Happy 8th Birthday to Marty!

Marty is still the perfect dog. He still learns new tricks, to the delight of my grandchildren and students, and can now "sit pretty", "dance" and chase his tail, as well as the old stuff.

He and my 4 y/o granddaughter are inseparable. When she was a baby, he would get upset when she started to walk, and would hurry over and wrap his whole body around her legs to protect her. Of course, that would make her lose balance and fall--onto him. Then she'd cry and he would kindly stick his tail in her face and wag it to distract her. :) For a long time, they had a symbiotic relationship with food. Thank goodness that has stopped....mostly.

We have adopted the rule that food dropped...ahem!...by accident onto the floor is Marty's. Even though he is now a senior, he can still occasionally be tempted to play by insistent puppies.

August 8, 2005

Mommy went to Curves, and then she took me across the street to walk. Well,
let me tell you, that walk didn't last long. I saw something across the
field that stopped me in my tracks, but only for a second. She was pulling
at her leash just as much as I was. It was L O V E at first sight. I
sure wish they hadn't fixed me. You should have seen her. Her name was
Lola (Haven't I heard that somewhere before?), and she looks like a show
dog, she's so beautiful. I always fall for the older wome... dogs. Female dogs. She's two. We finally convinced our mommies to let us off our leashes, even though it isn't an off-leash park, at least not where we were. Her mummy was afraid to let her off the leash in the off-leash park because it was too close to the street. Anyway, she's faster than I am. I can keep up, but I get tired more quickly. I'm going to have to work on that. She won't wrestle with me, like Sam does...after all, she's a lady. But we jumped back and forth and ran and ran. My mummy told her mommy about dogster and Saxe Point, and I think we have a date for tomorrow. Woof!

August 5, 2005

Mommy took me to Clover Pt. this morning. I chased a dog who was chasing a ball for a while. We practiced "come" at several strategic moments, reinforced with treats. Mommy said I was pretty good. I did "attack" yet another little Oriental lady when we walked down to the beach. (Attack means I jumped on her enthusiastically, grinning). She was not pleased, but hey, she's in an off-leash park. I fell in love with a young blind woman and her boyfriend/husband, and was really good with them. Then I chased some crows who were duly compliant. Mommy swears they are playing with me on purpose. We had a LONG walk along the beach. I'm afraid of the waves. I slip on the seaweed, but I don't mind much. Mommy took me home and gave me a B A T H.

David came over today to install a program. He asked to see me. After my mommy warned him to brace himself, she let me out of the kitchen and I roared to the computer room, came to a halt next to David and jumped all over him, then stood quietly, thought for one second...and peed at his feet. I couldn't think of a more appropriate manner to say hi.

August 4, 2005

This has been one of Marty's less obedient days. He fell in love with an Oriental lady on his walk this morning, the problem being that she's afraid of dogs. What she's doing in an off-leash park is beyond me. Maybe I should have enlightened her. Anyway, Marty thought she was the greatest thing since chopped liver...not that he's ever had any, to my knowledge.

August 3, 2005

Marty had a nice walk at an off-leash park in Surrey, where we were accompanied by a nice Rottweiler with his owner and 2 little kids, 4 & 3. He had a great time. He was protected from all the other big dogs by his new-found friend "Bear", whom no one dared to take on. That didn't stop him from making friends with all the dogs, anyway. LOL.

July 29, 2005

He was very good while I went to the gym, to my massage, to the McPherson, and then when we got to Saxe Pt., around 9:45, the only ones there were Dieter and his "brother" (sister?) the dalmation. Sam & Pippin got there about 20 minutes later. We stayed until 10:55.

He played with his best buddy Sam, and Sam's new baby brother, Pippin, who is just learning how to play. They had some good tag games and "Try To Take My Stick Away" games.

Pippin is playing more now. It's surprising how good Marty is with him. I'm so proud of him. Pippin is adorable.

Sam is definitely the owner of the park. He has to approve all arrivals. Marty is just the PR guy. He makes everyone feel welcome.

News: A package just came, and Marty "told" me there was someone at the door. :) This is new for him. He practically licked him to death, of course, and was about to go off with him, as well. The delivery guy loved him. Good thing "Fang" was in a good mood, or we could get sued for everything. LOL. I ordered him, "ATTACK!!" and he paid no attention. Allan says the proper command is "Kill!" So THAT'S what went wrong! The guy walked away completely unscathed. He is probably completely unaware of how much danger he was in. His innocence protected him.

Marty just dug up one of my plants.

July 27, 2005

Hi Joan,

Are you bringing Marty tomorrow?

I hope so. I'd love to see Marty.
I'll bring my camera and some doggy treats :- )

There is a great dog run at Tower Point we could do.
Have you ever been there?

Tippy has difficulty venturing out now.
He is deaf, his eyesight is poor
and he is pretty wobbly on his feet.
Poor Tippy is 119 dog years old.

We've had him for 16 years. He was 1 when he
arrived.

Looking forward to lunch,
Joanne

July 26, 2005

I took Marty to Clover Point before Curves. He met Cocoa, a female standard poodle, 3 years old. She let Marty run with her after the ball. He had to rest a couple of times...but not for long. He also met a small dog, but she had been attacked and was afraid of other dogs. He also met 3 HUGE greyhounds who were arriving when we were leaving. They seemed very nice and friendly. No one really wanted to play, but he and Cocoa chased around for about 20 minutes or more.

July 25, 2005

I am about to give Marty a bath. A man was at Saxe Point Park with two big dogs. One was a female bloodhound cross, the other, a male Rotweiller. The female decided Marty was one of her 13 long-lost puppies, and played with him, barking and growling... It was really scary to watch, but Marty and she had a great time. Then Sam and Pippin came and joined in, along with Ivy, an elegant, diamond-studded standard poodle. It was really something to see, but Marty got all slobbered on --he looked like he'd gone down to the water--and that, mixed with the dirt... YUCK! Kathleen got pics. Marty--the Rottweiller puppy!

Sam, Marty and the other little dogs played nicely as could be expected with the giant mother-dog trying to play with them. Marty and she were playing before Sam got there, and then, of course, Sam tried to get between them to "protect" Marty. She scared me, but meant no harm, other than playing pretty rough. She kept trying to get at his halter. Straaaaange.

July 24, 2005

Marty is delightful. He's just mischievous enough to be spunky, but he's so sweet, too. He's very friendly. He goes up and greets every dog and person he sees. He has now learned that some people and some dogs don't like to be bothered, and has learned to be polite. On the other hand, if the other dog wants to play, he doesn't care how big or little it is. As far as running, only the Boston bulls and the whippet can beat him. He rarely barks. He is litter trained, but will go outside just as easily. He's been to obedience school, and knows his basic commands. He LOVES going anywhere in the car. He comes when he's called...usually. He won't jump up on people unless they start making a fuss over him or say something to him. Me, on the other hand...if I don't pay atention to him, he bounces off me, over and over again until I react. He's adorable.