Wild little girls! Ahhh!!

Today on our walk we saw WILD LITTLE GIRLS! They must have been around 6 or so, and there were 3 of them! When they saw us they trotted up to us – I was SO scared! What if they bit me?!?! I was cowering like crazy. Mom kept them at bay, she’s so brave. I have new respect for her now. She’s my protector, against little girls! Goodness gracious.

We slept in today! It was great. I’m such a little teddy bear-polar bear sweet dog. I was smiling and cuddly and very playful. Mom and Dad let us have the run of the house today while they ran an errand. It was the first time! Ulli and I were a little confused, but it didn’t take us long to figure out what was going on! We made a bee-line for the bedroom and snuggled in bed! We napped while we waited for mom and dad to get home. It was AWESOME. That’s what I’m talkin’ about! I deserve to be left out in the house! How can we protect the home if we’re crated up? Seriously.

Ummmm, it’s called a bicycle?!

Ulli says something about riding a bike, but I’m not familiar with that saying. speaking of bikes, Mom DID get a bicycle! We played with it today! First thing Dad and I went a different direction than Mom and Ulli and the bike – that freaked me out! I’m not sure how to act when Ulli’s not around, even if I do like to growl at her sometimes! Dad reports I was ‘all over the place’ when he was trying to run with me. I was pretty distracted. Since Ulli is hyperaware of our surroundings and is quick to go into protective mode I usually just hang out and relax! She’s got all that stuff covered! But when I’m alone? Hmmm. How does she do it? how does she stay so hyperaware? My head has to whip around and around, with my body, checking out everything around me, and just WHAT is all this stuff anyway? Boxes and shapes and strange barking behind walls…. This makes me nervous!

Luckily Ulli and Mom came up behind us and I felt much better. They led the way, as usual, and we all did great! I am really good at following Ulli! I know she will protect us! We ran a ways, then Mom attached ME to the bike! I did pretty good, considering! I had been watching Ulli and it didn’t look that hard, it really wasn’t. I lagged a little behind compared to Ulli, but that’s how I roll. After we got home Dad took Ulli and me out for one last jog. It was really something. I’m a beautiful lean dog, I have great strength and muscles. I can do this.

Mom has put us in the car in the garage for some strange reason. She says she’s expecting a repair man, I guess if we were in the house Ulli would go bananas, growling and barking and whatnot. Since we just ate, she might lose her breakfast if she got too excited! We really like sitting in the car. I think I’ll take a nap….

Smile, you’re on candid camera!

Oh I am so busted. (sigh) Mom and Dad left a video camera rolling when they left today to run errands. They really didn’t think they would see much, since we are the perfect dogs. Well, after the first hour I turned into a yogi, a contortionist inside my crate, all the while whining and singing with my voice. I tried chewing on my crate bars, and flipped all around. My parents knew I was agile, but not that agile!! They were also surprised because I’m known as ‘the quiet one’. Well, not anymore! I heard the video of me whimpering and barking and whatnot, it was really embarrassing to have that played back in my presence! Goodness me. I’m so embarrassed. Mom and Dad seemed very surprised. They were ooh-ing and aah-ing and saying ‘wow’! Maybe I looked pretty while I threw temper tantrums. They said something about wearing me out more, that the walks didn’t seem to be working at releasing my anxious energy. Hm. I wonder what that means. I’m a herding dog, of course I can run circles around them!! My motivation is not real high though. I really really like lying on the bed and snoozing. I’d be a couch potato if they would let me! I just don’t like the constraints of that cage! I’m better than that! I deserve more! Like, a couch! Or a bed to lounge on while I wait for their return!! I could really use some music too, now that we’re talking about it. Oh well, training humans takes time and I need to be patient, not get ahead of myself. I’ll start small, like getting out of this blasted crate while they are gone! We’ll see. Keep your paws crossed!

Jail break!

Last night Mom and Dad put us in our crates, where we usually hang out when they are gone, and they left. They were gone and I was fed and bored, so I started tugging tugging on my dog bed on top of my crate. I usually sling my raw food around on the crate floor when I eat, so they take my soft bed out at mealtime. I was trying to squeeze the bed back into my crate so I could enjoy the softness! Well I pulled and pulled and pulled and pulled, the wire was budging more than the bed! Suddenly the front panel of my crate fell in on me! Ack!! I was in quite a pinch! Luckily I am a very limber dog and was able to get out without a scratch. I laid down and was a very good girl. Ulli was rooting for me the whole time. I heard the outside door and knew mom and dad were home! Mom saw my empty and partially collapsed crate through the window, I heard her gasp! Uh-oh! I hoped I wasn’t in trouble! They opened the door and I welcomed them into our home! Mom and Dad were both relieved I was okay and gave me lots of love! I should do that more often!

Beef stomach?

Mom and Dad fed us beef tripe, or cow stomach lining, this morning for breakfast – along with our kibble and raw chicken wings. I just don’t know about that! It smelled like a barn! Like grain! It was white and really really tough! I ate around my tripe, then left it. Ulli gobbled hers up, but it didn’t stay down for too long! Mom cut my tripe up and tried to feed it to me in bite sized pieces, but I just didn’t get it! Luckily Ulli was here and showed me how to do it. After studying Ulli’s technique of taking the tripe, then gobbling it down I tried it. I pawed at it, I nosed at it, I tried to chew it. No such luck. Maybe it’s a texture thing. I’m not sure. I’m a little hesitant to try new things. Mom was afraid I’d smell like beef stomach after rubbing my face and hands and feet all over it. I think we’re okay in that department though!

On a good note, we slept through the night last night! No urgent needing to get up and potty at midnight or 3am! We finally did pee at 6am, but that is almost time to wake up, so it’s okay! I got a great full nights sleep. Especially since Mom and Dad are feeding me more! My tummy thanks them! I also had one regular formed poop today! No more diarrhea! Keep your paws crossed!

What kind of diet is this?!

Ah, what a nice day! This morning mom and dad took us for a nice long walk along the desert sand. It was very nice! Before hand Dad helped me stretch my morning legs on the bed. That was nice too! We have been walking with empty water bottles in our back packs. They made us both a ‘wide load’!! We kept bumping into each other; we’re not used to our sides being so wide! This morning Dad put a little water in each water bottle. It was weird because as I walked I heard it slosh, slosh, slosh around. I could feel the delicate weight moving as it sloshed. I’m such a sensitive dog. I wonder if I walk with a bouncier step than my sister because I swear she wasn’t sloshing as much as I was! Dad went to work and Mom took us to get weighed. I’VE LOST WEIGHT!!! OH NO! I’m a very trim dog, so I really don’t have much weight to lose! C’mon, Mom!! Feed me!! I TOLD her I wasn’t eating enough! The proof’s in the pudding I guess. My ribs are trying to stick out, and Mom gave me extra food starting this morning – I need to be fattened back up! I was 70 pounds and this scale reads 64. Yep, it’s after breakfast and I have a warm fat belly, I was just exercised and I’m ready for a nap on the bed! Sometimes after a walk Mom massages my feet for a minute. Usually I HATE people even THINKING about touching my feet. I’ll lie on all my feet to protect them! After a walk I’m more tolerant.

I’m turning into the regulator dog! Last night as mom made dinner downstairs and dad put up laundry upstairs I kept running back and forth regulating both of them! Had to make sure things were up to spec! I help cook in the kitchen, I also like to regulate the trash – make sure no recycle-able items are in the trash! I wonder what there will be for me to regulate today!

I’m going to sleep off this big breakfast now! Chow chow!

Better nervous than wormy

Well, mom registered us at the vet and took in those mucous stool samples. After telling the vet people that we were spayed, then adopted 3 days later, then drove across the country and got a house in such a different climate (the desert) the vet people said it had to be stress. That is a lot of stress for us to be enduring and it’s bound to affect our bowels! Mom was happy, and sad. She’s giving us some enzymes and probiotics to try to help us, and has been brainstorming with dad as to how to get us to relax more. The funny thing is, I appear to be relaxed much of the time! This is a good step. Perhaps time will heal this wound. I’m no longer allowed in the poopie room (coined by me) anymore. There’s a barrier and I can only come in when mom or dad are in there too. Dad took us for a little run this morning, trying to get that anxious energy out. It freaked me out a little bit, but I sure felt good afterwards!! I hear mom got a bike to ride with us, but I haven’t seen it yet. We’ll see!!

Comin’ out both ends

Mom and Dad took us for a ride today. We were so excited, it has been about a week since we’ve been in the truck – and that’s when we were driving from Tennessee to California! Anyway, we went for a long walk, we rested for about 2 hours, then hopped in the car to go!! Boy do we love riding in the car! As soon as we got in, Ulli and I both fell asleep. It was nice. When we got to the town we were going to Mom and Dad sounded lost and the car kept slowing down, stopping, and speeding up over and over again. It didn’t take long and I started feeling real queasy! I stood up and picked the most hidden corner of the car seat to regurgitate my lunch. Yuck!!! I felt bad and Mom immediately scooped up the vomit (which all looked just like my kibble breakfast) with a poopie bag. Oh, it was bad. We drove around in a horrid way for a dog who is carsick, Ulli swore she was going to get carsick, as did Dad. Eventually things slowed down and bit and Ulli was so grossed out by my puke she refused to sit with me in the back seat. She would not budge out of the passenger seat!! Luckily, dear ‘ol Dad sat in the back with me and stroked my head soothingly. We had some water and walked around a bit, Ulli has joined me in having the mucous runs and then we took a ‘calming pill’ and slept most of the way home. Mom and Dad gave us a new batch of de-worming medicine today, they think that is the mucous stuff. Being that we are eating well and are really perky, we’ll wait until our Monday appointment with the vet. Since Mom put the worming medicine in some fancy canned dog food we ate it right up. Even though I have diarrhea and vomited today I’m ready for dinner!! Is that all I get? I could eat a horse!! Ha ha!

I’m a good dog with a conscience

I have a sense of right and wrong. I have been pretty loving lately, hugging my parents and doing the ‘worm’ – that’s when I get on the bed and pretend I don’t have legs and I worm my way around. I guess you could call it my ‘mole’, but moles use their feet – and I don’t. anyway, my little sister Ulli is a picky eater and last night she didn’t finish her food. I quietly walked into the room, looked over at Dad – who saw me and I didn’t know it – then snuck into Ulli’s crate and started eating her leftovers!! Dad made a noise and I was out of there so quick! I knew I wasn’t supposed to be doing that!

This morning Ulli didn’t eat all her food again. No one was looking and I proceeded to polish it off for her. Mom saw and made a noise like I should not be doing that. I slunk away, and spat out all the food that I had in my mouth!! Not only did I go away, but I spit the food out as I did it! there was a line of kibble leading from her dish to me. I obviously know the difference between right and wrong!! I’d do anything to go for a ride, I love going for a ride! Mom and dad are taking us to the city today!! Yea!! We can’t wait.

I’ve been a little more dominant acting lately, I got on the bed the other day and when Ulli came to join me I growled at her! She’s no dummy, she took the hint and laid on the floor!! Yeah, I did that. I used to be on the bottom of the totem pole, and now I’m getting a taste of being on top! Or, close to top!! I’m a happy dog.

My nerves are shot

Well, we’re in a house now and Mom and Dad say we’re going to be here for some time, so get used to it! oh, it makes me a little nervous. We’re not moving. Being a nervous dog I know that to stay moving is to stay safe. There are SO many rooms in this house, upstairs and downstairs… I realize I can only be in one at a time and HOW am I supposed to know what is going on everywhere at once? It makes my tummy a little queasy. Last night was the new year, and mom and dad went to bed early. I had to pee and being the quiet dog I wasn’t able to wake them. I didn’t want to bother them or make them mad. I got downstairs and I really had to poop! So I pooped a big poop on the brand new carpet. When I came back upstairs to go to bed I was so nervous about it I woke everyone up. Mom thought I needed to go out (too late!!) and went downstairs. Oops!! She smelled and found the poop right away. Oh, drat. I didn’t want to bother them but now they had to clean up poop with limited resources since we only have luggage!! Oh fiddle sticks. They closed us both in the bedroom with them after the incident. Happy New Year! Ha ha! it was kind of funny, even though it was kind of bad. Mom and Dad thought I might be wild – so wild I am not potty trained? Well, when you have diarrhea there’s really no stopping it!! goodness me. Dad walked us both today while Mom slept in. we have many admirers when we walk. Mom and Dad are spending some of the day outside in the back yard and garage. We are with them and I have decided the best place to be is in the SUV!! Dad let me in there and I’m snuggling in the seat watching out the window. It feels safe to be in the car. I found a slat missing in the fence and almost squeezed out of it. I’m like a cockroach! Or a mouse! Or anything that can squeeze into or out of very small spaces! Luckily Dad blocked the opening with the trash cans. I don’t really want to run away!