Dogster

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My universe... my rules!

Its all about scent.

ARGH! I see that my sister has been woefully lax in updating my activties. How pitiful.

I don't have the room to tell you everything that has happened since my last entry; suffice it to say, sleeping plays a large part. I have managed to come to a detente with Beck, Plum and Blueberry - I don't bark at them any longer, and they don't chase me into corners.

My sister (the one with the luggage) is back dog-sitting me this week. The luggage she brought over is GREAT! I'm at least a half-foot off the ground - a fantastic place to nap. Unfortunately for her, its all workout clothes. I don't know what she was thinking when she packed, but all those cotton shirts make a great bed.

She's been really good about walking me. And I've decided to expand my skills. Everyone knows that Bichons are lapdogs. We LOVE to be cuddled, we love our people. We're not known for any other practical skill, unless you count those things those of you who walk on 2 legs call 'tricks'. Anyway, i've decided that I'm actually a scenthound. How hard can it be? I've been watching Blueberry sniff through stuff on the ground and figure, if she can do it, so can I.

So now every time my sister takes me for a walk, I put my new found skills to work! I plant my nose in the ground (like Blueberry does) then grind it in there really well, snorting all the time. sometimes, I pick my nose up and scratch a bit, just to refresh the scent, you see! Then I walk, following whatever scent I've picked up, sometimes doubling-back as necessary. I've done really well!! I've followed a scent into an alley where I startled a big german shepherd - It was on a leash, but boy did it bark! I stood my ground, through, cause that's where the scent led me. My sister is getting a bit annoyed, having to stand there holding the leash - but really, like all artists, i need time to perfect my craft. And if my sister tries to take me in a direction that the scent doesn't go, I just plant my four little legs down and *poof* I become like concrete and she can't move me.

My nose will be my fortune!

Home remedies

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! My other sister (the one with the luggage) came to stay for a few days! YAY!! She looked kinda pale and mom said that she wasn't feeling well and that we all had to be nice to her and leave her alone. Snort. Like I'm going to pass up the opportunity to get a lot of scratches - its not like she's going to be doing anything better with her time.

She did look kinda sick, though. Beck, Plum, Blueberry (yes, they're still over too) and I had a discussion about it. We figured that when we're all feeling sick, we go outside and eat some of that green stuff that dad's always having to cut. It makes us feel better, so we thought it would make her feel better too. Blueberry went out to find some and since she has the longest legs she can get through all the snowdrifts the easiest. Blueberry couldn't find any of that green stuff but she did manage to unearth some dirt. Since she likes eating dirt she was pretty happy, but it didn't help my sister at all.

Invasion of the Sofa Snatchers

My other sister and her husband decided to take a trip. For whatever reason, they decided to not take their kids with them, and so brought them over to stay with us. Picture it - a bichon friese (me), two soft-coated wheaten terriers (Beck and Plum) and a greyhound (Blueberry) all demanding something different!

Do i have my company manners on?? Of course not, it is my house after all!

I've noticed, over the years, that Beck, Plum and Blueberry don't seem to understand that this is my house and its my rules. I can stand on the back of the sofas and bark and them until I'm blue in the face, and do they stop running around? Nope! This distresses me. Even though everyone thinks I'm really a cat, I think in this case, I have a touch of herding instinct -- but i'm too small, and they just run right over me.

Plum has been useful - with all the snow that's fallen, she acts like a snowplow to break trails in the yard for the rest of us - just puts her head down into the snow, and runs! This way I don't have to break a path, and that makes me happy!

Beck has started to mimic me. I always ignore people when they try to send me outside (unless its on my terms of course), and now he's doing the same thing! Only he's added a new twist to it - he tries to make himself look really small, then rolls over on his back so he looks helpless. It works, probably because nobody feels like trying to lift him. He's a big boy! Plus, this week he chewed up a box from some software program dad bought - and he did a really good job of it too! I was impressed, and I don't impress easily.

And Bluberry.. hasn't thought of me as prey yet. I'm trying to work on her to see if she can pull stuff off the table that I can't reach. I'd split the takings with her of course, but she hasn't quite figured this out yet.

Even though I may sound like I don't like them much, i do; and I'll miss them when they go home. Except I'll get my sofas back.