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!
Oh boy!! Today was a fun time because Mom and I went to Plymouth to help Auntie Amy train a prison pup, Mona, who was very nice and very smart. We got a refresher course, too, because sometimes Mom forgets that I have to be told some stuff- I'm not perfect all on my own, you know. After we met Mona and some other dogs who need help with their manners in public, Mom noticed I needed a drink. We walked over to a little shop and we passed by lots of people sitting and eating ice cream. One of them said "Ay, mira a esta mujer y su perro feo." ("Hey, check out this chick and her ugly-ass dog.") Before I knew what was going on, we were stopped and Mom was speaking to a lady saying, "Ella es hermosa y muy elegante, pero gracias a su ridícula opinión" ("Really?? Are you not aware that Gringas can speak Spanish, also? Oh, and don't call my dog ugly, bitch.") Then we went into the water store and I got lots of attention because I don't think dogs are allowed in there. But I was good and didn't shop or sniff anything that looked breakable and my water was cold and delicious. Gracias, Mom!
Mom told me today I am not getting a sister after all. That kind of bites, because I was totally looking forward to stealing her food, her toys and teaching her how to eat chicken fat out of the garbage. I guess the sister Mom was looking at was not going to fit into our family- she was showing her doggy behavior (I see nothing wrong with this) by going after food her own dog mom was trying to eat, and when her dog mom said "NO!" in dog language, my potential sister went back and tried again. And again. And again. The puppy-making lady said this would make a fine dog for someone who wanted a dog to train to protect or perhaps serve the armed forces. There were also some German words that I don't understand. The other possibility was a little red brother, but Mom and I think we are going to wait. Aunt Amy and Uncle Dave are still getting Elvis, so I can be his Auntie and steal his stuff. It's what any good role model would do.
Mommy came home today smelling like puppy juice and puppy hair and I sniffed her all over. Then she says, "I got us a puppy. So you can be a big sister, like Molly was to you." She said the puppy was very little and won't be here for a while, and she doesn't have a name yet. Aunt Amy and Uncle Dave are getting a puppy from the same family, and his name is Elvis. I am kind of excited, I love Dobies, but puppies get on my nerves. As long as I still get my hugs, it will all be fine. (My new sister is the black and tan with the pink collar.)
GO HERE for some great pics of DRU's Open House. Although Willow wasn't able to go, she said I could post here since she is a great fan of the Dobermann. It was a fantastic event, and Amy, Dave and I took a truck full of goodies up for the 42 dogs kept there. We met awesome dog after awesome dog, including 4-month-old Eli, who would eventually go blind due to a congenital disorder. His Mom was great, and it's obvious this breed of dogs has a fantastic following. Do I have a new Doberman? No. Not yet..... But it was pretty hard to walk away from Molly's twin. Named... Molly.
This is me in Bad-Dog!-Time-Out. I got in some big trouble today when I was helping clean up in the kitchen. Mom wasn't home, and I smelled that she forgot to put a pan in the sink, so I was trying to move it for her. Usually, I don't ever get up on the counter, because only bad dogs do that, but I was being a GOOD dog and trying to help out. Unfortunately, I was not given a moment to explain when Mom walked in the door to find me standing over an upside-down sheet pan that had been full of DE-LISH-US chicken fat/juice (did I say delicious?) and other chicken part renderings. There was some loud talking, and then I tried to go invisible (fail) and I was banished to the wet out-of-doors while Mom licked the floor clean (I was about to take care of that, btw. Geez. Give a dog a minute.)
By the time I looked pathetic enough to be allowed back in the house, the floor was all clean and Mom was not speaking to me. I put myself in my Bad-Dog!-Time-Out spot, all cold and wet, (since the usual dog hair dryer treatment seemed out of the question.) I shivered a little for good measure, but Mom didn't notice. Not even a paper towel was offered my way.
Despite being treated unfairly without due process, I wagged my tail anytime Mom walked by, and even though she didn't tell me to, I stayed in my spot for 2 hours. Eventually, she must have realized her horrible unfair treatment, and she told me I could get up. I won't be helping out in the kitchen any time soon. Chefs are too temperamental.
