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<title>Running Away From Home</title>
<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home</link>
<description>Dogster diary for the dog Tommy</description>
<language>en</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2013 by Tommy &amp; Dogster</copyright>
<pubDate>Sat, 25 May 2013 05:48:12 PDT</pubDate>
<generator>Dogster Pet-o-matic Gennie - http://www.dogster.com</generator>
<ttl>360</ttl>

	<item>
		<title>Another day, another haircut</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/811226</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 4 Jan 2013 17:40:22 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/811226</guid>
		<description>So, it's my birthday. Guess what I got? A haircut.  Yep. A day at the dog salon. Bath, shave, nails  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So, it's my birthday. Guess what I got? A haircut.  Yep. A day at the dog salon. Bath, shave, nails and ears. Good grief! What does a Schnauzer have to do to get a cupcake around here?]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Exhausted!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/580739</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:07:17 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/580739</guid>
		<description>It was new puppy day here yesterday, just like at the White House! He is called Petey and just like  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ It was new puppy day here yesterday, just like at the White House! He is called Petey and just like the First Puppy, Bo, he came from a very bad "Red State." He's safe with us now in blue sky Maine. I've already taught him how to sit, what "snacks" means, where to 'go' outside, and, most importantly, where to snooze. Later, when he's bigger and can read,  I will share my political philosophies and reading list. 

Mommy and Daddy brought Petey home yesterday. They didn't let me go with them to pick him up, but that was ok, I got to sleep in. I'm pretty fond of little Petey. It's my job to teach him how to be a good dog and so far, I'm doing a really good job! It's a little bit tiring. I think Petey has the right idea, he is sound asleep. I believe I too will take a Sunday evening nap.]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>New Puppies</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/579017</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:31:17 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/579017</guid>
		<description>The new puppy has arrived at the White House. Phew, it's about time! I don't know how anybody expect ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The new puppy has arrived at the White House. Phew, it's about time! I don't know how anybody expects to run a country without canine consultation. It seems that a new puppy is imminent at this house too. We are expecting Petey to arrive on Saturday. Mommy, who often consults with me about major decisions, took me to the dog store to pick out a bed and a collar for him. I ignored her as she asked if I preferred the blue or brown collar or the blue or red mat. Instead, I sniffed the treats and the cat who lives at the dog store. Then I charmed the dog-store lady into giving me 3 treats! Later, I decided to pull the new bed and collar off the chair where Mommy put them. I chewed up some tissues too and scattered them about the living room and bedroom. I guess now everybody knows how I feel about getting a new puppy. Hrumph. I think I will try to use all the beds in the house at once. They are all mine for snoozing!]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>We Went on a Trip!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/576338</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 5 Apr 2009 09:02:13 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/576338</guid>
		<description>We went on a trip to see my Grandpeople in NJ. I got to go for long walks with Poppy and my Grammie  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ We went on a trip to see my Grandpeople in NJ. I got to go for long walks with Poppy and my Grammie gave me chicken! Yum. We rode in the car the long way and I snoozed a lot. When we finally got there, I wasn't tired anymore, so I stayed awake.  I listened for critters and visited everyone in their beds. Sometimes, people don't like to be visited when they are in their beds. I don't necessarily enjoy being visited or moved when I sleep either. 

When we got home where it is still false Spring, Mommy started talking to me about a dog who might come to live with us in a few weeks. I don't really understand what she is talking about, so I just ignore her. I don't expect that a new dog will come live with us. 

Yesterday, Cupcake snuck into the yard and crouched down under the hemlock tree. I think she was waiting for the red squirrel. Mommy is now best friends with Cupcake because Cupcake is her solution to the mouse problem. I try to tell Mommy that as a Schnauzer, I am perfectly capable of taking care of the mouse situation. Unfortunately, sometimes the mice are a little bit frightening to me and I'd rather bark at them from afar. Yawn. Mice are boring. I think I will read a little bit of the Sunday Times and then take a short snooze.]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>False Spring II</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/571540</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:11:57 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/571540</guid>
		<description>False Spring continues although today is the Vernal Equinox. Tomorrow, the day will be longer than t ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ False Spring continues although today is the Vernal Equinox. Tomorrow, the day will be longer than the night. This is good news for people like Mommy who are trying to grow plants. Plants need a lot of sunshine. I like sunshine too, but today even though there is a lot of sunshine out, it is cold. The plants and I get our sunshine through the window. 

This week was quite exciting! Over the weekend I met a new dog friend. Mommy and Daddy took me with them when they went to the mountains for skiing and that is where I met Topinga. We had much fun walking and sniffing for deer in the woods together. Deer are everywhere. They don't care that it is still false spring. 

I also went to grooming this week and now I look handsome. Well, I think I will push this plant out of my sunny spot and take a little snooze before I look for Cupcake and the henchcats who tend to sleep late on Fridays.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>False-Spring</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/568519</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:05:49 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/568519</guid>
		<description>Saturday was the start of false-spring. It was the kind of March day that is so warm the bees come o ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Saturday was the start of false-spring. It was the kind of March day that is so warm the bees come out of the hive, the flower bulbs peek out above the mud, people go around on bicycles and all the dogs go to the beach! Yay!  We all thought the spring had come to stay. 

On Sunday the fine weather continued and we  to the beach again.   I ran around with my dog-friends and sniffed a lot of stinks. It was so much fun, I was ready to do it all again the next day!

On Monday, it snowed all day. Winter. I was so mad, I refused to get out of bed. I slept until noon. When I got up, I spilled out my dog-food. I'm sick and tired of dry dog food. Then I ripped up some tissues from the tissue box next to Mommy's bed. Then I went on the couch. Finally, I pulled the socks out of Daddy's gym bag. Oh, and I barked at the snow too. 

Today it is sunny, false spring. More snow is expected tomorrow.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>It was a bad-dog day</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/565707</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 1 Mar 2009 17:23:03 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/565707</guid>
		<description>Saturday was a &quot;bad-dog&quot; day. It stared out as any ordinary Saturday with Daddy getting up early to  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Saturday was a "bad-dog" day. It stared out as any ordinary Saturday with Daddy getting up early to play WOW and Mommy and I snoozing late and reading the news. Later, however things got weird. Mommy thinks there was something cosmic that made all the dogs behave badly, but I don't know. It's hard to tell. There are so many sounds in the atmosphere that I can hear and Mommy can't. Humans have inferior aural faculties. 

Anyway, it was warmish on Saturday so I went outside. Most of the snow was gone revealing a wonderfully stinky mud! I rolled around a little in the stinkiness.  The second time I went out, I found a BIG BAG OF GARBAGE on the back steps. Ohhh! Yum! Things took a turn for the worse when Mommy opened the back door: There I stood over scattered shreds of plastic and spilled coffee grinds.  I was guilty and in trouble. Since I didn't have to go inside right away, (Mommy said something about being "a dirty garbage dog" and "staying outside for the rest of the afternoon") I decided to roll around in the stinky grass a little more.

Later, I got the wettest, soapiest bath of my life. Now there is so much clean on me it will take weaks to wear off! 

But that's not all! In order for it to be a "bad dog day," other dogs have to behave badly too. Mommy and I, in my squeaky-clean state, were reading in the bedroom when we saw two big tails swish in the window. Two wolfish Malamutes trotted though the yard and into the woods. I barked to them to mind the invisible fence. Mommy rushed outside to catch them--in her socks. Then the worst happened: Larry the dog catcher showed up in his dog-catching truck! Mommy says that Larry is not a dog-catcher, but I know  a dog-catcher when I sniff one. Mommy talked to him and to the wandering Malamutes' human. I barked. I don't know if those dogs got caught or just wandered home again. I hope they had a most excellent adventure. 

On Saturday night, I learned that my friends the Beagles landed themselves in the Doggie ER for eating chocolate. They're OK now. I know what it is like to eat too much chocolate and end up in the ER. Oh the horror! The horror!

Well, we are having another snow storm tonight. I am curling up on my fuzzy blanket and sleeping until spring...]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Rain</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/562436</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:42:17 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/562436</guid>
		<description>Well, it's been quite a week. I was abandoned for a few days. Mommy likes to say that I went on vaca ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Well, it's been quite a week. I was abandoned for a few days. Mommy likes to say that I went on vacation. Huh. What kind of vacation is it when your family goes off to some ski resort and leaves you behind? Sounds to me like a vacation for THEM, but not for the dog. Needless to say, I barked until I became hoarse. I did meet some interesting new dog friends whose families had abandoned them too. We bonded, but we couldn't discuss much because we were all more or less hoarse. 

It finally got nice enough on Tuesday for Mommy and me to walk to the beach. We actually went on the beach, but I'm still not allowed off the leash. "You run away," said Mommy. I just huffed at her. I wouldn't run away, I just like to sniff things. Now that most of the hateful snow is gone, there are a lot of interesting smells. Unfortunately, after the beach walk, I had a bath. 

There are foxes in the yard! We saw them on Tuesday. I sniffed for them yesterday and I found that they wander around the shed. I think that is because there are mice and chipmunks in the shed. The foxes and I are like-minded: rid the yard of rodents. 

Today the weather is ugly. Rain and fog and coldness. Mommy said that it was supposed to snow, but it's not snowing. A good day to curl up with an interesting book: Mommy and I are reading "The Chateau." It is not written very well, and is kind of silly, but we like it nonetheless. Yawn. I think I'll take a mid-morning nap.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Inauguration!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/551623</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:49:43 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/551623</guid>
		<description>Yesterday was a very exciting day in our house. Mommy was stuck to the computer all day watching the ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Yesterday was a very exciting day in our house. Mommy was stuck to the computer all day watching the Washington D.C. celebrations. She didn't even ski. We listened to the new president's speech three times! Then we looked up important references to Langston Hughes and Abraham Lincoln in books. I mentioned to Mommy that President Obama did not say anything about wolves or polar bears in his speech, but she said that he mentioned protecting the earth which includes all animals. I suppose that means cats too. I just learned yesterday that the Maine Coon Cat is the state animal of Maine! A cat is our state animal? No wonder Cupcake and her henchcats strut around like they own the place. I'm going to petition the Legislature to change that silly state animal to something more accurate--say the abominable snow monster! 

I haven't been feeling so well these past few days. It is due to the overabundance of snow. Mommy thinks I accidentally ingested some rock salt from my paws. She is purchasing boots for me. I don't know how I'm going to walk with boots on my paws. That's ridiculous. The next thing you know, I'll have skis.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Birthday Snooze</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/545096</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 2 Jan 2009 06:16:34 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/545096</guid>
		<description>So it was my birthday yesterday. Mommy wasn't feeling so well and it was cold outside.  We just stay ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So it was my birthday yesterday. Mommy wasn't feeling so well and it was cold outside.  We just stayed in bed most of the day. It was wonderful to get so much sleep! The day before was exhausting because we went to a party with the Beagles Briscoe and Faren and the German Shepherd Logan. I think it was my birthday party, but it was also a New Year's Eve party. Lots of people friends were there too. Everyone wanted me to sit with them because I was the birthday dog, but I acted like I only wanted to sit with Mommy. This was actually true and I stayed right by Mommy as much as possible. People are weird when they drink that wine stuff. I don't even like it, so I don't know why they do. Mommy said yesterday that she doesn't like it anymore. 

Today it is very cold. I can't decide if I want to curl up on the couch that I'm not supposed to go on or look for a sunny spot. I think I'll just go back to bed for a while.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title></title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/543443</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:59:41 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/543443</guid>
		<description>Santa Dog came and left me some excellent items! I received a squeaky starfish that  I like to bite  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Santa Dog came and left me some excellent items! I received a squeaky starfish that  I like to bite while rolling around on my back. I also got a Hide A Squirrel, which is a puzzle. I have to pull the squirrels out of the tree. They squeak. My grandpeople gave me a new sweater. I have already written about how I feel about clothes, but my new sweater is cozy and I like to wear it. 

The good news is that most of the snow is gone. It rained and that was terrible, but yesterday was warm and sunny if soggy. The snow is rapidly fading. Unfortunately, I got a little muddy yesterday and had to have a bath. It wasn't so bad. Now I'm dry and cozy on my soft blanket and ready to listen to The Writer's Almanac and to have my mid-morning snooze. 

Woof! A squirrel just peaked in the window! Aruff!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Three Feet High and Rising</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/540844</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:10:59 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/540844</guid>
		<description>I am not at all philosophical about snow. It is cold and dusty. It gets in my fur and my nose. Then, ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I am not at all philosophical about snow. It is cold and dusty. It gets in my fur and my nose. Then, it gets wet and cold. It is worse than rain. My toes are cold. My nose is cold, my ears are cold. 

We experienced what Mommy called a "blizzard" this weekend. That means that snow started falling from the sky on Friday and didn't stop until Sunday night. Now the snow is all over the ground stacked up much taller than a largish schnauzer like myself. Mommy has brought out her skis again. She puts them on her feet and slides through the snow. This is how she must visit the bees, whose little hive is practically submerged in the cold, powdery, wet substance. 

To make matters oh so much worse, I committed an act of dietary indiscretion. I am suffering from gastric discomfort. This means I am now on the "bland food plan" and can not enjoy ham in the morning when Daddy makes his sandwich. I do get rice and chicken, though, which is tasty.  

 Today is the birthday of Giacomo Puccini, my favorite composer of operas. It is also the first day of Hanukkah. Diggy always enjoyed Hanukkah because it means kosher dachshund sausages and latkes. Talk about dietary indiscretion, Diggy was the king. 

Mommy is trying to coax me to go outside into that snow for a walk! What is she thinking? I am not leaving my puffy bed until that snow goes away.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Christmas</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/538676</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:03:49 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/538676</guid>
		<description>Everything is in shambles! There is a tree in the living room festooned with lights, and parcels and ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Everything is in shambles! There is a tree in the living room festooned with lights, and parcels and boxes everywhere. The mailman came three times today. I am so confused by this human thing called Christmas. What a mess!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Chilly Dog</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/535144</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 5 Dec 2008 06:28:28 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/535144</guid>
		<description>Today I told Mommy I did not want to wear my coat or my fido fleece outside to chase cats. She tried ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today I told Mommy I did not want to wear my coat or my fido fleece outside to chase cats. She tried to put my blue coat on me and I dodged and ducked until she said, 

"It's cold out Tommy." I don't care. I look ridiculous in clothes! The cats laugh at me, especially Cupcake who would never wear a coat or a feline fleece. It is terribly humiliating to be laughed at by a cat.

This morning there were at least 15 turkeys in the orchard. I know I should have chased them, but they are big and pointy and I'm not sure what they do. I kicked and barked a few times and they moved away. Mommy feeds them, so I guess they must be important. I take that back, Mommy would feed any critter, important or not. I think that is why we have so many critters in our yard. It's no my fault for not chasing them, it's Mommy's fault for attracting them here. 

Don't let Mommy know, but I was chilly dog outside and so I came in. Now I will snuggle into a ball under the covers in the bed to get warm and snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Friend to Visit</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/527643</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:37:22 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/527643</guid>
		<description>My friend Grogan, the greyhound, is visiting today. His dad dropped him off yesterday. His dad was g ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ My friend Grogan, the greyhound, is visiting today. His dad dropped him off yesterday. His dad was going to Boston and Grongan doesn't like to go. Too noisy! He likes to stay with me, where it is quiet, while his dad goes to noisy Boston. 

Yesterday it rained, so we mostly snoozed. I let Grogan snooze on my bed, but as soon as he moved to another place, I took my bed back. Mommy likes when Grogan comes to visit because Grogan has a special talent. He fetches the newspaper! Today he brought the newspaper right to Mommy who wasn't even done snoozing for the night. She was so excited that she got up and gave us our doggy breakfast! Yum. I suppose she would give us the doggy breakfast anyway, but today she was cheerier than usual. 

Now Mommy is reading her newspaper and Grogan and I are snoozing. It continues to rain. Blah. Blah. Blah.]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Home Again</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/526663</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:16:02 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/526663</guid>
		<description>I am home again after a wrenchingly nervous weekend. I thought I was gone from home forever, but her ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I am home again after a wrenchingly nervous weekend. I thought I was gone from home forever, but here I am. Phew... I have a sore throat though. Barked too much while I was abandoned. Fortunately, Mommy heard me and came back for me. 

The place I was abandoned at is called Puddleby. When we got there, I thought we were just all going to a fun place to play. There were a lot of other dogs there and they barked and ran around. I went into a little room and wham! The door closed and Mommy said, "Be a good dog, Tommy!" Then she went away and left me! 

Two whole days without my home and my Mommy! I didn't care about eating or playing with the other dogs or listening to NPR. I just wanted to go home.

I was so happy when I heard Mommy walk on Sunday. She asked the Puddleby man if I was good. He said I was, phew! I'm so glad he didn't tell her about the incident...

Now I'm home and unable to bark much, but that's ok, I just want to curl up on this bed and snooze for a while.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Election Day!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/523296</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 4 Nov 2008 05:06:32 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/523296</guid>
		<description>Well, today is the day to vote! To look at Mommy, you'd think the world might come to an end. She ha ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Well, today is the day to vote! To look at Mommy, you'd think the world might come to an end. She has a terrible stomach ache and she didn't even eat any mushrooms or string or papers. She said that her stomach ache was "nervous." I know what it's like to feel nervous. I sure feel nervous when I have to go to grooming! 

I wish I could go with Mommy to the voting place, but she said it is at the school and dogs are not allowed at school. So instead, I have to stay home and listen to the man on the roof. The man on the roof comes every day. Sometimes he brings snacks for me, but he stopped doing that after I bit him. I was only trying to get him off the dangerous ladder! It was for his own good. People shouldn't go on ladders. I try to tell him that, but Mommy says "Don't bark at people, Tommy."  How else am I supposed to tell people things? I can only bark!

Well, today I am barking loudly for Tom Allen. Mommy and I are voting for Tom Allen because he is a friend of the wolves. He also has good ideas to develop clean energy which we think will be good for Maine. Maine has a lot of wind! Not so much sun, but a lot of cold, blustery wind. 

Mommy is off to the polls. I wish I could go with her! Woof! I guess I'll just sit on this pillow by the window and watch in case the man on the roof tumbles off the ladder. Then I will bark a bit, for  Tom and Barack.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Halloween--How embarrassing!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/521481</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:51:28 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/521481</guid>
		<description>It's almost Halloween. That means that I get to wear a costume. How embarrassing! This year, I am cl ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ It's almost Halloween. That means that I get to wear a costume. How embarrassing! This year, I am cleverly disguised as the Large Hadron Collider's Little Black Hole. Mommy made my costume from things around the house. When we went to the dog parade last weekend, the other dogs had store-bought costumes. My costume was by far the strangest. Leave it to Mommy. 

The best thing about Halloween is that I got a new toy. It's a bat. Sometimes it makes a strange noise, but it is an excellent toy to shake and chase! Sometimes Mommy wants to take my bat, but I run away with it and hide under the table. Right now I am hiding under the table because I don't want to wear my Halloween costume. If I hide long enough, Mommy will forget about it and go to work and I will be alone and able to take a snooze in the sunny spot.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Fitness...again.</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/512024</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 3 Oct 2008 06:00:20 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/512024</guid>
		<description>After a few days of reprieve due to rain, Mommy is back on her dog-fitness craze. Yesterday we walke ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ After a few days of reprieve due to rain, Mommy is back on her dog-fitness craze. Yesterday we walked and walked and walked. At first, I was happy to get outside to sniff the neighborhood and let the cats know I'm still in charge around here. However, after the 10th mile or so, I got tired and just wanted to stand under a shrubbery. Mommy won't let me, she says "come on Tommy, let's go!" She also said we only went a mile and a half. I don't know how she's counting these miles, but it sure felt like longer to me. Ugh! What happened to the concept of a leisurely stroll? 

Had a bath last night so I was in a grumpy mood when we all sat down to watch the VP candidates debate. By the end of the debate, Mommy was in a grumpy mood too and Daddy had to play video games to unwind a little. We are all afraid that a certain VP candidate who does not like wolves and doesn't care whether polar bears fall into the water due to melting ice will flirt her way into power. This fear causes dyspepsia, or maybe that was the rotten tomato I ate during the afternoon. 

It's sunny today, I think I will stretch out in this sunny spot on the floor and snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Obama-O-8</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/509643</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:57:13 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/509643</guid>
		<description>Today it rains. Ho-Hum. So Mommy and I are spending a lot of time on the computer. We made a campaig ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today it rains. Ho-Hum. So Mommy and I are spending a lot of time on the computer. We made a campaign sign because we are supporting Barack Obama in this election. One of the reasons we are supporting Obama is that the Republican candidate for Vice President doesn't think wolves should be protected and she doesn't think polar bears should be protected either. 

Mommy and I are single-issue voters this year. We are voting only for candidates who support environmental stewardship and renewable energy sources. OK, that might be two issues, but they are very much related. Neither of the candidates have any policies about cats, but I think that cats and dogs can work together to help protect our friends the polar bears, wolves and other endangered animals. 

One animal that is certainly NOT endangered is the chipmunk. This is certainly one issue that Cupcake and I see eye to eye on. Cupcake has tried to ambush the chipmunks in the back yard and as come up empty handed. The chipmunks laughed at her. I laughed too, but I understand how Cupcake feels when the chipmunks get feisty. 

Well, at least I have a nice dry bed today for snoozing. All those chipmunks are wedged in between the damp, cold stones of the wall.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Tommy Don't Eat That!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/505987</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:15:01 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/505987</guid>
		<description>Ohhhooh...My stomach hurts. I don't even have an appetite for my yummy food. Two nights in a row I d ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Ohhhooh...My stomach hurts. I don't even have an appetite for my yummy food. Two nights in a row I didn't make it out... oops. Mommy thinks I ate something bad in the yard. I think some evil pixies jumped into my stomach when I wasn't looking. Now they are wreaking havoc on my belly. 

Ohhhoooh...

Mommy said not to eat grass, but I did anyway. I puked. Now she follows me around the yard looking out for mushrooms and stinky things I might eat. She says, "Tommy! Don't eat that!" every time I get close to something smelly. 

Speaking of stinky, skunks were in the yard last night!  I stayed away from them this time. I just pretended I didn't see them even though Daddy did.  Skunks are bad news and they don't run when you chase them. They just kind of waddle around and hop. 

Well, I'm going to go put my belly in the warm sunny spot and see if I can have a snooze. I hope my belly will feel better soon.

Ohhhoooh...]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Fitness</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/503332</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 8 Sep 2008 18:32:18 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/503332</guid>
		<description>So now I am on a doggie fitness regimen. Mommy has called me &quot;slightly out of shape&quot; and started tak ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So now I am on a doggie fitness regimen. Mommy has called me "slightly out of shape" and started taking me on long, fast walks. Slightly out of shape!? Not! But I am not a fan of the long, fast walk. I don't really want to go that far and I need time to sniff things and to take breaks under cool, shady shrubs. Now that Mommy is on this fitness kick it's all "Let's go, Tommy!" and "Keep it up, pups!" as we dash around the neighborhood to the beach and back. I just wish we could stop and sniff for a minute! How am I supposed to keep up with what is going on in the neighborhood if I can't sniff things? As a journalist, I would think my Mommy knows this. 

To be fair, she is taking the blame for my so-called lapse in physical fitness. She said that ever since Diggy went to the Rainbow Bridge she hasn't be taking me for enough walks. Walking must make her miss Diggy. Walking makes me want to sniff things and pee on them. I miss Diggy too, but he was not the best walking buddy. I mean, really, he always had to be in the lead. He would try to scare other dogs, and when we got to the beach he'd be chasing birds all up and down. He was never a focused sniffer. I know all the regular dogs and where the chipmunks hide plus when a new dog walks along the sidewalk at the beach. I am proficient in doggie news and gossip. For example, I know that there are 4 cream-puff dogs around trying to act fierce while they are on summer vacation in Maine. These cream-puff dogs come from Massachusetts. There is also a new puppy in the neighborhood. He is a yellow puppy with a flying squirrel toy.   

Such things would not interest Diggy. He just wanted to chase birds. Birds! Rodents and cats is where it's at! Today I barked at that Cupcake and her henchcats and they retreated to their own yard. I sure wish I could defeat this invisible fence and chase them right out of that yard and east, onto the beach and into the ocean like Mr. Edwards' Spiders. Mommy has us reading an anthology of New England Literature and Jonathan Edwards' Spider Letter is our present favorite work of literary art. 

Mommy likes spiders. I am indifferent about them. It's cats I can't abide. Well, I am exhausted after my brisk walk this evening, so I am going to curl up on these pillows and snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Victory!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/501638</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 4 Sep 2008 05:15:22 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/501638</guid>
		<description>I have finally won the war of the dry dog food! The victory came at the most unlikely place: the vet ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I have finally won the war of the dry dog food! The victory came at the most unlikely place: the vet's office! Mommy told Doctor B that I was a "picky" eater. Picky eater, bah! I'd like to see her eat that dry, crumbly dog food. Doctor B said that Mommy should give me yummier food. Well, she didn't say it like that, but that is what has happened much to my delight.

Every meal is now a feast of tender beefy chunks, veggies and gravy! Yum! Gravy!

Life is not all gravy, however. Mommy has gone back to teaching and now I have to stay home alone for  long times and that is very boring. It is also frustrating because Cupcake sneaks into the yard and I am trapped in the house! Cupcake sneers at me and trots around the yard with all liberties! 

Here's Cupcake now! Arf! I have to go bark!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Skunky Night</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/496065</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:39:09 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/496065</guid>
		<description>Last night, I had gone to bed and was snoozing away when Mommy roused me and told me I had to go out ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Last night, I had gone to bed and was snoozing away when Mommy roused me and told me I had to go outside. I stretched and yawned and followed her outside. Trotting off to the back field to "go" I smelled a strange odor in the air. As I sniffed, I nearly tripped over a skunk crouching in the high grass. 

A SKUNK! 

I barked. It stared at me. I barked again and circled it waiting for it to run. It didn't. Instead it hopped about and did a little twirling move landing with its fluffy tail toward me. I charged. It hopped again and I was suddenly overcome with a stink so powerful I almost sneezed. Then I heard Mommy shrieking from the house. I ignored her. I was determined to chase this peculiar critter. I circled it again and it hopped under the wisteria plant. 

Trapped! 

I ran around and around the wisteria in a barking frenzy. Mommy turned on all the lights and cheered for me. She came out with a flashlight and lit up the Skunk. It was an itty-bitty skunk puppy, but dog alive it had sprayed me. I rolled in the grass to get the stink off me. Then I barked at the skunk again. 

Still stinking, I rolled in the dirt for a minute before Daddy grabbed me. Mommy was talking to the skunk telling it how cute it was and how it didn't have to spray stink all over the place, no one was going to hurt it. I thought for sure, given Mommy's cooing  that the skunk would be in my bed that night, snuggling with my Mommy. Grrrrr. 

Daddy plunged me in the bath tub and at first I didn't mind because I was not enjoying the stink wrought by Mommy's new pet. But after two soapings and a tomato rub, I had enough. 

I wasn't allowed in the bed, but after everyone was tucked in I sneaked over to Mommy's side and checked for the skunk. It wasn't there. Thank Dog! I leaped up and snuggled in and Mommy let me stay and snooze next to her. 

If I see that skunk tonight, I'm going to grab it and shake it...well, maybe not.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Slugs</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/492695</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:26:51 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/492695</guid>
		<description>This summer, I have been introduced to one of the lower forms of life: slugs. Our particular variety ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ This summer, I have been introduced to one of the lower forms of life: slugs. Our particular variety of slug is orange and if it gets squished the residue is bright clementine. I have learned not to squish slugs. The bright residue gets into my fuzz and stains! Then I'm walking around with an orange smear on myself. 

Because it has rained so much, slugs are everywhere. Mommy hates them too. Mommy doesn't hate anything, but she has been driven low by slugs. She tries to kill them with anti-slug sprinkles. I don't think these work, but it gives Mommy a sense of satisfaction to put them all around in the garden. Still, the slugs come back. Just today one got on my eyebrow. It was sticky and it wouldn't flick off when I shook. I had to go inside and let Mommy get the slug off with the dog cleaning cloth. Yuck. 

I decided that although Cupcake is prowling around the woodpile seeking chipmunks, I am going to stay inside and and have a morning snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Stinky Dog</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/490439</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 4 Aug 2008 13:39:33 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/490439</guid>
		<description>Funny! So now I've got a Febreez icon on my pet page. Tres drol mes amis. Good grief! Last night a b ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Funny! So now I've got a Febreez icon on my pet page. Tres drol mes amis. Good grief! Last night a bath and now this! I am so not a stinky dog. Ok, sometimes I do like to roll in an aromatic patch on the grass and coat myself in odiferous pleasure. 

This weekend we had visitors of the human puppy variety. I think human puppies are a laugh. First, they want to pet you, then they want to give you a treat, then when you follow them around for more pets and treats they act all afraid and get picked up by their parent. 

That's the end of free pets and treats for the dog who is soon banned from the company of the human puppy. 

So, I spent my weekend mostly watching out for Cupcake who came into the yard several times. Once, while Cupcake was dallying out the the field diving on grasshoppers,  I got real close to that cat. For a minute I contemplated grabbing it by the neck and shaking it! But, then I felt a curious tendency rise inside me and I sniffed cupcake instead. Not polite enough to return the sniff, Cupcake bounded out beyond the reaches of the invisible fence. I stood and barked until Mommy came to get me and bring me back inside where the human puppy was snacking on something crumbly. Yum. 

Well, it is time for this stinky dog to stretch out on the sofa and snooze for a while.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>The Hot Car</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/485120</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:14:47 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/485120</guid>
		<description>Last week my friend Grogan the Greyhound came to visit with me for a few days. No sooner did he get  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Last week my friend Grogan the Greyhound came to visit with me for a few days. No sooner did he get to my house than Mommy packed me into the hot car and we headed to NJ. It was 93 degrees! We had no air conditioning! I have to give Mommy credit, though. She stopped at a convenience store and bought two bags of ice. One bag of ice for me to sit next to and one bag of ice for her. It didn't work. Soon we were hot and wet. I prefer just being hot. Wet is not my thing.  

When we finally got to NJ I got right to work chasing chipmunks. NJ is practically overrun with chipmunks! I could only chase chipmunks for short stints because it was so hot outside. Even the chipmunks were complaining about the heat wave. Fortunately, my grand-people have air conditioning in the house. 

The reason we went to NJ was to visit with my Grammy. She is very sick. I was not allowed to jump up and down and give her kisses like I usually do when I visit with her. I had to be very slow and gentle, which I am excellent at. I sat with her while she rested and was extra cute so she would smile at me. That made her feel better, to see how cute I was and to pet me a little. 

She is almost all better so we came home to Maine where it is less hot. Ooops. Mommy doesn't want me to say how nice the whether is here because other people might move here from places like NJ that are hot. Mommy wants to keep this place to ourselves, which is fine by me. To tell the truth, the weather is nice now, but it can turn nasty fast. Grogan told me that there were HUGE thunderstorms while I was away with Mommy. In the winter we get that snow stuff which I could do without. 

But, today's weather was perfect. Grogan and I hung out in the yard and I told him all about Cupcake. We saw Cupcake only once, he was wearing  a pink flea collar. Mommy said Cupcake's sister cat got fleas so all the henchcats and Cupcake are wearing flea collars. Ha! Ha! They have fleas!

Itchy, itchy, itchy....

Ah, well, it is late and my friend Grogan is already snoring away. I think I will settle in on Mommy's pillow for my nighttime snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Good Day!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/482100</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:06:09 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/482100</guid>
		<description>Yesterday was an excellent day! We had many human visitors to the house who I showed off for. They a ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Yesterday was an excellent day! We had many human visitors to the house who I showed off for. They all said I was so cute and gave me pets. The men who came to measure for the furniture were the best. Mommy said not to invite them to play because she was working with them to decide on a new couch. But, I didn't listen and I jumped all over them and took all my toys out to share. I even pulled the stuffing out of one toy to show that I am ruthless with rodents. The furniture men were impressed, Mommy was hardly amused. She said that dogs won't be allowed on the new couch! Whatever. I don't abide by such unjust and arbitrary rules. I will use non-violent protest like MLK and soon I will be able to sit on any couch new or old whenever I want to.  

There have been some new developments in the yard. In addition to the laughing chipmunk in the garage and the stone wall chipmunk, we now have the gutter chipmunk. It makes an awful racket scuttling around in the downspouts. It disturbs me in my sleep. On Sunday I staked it out and waited thinking it would have to come out the downspout eventually. I was mistaken, a downspout is also an upspout when you are a chipmunk.  The gutter chipmunk went up and across and travelled around the entire house in the gutters and the along the roof. If only I could negotiate a ladder, I could get up there and chase that gutter chipmunk into the trees so we can have some peace and quiet. 

In other developments, we now have 10 baby turkeys. I wasn't sure what they were, so I didn't chase them. Mommy said not to chase them, but we all know that what Mommy says usually means the opposite. 

I tricked Mommy last night!  She took two HUGE carrots out of the cooling machine and put them on the food table. When she turned around to wash another, lesser vegetable, I sneaked over and pilfered a carrot. I was half done with eating it before she noticed! I got the entire carrot, not just a little circle piece like I usually get. If only Diggy were here, he would have laughed at my trickiness! 

Well, this morning I am watching out the window for Cupcake. He hasn't been outside much the past few days. His Mommy said she is afraid a fox will get him. Poor unfortunate Cupcake locked up in the house  because of a fox! Ha! And my Mommy said Diggy sent that fox. Thanks Dig! 

Yawn! I'm just going to take a little snooze and keep one eye open for that cat.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Sporting Equipment</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/479279</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 8 Jul 2008 07:55:44 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/479279</guid>
		<description>People are funny. They engage in something they call &quot;sports.&quot; Sports requires all manner of  odd ac ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ People are funny. They engage in something they call "sports." Sports requires all manner of  odd accoutrements and apparatuses. For example, in the winter, my people use "skis," which help them slide around on the snow. In the summer, the skis go upstairs in the garage and out come the bicycles. 

I don't know how many of you are familiar with bicycles, but they are curious. I am currently making an investigation of bicycles. Specifically, I want to know how they attach themselves to people and then roll around. It is a little frightening to be around a person attached to one of these bicycles, and extreme caution must be exercised during research. 

I have so far learned that bicycles do not respond to barking. They are not easy to grip with the teeth and they move about as fast as a whippet--some may possibly travel with the rapidity of a greyhound, but I have not proven that yet. 

My people are fascinated by attaching to bicycles. They use them almost every day, except during the most torrential rains. Mommy even tried to put me in a basket and attach me to a bicycle. I said, "No way!" and I promptly jumped out. 

A good way to catch and bring down a bicycle that is attached to a person is by gripping the foot of the person and running alongside the bicycle until it tires and drops the person. 

This is how wolves bring down beasts. It works every time. The bicycle stops and you can sniff it and growl at it until you are told to, "go in the house and have a snack, Tommy," in that patronizingly sweet voice that means, "We're leaving you here while we go away with our bicycles and without dogs." 

It is my goal to learn as much about bicycles as possible so that I might slay them and keep my people home with me. But, since it is so hot today, I think I will sprawl out on the cool floor and snooze first.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Cat Fights</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/476678</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 1 Jul 2008 06:30:40 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/476678</guid>
		<description>That cat, Cupcake, is a menace. Yesterday, Mommy became distressed when she found another dead bird. ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ That cat, Cupcake, is a menace. Yesterday, Mommy became distressed when she found another dead bird. I do not like to see my Mommy upset. 

At first, we thought the dead bird was the Worm Robin.  The Worm Robin lollygags around the yard every day holding a worm in his beak. When he finds a new worm, he eats the one he's got, picks up the new one and flaunts it around the yard. I think he is trying to "pick up chicks." 

Well, Mommy and I were happy to see the Worm Robin safe and waving his wiggly worm as he hopped about the yard yesterday afternoon.  It seems another Robin met his demise in the deadly claws of Cupcake. 

I do everything I can possibly do to keep the murderous Cupcake and his henchcats from the yard. They just keep coming back. Cupcake doesn't seem to realize that I am BARKING at HIM. I run up and down the yard barking my fiercest bark and he just struts along the lane, totally unaffected by either my barking or the invisible fence. Oh! How I despise that invisible fence!

There goes that cat now! In the driveway! Woof! Once more into the breach dogs!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Alone Again</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/474100</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:08:41 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/474100</guid>
		<description>There are, I have come to realize, some perks to be being the lone dog in the pack.  Chief among the ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ There are, I have come to realize, some perks to be being the lone dog in the pack.  Chief among these is the luxury to dine at my leisure. I no longer need to hurry up my eating because another dog is eyeing up my kibble. Another enjoyable aspect of being an only dog is getting the best spot next to Mommy in the bed. Of course, there are the afternoon doldrums that set in as the sun reaches the top of the sky and the day stretches on. 

I'm lonely. 

Taking care of this yard by myself is tough too. I've got the cat, two squirrels, birds galore, deer and now the laughing chipmunk in the garage. At first, I thought the laughing chipmunk was an imp or one of those little hairy monsters from that 1980's horror movie. Gremlins. I soon discovered that the laughing sound was connected with the distinct scent of chipmunk. You can always tell chipmunks by their spicy smell. They are very distinctive, like skunks. Except yesterday I saw a skunk that smelled more like a wooden sign. I was confused. It LOOKED like a skunk, but it smelled odd. 

Anyway, there is no way I can handle that laughing chipmunk alone. It is more evil than a cat and I need to call in some backup. Perhaps the Running Around the House Dog up the street will come over and  run around the stone wall ready to grab the laugher as I flush him out from the garage. The next time we go for a walk, I'm going to stop at the Running Around the House Dog's yard and ask if he can come help me. But for now, I'm going to stretch out in the grass and snooze..."
hehe!haha.." There it goes again! Like a hyena.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>The Name of the Cat</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/468057</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 7 Jun 2008 06:25:56 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/468057</guid>
		<description>When discussing the names of things, it is customary to quote the Bard: 

&quot;What's in a name?&quot; Asks ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ When discussing the names of things, it is customary to quote the Bard: 

"What's in a name?" Asks Juliet while musing on her balcony over a boy she just met at a party. "That which we call a rose/ By any other word would smell as sweet..." Of course, Romeo is hiding in the shrubbery and hearing every word she utters is delighted!

Similar delight is shared by the cat called Cupcake as he slinks around my yard prowling for my chipmunks, squirrels and birds. 

What's in a cupcake? The word evokes images of children at a birthday party snacking on brightly decorated individual mini-cakes. Delightedly dipping their fingers into thick icing and licking them off, they grimace at the sweetness that overtakes their mouths. A thinking dog can often profit at such parties because children are not so careful about where they dangle their sticky fingers which can be gently cleansed by quick and tickly licking, much to the child's and the dog's delight! 

But back to Cupcake the cat. Just now he is creeping down the lane toward the apple tree where the robins reside. I am a friend of the robin. Don't get me wrong, I love to chase them as much as any dog would, so did Diggy before he lit out for that Rainbow Bridge, but we both knew no good would ever come from actually catching a bird. Diggy did that once and although the bird was fine, the entire episode ended in disaster with Daddy tremendously upset to find said bird flying about the kitchen the next morning, but that's a different story. 

Cupcake kills birds. He has murdered at least three birds from my yard. He drags them back to his yard which he shares with two other cats and a lady and her daughter. One rather large bluebird he left behind. Of course, Mommy found it and shrieked. Since then, I have been on anti-Cupcake duty. I do my best to keep him out of my yard, but he seems to be immune to the invisible fence and crosses back and forth with impunity. This bizarre fact makes chasing him away difficult because he simply skips across that blasted fence and trots along, unharmed. 

He likes vex me by sitting on the stone wall at the end of the yard. From there, he watches the birds in the orchard. Occasionally he will pounce on an unaware chipmunk passing over the wall: my chipmunk! I try to sneak up on him because barking from a distance does nothing to deter that Cupcake. He scoffs and then puffs up, pretending he is a lion or something other than an ordinary bird-killing house cat. 

One of these days I am going to chase that Cupcake up a tree so high the fire department will have to come to rescue him. I'm going to do it for Diggy. 

Right now, however, I'm going to roll in this stinky place in the grass and snooze in my sunny spot on the patio. "To sleep, perchance to dream..." of catching that Cupcake and shaking him, shaking him...]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Waiting, Waiting, Bark</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/464894</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 29 May 2008 07:22:38 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/464894</guid>
		<description>Yesterday I waited by the driveway all day for Diggy to get back from that Rainbow Bridge. It is not ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Yesterday I waited by the driveway all day for Diggy to get back from that Rainbow Bridge. It is not nice of Diggy to stay away so long. There are so many things I have to show him. I found a really stinky place under the wisteria and I think he might like to roll in it. I rolled in it several times already and absorbed much of the stink, but I'm saving some for him. 

Today I am waiting by the window for Diggy. When I go outside, I always check the driveway and the cars for him. I asked Mommy why Diggy doesn't come back and she just cries. I think Diggy should come back so Mommy won't be so sad anymore. It sure is quiet and boring without Diggy. 

Well, I 'm going to take a mid-morning snooze and hopefully he will be back in the afternoon.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Saddest News</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/464187</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 27 May 2008 09:27:08 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/464187</guid>
		<description>Something horrid has happened. It started last week when Mommy took Diggy to Dr. Julie. Then she too ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Something horrid has happened. It started last week when Mommy took Diggy to Dr. Julie. Then she took Diggy to a special Doctor in Mass. 

Diggy got really sick and on Thursday he left us. 

Mommy is devastated. 

I'm pretty sad too. At first I was really confused. Now I just miss Diggy. 

Mommy is crying again. She didn't even want me to post an entry, but I know that a lot of you really like Diggy too and would want to know that he has gone to the Rainbow Bridge with Uncle Stanley, Big Stanley, Huckleberry, Eddie and all the other dogs out there. 

We miss you and love you Diggy, we always will.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title></title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/460605</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 16 May 2008 16:41:43 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/460605</guid>
		<description>Today,  Diggy and I excavated a tremendous hole in the garage floor! We were after the critters that ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today,  Diggy and I excavated a tremendous hole in the garage floor! We were after the critters that live in there. We almost got one. 

Diggy was covered with dirt! I managed to stay cleanish because I was mostly watching out for the critter we were digging for while Diggy took care of the manual labor. We didn't catch that critter, but we sure did dig one heck of a pit!

Mommy was soooooooooooo angry! She picked Diggy up and brought him directly to the bathtub. After he was washed, he didn't feel so well. While I was in the tub getting washed, Diggy became sick on the rug, the mat and the kitchen floor. 

I think he must have inhaled too much dirt and dust. Mommy was very upset because Diggy was sick.  I sat with her and Diggy on the couch for a while. Then Diggy started feeling better and got up and went to scavenge for food in the kitchen where Daddy is making dinner. 

I don't think we'll be going in the garage again anytime soon.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Dog Hair</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/444732</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 3 Apr 2008 18:52:56 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/444732</guid>
		<description>Last night I suffered from terrible nightmares that I lost all my hair. Funny that. Today we went to ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Last night I suffered from terrible nightmares that I lost all my hair. Funny that. Today we went to grooming! Daddy took us this morning and he pretended we were just going in the car, but I know the way to grooming and that was the way he went! 

We got to the grooming place, which is way out in the woods near a river. It's where that dog Dasher lives with a cat. He's actually brothers with the cat! I tried not to get out of the car, but Daddy carried me in and left me there!

Well, grooming was awful! After a shave, I was submerged in the tub and soaped up. Then I got trimmed and blow dried and had my ears plucked and nails cut. I hate grooming. It makes me feel icky. I don't like to have what Mommy calls "clean" on me.  When we got home, Diggy and I rolled in the grass to get the "clean" off of us. Mommy was mad, she wanted us to keep our clean on. But we tricked her and rubbed it off in the grass next to the garage hehehe...

I am not going to go near the garage until it rains and all that "clean" is washed away.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Trouble in the Backyard</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/441444</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:20:33 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/441444</guid>
		<description>Someone broke the &quot;Invisible Fence&quot;!!!! On Sunday, we were all outside and I was sniffing for critte ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Someone broke the "Invisible Fence"!!!! On Sunday, we were all outside and I was sniffing for critters when I found myself behind the shed.  I stood really still for a while and there was no heinous "beeping" sound.  I sneaked forward and there was no "zap." I kept going, and when no one was looking, I dashed into the woods! Free! 

Of course, Mommy knew I was out of the yard and she found me.  I went "out" again on Monday and I was behind the  house with no people (or dogs) in the way back of the orchard when Mommy called me for doggy dinner. But, when I came around the people-less house, I saw him. A stranger in our yard!  He was tall and wearing a vest and a hat. The hat said, "Invisible Fence." Oh, I was so mad. I knew why he was there. I barked at him, but Mommy picked me up and brought me inside. 

We had doggy dinner, but I didn't forget who was lurking in my yard.  When Mommy opened the door again, I dashed out and I bit that fence-fixer on the shin!

Ooops. I'm in trouble now.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Sunny Spot</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/439007</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:06:50 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/439007</guid>
		<description>Tomorrow is the first day of spring! Bah! Not here! It snowed today and it is going to snow tomorrow ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Tomorrow is the first day of spring! Bah! Not here! It snowed today and it is going to snow tomorrow. It might even snow on Sunday and Monday! Not to mention that it is cold and in between snows, it rains. Cold rain. On Monday this week there was some small sun. We went outside and played, but Diggy messed everything up. He won't let anyone play except himself. As soon as Mommy and I try to play chase mees, Diggy tries to knock me down and bit me. He got in trouble and we went inside. I didn't play with him the rest of the day and I snubbed him when he tried to say he was sorry for messing up our playing. 

Whatever. Mommy says that she doesn't believe in spring. "Mud season" is what she calls this time of year. I don't know what she means, but I think it has something to do with getting my paws cleaned off every time I come back inside. No matter what you call the season, one thing is for sure: the chipmunks have emerged again!  There are also all sorts of other critters in the yard who have been sleeping all winter. Well, it is time for my favorite radio program, I'm going to go lay down on my dog bed and listen. Grrr. Diggy is on my dog bed! I will chase him off.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Ah! March!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/434364</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 7 Mar 2008 05:24:22 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/434364</guid>
		<description>A foggy morning in March.  Most of the snow is gone now leaving the yard muddy and stinky--so much f ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ A foggy morning in March.  Most of the snow is gone now leaving the yard muddy and stinky--so much fun! Yesterday we stayed outside for a long time without our coats.  I think it's going to be spring soon! Mommy said that it is just a trick of the weather and we'll be getting more cold and snowy days. I saw her getting the skis out again and putting them in the car, which means they are going "away" to ski. 

Rats! Dogs can't go skiing. Not that I would want to: it is too cold and wet. Cold and wet are my least favorite states of being. I prefer to be warm and dry in my bed near the window, reading. 

Diggy likes to watch movies, especially when there are dogs in the movie.  I don't much like movies, especially when Mommy watches them close to doggy dinner time. I get so hungry and she doesn't listen when I try to tell her that it is TIME. This happened yesterday and I was so hungry and I kept going to all the doors and scratching.  I was trying to get Mommy's attention, but she only got mad and made me lay down and watch the movie. I had to wait an eternity for my doggie dinner. 

Speaking of, I think I am hungry now. I think I'll go sniff around for some snacks. If I say I want to go out and then come back in, I'll get a snack.  Then I'll take a little snooze in the sunny spot. Oh Drat! No sunny spot today, it's foggy out.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Visit to New Jersey</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/427997</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:31:35 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/427997</guid>
		<description>We spent the weekend with our Grandpeople in NJ. It was fun.  We always get extra treats when we vis ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ We spent the weekend with our Grandpeople in NJ. It was fun.  We always get extra treats when we visit our Grandpeople.  We played with our cousin Casey, who is  a shy black dog who is scared of Diggy and me. We also played with Taea. She is feisty little puppy who scared me!

When we got home we watched a movie about the wolves in Yellowstone.  Diggy thought the wolves were real and would come out of the computer to play. They didn't and Diggy was sad.  But, later we played "wild wolves and bald eagles," outside. 

Mommy is still worried about the wolves. I am jealous of wolves because they get to have beef bones whenever they want. Diggy and I had a beef bone the other day, but then Mommy took it away from us because we weren't being nice.  How can you be nice when there is only one beef bone and two dogs?  Sometimes Mommy's expectations are unreasonable. 

Diggy has brought all of our toys into the office. I think I will play with them for a while and then go take a snooze in the sunny spot on the floor.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Save the Wolves!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/419899</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 1 Feb 2008 07:42:08 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/419899</guid>
		<description>Yesterday we went for a walk to the beach.  The tide was FINALLY out. We've had storm tides for almo ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Yesterday we went for a walk to the beach.  The tide was FINALLY out. We've had storm tides for almost a week and even when the tide was out, it was in. 

Diggy chased birds back and forth, back and forth, back and forth... Mommy and I walked to the rocks and back.  I'm still not allowed off my leash on the beach. I asked, but Mommy said, "No Tommy. You run away." "Blah, blah,  blah..." I pouted a bit, and then got over it.  There is so much to sniff on the beach, I have fun there anyway. 

Last night we were awakened by a terrible screeching howl! I was scared, so I slithered down under the covers. Mommy peeked out the window and saw 3 coyotes! I slithered down even further. Coyotes!? Diggy didn't even wake up. He was dog-bone tired after chasing those birds up and down the beach. 

The coyotes, howled and barked and screeched for about 10 minutes, and then they went away.  I was glad. Mommy said that coyotes are our cousins.  Wolves are our cousins too. Mommy loves wolves. 

In fact, today Mommy spent much time this morning writing a letter to Congressman Tom Allen (D-Maine) to ask him to sign on to legislation to keep the gray wolf on the Endangered Species List. She is very upset at the insidious attempt by that President George W. to de-list our cousins the gray wolves.  Mommy has been an advocate for the wolves since 1995, when they were just beginning to be reintroduced at Yellowstone National Park.  She lived near Yellowstone at the time and remembers watching on t.v. the first wolves go into Yellowstone. She said they were very brave wolves. 

I'm a brave wolf too.  After I write this, I am going to pretend I am a brave wolf, sneak up on Diggy who I'll pretend is a Yellowstone Buffalo,  and steal his bone!  Yesterday I stole Diggy's bone and he was so forlorn! Today I am going to steal it again! But, first I think I will take a little snooze.  It is such a damp, cold, dreary day with clouds and no sun. We might get some snow.  I wonder what the wild wolves do living in all that snow.  They are very brave.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Burr....</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/416091</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:09:00 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/416091</guid>
		<description>Over the weekend Mommy and Daddy took their skis and went to the mountains. They left Diggy and me h ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Over the weekend Mommy and Daddy took their skis and went to the mountains. They left Diggy and me here at home. It was setting up to be a terrible and boring weekend until Jackie came to see us! We were so happy to see her. We LOVE Jackie because she gives us carrots and takes us for walks and plays "get the sock" with us. 

Now Mommy and Daddy are back with their skis. There is more snow falling from the sky tonight and it is very cold.  Whenever we go outside, we have to wear our coats.  I try not to go outside, except when necessary or when the turkeys come through the yard.  The turkeys come through twice every day; once in the morning and again in the evening. They are looking for food and a warm place to sleep.  Diggy and I like to chase them, but Mommy tells us not to. She likes the turkeys. I told her that turkeys are not nearly as cuddly as a schnauzer. She agreed. But Mommy likes all manner of uncuddly critters including bees and turtles. 

I've been reading some good books lately with Mommy.  We read one really long book about whale boats. At first I imagined that it would be fun to be a whale boat captian dog! However, I learned how cold it is on the ocean where the whales live. It's a place near Alaska, which is very cold and has more snow than Maine --where we live now.  I also found out that chasing whales is not quite like chasing turkeys or squirrels. Whales don't run. They swim. I do not swim.  The only time I've gone swimming was the time when Mommy tipped the canoe over and I fell in the lake. I was not pleased with Mommy's tipping and that she laughed while I scrambled to the muddy shore. 

Shiver.  I don't even want to think about swimming right now! Not in Maine in January! Burr. I think I will go curl up on my pillow now and snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Holiday Cookies</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/406458</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:46:50 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/406458</guid>
		<description>Today I did something so sneaky and so out of character for the intellectual, austere dog I am.  
 ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today I did something so sneaky and so out of character for the intellectual, austere dog I am.  

I stole the holiday cookies! 

The cookies were in a big white bakery box on the yellow table. They'd been there since Tuesday and weren't getting eaten by my people. I thought they'd probably go to waste if I didn't eat them. So, I crafted a plan this afternoon to get the cookies from the table and into my belly. 

When Mommy took her new scary book into the living room, put on her puffy slippers and settled in to read, I snuck up on the yellow table.  Diggy was with Mommy and didn't know what I was up to. 

I stood on my hind feet and streatched my nose to the box. I had to jump a bit to reach it, but I got it. I dragged it slowly off the table and onto the floor. I opened my mouth, cobra-like, to eat as many cookies as possible at once. . . Suddenly, I heard: "Tommy! What? Are? You? Doing?" 

I fled. 

I dashed from the kitchen around the corner to my bedroom, but the door was closed! I skidded to a stop under the dining room table, but Mommy was right behind me.  She would have grabbed me if she hadn't noticed that Diggy had inhaled the lemon squares from the box on the floor.  

Mommy tried to pry the lemon squares from Diggy's mouth, but he wasn't opening it for anything! In the meantime, I cleaned up the crumbs from the floor. Yum! Sugar cookie pieces! Chocolate cupcake crumbs! Coconut bits! 

Diggy was full of yellow lemmony goo so I licked him a bit too. Mommy, however, threw the rest of the cookies into the trash can.  At least we got a little taste of holiday delight!

It is snowing. Again.  We had nearly a week of snow-free days, but here it comes again. I think I will go watch the flakes fall in the holiday lights from my window and snooze off my rapidly crashing sugar-high.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>It continues to snow from the sky!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/403838</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:55:24 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/403838</guid>
		<description>OK, so that &quot;snow&quot; that I told you about last time?  It is over my head! I can't walk through it wit ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ OK, so that "snow" that I told you about last time?  It is over my head! I can't walk through it without nearly drowning in it.  It keeps falling from the sky almost every day! Mommy loves it. She says that it is the best present she could have after a long semester of less than competent students. Oooops! I shouldn't make fun of Mommy's students.  They are, after all, students. I, on the other hand am an accomplished scholar. However, I am not quite so fond of the snow as my mentor, Mommy, is. 

Today she shoveled a pathway so I have a place to "go." How embarrassing! Diggy doesn't even care.  The snow is over his head too and he just bounds through it! Today Mommy put something on her feet called “skis.” If you’ve never heard of them before, they are long flat sticks that people use to help them get around in the snow when it is too deep for cars. Mommy went right around on her skis alright! I barked and barked at her and she just kept on going! 
Later, when she came in we snuggled and watched a scary movie called, “Dial M for Murder.” We love all the old Hitchcock films. 

So there are a few things that snowy days are good for: movies, reading and sleep.  I can get all sorts of snug naps in during the snow storm, especially when Mommy can’t go all the way to work on her skis and has to stay home and tap at the computer all day long. Bor-ring!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Jingle Bells</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/400912</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:46:28 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/400912</guid>
		<description>Now is the time of year during which we get something called &quot;snow.&quot;  For those of you who don't get ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Now is the time of year during which we get something called "snow."  For those of you who don't get "snow" where you live; believe me you are better off.  But, please don't tell Mommy that I said that because she LOVES snow more than anything (I suspect including us dogs).  

Snow is like rain, but it is colder.  It falls from the sky and hangs around on the ground for a while.  In the middle of the winter, where we live, there can be snow deeper than most schnauzers are tall on the ground for months. Right now we have only a little smidge of snow on the ground, but there is torrent of the stuff falling from the sky.  When I go outside in the snow, it is cold on my feet and the snow falling from the sky hits my ears and makes them shiver. If it is snowing really fast, which it is doing now, it will get into my nose and eyes.  Burrr!

Thankfully, Mommy brought us to the dog park this morning before it started snowing.  Now, it is ok to curl up on my sofa and snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Thank You</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/389539</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:51:33 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/389539</guid>
		<description>Thank you to all the wonderful pups who wrote to us upon the loss of our Stanley. We are comforted t ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Thank you to all the wonderful pups who wrote to us upon the loss of our Stanley. We are comforted to hear from other dogs at the Bridge and their dog and people family members. 

We are still very sad and I can tell that Mommy thinks about Stanley a lot. She said that this weekend we are going to our Grand People's house and we will notice that Uncle Stanley is not there.  It will be very sad for us all.  

Otherwise, Diggy and I are doing well.  We had to stay with the dog-sitter one weekend.  We won't have to stay with the dog sitter ever again! Mommy was mad, and we felt bad--for a minute! Ha! How could Mommy leave us there with that CAT??? (Diggy just said that he likes the cat. Hrumph.)

All the leaves that were in the trees are on the ground and they smell so wonderful.  I love going on walks and sniffing deep in the piles of leaves. Mommy and Daddy raked up the leaves and Diggy and I helped them; well, not really. 

Today it is cloudy and too warm. I was outside barking at cats, but now I think I will take a snooze on the couch.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Uncle Stanley 1994-2007</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/382358</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:44:23 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/382358</guid>
		<description>Today is a sad, sad day.  Mommy keeps crying. She didn't even come with us on a walk to the beach.   ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today is a sad, sad day.  Mommy keeps crying. She didn't even come with us on a walk to the beach.  She is very sad because someone she loved very much has crossed the proverbial Rainbow Bridge.  Uncle Stanley passed late last night. 

Mommy didn't tell Diggy and me right away.  She tried to hold it in and not talk about it at all because we had cousin Casey and his humans here visiting us. Once they left, however, she told us and we sat by her when she cried.  We have to make her feel better. People get much sadder than dogs so it is the dog's job to make the people feel better. Mommy said that Uncle Stanley was very good at that. Diggy and I are good at it too. We will miss Uncle Stanley a lot.  

Mommy said that our grand-people are very sad because they miss Uncle Stanley.  We live far away from them otherwise Diggy and I would go sit by them and help them feel better too.  Mommy also said that Uncle Stanley was born in 1994, when she was still in college. He lived a long life and chased a lot of critters! I know that Uncle Stan was an expert at chipmunk chasing. 

Well, Mommy is crying again. I think I will get Diggy and we will sit by her.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Portsmouth, the Paris of New England</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/375880</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:18:08 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/375880</guid>
		<description>Today Mommy and I went to a literary event.  We met the author of a new book called &quot;Angel Come Home ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today Mommy and I went to a literary event.  We met the author of a new book called "Angel Come Home." I had a delightful time.  We met the author, Stuart R. Wisong and his dog, Angel.  Angel is a really cute white Maltese. She sniffed me!

I also met a lot of nice ladies who thought I was cute.  Mommy told them that I am a literary dog and that she and I write books together. They were all very impressed.

Mr. Winsong signed a copy of Angel's book for me! I was so excited, I have never had a book autographed for ME before.  I am heading to my bed next to Mommy to read tonight.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Back to the Beach!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/368981</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:42:35 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/368981</guid>
		<description>Dogs can go to the beach again! Yay. We went the other day.  There were so many good stinks to sniff ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Dogs can go to the beach again! Yay. We went the other day.  There were so many good stinks to sniff! I had to make Mommy walk slow so I could sniff them all! 

Diggy has been acting all crazy lately. On Sunday, he bumped into the invisible fence. He cried and ran straight to Mommy. Then yesterday, he dug a HUGE hole next to the garden shed and distrubed many earthworms. He has also been eating dirty tissues that he finds around the house. I told him he'd get a blockage like I had and have to go to Dr. M. He doesn' t listen to me. Right now he is sitting sentinel by the big tree in front of the house just waiting for critters. 

The mystery night critter seems to have decided to skulk somewhere else. We never found it. However, we have killed two mice! Daddy was so proud of us for getting the mice, but he took them away anyway.  I just don't get it. Perhaps Daddy wants to eat the mice himself? Nah, Daddy doesn't seem like the mouse-eating type. I know he enjoys foods like ice cream. 

Mommy is very busy and leaves the house without us a lot. She's not even reading any good books, I just don't get it. She brought home the biography of Bertrand Russell from the library; but hasn't cracked it. 

Diggy and I decided what we are going to be for Hallowdogween. It's a secret! Well, I think I'm going to lay down in that sunny spot on the rug now and have a snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Back from the beach</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/362205</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 8 Sep 2007 09:43:37 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/362205</guid>
		<description>Mommy went to the beach yesterday without us. She said that dogs STILL can't go to the beach in the  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy went to the beach yesterday without us. She said that dogs STILL can't go to the beach in the day. But, when she came home she smelled suspiciously of Irish Setter. Diggy smelled it too. Male, Irish Setter, puppy. 

Mommy said the puppy was at the beach but was breaking the rules. Whatever. I don't want to go to the beach anyway. I just want to snooze, it's hot. 

At night a new critter has been hanging out in the pine trees. Every morning, Diggy and I go to look for it, but it's gone. We sniff for it, but it's gone. We have to get out at night when it is there. We are making a plan...]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>The Dog's Stomach of Steel</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/361008</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 5 Sep 2007 08:42:57 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/361008</guid>
		<description>Diggy has a stomach ache today. Mommy told him yesterday to expect it. He ate a lot of strange thing ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Diggy has a stomach ache today. Mommy told him yesterday to expect it. He ate a lot of strange things, some things that Mommy didn't even see him eat. Here is a list of what Diggy said he ate:  2 scrambled eggs; 1/2 milkbone; grass; 1 bee; 1 milkbone; dog food; berries that came from the black tree; 1-Paul Newman treat; crumbs from the car floor; 2 stale dougnuts; 1/4 baguette; olive oil and garlic sauce; bits of a crustacean plus part of the shell; heel of a boot;  tire; 1 hippie. 

No wonder he is writhing around today trying to find the coolest spot on floor to put his belly. I know I shouldn't make fun of Diggy because it was not so long ago that I ate some inedible tidbits and fell ill. However, I can't help but chuckle. You should have seen him on the dinner table slurping up the olive oil while Mommy and Daddy were doing the dishes! And when he thieved the baguette he almost got away with the whole thing! I would been more quiet about it. I told him later that the key to food stealing is absolute silence. Sneak up, grab the target without a peep, and dash to a safe zone for consuming. 

Well, summer vacation has concluded and Mommy is back to work. She will be gone long days now and Diggy and I will have to stay inside the house even though we have an invisible fence.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Uncle Stan</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/353906</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 20 Aug 2007 06:24:05 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/353906</guid>
		<description>Uncle Stan needs extra doggie prayers, Mommy says he is very sick. I am not feeling so well either.  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Uncle Stan needs extra doggie prayers, Mommy says he is very sick. I am not feeling so well either.  I had my "lump" removed and it hurt! But, I'm ok. Diggy and I are very happy because we can run around our yard by ourselves! I almost totally forgot about the invisible fence! Well, I know where it is and I don't go there. 

Diggy and I are trying to catch a chipmunk for Uncle Stan. I think that will make him feel better. I wanted to send him some Yoghund, our favorite Doggy frozen yoghurt that is made in New Hampshire, but Mommy says it will melt by the time it gets to NJ. 

Anyway, Mommy needs the computer now, so au revoir and think good thoughts for Uncle Stan. He's a good dog and everybody loves him!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Invisible Fence</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/348609</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 8 Aug 2007 06:59:53 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/348609</guid>
		<description>There is something new in our yard.. It is called an &acirc;invisible fence.&acirc; It is HORRID! Mommy kept ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ There is something new in our yard.. It is called an “invisible fence.” It is HORRID! Mommy kept talking about it as though it were a fun thing, but it is not. I have had plenty of experience with visible fences , so I thought an invisible one might  be even easier to breach.  Not so.  The visible fence is easy to get over, under, through or around.  Just ask Diggy.  At our old yard all we had to do was get a running start from the back door, leap onto the stack of bricks next to the fence, hop onto the compost bin and viola! We could sail effortlessly over the fence. Diggy figured that one out.  I found another way that was even easier.  I would squeeze through the gap where the gate post joined the back fence. Sometimes I would just use my opposable thumbs, which I keep hidden from humans, to open the gate. It was such a cinch to get out! 

The “invisible” fence, however is not the same.  You can’t see it or touch it.  It makes a high-pitched beeping sound.  This sound is so awful it paralyzes me.  I can’t even move.  Mommy calls me to her and gives me a treat when it beeps, however. Treats are nice, but that infernal beeping is not worth it.  The worst part is that if you go the wrong way the fence makes you tingle.  I tingled once.  I couldn’t move.  Mommy picked me up and brought me back into the middle of the yard.  Diggy doesn’t mind the tingling so much and Mommy positively loves it! She put the collar on her foot and said that the tingling was like a foot massage.  Mommy is weird. Daddy gives her foot massages every night, I don’t see why we need an invisible fence so she can get a foot massage. 

I really just want to be able to run around the neighborhood.  But we can’t. It’s the bane of every dog’s existence these days. Mommy is afraid that the neighbors she doesn’t like will hurt us. She is also afraid we will get hit by a car or bicycle. I really don’t like bicycles. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy ride bicycles and that frightens me. I think that bicycles should be inside the invisible fence, not dogs. 

Well, I am reading To Kill A Mockingbird this week. Mommy got a first edition of the book so we have to be very careful not to drool on the pages or wrinkle them. We are not allowed to dog-ear the pages either. Dog-ear, what a stupid phrase. I prefer bookmarks anyway.  We have some really nice bookmarks. I guess I’ll get back to my book or maybe take a snooze.  It is a rainy, gloomy day today.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Summer Reading II</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/341966</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:59:23 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/341966</guid>
		<description>Last night in Harry Potter, Harry Hermionie and Ron did some amazing wizardy things! They tricked al ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Last night in Harry Potter, Harry Hermionie and Ron did some amazing wizardy things! They tricked all sorts of bad wizards and narrowly escaped the clutches of you-know-who.  I won't tell you exactly what happened, just in case you haven't read it yet.  I don't want to spoil anyone's read.  

This morning after doggy breakfast, Diggy and I played Harry Dogpotter again. We pretended to be dogwizards fighting all the bad catwizards. The catwizards had us cornered, but like Harry Potter and his pack, we used magic to defeat them. Now we are very tired. 

Diggy is snoozing on the floor in Mommy's office and I am writing at the table.  I will snooze in my cool bedroom when I am done. 

Last night, before we read Harry Potter, Mommy read us a story about Pirates in Maine. Daddy LOVES Pirates.  I don't know what kind of life would be more exiting: that of a dogpirate or dogwizard. Maybe I could be a dogwizardpirate. YES! That's it!

I'm going to go get Diggy and we're going to play dogwizardpirate outside. Oh no, there is a lawnmower going in the neighbor's yard. I'm a little afraid of the lawnmower. I think I will stay in and snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Summer Reading</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/341537</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 24 Jul 2007 07:18:32 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/341537</guid>
		<description>Mommy got us the new Harry Potter over the weekend. We've been reading it every night since.  It is  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy got us the new Harry Potter over the weekend. We've been reading it every night since.  It is a very exciting book!  I love to read about the wizards and witches and all the magical animals.

Diggy doesn't read much, but he likes to play Harry Potter.  Yesterday we were playing Harry Dogpotter and I scared Diggy by telling him that I really saw a Grim.  He freaked out and tried to bite me! I ran and hid in my bedroom, but as he walked passed I whispered that the Grim was at the window.  He was so scared he hid behind Mommy. 

There really wasn't a Grim, but the thought of one is scary.  It has been gloomy and rainy all day and yesterday, which I hate so I think I will go read with Mommy now.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Dog Food</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/332788</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 5 Jul 2007 07:53:14 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/332788</guid>
		<description>I sure don't like this crumbly dry dog food. I push it away with my nose.  I want to have hotdogs in ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I sure don't like this crumbly dry dog food. I push it away with my nose.  I want to have hotdogs instead.  Yesterday we had hotdogs. Technically, they were cold in temperature, but they are still called hotdogs.  Actually, they are called dachshund sausages, but I don't think the dachshunds should get them all. They should share with schnauzers.  Schnauzers are the best kind of dog afterall. 

I have pushed my dry food across the room, but still no hotdogs.  I will let Diggy eat my food and then Mommy will give me hotdogs. 

No such luck.  Mommy put the food dish back in front of me and I have to eat the dry crumbly styrofoamy food. Bleck! I can hardly chew it. 

As a dog, I like to eat a lot of things, but not this food. Diggy eats more things than I do and back in his prime, Uncle Stanley ate almost ANYTHING! Uncle Stanley could dig up mushrooms like a truffle pig. Now he gets chicken.  

I sure enjoy chicken, but don't get much these days.  These days it's just dry, crumbly styrofoamy, chalk-tasting dog food.  What makes people think that dogs like to eat this stuff?  I think I will go on a dog food strike and wait for dachshund sausages. 

Now I'm hungry and there still aren't any hotdogs in my dish. 

Grrrr. That was my stomach.  I think I'll go eat the dog food and go on strike next time.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Dog Days of Summer</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/329502</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 27 Jun 2007 09:01:47 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/329502</guid>
		<description>Well. we have moved to our new house and yard! It's not so bad.  The yard is great. There are lots o ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Well. we have moved to our new house and yard! It's not so bad.  The yard is great. There are lots of chipmunks to sniff for. There are other critters too.  Diggy and I try to catch one of the chipmunks which lives under the barn.  It is a wiley chipmunk and it comes up from its burrow and "eeps" at us then runs back down! If only it would run into the grass, we would capture it and shake it and shake it. . . .  

A few days ago, I ran away.  Mommy said she wasn't going to look for me, but she did. She didn't find me, though.  I am sneaky.  I went to all the houses on the new street.  I met two dogs who live here. One is Lady, a black lab. She is so prettty.  Diggy doesn't like her, but I do.  I got back to the house before mommy, again! Someone let me in the house.  Mommy was mad, because as usual, she dislikes the neighbors.  I like the neighbors, though.  I like to bark at them and growl.  It's practice for the chipmunks and to protect mommy. 

Today it is so hot.  I'm napping on the cool floor.  Diggy is sleeping near the fan.  We both want to go out, but it is just too hot.  Mommy even cancelled Diggy's training today.  Rats! I wanted Diggy to go to training, like a  little puppy. He's so bad.  He bit mommy last week when a boxer dog came to sniff us.  He was in a lot of trouble for a few days, but mommy got over it and started liking him again. 

Uncle Stanley is visiting us.  He is not well and we are not allowed to bother him.  He mostly sleeps, so there's no need to bother him.  He is no fun. He still growls at Diggy, though. 

We got a new toy!  It is a Wumba-Wumba and it is so much fun to play with!  It squeeks like a chipmunk and when you shake it and shake it, it feels like a chipmunk.  I got it away from Diggy and played with it by myself for a while and it was so much fun.  Then Diggy and I played together, but it is really too hot for anything but sleeping.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Moving....AGAIN!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/324159</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 14 Jun 2007 09:51:26 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/324159</guid>
		<description>We're moving tomorrow. Mommy says we are going to have a big yard and we won't have to move anymore. ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ We're moving tomorrow. Mommy says we are going to have a big yard and we won't have to move anymore.  We went to the new yard the other day.  It's nice, but I'm a little afraid.  I don't know any of the smells. There were squirrely smells, but not our usual squirrels. There were foreign cat smells. Cats that I've never smelled before are there. Ugh!

Mommy says we have to stay in our bedrooms for the first few nights at the new house. I guess that's ok, but I like to sleep next to Mommy. Diggy does too. Maybe Diggy will have to sleep in his crate and I will sleep next to Mommy.  Probably not, though.  I pooped in the bathroom  again last night and Mommy is really mad.  I tried to tell her that I didn't do it, but she knows the truth.  I tried to tell her that it was because it is raining out, but it's not. So I just tried to look cute.  I was in trouble anyway. 

If only we could go to the beach.  I think that people should not be allowed on the beach.  People are infinitely more messy than dogs.  They leave their cars running and throw cigarettes on the ground and food wrappers and other garbage like vinyl.  Mommy hates vinyl and cigarettes...  People are so much smellier than dogs and they just kind of sit there on the beach.  They don't even look for stinky things or chase birds or run like Diggy and I do.  Well, I don't because I'm not allowed off my leash because I ran away that time. 

I try to tell Mommy that I won't run away anymore, but she doesn't believe me.  I guess she's right. If I smelled something good, I'd just go.  I can't help it! I'm a dog!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>No More Beach</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/320288</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 5 Jun 2007 05:27:25 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/320288</guid>
		<description>Well, of all the indignities! Since Memorial Day, dogs are no longer permitted on the beach during t ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Well, of all the indignities! Since Memorial Day, dogs are no longer permitted on the beach during the day. Doggie discrimination. I am so offended. 

Diggy is upset too, because he really loves to go to the beach to run around. Mommy says that now that it is almost summer, there are too many people around and sometimes people are not nice to dogs. I know she is just saying that. She means that some dogs are not nice to people and some poop and make a mess where people want to walk or lounge on the beach.  I think there should be an exception for me...and Diggy. Mommy says that a lot of dogs feel that way and that we can still go to the beach in the evening. 

Whatever.

It has been raining for days! It is so cold and wet I don't even want to go to the beach.  I just want to curl up in my bed and snooze. Diggy is still watching out the window for things to bark at.  With the rain, there aren't a lot of joggers and bicyclists going by. There are some cats and squirells, but not many.  When Diggy barks, I'll go over to join him, but for now I'm going to snooze.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Visit with Stanley</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/302614</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 28 Apr 2007 07:22:06 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/302614</guid>
		<description>Uncle Stanley came to visit this week. He and Poppy were very disappointed that the NY Rangers lost  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Uncle Stanley came to visit this week. He and Poppy were very disappointed that the NY Rangers lost the hockey game. So Stanley moped.  He walks so slow it is not fun to go on a walk with him. I always become trapped in the middle with Diggy pulling ahead and Stanley trailing behind. We had a fun time in the house though. With all three of us barking, we can scare any cat within a mile! Funny thing is, the cats still come in the yard! Even when we bark, they sneak in and just sit there! I think we should break out and chase those cats and catch them and shake them and... Well, I just think that the cats should stay away...

It was nice to visit with my grand-people. We got treats and Greenies and lots of extra pets and kisses. Diggy always shows off when Uncle Stanley and our grand-people are here. He goes on the table, jumps over the sofa and steals more food than usual. He even opened the screen-door and went into the swamp! He evaded Mommy for almost an hour. When Mommy finally caught him with Poppy's help, he was all full of smelly, black swamp mud and that landed him right in the bathtub! Ha! Ha!

I was lucky, no baths for me. But, I try to keep clean. 

Uncle Stanley won't let Diggy or me play with any toys while he is around. Even our own toys! He growls at Diggy. He likes me better, probably because I always offer to share my toys with him. 

Well, I am looking out the window now for cats.  I noticed that another squirell met a bloody end in the road. The squirells here are stupid. Much more stupid than our old squirells at our old yard.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Sunny Day!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/300876</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:24:43 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/300876</guid>
		<description>Today is a sunny day!! We went for a walk this morning, but we didn't go to the beach. Instead, we w ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today is a sunny day!! We went for a walk this morning, but we didn't go to the beach. Instead, we went a long, long way away and I got tired and hot and thirsty. I just wanted to rest in the shade for a few minutes. I found a nice cool spot and lay down, but no-oh! We had to keep going.  I put my tongue all the way out to keep cool, but I was still so hot. I just wanted to have a sip of water. When we got home, guess who hogged all the water? Yes. Diggy! Mommy had to give me a special water bowl of my own, but Diggy slurped that up too! Finally, he wasn't thirsty anymore and I could have a few puny sips. 

After our hot, long, boring walk, we took a nap. We've spent the rest of the day barking at passing cyclists, walkers and other dogs. Oh, and the people who keep coming in our yard! Why do they keep coming in our yard? Mommy says not to bark at them, but they are in OUR yard! There they are again! Oh, no, I barked too much. I think I'm going to be sick...excuse me... blech!

OK, I'm better now. Mommy says to settle down and relax and have another sip of water.  

Over the weekend I met two Jack Russells. One came dashing across the street with his brother, a hotdog. We wanted to play, but our parents wouldn't let us. Especially since Diggy can't be nice to new dogs. He has to warm up to them. If our parents would just give him a chance, he would be nice.

The other J.R. sneaked around the shrubbery while we were on a walk. He startled me so that I tripped on my leash and did a full front flip in the air. It didn't feel so good when I landed on my head in the grass.   

Mommy laughed at me and I was so embarassed. The sneaky dog had a pointy nose and Mommy pet him! Then she picked up the pointy sneaking dog! We had to walk around and around until we found his home. We finally found his home and he went in with his family. I hope Mommy told them not to let him sneak so! It is rude to sneak like a cat when you are a dog!

Well, I think I will settle down in my bed and relax. It may be time for an afternoon nap.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Sunshine!</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/299165</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 19 Apr 2007 05:25:06 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/299165</guid>
		<description>Today the sunshine is outside. The rain has stopped falling! Woof! I am so excited to go for our wal ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today the sunshine is outside. The rain has stopped falling! Woof! I am so excited to go for our walk today and sniff all the stinky stuff that washed up onto the beach. Yesterday we found some claws from a lobster. Diggy tried to eat one and Mommy took it away from him. It sure smelled tasty, but it looked hard to eat. There were all kinds of new smells yesterday, but it was so wet and cold, I just wanted to go home. Today it is not so wet, so I will better appreciate all the stinks. 

There was a cat in our yard this morning! Diggy and I barked at it. And then there was a groundhog! Slow, fat groundhog, I can probably catch it. Diggy says he knows where it lives, but I don't believe him. Besides, I'm not allowed out without my leash because I run away. Well, I don't "run away," I just go on adventures to find good, smelly things. I always come home. I love my mommy. 

Yawn! Now it is time for my morning nap, then we will go for our walk!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Pats Day Nor'Easter</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/298741</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 18 Apr 2007 05:02:15 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/298741</guid>
		<description>It's been a wet week so far. We've been inside and have taken lots of naps. It's very scary at night ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ It's been a wet week so far. We've been inside and have taken lots of naps. It's very scary at night because when the tide comes in at midnight, we can hear the waves crashing on the road just a little way away from our house. 
Last night, I slept all the way under the covers just in case the waves came into the house.  They didn't, but this morning Mommy took us out and we could see seaweed on the road! Scary. 

I hope the storm ends soon. Until then, I'm going to take a nap.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>April 5, 2007</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/293316</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 5 Apr 2007 04:49:07 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/293316</guid>
		<description>Dear Diary, 

Just when I thought Spring was here, it snowed again! Mommy says that's the way it i ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Dear Diary, 

Just when I thought Spring was here, it snowed again! Mommy says that's the way it is here. She said, "If you don't like the weather in Maine, wait a minute." I wonder if that means that it will snow in July. I might like that. Except, the wet and the cold. 

It's still snowing and I've waited a minute. Well, I think I will just take a nap. I love to snooze on the sofa, especially on a stormy day when I can hear the churning of the sea. The sound makes me sleepy. Yawn!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>March 28, 2007</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/289878</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 28 Mar 2007 06:38:00 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/289878</guid>
		<description>Dear Diary, 

Well, I am in the proverbial dog house today. Mommy is angry because I ran away and  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Dear Diary, 

Well, I am in the proverbial dog house today. Mommy is angry because I ran away and "got lost." I was NOT lost, I knew exactly where I was and what I was doing. I saw that deer and I had to chase it! I had to catch it! I ran from the beach, across the road and chased the deer. It ran into the woods and I followed. Suddenly, I realized that the woods was sticky and wet so I turned around. Stupid deer. I didn't want to catch it anyway. Whatever. 

I sniffed around and found a bunch of lobster pots. I sniffed all the lobster pots, but no lobsters. There was a rabbit in the lobster yard. I wanted to chase it, but it was in a cage. Stupid rabbit. It didn't run, all it did was bounce in its cage. 

With nothing to chase, I decided to sniff for something to eat. I came to a fence and smelled something in the yard beyond. I found a way through the fence and there it was! A huge, stinky dumpster! I sniffed out some edibles and had a tasty snack. Then I continued back to the road.

I was almost to the road when I noticed Diggy and Mommy looking for me. I didn't want to go home yet, I was having so much fun. I quickly ducked behind a shrubbery and flattened myself out like a fieldmouse going through a stone wall. They didn't see me, but I watched them. They were talking to a surfer. The surfer pet Diggy. He gave him a snack! I wanted a snack! Oooh! I almost ran out to get a snack from the surfer, but instead I turned around and went back toward the woods. 

I sniffed along the woods until I found a big bank of rotting snow. I lept up onto the snow and over the wettest part of the woods. I followed a sandy trail and came to a road. I ran up that road, sniffing all the houses and trees and wow! It was garbage day! I found a few edibles in some of the buckets, but most of them had already been emptied by the garbage team. 

Since the garbage buckets were a bust, I went back to skulking through yards. I came upon two pitbulls. They tried to look menacing, but they weren't. I could bite their necks! We barked at each other for a while and then I continued on along their fence. Stupid pitbulls. 

When I got to the end of the fence I found myself on a dirt road. I followed it up the hill and sniffed for rodents. I chased a squirell for a bit, but then I got tired and thirsty. I wanted to go home. 

I headed back to the place where I left Mommy and Diggy. They weren't there. Why didn't they wait for me? Oh well, I knew the way home. I ran the whole way. When I got home, Diggy was inside the house. Mommy wasn't there. I had to sit outside on the deck to wait because Diggy couldn't open the door. He just barked at me. The neighbor dogs barked at me too. All the dogs were so upset. Mommy came home and when she saw me she started to cry. 

I don't like it when Mommy cries so I gave her kisses and snuggs. But, I was so thirsty I just wanted to go inside and sip some cool water. We finally went in. Diggy growled a 'where have you been' at me. 'Having an adventure!' I reported back to him. He left me alone as I sipped my fresh water. Something that I had snacked on gave me a terrible taste in my mouth and the water made it better. I crawled into my bed, yawned and settled down for a nap. 

I was rudely awakened by Daddy who picked me up and shook me! How rude! "Where did you go?" He asked. Like he doesn't know. Whatever. I had a good adventure. I wasn't lost at all. I don't understand why everyone makes such a fuss.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>March 27, 2007</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/289420</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 27 Mar 2007 06:42:53 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/289420</guid>
		<description>Dear Diary, 

I am certainly not sad that Spring has arrived early again this year. Mommy keeps co ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Dear Diary, 

I am certainly not sad that Spring has arrived early again this year. Mommy keeps complaining that it is too hot and that there is no more snow. I am so glad that the snow is gone. I am getting used to my new home and I am resigned now to the fact that this is where we will stay. It is not so bad. This morning when we went out, I smelled some cats. Not just one cat, but at least three! I really want to go out and chase them, but Mommy won't let us go out without our leashes because we don't stay in the yard. 

Diggy still has an itchy rash. Mommy put a lampshade collar on him to keep him from scratching. It's hot pink.  Diggy looks like a flashlight. I'm glad I don't have an itchy rash. It is humiliating to wear a lampshade. Especially a hot pink lampshade. 

I think we are about to go for a walk! Yay.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>March 22, 2007</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/287305</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 23 Mar 2007 06:23:16 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/287305</guid>
		<description>Dear Diary, 

Well, it seems that we have left HOME for good now. Last week we went back there for ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Dear Diary, 

Well, it seems that we have left HOME for good now. Last week we went back there for a few days. My favorite sleeping chair was gone. Everything was gone. Nothing smelled right. It was very disturbing. 

Diggy was so nervous he developed an itchy rash. Mommy took him to see Dr. Ken. Now Diggy has to have extra baths and get his spray every night. Thankfully, I do not have to have extra baths. 

We stayed at Uncle Stanley's again. Uncle Stanley told me that we were probably getting a new home. He said we would get used to how it smells. I told him that the new home doesn't smell like HOME and that it is in a cold place with a lot of snow and water. He said he was sorry that that's where we had to live. Like me, Uncle Stanley tries to keep away from wetness and cold. He's smart. 

He was right, too. We came back here to the cold place with all the snow. Mommy brought some things that smelled like HOME, including my little bed. I spend a lot of the day sleeping in my little bed. I don't get a good night's sleep because Diggy has to be closest to Mommy and he kicks me and pushes me to try to get closer to her at night. So I have to do more sleeping in the day.

One good thing about our new home is that is close to the ocean. Mommy says that yeti crabs live in the ocean. Every day, on our walk, I sniff for yeti crabs. I haven't found one yet, but I know they are out there. If I find one, I am going to keep it as a pet.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>March 11, 2007</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/282304</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 11 Mar 2007 08:50:42 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/282304</guid>
		<description>This weekend has been boring. Mommy is sick with the flu and just sleeps. Diggy sleeps next to her a ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ This weekend has been boring. Mommy is sick with the flu and just sleeps. Diggy sleeps next to her and he tries to push me away. Mommy needs me so I sleep next to her on the other side of the bed, away from Diggy. Mommy was so sick we had to wait for Daddy to get home from work to take us on our walk. At least it is not so cold anymore and the snow is melting. We haven't been to the beach in at least a week. If Mommy is feeling better today, she is going to take us. I hope we get to go! Another terrible thing happened: the squirell that has been running over our house and trees has met an untimely demise in the road. Now I'll never catch him!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>March 8, 2008</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/281182</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 8 Mar 2007 15:28:57 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/281182</guid>
		<description>Dear Diary, 

Yesterday we went to &quot;grooming.&quot;  It was a new place that we had never been to befor ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Dear Diary, 

Yesterday we went to "grooming."  It was a new place that we had never been to before. As soon as we got there I  knew it was not a place I wanted to be.  Diggy didn't have a clue.  He went waltzing right in as if he were going to a bar-b-que. I tried to resist.  I sat down and refused to move.  I pretended I was a heavy cinderblock. The man pulled me by my leash and Mommy pushed me from behind and before I knew it. Clap! I was in. Now I have no hair.  I am freezing.  I am so cold that Mommy put my Fido Fleece sweater on me and I have to wear it around the house. I look silly.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>February 24, 2007</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/276226</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:29:36 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/276226</guid>
		<description>Dear Diary, 

Well, yesterday Diggy and Mommy and I returned to our house at the cold place. I was ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Dear Diary, 

Well, yesterday Diggy and Mommy and I returned to our house at the cold place. I was glad to leave Uncle Stanley's house, but I wanted to go HOME, not to this new place. But after a long, uncomfortable car ride with Diggy sleeping on my head, here we are. Today was a sunny day and we went for a walk to the beach. The tide was in, which means there is no beach and we have to stay on the sidewalk or get wet.  Burrr!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>February 22, 2007</title>
		<link>http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/275208</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 22 Feb 2007 07:10:33 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Tommy ~ writing at dogster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.dogster.com/dogs/480504/diary/Running_away_from_home/275208</guid>
		<description>Dear Diary, 

I am very upset. We're moving. I don't want to go. All my stuff is moved. My bed, my ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Dear Diary, 

I am very upset. We're moving. I don't want to go. All my stuff is moved. My bed, my sofa, my toys, my food dish, my yard. Last night we had to stay with Mimi and Poppy and Uncle Stanley.  Uncle Stanley went for a walk with Poppy and left Diggy and me in the yard. I noticed that the gate didn't latch behind them so I got Diggy and we made a run for it. 

Almost immediately, Mommy was calling for us.  Diggy and I looked back at her, but we kept going. Running. So fast. It feels so good to run fast! We ran through other dog's yards and up a hill and then Diggy said he wanted to go home.  I called him a wimp and kept going myself.  There were too many good smells to investigate! 

I could have kept going all night! I smelled each house, each tree and then on to the next one! It was cold and dark and I knew there were critters out there.  

After a long time, my conscience started to get the better of my spirit of adventure. I could hear Mommy and Mimi and Poppy calling for me in the distance. I started to head back. That was a big mistake. I ran right to Mimi but instead of hugging me and giving me a snack, she carried me back to the house and called me a bad dog. 

I'm not permitted to go outside without a leash and a person.  Diggy, the master of escape, and Uncle Stanley, aka: Mister Perfect can go in the yard together.  

Well, I don't really care. I'm not moving. If I have to strike out on my own, I'm not going to that cold place with the water. It is so cold there, I can't even smell the critters. Last week when we were there, it snowed over my head. Mommy made us walk in it and it got stuck in my paws and the wind kept blowing  under my coat. I miss my yard and my house.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

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