The Iron Chicken in the Doorway.

I am a little annoyed at the fact that I am not allowed all over the house yet. Sometimes Mama and Grandma let me into the tv room if I bring my chewy bone and bite only on that. Not on the furniture or on their feet.

I remember that most of the time.

But sometimes they make me stay in the kitchen and there is a big gate blocking the way with an Iron Chicken standing in front of it. It isn't a BIG chicken but it is heavy. Once I knocked it down, but I can't make it move even when I bark and bark and bark.

It will not let me open the gate. It just sits there looking at me with little beady eyes. I think it is smirking. The relentless Iron Chicken.

There is also an Iron Dog that I call Barney. He is my friend and holds the gate to my bedroom open. He doesn't block the way.

Dogs are more friendly than Chickens.

She Who Bites Shall Be Bitten!

I have a problem. I love to meet and greet other pups. I usually run up to them and give them lots of love, with jumps and kisses and invitations to play. I want them to love me back! A couple of dogs in our neighborhood don't seem to like this! My puppy trainer has said that puppies usually get a pass from grown up dogs not biting them because they can tell that we are just babies. I am a really BIG baby I know but when I meet and greet, other dogs seem to get mad at me and show teeth!

Is that just warning or do they want to bite me? I haven't bit them, (I might jump on them a bit!) Joy has shown me teeth (Mama says Joy is old and might not want to be jumped on) But B-Dog has shown teeth, and the Beautiful Big Dog I met yesterday showed teeth and gave me a little shove. B-Dog knocked me right down! The only two who didn't get mad were Ali and good old Snuffy who seem to like me whatever I do! Oh, and the brown dog that is always tied up. I love her and she loves me, we want to live together!

Am I just too jumpy? Are they just trying to warn me? Of course we all bite and roll around in Puppy Class but that is different, nobody gets mad there! Well, maybe Roxy and Sunny just a little. But nobody else!

What should I do?

4th puppy class!

I am not the problem child of puppy class anymore! Last night we did running on or over things that might spook a puppy and I was the champ. (Actually, Mama says I was a little too good because I “monopolized” the tippy board!) I Am Not Afraid of The Tippy Board! I was playing king of the hill because when I realized that they were giving out treats for the tippy board, and I LIKE playing on it, I wouldn’t let the other dogs on. I just stayed on top and tipped and tipped!

I was a little bit more ‘fraid of the tunnel thing, until Twix got in there and I went in after him. Then the other dogs couldn’t go through because Twix and I got in the middle and started wrestling. What Fun!

I had a new chewy bone yesterday because of my teeth coming out, and I lost 2 more. Can still bite on Twix, though!

Nappy Time!

Grandma had a great idea yesterday! She took my big padded nighttime bed out and put it in the space behind the rocking chair where I like to nap in the daytime. (NO! THOSE ARE NOT MY TEETH MARKS!)

I had a really nice nap there after lunch and then ol' Knucklehead and the rest came by. Grand Bubby has a cold so I didn't get a chance to talk to him, but the rest were fun. We had Pizza for dinner and played in the kitchen because it was so cold.

It is not so cold today and my baby teeth are bothering me. I tried chewing on Mama to make them better, but she doesn't like that. She gave me a frozen towel to work on and that helps. It is hard to eat the Puppy Chow, but Grandma put a little soup on it to soften it up and it is better now and yummy too! Grandma is the best!

COLD, Cold, cold...

Boy is it COLD! We are having our first really, really cold weather this year - it snowed a little but mostly it blew and blew and chilled everything down so nothing even had much smell on my morning walk. Mama and I didn't go very far because I got worried and tried to climb on Mama when the wind made a weird sound in the trees.

Mama is nice to me when I am 'fraid.

Auntie Grandma came, but she didn't have ol' Knucklehead or the others with her. She said they wanted to go home, and will come to see me tonight. We had chicken for dinner. I wanted chicken for breakfast, but just got a pinch. Then I was good and ate my doggie food 'cos Mama said it will make me more healthy than everything I REALLY want. Like the sandwich she took with her when she went to work. Chicken Sandwich. MMMMmmmmnnnnn.

I am kind of sleepy, I think the cold makes me tired. And I had a good time playing "chase the goose, not Auntie Grandma" so I guess I'll take a big nap.

Oh, Oh - I saw B-Dog again yesterday and he said he was sorry for snapping at me, but he gets nervous. Then he snapped at me again, but in between he was wagging his tail. Plainly, he is one confused pup! I will try to be nice to him and not so jumpy so maybe he can calm down and be friends.

Wednesday's Walk (the world is a fascinating place!)

I was very sniffy on todays walk so we didnt cover much ground. I found:
a beer can, an old shingle, the lid to a drink cup, a stick that smelled like fish, a big footprint of something not a dog, a hole in the ground, an old bone of some kind, two more beer cans, clump of grass that smelled of pee, a rag, a shoelace, a greasy spot in the road, an Invisible Something that Got My Back Hair Up, and a pair of red shorts.

Tomorrow Mama is off, so long walks! And we are having company from Auntie Grandma, Grand Bubby, The Pretty Girl and ol' Knucklehead. So Mama is going to cook a big dinner and we will all eat. Then Mama says that since there will be children on board we can watch Animal Planet or Nick instead of Hardball w. Chris Matthews. Fun!

Puppy Class # 3...

Last night was VERY exciting at puppy class. First I stood outside with Mama because the door was locked and then the Big Black Dog of Unknown Breed came with his Dad and we got to have a little play time right in the parking lot! Then the door opened and other pups and people got there and we started with who was good? Mama said I was good but that she can't bring herself to teach me "leave its" since I am so snatchy and my teeth (the ones I have left) are so sharp. Ms. Trainer told her to try wearing garden gloves and Mama said she would. Ms. Trainer showed her how to do it again, and I nipped her a little, I was so excited. But I was better then, and Ms. Trainer said that Labs are sweet but have extra sharp puppy teeth. I think I only have my FANG teeth left. I like the word FANG!

Then we had a little group play time and people worked on getting us to stop play and come. I did pretty good and got some treats. We worked on Come and Off and Puppy Push Ups which I already knew, so I did really good.

I had a lot of rewards and they gave me the hickups and then the burps. The hour was done before I knew it.

This mornings walk was fun, but I met B-Dog again and he was even more 'fraidy than the last time. He got all snarly as soon as I saw him, I think he is mad 'cos I have another boyfriend now, don't I "Special K?"

SNOW DAY!

Hey, isnt this stuff great! It started snowing last night and I was so surprised when I went outside to find the ground all covered with cold feathers! This is the stuff that Mama keeps in the freezer place! And it was all over EVERYTHING! It made me all silly in the head and I ran around and around until I was VERY tired.

Then it was bedtime, but the snow was still there in the morning and we got to go for a walk in it and that was so much fun! Mama said we dont get much snow, so this might be it for the year. Sometimes it doesnt snow at all and sometimes we get one real deep one. Oh, I want a real deep one, I do, I do.

Web Foot Dog

I've got really BIG feet. I am going to be a big dog, but Mama thinks that I probably will not be as big as my feet would indicate. She was showing them to Grandma and saying this and showed Grandma that my extra big feet are also webbed. She says that means that I am going to be a really good swimmer.

When it gets warm in the spring we are going to find some safe place where I can try swimming without being bitten by snapping turtles or swept away by a riptide. We live near the ocean, and a couple of rivers but Mama says I shouldn't go into those until I am grown in case I have trouble on my first couple of swims.

There is a pond, she says - but it has snapping turtles and geese. As bitey as I have been she does not want me pinched by turtles or angry geese.

We may have to drive all the way over to the bay side and try to swim there. Or there is a slow river, but we are not sure that swimming doggies would be allowed.

If anyone on the MD/VA/DE peninsula knows a good pup swimming spot, send it to me and Mama please. Maybe we will see you there!

Love, Savannah!

Stitches out! Vet Cat Thor in Control!

I had to go to the vets today to get my stitches from the no pup operation out. I understand about the no pup deal now, before I thought it had something to do with the cats at the vet wanting my gooblies for snacks.

But now I can't be a Mama dog like my mama dog who had lots of puppies and I think it tired her out. She was a good mama but all us pups had to crowd to get a place to eat, and she was always trying to nap.

Anyway - no pups for me, but my person Mama says we can adopt sometime. I still have not been able to make friends with the Mysterious Max, so I might try to adopt a friendly cat like Dr. Thor at the vets. He is in control of the situation. He has a lot of people working for him and they make all the hurting cats and dogs all better. I think he is very smart for a cat, and I have asked him to come with me, but he says he is too busy. I think when I am ready to adopt I will ask him if he knows of any little kitties that might like to come home with me. Or puppies if we want a dog. Or one of each. Or two of each. Or three? We got a big house, there are rooms I've never been in! Lots of rooms for pups and kitties.

Love, Savannah!