Bosco Dog Blog

Last week, Joan and I and her friend, Chris, who I met for the first time went on a walk along the Mississippi River near our house. It was a beautiful warm day and there were still some leaves on the trees - to captivate the humans' eyes - but mine were on the river water and running like mad. However, on our way to the river, THE BLACK POODLES were out in their yard. Joan froze up and said, "oh no." They were barking, as usual. But we just walked far away and we were okay.

I met up with a puppy similar in looks to myself at the water's edge. I really like puppies - they have just the right disposition and don't scare me at all, so I love playing with them. I think I'd be a great mom but ... alas.... I cannot be, so I'll have to stick with puppy friends.

Anyway we headed south along the river and saw a campsite that had a fire going...but no one around ... and I smelled a fantastic pile of excrement that Joan yelled at me about. "Bosco NO!" Oh well.... I splashed around in the water and even fetched a few sticks. I did a lot of running ahead and back again etc. We had a grand time and returned home via the paved path. Then they left me "to eat food" but returned. Chris said several times that I was really pretty, so I really like him! Though he didn't give me any treats or anything like that.

The unfortunate thing is that Joan told me a couple days later that some young boy was found murdered down there along our Mississippi walk. I'm sad for him. But I can tell you that if he had been down there when we were there, I would have found him with my NOSE and tried to get him help from Joan and Chris. Anyway, Joan hasn't taken me down there since .... I will protect her at all costs.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joan came home with quite a story that I couldn't believe - actually I wish it were not true because it only portrays poodles in a continuing bad light (sorry Isabella). I guess Aaron's dog, Reggie, who is a nice loafing black lab had to go to the vet for his tooth. Reggie's other human, Cassie, took him there and while they were waiting to see the VET a poodle attacked Reggie and BIT him, JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!!!! I really cannot believe it! Maybe it is the same poodle - that would make me feel better - except it probably isn't and that is further data for me to not hang out with poodles. I'm sorry Reggie. Hey, I just got a picture of Reggie in email. Here he is, poor guy:

He also has to have his tooth pulled. I hope that never happens to me.

This morning, I pulled a 3-poop run with Joan. That really has never happened before and Joan was out of bags. Luckily (for her - it didn't matter to me since there's no stopping a dog who needs to go...), I went right next to a garbage can. So Joan just walked over, opened the garbage can, pulled out someone else's poop bag and added to it. She's so resourceful when I mess up.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This morning, Joan came home with groceries from a place called 'Trader Joes'. She says this is her favorite store but they won't let me in it so I don't know. She opened the backdoor, and I greeted her. As she brought the bags near me, I got my nose working. She was brining in one bag and I got a whiff ...and then I stuck my whole head in the bag and I wouldn't take it out. Ummmm ummmmm. When Joan finally yelled at me, I removed my head. When she was putting all the food away, she realized that my favorite bag had the various dog bones and treats she bought for me! Uh huh. I'm no dummy. My nose is no dummy. My nose knows. She gave me a new treat - it's a sort of meat stick. It was fantastic. Later on, I was out in the yard, and Tim came by and gave me another treat.

I'm gonna share some pictures with you - if you lived here, you'd know it doesn't look like this anymore! Unfortunately, it is cold and most of the leaves have fallen.

In the backyard (Joan was spying on me while I was lounging):

The next ones are action shots at the dog park on October 8th. Some are blurry but that's cuz I move SO FAST:

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

As you all probably knew, Joan took me to the vet today -- for my toes! Yikes. Last night she was touching my toes and nails while lounging on the couch, and I did not growl at her. I thought that might have persuaded her to NOT take me to the vet. But no bones.

This morning we went for a run - things looking great. But THEN, she put me on the leash again, which was fantastic of course, until we walked in front of the vet building and then she took me inside. The last time I was there was for a bladder infection in July (besides of course, my dog bite but that was at a different place). I started shaking and jumping up on the chairs and couches. Joan did weigh me and it said 55.7 lbs. Joan says her ex-boyfriend, Jay, (I barely remember that guy but Joan says I loved him) would be happy about my weight because he always thought I was a bit skinny. Joan has been feeding me tons and I love it!

In any case, back to the vet - the lady showed us into a room. I hate those rooms and I started to jump around like a bouncing ball. Jump on Joan, jump on wall, jump on bench, jump on Joan, jump on table, jump on wall - all the while, whining and shaking of course. Then the man and woman come in. They talk about my nails and the man directs the woman to get a muzzle. Then the next thing I know, I'm muzzled and up on the table and the man is looking at my toes and nails with a light and I'M NOT HAPPY! Then they put me on my side and the man CUT MY NAILS. I'M STILL NOT HAPPY. Then after the woman stopped holding me down, I practically jumped off the table.

The man said I had an infection in my nailbed - where the nail goes into my toe. He said it is mighty painful. He gave pills to Joan (more peanut butter for me!). He also checked out my dog bite wound and said it looked fine but that my fur wouldn't grow back there. I'm marred. I should get compensation for the permanent damage to my fur.

Anyway, it's time for a nap. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've had to yelp and even growl at Joan. I feel bad but she's hurting me. She tries to dry my paws off and when she puts the towel on my back paw, I yelp and jump. OUCH - my paw hurts me - especially my toenail. Of course, those yelping antics then brought upon great scrutiny on my body parts. Joan started trying to look at my paw and my toenail. I then had to growl at her to warn her, No NO NO, please don't touch.

I guess she didn't like it - she reprimanded ME for growling at her! Let's just say there was a stare-down. I think I ended it by licking her. hee hee hee. I think she had managed to look at it enough, IMHO. I wonder what she'll do about it????

I hope NOT THE VET.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Okay this morning the squirrels were really bothering me. They were taunting me to the max. I was crouched on the patio while this one squirrel just kept screeching at me and then he got lower and lower on the tree and then onto the ground until I couldn't stand it anymore and I had to run after him and he went back up the tree. Joan got this on tape - you can listen to the squirrel for nearly 2 minutes. Unfortunately, I am a stealth hunter so I did not make a ton of noise or anything when I went after the squirrel. But you'll hear towards the end of the sound file - you can hear me run towards the tree, you can hear my paws on the side of the tree as I jumped on it, and you can hear me huff and puff - and of course the squirrel going kinda crazy.

Listen to the Squirrel

Then Joan came out and expected me to go inside because she needed to leave. What the heck? I'm in the heat of the hunt and she expects me to 'go to the bathroom' and retreat into the house? I just ignored her and kept my stare up at the offending squirrel. She kinda got insistent though so I went inside - not without one more look up at the oak tree to dominate that rodent.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I have no idea what is going on except that our schedule has gone to pieces. It seems my normal morning and 5pm walk are all messed up. It is making it weird for me, and I've started to need my security blanket - uh, I mean shoe. See, after Joan leaves, I'll take one of her shoes that are near the door and move it to wherever I am lying down - my bed or the floor or on the couch (if I"m sneaky). In the past, if I've been really upset like when Joan leaves all day and then comes home and leaves again really fast, sometimes I've even had to chew her shoe a bit. She didn't like that at all because they were nice leather shoes for her work, I guess. Then she started hiding all her shoes except the one she wears everyday when we go walking. I guess those are tough.

It doesn't matter that Joan hangs out here all morning or even into the afternoon - if she leaves and then returns late, it messes up my expectations for a nice evening walk. Instead we walk really late at night when there are no squirrels to chase --- hmmmmm. At least there are still lots of smells.

Last night when she got home at 9pm (she said something about doing research but that is definitely not as important as me -- she's also said things about having dates or going to talks about bikes at a place called REI - none of these are acceptable reasons), I was really needy. I really wanted to go for a walk but she's wasn't biting. She sat on the couch and I put my head in her lap and whined. Then I got up on her lap and started nudging her. When she said "go lie down on your bed," I just jumped up on the couch and curled up next to her. :----) She didn't do anything so I stayed PUT until bedtime.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Last weekend (not this past one), Joan and I drove a long way to a place called Itasca State park. We've been there before but I forgot on the way. Here are some pictures of me there. Joan said we were there at "peak colors" whatever that means. What is color anyway?

Me at the headwaters of the Mississippi River --- this is the same river that runs by our house and the big dog park but it is WAY bigger by our house than here where it starts!

Our cabin:

Hiking where no one else was:

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Last night was so funny. Joan came over before bed to say goodnight to me and she had her head down near my body. I smelled a treat and started sniffing, sniffing, sniffing....Joan thought I was sniffing her hair or the lotion she had put on her hands (I do love to lick lotion, too) but the treat was more of a lure. Sniff, sniff, sniff. Then Joan moved a bit and I zeroed in on the pocket of her sweater. And then Joan started laughing because she remembered there was a treat in there. There's no fooling me!

Yesterday Joan and I were outside almost the whole day. First we went on a walk with her two friends who were visiting. We went down along the river. Then Joan raked leaves forever. Then she started digging up the yard and putting these pieces of rock in. Funny how it is right along the path I like to run. Right now I'm not running on it because there are these pieces of rock that stick up on the grass so I just jump over them. I think she is not done yet but I'm not sure I'll like what she's doing in the end.

We have loads of pictures to show you but Joan's sister took the cable and did not return it and then left for 2 weeks. >>>>>>>>>>>> We are sad about that.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Joan was petting me and then she stopped, went into the bathroom, got the metal device, and then moved my fur and pulled a tick out of me (I didn't know it was there!). Then she rubbed alcohol on my back. Then she immediately went upstairs, vaccumed her duvet cover, looked at it intently and then folded it up, then took the sheets off the bed and took them to the basement (I don't go in the basement). Maybe it's cuz I got to lounge next to her this morning on the bed ...heeheheeh.

Once she found a tick on her head and she blamed me....

But we went up to the north woods in northern minnesota this weekend. I didn't know where we were going on Friday when we were in the car for a LONG time, but then I remembered once we got there. We hiked a lot this weekend - lots and lots of walking. Joan says it was more than 20 miles but it was fine for me - I could have gone longer.

It was funny that Joan didn't see a tick until the very last moment we were at the park, sitting under a fir tree next to the lodge eating a late lunch picnic. She saw a tiny tick on the bag next to her, pulled it off, and then we immediately got up and left! She says this is ironic in some way that we hike way out in the woods and instead, we get a tick 10 ft. from a paved sidewalk and parking lot!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)