Well, ain't that sumthin?!?!?

I'm one of the diary picks for today! It would certainly reflect more positively on me if I had something to say that would change y'alls lives. I guess I'll just sneak back in here a little later and introduce the world to some of my pup pals 'cos they're the best that you can find. :)

Thanks, Dogster!

*whispering* hi!

I snuck in and took over the computer while momma has her back turned. How are we all doing today?

Hidden treasures

Not the normal kind - the poop kind. Fortunately, there's only one, but it's gone until May. See, momma thought yesterday morning that she would have time to pick up that poop after my dinnertime constitutional. Well, it snowed a little yesterday and covered up that pile. When we got up this morning, though, the little bit of snow had turned into 12 inches! It's still coming down, too - oddly enough, I'm not loving it as much as usual.

On a less fecal note, Momma is still in the process of unpacking. This translates into no mailing addresses for my pup pals since we don't know which box holds the list that momma made last year. So, if anyone would like a Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa/Yule/Festivus/Winter Holiday card (we're going to try to get them out before the Superbowl this year), please pmail me with your address. We're supposed to be here for 30 years, so this shouldn't happen again. I won't promise that, though, 'cos I love my momma but also acknowledge her faults.

Always lead with the good news from the vet, Pt II

BENIGN! BENIGN!! BENIGN!!!! Just as all you pups knew...da momma was just being silly and paranoid. (And now she's really relieved to have the official word.) Being a bit of an overemotional wreck, momma didn't really hear much of what the good vet (Dr. K, not Dr. Nitwit) had to say after the good news, but apparently it was some sort of tumor that had to do with the blood vessels. Whatever...the important part is that it's benign and they got every last bit of it. Woo hoo!

The best part of it all, I think, are all the new games that I have to play. One that I love to play with momma is "Slice the Hamstring." I walk as closely as I can behind her, then WHAM! run the plastic collar into any part of her leg that I can find. It's so much fun, and momma loves it too - you should hear her howls of joy every time we play it.

Another fun game is Pinball. (I love this collar!!!) What I try to do is hit as many objects as I can while running is a somewhat straight line. I get bonus points if I actually chip the paint on the walls (relax, momma - that's why you bought touch -up paint) or if I completely knock the item over.

Life is good!

Thank you so much, pals! Your gifts, well wishes and p-mails have been more appreciated that either me or momma can express. We are a better family for being part of the Dogster family. :)

Nubby is home and safe.

She made it through the surgery with flying colors. The vet ( just in case you were wondering - due to a bad roll of the dice, Nubby ended up with Dr. Nitwit doing the surgery) said that the skin beneath the mass looked nice and healthy, so until the biopsy comes back I'm going on the assumption that all is well and she is cancer-free. Hopefully the biopsy backs me up instead of proving hope is for suckers. :)

Right now she's asleep in her crate, sleeping like a baby. (A baby on a significant dose of drugs, that is.) She's walking fine - even standing on her back legs. She'll keep the bandage on for three days, then it will be removed and the stiches will come out in 14 days. (The bandage is cracking me up - it's got "no chew" written on it. I can't even get her to listen to that command, let alone read it.)

So, I'm off to watch her breathe. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and thanks for thinking happy thoughts for her today.

Kristy

We need to talk, momma.

"Okay, what's all this crap about 'no food after 9 pm the day before the surgery?' If they're going to be vicious about it, then leave the darn mass on my leg. We both know it's fine - no need to remove it at the EXPENSE OF FOOD.

Not only that, by not feeding me, you are in direct violation of our contract. Sure - in your piddly little mind I'm not much more than a day laborer who lives with you instead of forcing you to drive down to Glendale and Galetti every morning for pick-up. But we do have an understanding that will stand up in court. In exchange for hugs, kisses, cuteness and hilarious antics you provide me with kibble three times a day, fresh water, most of your dinner and 95% of your bed at night. (Walks are bonuses, but HDTV is mandatory.) I did ALL of my duties yesterday - plus don't forget the overtime I've been working the past two days - and I even woke you up this morning with a kiss. That's right! I performed one of my duties prior to receiving ANY kind of compensation, and you are now withholding said compensation.

And what's up with cleaning my crate? You know that's just going to give me a belly rash."

"What you do you mean, I wouldn't want to get an infected wound because the floor was dirty? Woman, at this point I would gladly accept a staph infection if it came with some kibble."

"I'm not going to get anywhere with you, am I? This is one cause I'm going to lose?"

"FINE! Don't be surprised when I throw up on your new couch later."

Thank you, pals...

I appreciate the support and suggestions of all my pals. Miss Nelly was even kind enough to send me a "Power of the Paw" rosette so I can smack da momma around when she gets a bit maudlin.

So, anyway, until we have good news from the vet, I thought I might while away the time telling you about all the adventures I've had since I moved into the new doghouse. One thing I learned about myself is that I'm a fantastic guard dog.

I know you're thinking "Sure, she's cute - but cuteness doesn't frighten away the bad guys." Well, it's not just looks any more - I have to protect da momma from boogers. If I hear anything, I give a dead stare to the spot, then growl if I hear more, then finally a series of big barks. It always scares away the bad guys.

The big problem is three of the bad guys keep coming back - they won't leave us alone. I keep growling and barking at them, they leave, then they come back. Momma said it's useless to keep going after them, but I know that one day I'll scare them off for good. Until that day, I just know I have to be ever vigilant against the heater, garbage disposal and ice maker.

Always lead with the good news from the vet

Being away from Dogster for so long, things slipped by me. One of the bad things was Sunny Lee announcing that she has eye troubles. As many of you already know, though, the good news is that it isn't a melanoma (no big C!) and the cataract probably won't develop into anything worse. Yay!

My visit to the vet - not so positive. Momma went in to explain ("thought it was a bug bite, then a blister, now not so much") and the vet got to work on removing some sample cells. When the vet came back in after doing the stain, she led with the phrase "Well, it's not OBVIOUSLY cancer, but due to the rapid increase in size it would be a good idea to remove the growth and have a biopsy done."

"WHOA, doc!!!!! Don't say things like that in front of Momma! She panics easily!" Doc didn't listen to me, though, and kept talking. By the time the appointment was set up, da momma was in full blown, tears flyin' panic. Miss Claire, always the wonderful woman and pillar of strength for the devastation the vets leave behind, got da momma calmed down and back in a normal state of mind.

I know it's nothing - I'll still be hobbling around old and gray many, many years from now. Until the biopsy is done, though, I'm going to have my hands full trying to keep momma thinking straight and positive. Goodness gracious - the things I have to do for that woman...

So I went to work with da momma...

I have a vet appointment this afternoon, so da momma got permission to bring me back to work with her this afternoon. I can tell that I'm going to get lots and lots o' treats tonight. I haven't barked, I've only whined a little - most of the time I've been snoozing in the corner. Best of all, I haven't peed on anyone! WOO HOO!!

Yep, it's been a good afternoon. ...

Another day closer

Yes, my pals, one day soon I shall return for good. Da momma finally finished putting together the desk tonight, so she's running out of excuses. I told her she had to let me check Dogster tonight - I was afraid that I had missed my beloved Pongo's birthday. (Whew! Not until November 1st...) It's things like this that I keep missing, and it just isn't going to happen again. I shall prevail...

While I'm here, though, there is one funny but completely embarrassing story I have to tell you about my new dog house. My crate is in da momma's bedroom, and the door to the bed room is right next to the door for the laundry room. On Tuesday, as usual, momma grabbed a baby carrot for my treat so I would go back into my crate without a fuss when she had to head back to work after lunch. I danced all around her, then when we got into the hallway, I ran into the bedroom and jumped into my crate and gobbled up that carrot.

Well, that was the plan, anyway. I ran into the hallway but didn't make the turn so I ran into the laundry room instead of the bedroom. Crap! Wrong room. So I ran out and tried it again - and ran into the laundry room again. CRAP! Wrong room. So I ran out and tried it again - AND I RAN INTO THE FLIPPING LAUNDRY ROOM A THIRD TIME!! CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! Da momma was no help, of course - she was laughing too hard.

Anyway, the fourth try was the charm - I made it into the bedroom, jumped in my crate and chomped down my tasty carrot. The taste wasn't sweet enough, though, to cover up the bitter taste of that incident.