A Can of Worms

I'm getting lots of rest


It won't be long before I'm ready for action once again

Down but not out
I've been feeling a little down lately and it's all because of worms. First my vet thought it was kennel cough but after closer investigation (I'll spare you the delicate details), she discovered that it was worms. Awful creatures. She gave me some turbo-charged medicine that's not only supposed to kill the worms it helps prevent fleas, ear mites, fox mange and more worms. Pretty strong stuff. Let's hope the pharmaceutical company is not over-promising!

Apparently these worms are quite common in my part of the woods. Puppies like me eat things we're not supposed to - particularly forrest and garden snails. Snails like to eat fox droppings and we all know the company foxes keep. So there are a lot of doggies in my area who are infected. Bummer.

Kissin' Cousins

Tacy's my cousin, too!


We both like water, and we both like sticks

Meet Tacy
You've already met Sigurd. And Emma. Now meet Tacy. She's my "other" cousin (you won't catch me kissin' Sigurd!). Tacy and I have lots in common. We're both retrievers. We both like sticks. We both like water (though Tacy is a much better swimmer than I am - she's had more practice) and we're both girls. Tacy teaches me how to deal with dog-dudes like Sigurd - the ones that can't keep their paws to themselves! She has some tricks of her own but I'm not tellin' what they are!

Friendly Fire

Never mind the gun shot, where's my doggie treat?



Not at all gun-shy
We learned about guns at puppy training this week. Yes, guns. Since most of the puppies are in training to be hunting dogs (not me - remember, I'm a family dog!) we have to be tested to see how we react to the sound of gun fire. (If you're a hunting dog, you can't be running away when the shooting starts!)

We all lined up in the field and sat next to our persons and waited. Then, one of the trainers walked a few hundred yards away from our group and started quacking like a duck (so she thought). She threw something up in the air (a dummy, of course!) and then fired a starter pistol - like the ones they use at races.

None of us puppies reacted, so, she moved closer to the group, quacked, tossed and fired a second time. Again, none of us puppies seemed to care. I know I didn't. I had other more important things to think about: doggie treats.

My person has bought new, tastier doggie treats for training. I suppose she thinks these doggie treats will make me do all the things I am supposed to do - sit, stay, walk nice and retrieve. So I couldn't wait to get started with those doggie treats, especially since I don't get my dinner until after training.

It's a Small World

I didn't know puppies came in size XXXSmall.



Making room for Emma
I thought I was the smallest (and cutest) puppy in the world...until Sunday. Meet Emma - the world's smallest dog (in my world, that is). She's no bigger than a cocktail weiner and her furry suit is the color of a charbroiled hotdog. She's so small that I heard them say that they might have to tie a flag to her tail so she doesn't get run over by the lawn mower.

Okay. No more short jokes.

Yes, she's little. But, her teeth are no less sharp. In fact, I think her puppy teeth are sharper than mine! And, if you don't believe me, I have the bite prints on my ears to prove it.

Who's Emma? She's Sigurd's new 10-week-old protegé.

Stay tuned.

Dummies are Dumb

It's really a no-brainer
We tried "retrieving" for the first time at puppy training last week. Each puppy had a turn to show their stuff. (The hunting-dog people seem to like this exercise.)

When it was my turn, I was dragged over to the corner of the field so the other puppies couldn't distract me. Getting to the other side of the field took some time as the field was full of those great cow patties!

Next, they unleashed me (YES!). Then the trainer waved a little rectangular beanbag-thing called a "dummy" in front of my nose, and tossed it.

Little retriever puppies like me are supposed to pretend the dummy is a dead duck and run, fetch it and bring it back - all of this in exchange for a doggie treat. The doggie treat part is good. But, believe me, dummies are boring - especially when the alternative is to blast off in pursuit of the other puppies who are sitting in a circle waiting their turn.

So, I ask you: lifeless dummy or playful puppies? You can guess what I did. But, what would you do?

I've Got a Friend

Meet Irma
Irma is my good friend. She visits me in my backyard every so often. We play, run and shake things up. Irma teaches me how to act around grown-up doggies even though she's almost a puppy herself. Irma and I are kindered spirits! And, when Irma goes home I fall to sleep faster than a tail wag.

Caught Red-Handed!

Guilty as charged
Okay, I couldn't resist. They were laying right in front of me on the little coffee table. Tiny, delicious bamboo knitting needles - size 3.5mm - just the right thing for my small, sharp puppy teeth. A few bites and that's all she wrote.

Introducing Cousin Sigurd

Family Ties
Don't let those big, brown eyes fool you! He's only after ONE thing. And, we all know what that is. You may remember I spoke of him earlier. He lives at the lake and chases tennis balls and cute young things like me. He calls me cradle candy! I know I am irresistibly cute, but really! What ever happened to chivalry? Anyway, time is on my side. I am growing bigger and bigger every day. Yesterday the tables were turned and I was all over Sigurd! His person finally had to carry him away before things got out of hand. You go girl!