I Love the Beach!

So Mom and Dad took me, along with Bitsy and Foxworthy, to Lincoln City and Neskowin today. It was SO much fun! A sunny, warm day, and we got to run and run and run! Well, Foxworthy didn't run much--he didn't seem to like the beach! Didn't like his sand hot, or cool and wet. Didn't want to play in the water. Only wanted Dad or Mom to carry him. I just don't understand it! Bit and I played tag, we fetched and tugged a stick, we met other dogs and played with them, we swam in the ocean. In short, we had a GREAT time! I came home happy and tired. Thanks for making my day, Dad and Mom! I love ya!

Puck Robin
(who loves the beach :-)

Fatty Fatty McFatty

That's me! Mom says so with a smile and in teasing, so it must be a good thing :-). Winter weather has kept me inside a lot--that and my daytime terror of going outside lest a school bus should drive by--so I make up for in girth what I've lacked in exercise. Now with spring here, I'm hoping to get to play more at dog parks and in the mountains and at the beach. Fatty McFatty or Skinny Stringbean, though, Mom says I still have the softest, shiniest fur she's ever felt on a BC. Must be all those human table snackies....

That new fuzzy duster, Merry Merry Man, has turned out to be a fantastic play toy. In some ways more fun even than Bit, who is very submissive and a bit of a weeny, if you ask me. Merry, however, is a little spitfire, and can always be counted upon to be a LOT of fun in a wrestling or tugging match. He doesn't know he's tiny, and if I upset him, MAN does he let me know! Those little teeth make it QUITE clear that their owner is ready and willing to use them if needs be. Our favorite game is for me to be Pineapple Upside Down Puck so that he can crawl all over my chest and chew on my throat like a tiny little miniature (how's that for redundancy!) wolf out for the kill. Bit'll make feints and swipe at my throat, then gently grab me and growl happily in his deep, throaty way, but not Merry! He goes for the gusto, and it's so much fun! After 15 minutes or so of pretending I'm being submissive, I'll jump up and whup 'em both into line. Fun!

Dad's mother is flying in from Scotland in May to spend 10 days with us, and I'm thinking she'll have lots o'fun in a houseful of 8 dogs. Mom keeps wondering about sending us off to a kennel for 10 days, but I know it'll never happen. How would she get through the days without us?

Keep Barkin'!

Puck Robin

FINALLY!

The nice people at Dogster have finally chosen a border collie to be Dog of the Day! "Casey" is one of our Pup Pals, and we're SO happy for her. Couldn't happen to a prettier lady :-). We bcs here at Collie Capers have always wondered why so many little dogs (chihuahas always seem to be so well-represented, for example) get chosen, but border collies always seemed to be ignored. Perhaps there just aren't enough of us on here to get noticed (after all, the 2-footers' jeep DOES have a bumper sticker that says "You Can Never Have Enough Border Collies")? Now that Casey has been chosen the daily Breed Ambassador, we're all so proud and happy, and hope that more people see what beautiful and wonderful dogs we are. Not that we're at all biased or anything *grins*. Good going, Casey! Congratulations!

SQUEAK!

Hey--you should see this thing I got! Awhile back, when Mom and Dad were taking me for a walk, we found this werid ball-like thing, and although I wasn't much interested in it at the time, they hauled it home in case someone would like to play with it. It was pretty much ignored in the toy basket until yesterday, when I picked it up. It's kind of an odd looking thing: Pinkish, round, with 2 stylized feet (of which most of them have been chewed off by the previous owner), and 2 little horns on the top. Kind of like a little devil-ball. Anyway, I chomped down on that thing, and it SQUEAKED! OMD! It actually made this noise kinda like when the Merry thing barks. Needless to say, Mom doesn't like it when anyone makes the Merry thing squeak, so this makes a grand substitute! I've spent all of yesterday and so far this morning chomping down on it for the squeak....

Bit likes The Squeak . The Merry thing likes The Squeak. They try and try to take it away from me, by hook or by crook, but they can't get it from me! I'm Puck! Hear me Squeak! The Squeak is mine, and until _I_ say so, no one else is gonna play with it!

SQUEAK!
Puck Robin

The Coolest Toy Ever!

I really love Christmas. I remember the past 2 (my first one, I was only a few days old, so I don't remember that one), and they never cease to amaze and delight me. This year, among other things that the 7 of us 4-footers got, there was an odd, orange, knobbly thing. It was for Kiki, but she doesn't pay much attention to it. So today I picked it up, and much to my extreme surprise, it squeaked! We've never had a toy that squeaked, before! It makes an odd noise like a rabbit or something, and I just HAD to pounce on it to make it squeak, then grab it and throw it up into the air and grab and pounce on it again and again and again, for all the world, just like a big ol' puddy tat (for Dog's sake, don't tell anyone that I compared myself favorably to an inferior feline!). Mom and Dad were laughing so hard I thought they were going to bust something. Dad went out the door on his way to work, still laughing. He said he only wishes we'd had the camera out. I'm still busy shoving this intriguing thing into Mom's hand to make her throw it, and I'm keeping busy preventing Bit from taking it, because he seems as intrigued by it as I am. Since I'm alpha, though, he doesn't get it until I get bored with it, and that's not going to be any time soon :-P~~~~.

So, like I said, Christmas is good around here. Throw toys; frisbee toys; dog snackies; big, ol', meaty bones; stuffed toys; squishy soccer balls; bone-shaped tennis ball toys; and this wonderful, odd, orange, knobbly squeaky toy. I love it! We should have Christmas everyday.

HaaaaaAPY Birthday!

Today I am 2 years old :-). The first thing Mom said to me was, "Happy Birthday, Puck. You're 2, today", so I know it to be true. Dad said "Happy Birthday", and he even sang to me! I'm a happy dog, 'cause I know that on birthdays, the honored person gets to do special things and eat special food, and the special person gets presents, too. So I'm waiting to find out what my day is going to be like. I figure it's got to be good! Updates to come....

Oh, Man, what a day! I am full, fat and happy :-). Birthday breakfast just for me was a big bowl of chopped ham and a french toast slice with real maple syrup. Bit was SO jealous! Mom felt sorry for him, though, and gave him a slice of french toast, too. I'm the only one who got ham, though!

Lunch was good, and dinner also. Things like a quarter of a Monte Cristo sandwich, french fries, cheese and soup. A birthday cake with ice cream, too! A long, long play session outside with the pack--much longer than usual. Dad says it was so I would be too tired to cause trouble. Like _I'd_ cause trouble! Geez... LOL! Anyway, all the romping and wrestling was great fun. Then, just now, I got my MOST excellent present: A tire and rope combo to chew AND tug with. I LOVE to tug! Mom and Dad know me so well :-). I can't think of any present I would have liked better.

Now it's late and time for bed, and I just have to say that I had a great birthday. It's wonderful to know I'm loved :-).

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to every dog out there. May you all have happy, love-filled days, full tummies, and a warm place to curl up and sleep with your loved-ones at the end of a long day.

Peace,
Puck Robin

Thinking....

Mom tells me that I'm going to have a birthday on Sunday the 12th. Apparently, I'm going to be 2 years old! She asked me what I want for my birthday. There are so many cool things, I'm not sure what to tell her! Do I want to go somewhere? Get a new toy? Ask for a big ol' bone? Eat Ginger Altoids 'til I hurl? I just don't know. I'm going to have to do some thinking about it and tell her later. Meanwhile, I think I'll wrestle with Bit for awhile. He gets so riled up and we have quite the wild romp....It's a good way to start the morning . Mwahahaha!

Cookies and Milk

Yum! I've just had dessert. It wasn't meant for me, but I got some, nevertheless. Dad made some fantastic cookies (peanut butter chip) for dessert. Normally, I have to beg pretty to get a morsel of people food, but this time he had his back turned while the cookies were cooling on a rack within my reach. I gobbled 5 whole entire cookies before he turned around and saw the crumbs on my mouth. I don't count well, but he does, and he assured me that I'd just had my cookie allotment for the next week--then he sent me in to Mom to get a drink of her milk :-). Still and all, stolen pleasures can sometimes be the best. Cookies and milk--the food of gods. Just call me Anubis!

Gotta Love Car Rides

This morning I got a surprise. Mom took Dad to work (he usually takes the bus, but today he was running late), and she invited Hope and I to ride along. Before we went anywhere else, we went to a dog park. Portland parks are famous for their crappy hours and dog-unfriendly park policies, so if we want to go off-leash, we have to go early in the morning (before 8 am) or late at night (after 8 pm). So we usually play off-leash out of town, which is why this trip was such a fun surprise! Hope and I chased the frisbee. I should modify that--Hope chased the frisbee, and I chased Hope :-). We ran and ran 'til my tongue hung long, and when we finally got in the car to get Dad to work, he was late. He didn't mind, though--he's on salary, and his hours aren't fixed. So we had a fun morning, and both before and after our run, I stood on the console between Mom and Dad's seats in the Jeep and watched the world go by. Hope likes to run back and forth on the back seat and bite at air. It's easier for me to stay out of her way if I'm on that console. It was a GREAT morning! Unfortunately, coming home we saw dozens of school busses on the road (it was time to get the human children to school) and I was panicking, but Mom pulled the Jeep over and showed me where I could hide so they didn't see me, and we got home safely.

I LOVE car rides! I heard someone say something about the beach tomorrow. I wonder if they'll take me with them?

Note from Mom: Yes! But don't tell Puck Robin. It's going to be a surprise :-).

Another School Day, Another School Bus

Hey, I get a journal! So cool! Mum and Dad keep them, and they think we all should, too.

So, today is Tuesday, Sept. 14th. It's a school day, which means there are school busses driving by our house several times a day. I don't like it! They terrify me, and whenever I see one I tremble in terror and run to hide under Mum's computer desk, or under a handy hiding space under the house by the front porch if I'm outside. This morning I was outside early (about 5:30 am) taking my first pee, and one of those things roared past. I usually feel safe going outside that early in the morning, but now I'm afraid I may not even be able to do that! Usually I know it's not safe to go outside from the time my "brother", Rob, leaves for school in the morning until he returns home from school in the afternoon. I always thought I'd be safe before and after that, though. Now I just don't know WHAT to think or do. After a summer of rarely seeing one, and almost starting to relax, they're going by the front of our house 5, 6, 7 times a day. I hug my mum, and she understands and is kind and supportive, but, DANG, those things scare me! One hit me once when I was an inexperienced 1 year-old and jumped over our fence in my enthusiasm for living, and it hurt SO bad! Since then I've never jumped my fence, and I've never forgotten how dangerous those things are. Do you suppose I'll EVER get over being so scared?