back pocket, and told me to stay close by. I followed her quietly all day, sometimes we would stop and I would put my head in someone's lap and they would pet me and tell me I was beautiful. They would look at my tail wagging, and I gave a few kisses, but I did not jump or squirm or move too quickly around anyone. One lady reached out to pat me from her bed, and said something, and Mom told me she didn't talk to anyone anymore. But I heard her, and she was saying that I was a good dog. I put my head on her bed and waited until she was done petting me. It was nice to spend my birthday at work, even though no one knew it was my birthday.
This has been a pretty exciting year for me. I got to do a lot of things with a lot of people- but mostly I have been here for my Mom. My favorite times are when we sit on the couch together and I put my head on her, with my face right next to hers and she tells me about her day. We play stair-fetch when it's too cold or wet for outside fetch, and of course, I am a great help in the kitchen. Mom keeps the garbage a little too full for my liking, and sometimes I get in trouble for helping with that. We took lots of trips to see Grace, Karen, and I finally got to go to Gramma's house. We went to a far away place called North Carolina, where I met Jack. He made me run right into the ocean. Once.
I got a new BFF, Elvis. He's a puppy, so I'm waaaayyyyy better than him, but he's growing on me.
Of course, there was the HAM. That was a significant event. And, Gramma! She sent me stuff for Christmas!!
All this remembering is making me tired. And the heat just came on! Have a good New Year (I went to a party for that!) and give your dog a hug!
