I want, need to go kayaking again!!!

Julia was here this weekend and she was good and worked and worked on Mom to get her to let me go kayaking with them. Mom pointed out that I am now TEN TIMES as big as I was last Fall when I went with Julia, and I am also TEN TIMES as strong!
Mom suggested they take me in the canoe first so there would be more room. Good idea, and Julia did convince Mom to get the canoe up onto the car but at the last minute Mom decided the water was still too cold should I dump us all into the pond. Julia couldn't believe I might do that, but, sadly, Mom knows us young Labs pretty well, so I didn't go today!
I did have a pretty nice weekend at home, though, and I played and played with everyone, especially Jethro. Mom says as long as there are lots of stuffed toys around, I can come into the house since I can carry one of those in my mouth instead of her shoes or jackets or, for that matter, anything I find sitting on the table, BOL!
I don't chew anything up, I just need to carry it around in my mouth!!!

Me and Gemma!

Well, I had a pretty good weekend with Gemma. Since it was a weekend, Mom decided to leave us over in the daycare pen instead of bringing us home to play in the lab pen.
Frankly, I suspect it was because she was lazy...she has to watch us when we are in the lab pen but that daycare pen is 8 feet high chain link and she doesn't need to watch us cuz we cannot possibly escape from there.
An added bonus was that my Gramma, Emma came along as well, so we got to play with her, too.
Mom did get some photos BUT (you knew there was a but, right???) It seems the internet didn't work all day yesterday and then today she took the camera over to work and forgot to bring it home. Soo, my new photos are sitting over at work.
Mom promised she would put them on my page tomorrow. Something to look forward to, no doubt????

Gemma's coming to visit!!!

Mom just told me that Auntie Jeanne is coming to visit this weekend AND she is bringing Gemma to visit with me!! I can't wait...I have been pretty bored lately and Mom has been leaving me over at work all the time.
I wonder if we will play over in the daycare pen or if Mom will let us play in the lab pen with the others? Maybe both??? I am sure Mom will want photos of both of us and the photos are better from the lab pen cuz it's bigger.
HEY... Maybe Mom will take us out kayaking. I'm sure all the ice has melted out of the pond since it was 75 degrees today. We haven't been in the kayaks since we were babies. Hmmm, we only weighed about 15lbs then, wonder if we will still fit in the kayaks?? We might have to take the canoe!!!

Dog Show ripoff!!!

Well, we got up REALLY early this morning, piled into the car (ME in a HUGE crate!!), and off we went.
After driving what seemed like forever we finally got there. Mom and Skye and Jethro went along inside and they left ME in the car. It was about 9:30 and the showing was supposed to start at 10:30 OR after the obedience was done.
Pretty soon Mom and Skye and Jethro came out and Skye got me out of the car. OMD... there were people and other dogs EVERYWHERE, and I had to bark and bark and bark. Mom said this would NEVER do, so she put me BACK in the car and they went back inside.
About an hour later, they came back outside and got me out again. REPEAT all the barking and barking, but this time I made it all the way to the door of the building before Mom put me back in the car.
Another hour later, same thing, only this time Mom was smarter and she was giving me treats for NOT barking... okay, I can do that!!! Back into the car, though.
Finally, it was about 3:00 and the obedience was STILL going on. Mom and Skye were exhausted so Mom said we could go home. She said she didn't think I would have won, but she was pretty sure Jethro might have, BUT Auntie Jeanne was meeting Mom at our house at 5 so we had to go HOME.
Skye did show Jethro in the Jr. Showmanship. She won the first class but lost the Best Jr. Handler one, too bad. If she had taken me she most likely would have WON!!!!!
Mom said she had no idea my bark was SOOOO LOUD!!! She said I sounded like a HUGE mastiff or something. I laughed!!! I guess she never heard me bark before????

Dog show coming!!!

Mom said I have to have a bath tomorrow. So does Gemma cuz she is going home. Not me, I am going to a DOG SHOW!!! It is a puppy match and both me and Jethro are going.
It is pretty far away so we have to leave early in the morning. Mom said Skye is going with us cuz she is going to show Jethro in the Junior Handlers part and ME in the breed part. In fact, she is coming early on Saturday so we can practice.
She thinks I am going to be bad, but I guess she forgot that Mom took me to TWO obedience classes so I am now pretty smart. Notice I didn't say obedient, BOL!
Anyway, I sure hope we can have some fun while we are going to the show. I like fun, in fact, I suspect I will sneak a few toys into the car so I can have something to play with.
Oh, did I mention, Skye is spending the night at our house, too. She will be so surprised when she finds out that I get to sleep with the guests here!! I can't wait, hehehe!

Graduation day at obedience class...

What a cop out. Tonight was graduation for Mom's puppy class and she actually left me sitting right in my crate!!! She said it was cuz I was too muddy from playing outside with Gemma and Roxy all day long in the pouring rain. Sounds like the big, brave trainer lady was too scared to have HER dog flunk, huh???
Little does she know but I was dreaming about training all week long. I happen to know there is actually a phenomenon in Sports training where your brain can learn stuff by dreaming about it, stuff like layups and that sort of thing. (Mom told me she learned this in college, she was a PE teacher long ago, BOL!!!) Because of my midnight training dreams, I would have been absolutely perfect if she had only let me show off!!
Anyway, she did let me and Gemma play with them all during the socialization part of the class. Would you believe she actually let Jethro play with us, too??? I was shocked to see her let her baby boy out with the seven of us HUGE puppies!!! Our tails are bigger than he is, BOL!
But, none of us killed him, in fact we all played nicely with him, and he also learned really quickly how to race UNDER the chairs so we couldn't get to him. Smart boy!
I had one of Jethro's stuffies and I was having fun with that. I suddenly heard Mom bragging about how I have NEVER eaten a stuffie or chewed up anything so far. Hehehe... I grabbed that stuffie and shredded it...that'll teach her, hehehe!

Playing with Gemma again...

A couple of weeks ago Auntie Jeanne brought Gemma and Lola down to visit for a few days while she was away. Well, with that HUGE snowstorm, she couldn't get back to pick her up last weekend so she is still here. Mom said she is leaving tomorrow, I guess, unless it snows again.
Meanwhile, we have been playing up a storm, BOL! We stayed in daycare at the kennel most of the time, but Mom missed us too much so she brought us home on Wednesday. She said it was warm enough for us to stay in the pen with the doggy door.
Frankly, it WOULD have been warm enough IF we had some blankets. BUT, I am a Labrador and as such, I must have something in my mouth at all time! The only thing I could find was those blankets, and they made their way right out that doggy door along with me. Mom can't get them back inside because the outside gate is frozen shut and she won't crawl thru the doggy door for some reason.
Not to worry, I took the food dishes out this morning so I can lie on my blankie while I eat my breakfast. Worked pretty well, too.
OH NO...what was I thinking??? NOW my food dishes are also stuck outside in the pen. How will I get any dinner tonight???? BIG MISTAKE!!!
Today Mom took us all down in the lab pen for a run. She was really happy because it was cloudy which meant her pictures of us black dogs came out MUCH better than they do in the sun. I was happy cuz today my eyes are finally getting tighter and that ugly red doesn't show.
I played with Gemma and Riley, and Toto but I realized that Toto and Riley are only trying to BITE ME so I will drop my toys!! Maybe they are jealous that they don't have their sister here to play with??? I didn't care, I have really thick fur and their tiny teeth didn't even pinch me!
Speaking of teeth, Mom got a photo of me showing my teeth...Gemma had just blocked me off so I was showing HER my teeth but I was running so fast I wasn't even close to her. For some reason, Mom was taking my photo and she got ALL my teeth showing! For a while she even thought I had two extra teeth in the front but finally she looked at the other guys and they all have six incisors, too, just like me, but theirs are MUCH smaller, hehehe!
Well, I will miss Gemma but she will be back pretty soon. Auntie Jeanne is going to Florida for vacation and she is bring ALL her dogs down here to stay with us. Mom will think she is still a Labrador breeder, BOL!

Stuck in the kennel, rats!

Well, Gemma went back to her house last Sunday. Lola went with her so I was all prepared to move out into the house with the older dogs. When Mom got home from work she let us all out.
First, I took everything off the kitchen table to see if there was anything good up there. I did find a jar with some peanut butter in it...I couldn't unscrew the cover cuz I have no thumbs, so I chewed off the bottom. Worked great!
Next, I came into the living room and decided to take over Toto's warm bed under the desk. He growled at me, so I backed up really quickly, right into Mom's sore knee. Ooops! I was sorry, so I ran into the kitchen and put the dish towel in our dog fountain, then brought it in and plunked it on Mom's knee. She wasn't impressed, she was just wet!
Finally, she said it was late enough so I could go to bed. HEY, I'm NOT TIRED, yet, so I complained a bit. I couldn't stay in my puppy pen with the in/out door cuz it was way, way too cold.
Early the next morning Mom took me to work so I could play in daycare. Would you believe I am still over here???? She mumbled something about it being too cold for me to stay in our doggy room, but I am pretty sure it is just an excuse. I don't care, every day Julie puts tons and tons of toys in my kennel run for me. Today she even put some peanut butter in my marrow bone!!!
I do miss my sister though!

Gemma is visiting!!!

Today seemed like a normal, regular day. I was over at work, but since it's Saturday, Mom brought me home and put me with the other guys. Then, off she went, somewhere.
Finally, she came home. She put us all outside, then, she opened the shed door and out came my sister, Gemma and my favorite playmate, Lola. We went off to play in the snow field, and Gemma and I ran and ran and ran.
We asked Gemma's Mom if she could stay here with me for a few days. I couldn't believe it, but Mom said she could stay with me for a few weeks, or even for a month!!!!!!
WOW, we were speechless! Now, we are both back in the old puppy pen, having a blast with all my new Christmas toys. I sure hope Gemma doesn't chew them all up, BOL!
Mom says she is sure there will be MANY more photos in the days to come!!!

Family Christmas, NO SANTA!!!

Well, Mom made me stay home from the party today! Imagine that?? It was VERY, VERY cold and snowing and she said I am too young to stay outside that whole time and it was too cold to stay in my crate in the car. Since I am a baby still, I couldn't go in the house either. Actually, NONE of the labs got to go into the house except Gator cuz he is older now. Even Ali had to stay outside and she lives there!!!
Mom said it was okay but she had to come home early cuz of the ice and snow. There isn't much but it is VERY. VERY slippery and she slide right past our driveway!!! When she went to leave both Gator and Alfie jumped right into her car and settled down for a ride. I guess they remember they BOTH used to live here??? I would have welcomed them!
Mom put some of their photos on my page cuz they are my relatives!
She says she is staying inside now, BOL!