Time fur Santa Paws

I can't believe the year is almost over! It's been a ruff year here, so we're all looking forward to 2011.

I helped mom & dad decorate the house and I supervised dad while he put the decorations outside. I'd say he did a pretty good job. BOL! I've been telling Sophie all about Santa Paws, because well, she's just a kit and never had Christmas before!

She's been real good with the tree, she doesn't bat at the ornaments or try and eat the branches or nothing - sometimes mom says that Sophie doesn't act like a kitten. I tell her she does, like when she teases me into chasing her and then mom says, "Nikki, no!". She's a little stinker, but I sure do love her.

All of us fur-kids get along just great and that makes mom and dad happy. We sure are lucky to have such a great home!

We've already had our first snow, so now I'm an official, "Shnow Dog". We got some snow last night, but not alot, but it's really windy and furry cold! Even me, the artic dog thinks its too cold, so it must be!!!

I wish to all my furriends, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Love,
Nikki

My Barkday!!!

Today is my Barkday!! I'm TWO today!

My day started out with lots of birthday kisses and of course my breakfast. I'm not sure what a birthday is, but we celebrated it on Sunday, with Auntie, Uncle and Cody and I got a pink bag that had mommy's special biscuits, a chewie and a new toy, a Frankenstein, and I'm calling it Frankie.

Frankie has a tennis ball in the middle so I can chew on it, I like Frankie!

When mom and dad got home, they sang Happy Birthday to me and Bella and Tally just watched from the couch. I got my dinner and then I got some pork chops (no bones!) and then I got my walk, which was extra special tonight.

I am one lucky pup and I'm TWO!!! MOL!!

Happy Barkday to me!!

Love,
Nikki

Doggie Dip

Hi pups!
Yesterday, mom & dad (and Auntie & Cody) took me to a Doggie Dip. It's sponsered by our Dog Park Group - ROMP. After the county pools close to the humans, the pools open up fur one day fur the pups!

I didn't know if I knew how to shwim, but I learned real quick! First, there were so many pups, some of them just running around all crazy, barking and just having a blast! Daddy kept me on my leash, but I still got to meet some of them! And some were bigger than me! WOW!

So, first mom took me in the shallow side, and we ran through the water, I had a big smile on my face and it was fun! Then mom took me to the deep end, and well, she had to coax me in, and I jumped in, and went all the way under! I popped up and boy! I learned how to paddle my paws real quick! Momma was laughing and daddy was taking pictures. It was fun! Only, I kept shwimming towards momma and I scratched up her arms and legs. Sorry mom!

It was so much fun!

Yay to the ROMP fur giving us pups a day in the pool!!

Love,
Nikki

Flood!!!

Hi pups!
First a bark out to everypup and their furmily that may be a victim of last nights' torrential rains. My furmily and I send our thoughts and wishes and hope that everyone is safe.

Remember, items can be replaced, but people cannot.

What a furry, scary night! There was lightening, thunder and rain that was coming down so hard it sounded like it was going to bust through the house! I stayed furry close to mom & dad. I'm a little afraid of thunder, but I don't bark, but I tend to pace around and pant alot. Mom always snuggles me close and tells me it's okay. Thanks mom!!

Some of our freeways flooded and people were stuck in their cars fur hours! Alot of streets were flooded too. On one corner, the street buckled and broke open and a car fell into a 20 foot sinkhole! The driver is okay, and paws up to the person that helped him out of his car. Way to go!

Daddy was furry worried, so he was downstairs making sure that there wasn't any electronic equipment on the floor just in case the basement flooded because he didn't want any of us to get electrocuted! Good daddy! Plus, mom & dad slept with flashnights just in case the power went out. We were lucky, our side of town didn't have as much flooding as the north side of the city. Please keep your thoughts in the furmilies that weren't so lucky.

There is one good thing happening though, tomorrow daddy is getting his first tattoo and do you know what it is? It's going to be ME! Yup, mom & dad took a picture of me and the guy is an artist and drew the picture free-hand and that's what daddy is getting! Mom is so excited, she can't wait to see it! BOL! Neither can I!!!

I'll have mom post some pictures after they come home!!

Have a nice day pups!!

Love,
Nikki

Tired!

Hi pups!

Well, I didn't win the adoption contest, but that's okay because I did win - when I found my furever home with my mommy, daddy, Bella and Tally. I rarely ever think of my former life because here I am one lucky, loved pup.

Today, my Auntie Laura and Uncle Rob came over with my cousin Max - he's 6 months old now and he's alot bigger than I remember him at Christmas! He smiles and laughs and he lets me give him kisses! I really like Max! I can't wait until he starts walking and we can run and play! Yippeee!!!!

We spent all day outside while daddy cooked on the grill and do you know daddy made me a "Nikki burger"? It was YUM - YUM - YUMMY! Like I said, I'm one lucky pup!

After all that excitement, I'm really tired now, and even though daddy crawled on the floor with me to play, I was really just too played out to even play anymore.

I think I'm going to take a quick na........ ZZZZZZZZZZZZ! White dog down! BOL!!!

Love,
Nikki

The Adopt 2010 Contest

Hello Pups,

My mom and I are furry excited about this contest! Since I am the most recent adoptee in our home, we wanted to bark all about how pawsome adoption is!!!

First, let me give a bark out to our Humane Society - The WI Humane Society to be exact - they are the best! Every pup and kitty too, that comes to there is welcomed and loved from day one. Each pup and kitty live there until the right furmily comes along. I am furry grateful that I was lucky enough to be one of their residents.

Now fur my story....

I was born somewhere in KY. I lived there for a little over a year. Someone, I think may have loved me because they taught me how to sit and stay, how not to bark in the house, not to jump on furniture and how not to beg. What they didn't teach me, was how to play and how to be a pup.

One day, my furmily disappeared. I don't remember if someone drove me somewhere and just left me or if I left them. But someone found me and took me to a shelter. The people at the shelter did the best they could fur me and tried to find my furmily, but my furmily never came back. I waited 30 days and nothing.

Then I overheard people at the shelter saying that it was time to "put me down". Put me down? Where? I didn't know what that meant, but by the looks on their faces, it wasn't too good. They then decided to call other shelters to see if they had some room. That's when the WI Humane Society stepped in. They were furry excited to come down and pick me up.

The Welcome Waggin' drove into town and I went fur a long ride. When I got to my final destination, I was furry tired, but I listened to everyone and went into my holding suite. The vet gave me a once over and then I had an operation. When I woke up, my belly was shaved and I was a little tired, but okay. The volunteers told me my name was Maggie and escorted me to my suite and I sat real pretty and they gave me some toys to play with. I had no idea what to do with these, so I started to eat them.

A few days later, I took a ride with a couple of kitties and went to a place called PetSmart. I had a little blanket to lay on and a few toys. A lot of kids came up and tried to play with me, I gave them some kisses and just smiled at everyone that walked by.

Soon, a couple walked by. The woman stopped at the suites that had the little kitties and the man stopped by me. I looked up at him and he looked at me and there was something in his eye..... the woman then decided to walk over and I made eye contact with her. There was just something different about this couple. I couldn't quite put my paw on it, but.... the woman came and petted me and I gave her some kisses and gave her my prettiest smile ever. Then I saw the couple go and talk to the volunteer that had brought me. They kept talking and looking at me and I tried not to show my excitement, but I kept thinking, "could this be my furmily?"

I saw all three of them walk into a room and soon, they came back and the volunteer said, "good - bye Maggie". I was so excited. I stood up and they walked me through the store, letting me pick out a bed and some toys. I felt so much love! I could just see it in their eyes! I was going home!

My first day home was a little scary. I have two sisfurs, they are cats. Their names are Isabella and Tallulah. Bella liked me immediately, Tally did not. I would later learn that Tally runs the house - but that's okay. My sisfurs also came from the WI Humane Society. My mom immediately changed my name to Nikki Lou and I love it!

My pawrents noticed some things about me, first, I had no idea how to play, I do now, but I didn't then. I don't bark in the house - ever. I rarely even bark outside unless I see another pup walk by. I prefer to lay next to the couch instead of on the couch, but I do jump up every once and awhile. I don't beg fur food.

Sometimes, when I lay outside, I think back to my first year of life and wonder what happened. Did I do something wrong? I don't know, and I can't answer that, but what I do know is that I am loved. Furry much. Mom and dad say that they can't imagine life without me. My daddy takes me fur a walk everyday! Everyday! Even when it's raining, or snowing or just freezing cold! I get play time everynight and I have my furry own "sleepy" spot right next to daddy!

My life started out kind of rough, and I almost didn't get a second chance at a happy home, but through my adoption, I did! I always cross my paws that other pups waiting fur their second chance get theirs! Mommy says that they would never buy a pup or a kitty fur that matter, only adoption which is why my mommy supports several animal organizations. Like our Humane Society, Best Friends, ASPCA, Alley Cats Rescue and even Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Mom says that every creature deserves a happy and healthy life.

Which is just what I got - a second chance. Please spay/neuter your pets and support your local adoption agencies.

With much love,
Nikki Lou

Bath!

It's been pretty warm the last few days and we've had a couple days of rain too, and well.... the yard is pretty yukky and for some reason when daddy takes me for a walk, I jump in what's left of the snow and have to prance through the puddles.

Mom says my paws are flilthy so I'm getting a bath tonight! Bath time isn't that bad, I've had a few before, I just stand in the tub while mom scrubs me and dad, well, he just kind of kneels next to the tub and tries to help mom. Wait! He does do something, he picks me up and puts me in the tub! WOL!!!!

Since I'm a mix with a Lab, my fur has the Lab textue and I literally am fully dry in about 15 minutes! Not like my cousins, they are Shelties, and take a long time to dry! Lucky me! After my bath tonight, mom will make an appointment at the spa for my spring trim and then another one closer to summer.

Last summer, I was pretty hot in all my fur, so mom thinks maybe I should get cut short - what do you think? Would I look silly, an Eskie with short fur? Hmmmm.

Love,
Nikki

Snow Day!

I'm having a snow day! We're expecting 16 inches of snow! The backyard has so much snow that it's almost as tall as me! Yippee!!!!

I'm running and diving into it, if there was a game for snow diving, I'm certain I'd win! WOL!!! Mom took some pictures of me playing, and she was laughing and laughing at me! I just love snow!

Right now Daddy is clearing the driveway and when he shovels the sidewalks, he throws the snow at me and I catch it. When I'm all covered in snow, mommy says I'm a "shnow dog".

Hope you all enjoy my pictures!

Love,
Nikki

A new year

Happy 2010!

Last year, I started out the new year with a furmily that I think loved me. I thought that this would be the furmily I would be with furever. That was not meant to be.

I won't bark about my former life, but fur those that are waiting fur their furever homes - don't give up hope! It will happen fur you! It just takes time fur the right furmily to come along.

My daddy takes me fur a walk everyday - no matter what the weather is like. We live in Wisconsin, and it's winter here, so that means snow and cold. But my daddy loves me and every night after dinner we go fur a walk together, sometimes he even lets me decide which way we go. My daddy is great!

Do you know that I've never seen snow?! It is so much fun! I go outside while daddy cleans it up and he throws it at me and I jump in the air to catch it. Then I smoosh my face in it and roll around. It is cold - but I'm an artic dog so I like it! I can sit outside fur hours! Of course, momma makes me come in, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't but then I get bribed in with a treat. WOL!

My momma makes me homemade biscuits and they are sooo good! Whenever mom makes some, I sit real purrty and give paw before she's even ready to give me one! Of course flashing my cute smile works too!

Me and Bella are good furriends - a few times mom & dad have caught us together sleeping on the bed and mom even got a couple of pictures too - I'll have to ask mom to put them on my page. Me and Tally even have come to an agreement too - while she still growls at me sometimes, I think she likes me. That makes all of us happy.

I never furget though, how I was left behind by my former furmily which makes me even more grateful fur the furmily I have now.

Wishing every pup a Happy New Year!

Love,
Nikki

Whew! What a weekend!

Wow!

All this holiday partying has worn me out! Who would have thought that 3 months ago I was on death row because nobody wanted me? Now, I have a loving home, with pawrents that just adore me, two kitty sisfurs that, well, one likes me, the other one bosses me around, but that's okay, and I just celebrated my first Christmas.

I was such a good girl on Christmas, Cody came over with Auntie and Uncle, and then both my Grandpaws, and Auntie Laura and Uncle Rob plus my nephew, Max. He's only 3 weeks old, and I went up to him really gentle and gave him some kisses. Uncle Rob told me it was okay to give one or two but that was it. Every time he cried, I ran over to make sure he was okay. Grandpaw Jim gave me ham, and beef and I got some other treats too.

Plus, I got my own bag with Santa Bear, and Wabbit, plus mommy's special homemade treats! What more could a pup ask fur? Not much! I am certainly one lucky pup and everyday I count my blessings that Grandmaw in heaven came to me and told me that I would be coming home furry soon. Thanks Grandmaw!

Now, I need to catch up on my sleep! I see why mommy says Christmas wears her out! WOL!

Love,
Nikki