Did someone say "O-U-T-S-I-D-E?'

Less than a week to get ready!

Heather just told me that Friday I am going to Connecticut to spend a week with my boyfriend Otis! That means I will have a backyard to play in, cats to chase and Otis to steal bones from.
I also get his see his owner Lori. It will be her birthday while I am there, so I know the party will be fabulous! I get to lick the beaters!
I haven't written in so long because I was exhausted from the Haunted Willabeast tour. And as soon as that was up and posted, we embarked on a Beatnik tour. So far we've visited Columbia University where Jack Kerouac went, as well as an apartment of Allen Ginsburg. We also took a picture in front of a bookstore that had Ginsburg's book "Howl" on display. My favorite.
I've got to start packing!

NYC HAUNTED TOUR led by ME!

I have been busy walking all over Manhattan
finding haunted places. Heather and I began on the Upper West Side and moved through Midtown then down to the West Village.
We walked about six miles each day!
If you like to see the pictures from my haunted tour- as well as an explanation of each,
go here.
My favorite was the last stop, Chumley's. A 1920's prohibition bar. The owner let me come in too and share Heather's hamburger and beer. He also brought me my own dog food mixed with Shephard's Pie. Then bacon! He confirmed to Heather the hauntings.
Plus, you might be interested in the haunted Broadway theatres. Boy, its tough to walk and take pictures in Times Square. So much to smell!

Smart Dog!

I did it!
If you notice, I went back and edited my previous blog so you can click on websites.
Anything in RED will take you the link I am barking about.
However, I can't post pictures like Heather does on her on her blogs because Dogster removes the links. Oh well, I guess they are just trying to paw-tect us doggies.
I should get a treat for figuring this out!
And hey, if you are reading this, throw this dog a bone! I'm almost out!

Surfing for Treats

I've been so busy surfing the internet that I haven't had time to write.
My boyfriend, Otis, gave me a bag of snausages. Right on the package there was this cool dog sitting in front of the computer ( I thought we had to HIDE the fact we do that) and it said go online for more treats.
MORE TREATS!
On I log!
www.Snausages.com
I surfed and surfed. Found a lot of cool information , but no more treats.

I can't wait for Heather to get home so I get another treat. I really dig the "Fortune Snookies" Otis gave me. Each has a fortune written right on it, plus still offers that great cheesy gummy taste.
Yesterday mine said "2 Paws Up. Way Up!"

Since I was looking for more treats on line, I found some other cool sites of interest to all you water loving dogs.

These websites --
MMM homemade treats!

Thepoop.com

have lots of recipes to make homemade treats! Come on Heather, get out the rolling pin!
Click here- I also love TOYS!

First Weekend of Fall!

We stepped outside with the promise of a long Saturday morning stroll on the first day of fall.
It was perfect.
The sky a perfect bluish gray, just the way Heather says she likes it.
There was a slight chill in the air.
And I wasn't wearing any sort of costume.

We didn't just walk to the park, we walked through the park to the east side! I'm smelling sidewalks I haven't sniffed in quite a while.
Madison, Park, Lexington all the way to 3rd.
Then I hear it.
The grumbling loud vibrating noise that makes me want to run in the other direction. But then I saw a cute bulldog I had to checkout.
But then it came.
The rain.
We start running back across the Avenues, but I'm soaked. We finally stopped for a bit under the awning at Sharper Image. I wanted to go in and check out the Idogs in the window, but Heather wouldn't let me. Finally the rain let up a bit, and we continued our run home.
Is this Heather's way to get me to run?

HUMILIATION!

All I know is Heather was saying "Halloween" and pulled out some shiny red thing and called me over and called me a devil and draped it on me!
To make matters worse, she grabbed her phone and snapped a picture and put it on line!
(when she wasn't looking I enabled that keypad stroke memory tool I installed and found where the picture went. I at least look cute....)
http: / / heather- kovar.blogspot.com

However adorable, I can't accept this. I thought she was playing at first, and tried to knaw it off. There was a velcro strap around my neck and my belly. Though she didn't think that velcro around my middle would stay, did she? It barely reached in the first place!
I could get used to the slippery thing on my back.
But the elastic around my head is what I hate the most. I can endure for a few pictures if it leads to extra treats (who knows maybe even some more bones with lots of steak left on them that she recently gave me) but no more.
I might have to find where she leaves the stuff and chew it up before she makes me go out in public in that get up.

Love NYPD! (New York Police DOGS!)

I didn't mean to diss any of you smaller dogs. Some of you are even kinda cute. And this is coming from a dog who likes really big dogs. Especially those giant ones that pull the carriages full of people in Central Park. I just don't understand why, with all those people around those big hooved dogs, why they never pick up the poop!

An old little bitty fluffy dog with a crooked ear caught my eye the other day. Its owner even said as we passed, "did you see the smile you got?" I was smiling, but I think Heather was too so maybe he meant her.
Anyway, while I smile at certain little dogs, I swoon over the NYPD! Those strong chests, tight tummies and shiny coats.
They get my respect because they may be the ONLY dogs with a sniffer as good, maybe ever better, than mine.
Pant! Pant!

Note to Little Dogs

I like dogs of all breeds and sizes.
Actually I am a little jealous of all you itty bitty rat-sized cat looking canines because you sometimes get carried around in comfy little purses.
AND YOU GET TO GO ON THE SUBWAY!
However, I sense your fear.
Those of you who can't walk by me on the street without yapping and snarling and showing your tiny little frail teeth at me, are scared.
So the reason I lunge and make my mini bark is to put you in place. I'm just tired of your owners saying, "oh, my, that big dog barked at my little precious."
There are plenty of small dogs that are really cool.
These aren't the loud ones that edge me on.
These look at me in curiousity. They approach slowly, sniff and I do the same.
The only thing I hate is when I find one of you I want to play with, Heather still pulls me away.

Make it stop!

Its still raining!
Three evenings now of, "let's wait a little bit longer to go out, maybe the rain will stop."
However, the gloominess isn't getting me down.
My favorite TV weatherman Paul Piorek said its not going to be washout the rest of the day and that the weekend looks nice.
Dry and hitting near 80 Sunday and Monday!

Falling Water

Over the past couple of days the weather has put a little spring in my step. I even submitted to some of Heather's urges to run.
The cooler, brisk weather really makes me want to enjoy this last bit of summer. However things weren't so great this morning.
While I love swimming, jumping in puddles, even fountains, I hate it when Heather says "it's raining."
I know its going to be a short walk, but I don't mind. I'd rather stay indoors than it feel like Heather is taking one of those hoses and sucking up water from somewhere and spraying it on me.

Time to Sniff the flowers (and sidewalks, poles, grass,- tires, trash and other dogs)

Hey, if you had a super duper sniffer, you'd want the opportunity to exercise it too.
Sniff it or miss it! Especially when it comes to all those goodies always left for me to find on the sidewalks in NYC.
I wait all day long for Heather to get home for this, yet when she finally takes me out, she says "run" and pulls me by my collar.
I've gotten better at preventing her from dragging me along. What works best is pretending to have to pee as often as possible. She has to let me pee. That's why I try to do it by items I can smell simultaneously.
The next trick is to walk in a zig zag manner on the sidewalk. This throws her off. Or I just wait until she is looking up at some building and I can sneak a sniff before she realizes I'm lagging behind.
But back to this running thing. Why does she even try? I think she can probably walk faster than she can run. Plus, she complains I eat too much. Well maybe I wouldn't eat so much if I didn't have to run.
Yes, I'll give in and pick up the pace for a while every now and then, but sometimes I just want to stop every three or four steps and enjoy the delightful smells of the park.

5 years later

It was five years ago that I had a miserable week.
First, for some reason, starting on September 11, 2oo1, for two weeks Heather worked from noon to midnight. When she got home, I could tell she really didn't want to take me out.
But boy did I have to go!
Out on my later than usual walks, other dogs I encountered shared stories of their service dog friends who were all at the World Trade Center site sniffing and searching for survivors. I even knew a dog who was down there for weeks entertaining the service workers and entertainers.
Unfortunately, many of the dogs who worked so hard got sick.
Here is a page that honors my courageous canine buddies.
http://dogsinthenews.com/issues/0206/articles/0206 01y.htm

However, during a walk down the west side to the World Trade Center yesterday, I noticed life is moving on. There are new apartment complexes, though I don't know if they are dog friendly. The parks by the Hudson are nice, just don't try to go on the grass there! Its not allowed! And boy after my long walk, all I wanted to do was roll around on my back and sun my belly. However, I was just happy to see people living and loving and walking their dogs steps from the World Trade Center site.

Every day? No Way! (but close to.)

You can't expect me to log in every day, not with all I have to do! I mean, there is a reason a dog likes- needs to be on a set schedule.
I'm not, therefore it makes all my work much more difficult.
For instance, I have to listen for intruders. Footsteps, voices, the crawling of tiny feet or antennae. I must keep them all away.
Meanwhile, I have my humanly duties. I have to zip out of the dog suit, inspect the television to make sure it works, search the place for any remnants of last night's dinner or mints or gum left anywhere.
All this, while making sure I'm zipped back up in the fluff suit before Heather gets home. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but I'm never sure exactly when she'll be home.
Some days its not until five or 6pm. Other days she is home as early as 11am or noon!
So I will try my best to keep up my new computer hobby. I just can't let all my regular doggies duties slip.

Soft Sweet New York City Rain

"Now I wish you were here."

All day waiting and waiting for my owner, Heather, to get home and walk me, I have this song in my head.

"So we could walk and talk."

Its what I've heard Heather call an "earworm." She did one of her news stories on it. When you get a song stuck in your head, or just a bit of it, its called an earworm. I usually don't like worms but this kind isn't too bad, but only if you like the song.

"So we could walk and talk
In the soft rain, in the soft rain."

I'm sitting her now waiting for her to get home from work as I hum this song I first heard last night in Central Park. Ben Harper was playing at Summer Stage. In the rain.

I really hope Heather doesn't take as long to get home today as she did yesterday. (She must have had a long day at work, because boy did it show.)
Anyway...

"In the soft rain, in the soft rain
Now all that left of us
Is a picture sitting in a frame"

Sorry I keep getting distracted by my earworm.
Anyway, once she finally got home and changed into her walking outfit, out we went.
It was raining. But not too hard.
Just enough to cool down the New York City sidewalks.
I could tell Heather was going to try to take the short route over into Riverside Park, but I gave a good yank and pointed in the direction of Central. She took the bait.
I could already hear the sounds from Central Park West.

"Now I wish you were here
So we could walk and talk
In the soft rain, in the soft rain
Now all that left of us
Is a picture sitting in a frame"

Ben changed the lyrics to "in the New York City rain"- I think- or was that another song? I don't know. You know how all the excitement of concerts can make everything seem like a blur. I do remember trying to show Heather how to actually get into the show instead of just out in the surrounding field. She even made it all the way up to where people were selling tickets. She was even offered two, one for both of us! But she said no. UGH!
Even as we were walking back home, I sniffed out an opening in a fence. I know we both could have fit through. I tried my best to stay and listen, but I guess Heather just didn't enjoy the soft rain as much as I did.
Though I did overhear he's playing again tonight. Maybe I can drag her over for a new song to add to my earworm playlist.

What a Water-ful Weekend!

I am a little sad this Tuesday morning after my long Labor Day holiday weekend. Food on the grill. Lots of people patting my head. BEER. Runs on the beach. I had to pull myself off my pouting curled up position just to write this. I wish I was still there on the beach with all my new friends!
I kept hearing people say it was the last weekend of summer (unofficially) and that others had to head back to work or school. All I know is somehow I'm back in my apartment.
That is why I'm sad.
I didn't want my vacation to end!
I had a backyard with grass to roll around in. There were new sights and people to sniff out. And beer.
I loved digging in the sand, but I'm still confused why the water at the beach was so salty! I love lapping up water as I swim, but this stuff was too potent even for me. I guess as they say the dogs days are over.
But I don't know. I smell something coming. The leaves are falling off the trees and I know that after a month or so of jumping in them, I'll be able to dig in the snow.
Plus I heard a rumor that one of my new friends saved me a bone or two from a recent steak dinner.
Looks like the days ahead won't be so bad. Actually, I feel myself even wagging.

What happened to the door...

At Lori's in Connecticut there is this CAT. An orange one. Very feisty little fella. he's charming, but when you go to sniff him, you get a one-two swipe on your nose with those clawed paws.
He won't even let Otis pass in the hallway. I was fed up. Now this is a couple of months ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. That cat tormented us enough. I decided no claw was bigger than my bark. Plus that little devil put her nose in my food. As soon as I saw that, I reared back, and ran forward as fast as I could, barking and growling- it worked. He ran. I chased.
We rounded corners, probably knocking Lori's nicely framed photograph off the wall. But who knows? All was silent but what was in my head- get that cat!
We're running down the hallway and without stopping we turn the corner, the cat jumps through the cat door into the laundry room and I follow at full speed.
Okay. So this is why my treats have been rationed.
The cat weighs about ten pounds. Me - oh 70?
My head made it through the cat door. And I could see that silly pussy cat sitting in the window sill licking her paws, as if to shine them up for battle.
I'm still determined to get him.
I wiggle my way forward. If only my barrel chest wasn't so big. But surely I can get through. I know- teeth! I haven't eaten wood since I was teething- but gotta do what you gotta do. I chewed and chewed - but to my disguist, I never made it forward. I had to eventually wiggle my way back to the hallway where Otis was waiting - rather impatiently barking. I told him I got the cat anyway. What did he know?
I wouldn't be admitting all this except I gave myself away when Lori came home. She saw the door, looked at me- and I crouched and tucked my head. Immediate reaction. I can't help myself. But you know what? It works. Fess up- and for some reason they giggle.

Weekend at my Connecticut Vacation Home

I knew something was up. Last Thursday my owner Heather kept saying "want to see Otis? Want to see Otis?" Well of course I did. But I just gave her my don't pull my chain look because she knows I miss seeing that hairy monster. Finally she said "tomorrow."
When that alarm went off Friday morning, I knew it was time. I couldn't control my emotions. I put my paws up on the bed to wake her, my tail turning in circles! I'm going to see Otis! No time to venture in the park, I pulled Heather right to the car. I jumped in, ready for the 50 minute ride to Black Rock, Connecticut.
Upon arrival, I sniffed out the flower bed. Lori didn't leave any chicken bones for me in there. Oh, yeah, that was downtown Hartford. Anyway, Otis knew I was coming for the week too. Before Heather could get the key in the door he was barking for me. The door opened, I ran in and we began our hellos!
Love for a dog happens quick. But so does the honeymoon stage end. You gotta figure that if one of your years equals seven of ours, we move through those silly emotion things much quicker. If your 12 months equal seven of my years, then your every month is nearly two of my years. That makes each of my week almost like six of your months. So this past week spent with Otis would be like you moving in with your boyfriend for six months. You know how in that time those cute little traits can be annoying.
For the first couple of days anything went. We were happy. He'd slobber on me all day, we'd play some more then cuddle. But by the middle of the week, three months here, I was tired of pretending I didn't want his treat too. At first he'd let me have it. But four days in, I had to show some dominance. We weren't sleeping together by the end of the week.
But I still love him. And I can't wait to see him again next time Heather lets me go for a visit with Lori and Otis!
Oh- in my next blog I'll have to tell you about eating Lori's door at my last visit. This time I was good. Well, what she doesn't know Otis won't tell.