Happy Halloween!

Halloween is a great celebration. I get to meet lots of trick-or-
treaters - they come right to my door!


Some are scarier than others

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Darn it! I was just beginning to get my person to obey me.

There's a new trainer in town
Today at puppy training we had a different trainer than the one we usually have. She was tough! She was filling my person with all kinds of new ideas about how I am getting to be a big puppy now and have to come immediately when I'm called - no more sniffing around and coming when I feel like it. And I can only get a doggie treat after I've done what I'm supposed to. No more freebies! And no more feeling sorry for me! The worst part is my person is obeying the new trainer. It's the pits.

Seeing Spots

Polka Dots
I meet a lot of different doggies on my walks in the woods - big, small, short, and fat. On Saturday I met Bella. My person and I reached our favorite spot in the woods when I looked up from my sniffing and spotted her in the distance. First, I thought I was seeing things. But as she walk towards me I could see that my hunch was spot-on - she really was full of spots. She was rather aloof and not very interested in playing with me. Maybe she was embarassed having so many dirty spots on her white suit. I hope her person buys her some spot-remover.

Identity Crisis

Yes, it's really me. I think!

All mixed up
I almost went home with the wrong person yesterday. I was at training with my person Sunday morning and she almost took my sister home instead of me!

All of us puppies were allowed to play together after the class. We were four black lab puppies (my sisters), and the other two were goldens, who are not really golden, but white. Anyway, the trainer insisted that we all take off our collars so we wouldn't get our respective puppy teeth caught in each other's collar. Maybe that wasn't the best idea. Once our collars were off and we were running around no one could tell which puppy was which! They called and whistled at us but we couldn't be bothered to come - we were too busy chasing and wrestling each other. Finally they had to step in and break up our party. My person was on the other side of the field pulling my sister off one of the golden retriever puppies thinking that was me. But I was at the bottom of the other pile of puppies.

In the end, four people were left standing, each holding a black lab puppy but not really sure they had the right one. Luckily, my person could tell she had the wrong puppy by the extra large fit of my sister's furry suit. (My suit fits rather snug around the waist and shoulders these days - too many doggie treats!). Once she realized she had the wrong dog, she switched with the man who was holding me.

I'm sure glad my person figured out that she had the wrong dog. Just think - I could have ended up as a hunting dog!

Next week I'm going to paint my nails red.

Sweet Dreams

My new bed is roomy, warm and stylish


Sometimes it gets so warm I have to sleep like this to cool off

My new bed
See what I've got! It's my new super size dog nest for super size doggies. No more puppy bed for me. The washable Burberry-like cover makes it practical and chic. My person likes to lay in it when he's watching television. Luckily, there's still enough room for the two of us. The best part about it is that I can shape it the way I want, and it can be moved around the house. So far it seems like the perfect bed. But come to think of it, I haven't tried to chew on it yet. Hmmmm.....

Chewin' the Fat

My top five chews


Rawhide bones are good, too

A bone (or two) to pick
You know how I love to chew. Here's a review of my five favorite chews.

1. Soup bone
This is a classic. And, in my short life (17 weeks to be exact), one of my cherished favorites. Although they can be a bit sticky, soup bones are economical and tasty while giving hours of chewing enjoyment. (I know what I'm talking about. To date, I have 4 soup bones under my belt.) Soup bones come from a cow's leg and people use them to make beef stock. For doggies like me, soup bones are best enjoyed raw, and in their natural state - right from the butcher's cleaver. But, if you can't make it to the butcher, a frozen shank bone from the supermarket works, too. On average, it takes me about an hour to chew a soup bone clean of meat and sinew. Then, what's left is the marrow that I usually lick out. Afterwards, the bone can be reused by stuffing peanut butter or liver paté inside where the marrow used to be and freezing it for later enjoyment - a kind of doggie popcicle. Not a bad idea when your puppy gums are sore.

2. Piggy ears
Convenient, practical and tasty - you can't beat a dried pig-ear for chewy goodness. And, no mess. You buy them at the local pet store by the dozen. For those of you who have never seen one, they're actually pretty big. But the chewing enjoyment only lasts for about 30 minutes. They are delicious, though. (Note: cousin Tacy is also a big fan of pig ears and gave me my first bag.)

3. Wood & sticks
Firewood, kindling, sticks, bamboo knitting needles, twigs, branches - you name it - wood is wicked. It's easy to find, carry and chew. I like the fresh branches the best because I can peel off and chew the bark. Old fire wood kindling is good, too, if it's soft. You can't eat wood (believe me, I've tried!) but if you chew it up and spit it out it makes a great, inexpensive diversion for busy puppy teeth.

4. Dental chews
These are really doggie treats in disguise. Long, soft, chewy sticks that my vet says are good for puppy teeth and sore gums. You can only buy these at the vet's so stay away from dental chews if you're counting pennies. When I was a very small puppy it took me about 15 minutes to eat one. Now, they only last about a minute so you can hardly call them chews. But they do taste great!

5. Wooden clogs
Okay, you might say wooden clogs fall into the same category as wood and sticks. But, not really. These are wooden shoes worn by my person so they have a great fragrance that you just can't beat. The only problem with these is that they are forbidden fruit - meaning you have to chew really fast before your person discovers that both the dog and the clog are missing!

Happy Birthday!

You know who you are!
Special birthday wishes from me to you. Enjoy your day. I hope your birthday wish(es) come true. xxoo