Bosco Dog Blog

Wowa, I've been off the computer for a while. Joan is HOGGING it all the time! And now we only have one computer so we have to share. My adoption birthday was January 26th that is how delayed I am in writing about it. It was a fantastic weekend - maybe, just maybe, I got worn a bit out. First of all, Joan's friend, Lee, came down here from Minnesota - I think just for my birthday! Isn't that nice of him?

On Saturday, we went down to Town Lake and walked along the river. When we got to Auditorium Shores, I got to be off-leash since it is a dog park there. Here's Joan and me at the statue of Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Joan was happy though she doesn't look it too much. We think the guys in the background are funny. It was in the 70s Joan says which you can't beat in January. Nothing like wearing sandals, Joan says.

Joan and Lee sat around in the grass talking while I went on squirrel patrol in the dog park. I think they were pretty happy to sit in the sun!

As for me, I was working. I had to let those squirrels know who was boss. Some of the other dogs tried to help me out with my job which was okay. So I spent my time running over to a couple different oak trees just when the squirrel had taunted me enough by coming down out of the tree onto the grass. Those squirrels. I would take off, running at them, a few other dogs might come too, and we'd jump up the trunk of the tree. Then, I'd turn and run back to Joan and Lee and wait for, yet again, another opportunity to police. I did this for quite some time!

After a while we walked to a restaurant but unfortunately, they wouldn't let ME accompany the humans to the table outside. So, instead Joan and I waited while Lee got some food and then we (um, they) ate in the grass outside the restaurant (it was very casual) - plus other people were waiting for a table and drinking beer and other drinks while they waited. It was kind of a fest. The only thing is a lot of people think I'm cute and they want to come over and pet me. Now, we know that I AM cute but I AM also a little scared. So one time I almost knocked over all the food by cramming my body into Joan when someone tried to pet me!

This wasn't even the end to my birthday weekend. The next day we drove out to a park where we hiked around more. We got to cross a stream ...

and I also did some incredible rock climbing - here's a picture of me as I come down from a rock about 6 ft high (no kidding).

When I jumped up on it, I was above Lee's head! Joan was very scared for me but I managed just fine. You'd think by now she'd know my excellent climbing capabilities.

Anyway, I'd say I had a good birthday - especially with visitors just for me and all. Only, I didn't get a bone.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Yesterday was quite a day. First Joan walked me around the neighborhood. I thought it was kinda a short walk, but hey I don't complain - I get it better than most dogs. Then Joan put the sheet in the back seat of the car and I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. So the next thing she knew, I was standing behind her waiting to get into the car (I pulled the fence door open and came out). Then she moved a tiny bit and I squeezed my body into the car and sat down. She was laughing at me. She shut the door and left. So I sat in the car for a while. I didn't mind. Then she came out with water and then made me get out of the car.

But then she got my leash and other things and went outside and I jumped back into the car. Then I saw Melissa coming over to our car, so then I jumped out of the car because I had to say hi to her, too. I jumped on her. (Bad, I guess.) Then we all got in the car and I gave Melissa a few kisses which she didn't seem to like very much.

We drove along the curvy road and I was so excited I just couldn't help but yelp the whole way. But we ended up in a parking lot and Maura was there and also my dog cousin, Brandy. But all the humans left and we were stuck in our cars for like an hour.

FINALLY, the humans came out and I got really excited again. And we were off - we drove to Turkey Creek! We waited there for a little bit and then our other friend Kathy and her 2 German short hair dogs, Elena and Morgan, came with. So we had 4 humans and 4 dogs - what a great group! I was so excited I was yelping a lot and wagging my tail. Life couldn't be better, really. We hiked up the trail and back again - we saw lots of other dogs and people and went in the water and smelled stuff.

On the way down, Morgan went missing. Maura went ahead and Joan stayed behind with Kathy. I was running back and forth between them - running up to Maura and then I'd wonder about Joan and would run back to her again. Kathy decided to walk back and see if she could find Morgan while we all walked ahead back to the parking lot. We did not find Morgan, but Kathy did! And the funny thing was some other people had Morgan on a leash! No wonder Morgan couldn't come to us - they were preventing it. Kathy was very upset and suspicious of these people - we all thought it very strange. Cuz they also had a dog but their dog was not on leash ... very very strange!

All in all, though it was a fantastic morning even if I did have to wait in the car while they ate breakfast. The car isn't so bad. I took a long nap when I got home and didn't even bug Joan for a walk though she did take me on one.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Last night Joan forgot to feed me. Well, she did feed me a little bit but only gave me a bit because I think it was not dinner time. But since I had convinced her, through bumping and nudging, to take me for an early walk, when we got back it was not dinner time, but I still wanted dinner. So she gave me about 1/2 of my dinner. But then she FORGOT to give me the rest ... I kept trying to remind her, nudge her, lick her, look cute, rest my head on her lap, jump up on her lap, lay at her feet .... nothing reminded her and I went hungry but with some pets and outside time (she interpreted my moves all wrong!). It was not until this morning, when she finally remembered she didn't feed me all my dinner. Duh! So I got a big breakfast. And then we went on a run that included going off-leash at the dog park nearby ... that is one of my favorite running routes. I also like the one down by the creek where I can also go off-leash but also jump and play in the creek.

On another topic: SQUIRRELS. Well, it took those damn MN squirrels about 3 months to find me down here, but I think the residents of our old house have found us and moved into the trees here in Texas. Not all of them though. In MN, we had easily 10 squirrels at any one time in the backyard. Here there are only about 3-4, SO FAR. Maybe some perished on their trek down I-35. Today I have had to be outside all the time to police these creatures. They are really bugging me. I have to bark at them, run after them, jump up 6 feet into the trees to try to get them, bark again, jump up on the garage, run around in circles, bark, sit on the deck with a watchful eye, locate another one, crouch down and get tense, then run and bark, and jump. I think you get the idea.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have been very remiss in my updates. Joan and I have been enjoying ourselves too much to allow me any time on the computer. Well, Joan also is doing lots of work so she is kinda monopolizing the computer.

In any case, we went to the adopted dog park around the corner. It is not an official dog park but it is a bunch of land the state owns and it is very pretty and the locals have adopted it. Joan says I'm "blossoming" here in that I'm learning how to play with other dog friends. I've always been pretty suspect of other dogs cuz I never had a lot of interaction with them when I was a puppy (I was in a basement for 2 years, pretty much, or was terrorized by kids and men). But on the last few visits, I've done my share of playing with the packs. It is actually pretty fun! I realize that they are only horsing around when they try to bite my neck and stuff - though I'm still a little shy of that and usually run over to my mom at that point.

Here are a bunch of pictures from our visit in a slideshow format.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This morning Joan got up and I really wanted to go on a walk, as usual. I was excited which gets my dog-cousin, Brandy, excited too. She doesn't get taken on walks normally so she knows that Joan is a super duper human and loves her. So we went into the garage and Joan was trying to put a collar on Brandy but Brandy was jumping with joy and barking really loudly - she was really misbehavin. Joan made her sit and finally got that collar and leash on. All that barking and jumping made me get excited too but finally we were all ready to go but we didn't go for a walk - we got into Joan's car. I let Brandy share the backseat with me. We went for a little bit of a drive on a curvy road I've never been on but then we stopped and got out and we off our leashes and went on a long walk through a forest with lots of other dogs, too. Here are our photos of the day. I really love my dog cousin - I just wish I could hang out with her more often but that other dog cousin, Bella, is a pest and gets in the way of good manners and behaviors (I hear Bella is at those horrible kennel places this weekend. Even though I don't like Bella all that much I feel kinda sorry for her to have to be there. If she was a good dog, she could have gone with us!).

Brandy went swimming today which turns out to be quite unusual. I will take credit for that as she probably saw how much fun I have swimming and decided to try it out. And I mean more than just walking through the river. She got in and started swimming with no coercion from either Joan or me. Some people in Austin are trying to not allow dogs on this trail anymore because of a bird.

That's for the birds!!!!!!!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Sunday, Joan and Melissa (her friend) and I went on a run. It was fun because most of the way I get to be off leash along Shoal Creek AND I get to go swimming. Well, more like wading and a swim of 3 paw strokes. These girls seem to think they are going to run some big 1/2 marathon in February so if that is true, I bet I'm going to get a lot more running in in the next few months. Cool with me. Plus, it is getting cooler so it is easier to run too. I get really excited when I see Melissa come over because mostly, it means we are going for a walk or run. But sometimes I don't get to go with them (and they are not really dressed for running) so then I'm kinda bummed I have to stay at home alone.

After we got back, we took a bit of a drive out into the Hill Country of Austin and saw lots of beautiful oak trees and vistas of all green oaks. Then we got to a new place I've never been, and there I met another dog whose name is Kona. I also met Heidi who is a young girl kinda like Izzy in Minneapolis who used to take care of me. I also met her brother, Jack, her mom and dad. And don't forget Kona the beagle. At first, I got to meet all the people. Jack kinda scared me because he was kinda moving fast and swinging something around his head. I'm very wary of boys especially boys with things they can throw at me. But I warmed up to them after a while. Then we went outside and took a walk with Kona. We got along just fine. I was pulling a lot because I wanted to be in front! We went to the backyard and they have a big water hole back there like Joan's sister does. I decided to get in the first step and kinda plop down but then I got out. I was kinda wondering if Joan was going to leave me there but she didn't. Phew - we drove home after that and I took a short nap but sure enough, it was 5pm by my time and I started bumping Joan to remind her despite all the walking, running, and walking we had already done. Gotta stay on schedule!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 7:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today Joan took me to the Red Bud Isle dog park --- we took pictures there last time we were there but not today. It is a small island in the Colorado River where the dogs run free! It was pretty busy today because a bunch of volunteers were doing all sorts of projects like putting fences up and making picnic benches. I wasn't too worried or bothered by that - I just wanted to run around and fetch my ball in the river. Which I did. A LOT. Joan threw the ball for me and so did some kids who were there with their parents who were doing the fence. Joan even got in the river when I wouldn't go get the ball (I didn't see it!!!) and it was shallow enough for Joan to lead me out there.

One time a big Great Dane was out there with us and Joan got a little bit wet from that big guy jumping around in the water.

We had a fantastic time but then I did something that I guess was wrong but all I know is I was just walking around like normal. There were some people working and I went over to check them out, but then I ran over back near Joan. On the way there, I ran through something like mud - it was really squishy. Joan glanced over and said something like "Oh no bosco." Then I heard her tell this boy that she was really sorry but that I ran through their cement - she said, "I guess that's the hazard of the dog park." I guess cement is that squishy stuff and they want it to be perfect and not have deep dog prints in it!

I got to stay outside most of the day while Joan did all sorts of things like weed whack, trim bushes, and plant new plants. Oh, and mow our backyard. She thought I was pretty cool, when we were inside, she asked me to take care of the fly that was flying through the house. She was surprised because I DID. I caught the fly in my mouth (it kinda surprised me, too) and I ate it.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 8:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here are some pictures of our last trip to the Minnehaha dog park - we were sad to go. I could tell Joan was emotional so I tried to just have lots of FUN to distract her!!!!!! I think it worked.

Minnehaha Dog Park, Sunday, August 5, 2007

The funny thing is I lost my identification tags sometime in the park, so it wasn't actually our last trip to the park because on our way out of Mpls, we stopped by again to see if the tags were left at the gate (they were not) but Joan let me run a short course through the park (no swimming though).

Posted by Joan Hughes at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Luckily, Joan was smart enough to take me to the park last weekend. I had a blast.

At the chimney - relic of yesteryear, Joan says.

Fast running with stick.

On upper trail along Mississippi with boat drifting by.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The title says it all. On Saturday morning, Joan got up and let me out and gave me food but I could tell she wasn't gonna take me for a walk so I didn't eat any food. Instead, she let me up on the bed and we snoozed a bit longer. When we got up, I went downstairs, drank some water and them immediately vomited on the floor in two spots. Uh, oh. Joan shooed me outside. After I saw she was putting her shoes on, I ate some food. Then we went to the dog park. There were not that many friends there because it was a bit cold. At the far end of the park, Joan was throwing sticks for me to fetch on the iced up Mississippi River. All the humans were laughing at us as we skidded around on the ice. Joan chatted with some other humans and I chewed and swallowed a few sticks despite Joan telling me not to.

On Sunday morning, Joan woke up and came downstairs to let me out and at the back door, she saw a pile of vomited-up sticks. "Well that's not surprising," she said. She did not hear me do it like she usually does when I start to vomit because she had that loud air thing going in her room. (I slept on the comfy couch downstairs.)

Shall I also tell you that I'm getting the sense that Joan does not LIVE FOR ME. I mean, every night this weekend - even last night - she went out! Okay, so she was here with me all day or at least most of the day but that is just not enough. I'm getting needier and needier - I need my cuddle time on the couch with Joan.

Tonight I was on the couch while Joan was working on her computer in the office. I heard a LOUD POP and I ran like a cheetah and bulldozed into the office door. Joan looked outside and I guess the neighbor clears his sidewalk of snow with a 4-wheeler and it did something called a "backfire" and that is what I heard. It reminds me of that awful day, July 4th. In any case, I relocated to my bed in the office. It's a good thing I have so many beds (not even counting the couch, the leather chair, Joan's bed, the rug...) A dog's got to be versatile.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Hey Joan and I went to the dog park this morning which was very nice - though a bit icy and crunchy due to all the dogs and people who walk on it. When we got back to the car, Joan pulled out that funny yellow drink cup thing that her mom bought for me. This time, I really loved it. And I drank almost the whole container of water. It seemed so fresh - and I was thirsty! I'm sold now on it even though I was a little afraid of it at first.

At the park, Joan pulled a "dog whisperer" move. We watch that show a lot so I know all the moves. Some little yippy dog was barking and yipping at me and I was getting annoyed. Joan pointed her finger at the dog and said "shh, shh" like she does to me when I walk too fast or go after squirrels. The yippy dog immediately stopped making any sounds or bothering me. It was incredible. Way to go, Joan! Joan wonders if the dog's people would be mad at her for "disciplining" their dog but who cares - they were not close to us - and it got the dog off my back.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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)

Finally, finally, finally! We went to the big dog park today! Joan slept late, and she let me up on the bed next to her. I had a feeling something different was going to happen today. We got up and I got some breakfast and then I could tell we were going somewhere because Joan had the sheet and a towel with her. She put the sheet in the backseat while I waited patiently in the garage. Then we were off. With the exception of a stop at the coffee shop, we were at the park in no time (lots of yelping by me on the way) and got over there pronto. Today was not busy but I saw another chocolate dog like myself and a few other friends.

I went in the Mississippi but it was no worries because my wound is closed up now so the contaminated, dirty water will not infect me. I ran and ran and ran and smelled and smelled and smelled! Great fun!

On the way back we had to do errands which bugs me b/c I always want to go home and see if the squirrels are in my backyard. But I was somewhat patient while we went to the gas station and I got to go into the store where Joan buys a big bag of my food and some treats - I even got to eat some treats while I was there. I'm a little nervous in that place but not enough to not eat treats!

Relaxing at home now.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have been lax in my blogging. Joan and I have been doing a lot of work around the house. Actually she has and I lie around and wait for her to emerge from the basement. There are a lot of smells coming from down there - I never go down there so I doubt I'll ever know what she is doing. She wears a mask sometimes down there and she looks kinda funny. So now I'll get back to my daily life in the city.

Today was not so great. I have a bad story to tell you. Joan and I went out for our usual morning walk. I think she had lots of things to do today since tomorrow she start working in ernest! She took me on our shortish loop - 1 mile. As we came around from the river road back into the neighborhood, we passed by this house that has 2 black standards poodles. They are nasty. They always bark at all the dogs as they pass by and they scare me, so I high-tail it out of there. I pick up the pace and Joan follows suit.

Today was different - not in my fast pace - we were already past them and down the block a house. But then they got out of their yard. They opened the fence and came running after us. Joan started screaming "GO HOME!" She was really screaming but they didn't listen to her and then they attacked me! I tried to fight them but there were two of them (off-leash) and me (on-leash). Meanwhile, Joan is screaming even louder (if that's possible). Finally, they backed down and retreated to their driveway. Joan yelled at them some more and then she heard a person call for them. I was shaking. Joan was shaking. SHOCK.

Then - two women who were out on the river road cut through a person's yard to ask if we were okay (they said that Joan has a loud voice!). Then two other neighbors came out - one guy who saw the whole thing happen and another who just had heard Joan. The man was very concerned because this is not the first time the dogs have been out (we know that because we've seen them out before - and Joan yelled at them that time too but they went home.) Joan said she was going to call animal control. The other neighbor lady said that Joan should just talk to the woman. The woman who recalled her dogs and didn't even have the decency to see if they did any harm? And shall we talk about harm -- I was bitten by those nasty dogs. Here are the pictures of me before, during, and after my visit to the UM Vet Emergency (it was Labor Day no less.)

They drugged me at the doctor's so when I got back home, I was a different dog. I didn't even get up to say hi to Tim, our neighbor who gives me treats.

Anyway, back to the scene of the crime --- this young woman comes out of the house and is going to leave when the neighbor tells her to talk with me. She even acknowledges that they can't keep the dogs in, that they are "very smart" (if they are so smart, why can't they be trained?), and how they've already been visited by animal control. Get ready for trip #2!!!! Joan told her that they needed to pay for a vet visit to check me out, and she said "My mom is out of town." In any case, she gave Joan her phone number. (At this point, Joan hadn't seen my wound.) In the remaining 2 blocks to our house, Joan saw my bloody wound and freaked out!

We got home, she called the people's house and told them about my bloody gash. Then called animal control (closed - holiday). Then called UM Vet Emergency to get an appointment. Then we were in the car and gone for several hours. It was okay there - they treated me right (drugs always help, I guess). Although they made me throw up when we left. When we got back home, I was very s-l-o-w. Joan called the people and left a message that they owe us $247.

Meanwhile both of our days were pretty much ruined. Joan did not get her work done and I was sick and tired. Plus -- I can't go in the water until this wound completely heals - that could be 2 weeks or worse?! That means no big dog park - I'm very sad.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

So on Friday, June 23rd in the afternoon, Joan and I got in the car and everyone wished us well. Everyone was Tom, Judy, Deidre, Chris (her husband), Frances and Annie, my dog cousin. Our car was packed up with a couple extra things - a big straw hat of Joan's that's been at her parent's house for 15 years (good for gardening she says), some knives for Eileen, some Chinese artwork of Eileen's, and an electric hedge trimmer that Tom's friend, Austin, gave to Joan because he got a new one. We had less of my food with us because I had been eating it but I think more human food this time around. We waved goodbye and got on Hwy 101 north.

We drove for about 4 hours and ended up in El Cerrito or Oakland, CA. Joan planned it so we would avoid traffic, but we did end up in traffic on 880 - this is the area where Joan grew up, she told me. Well, not exactly Oakland but when Hwy 880 becomes Hwy 17 and goes into the Santa Cruz Mountains - that is where she grew up! We ended up at her grad school friend's house - her name is Gina and she had a dog named Ella and we did NOT get along despite doing the dog whisperer's introduction techniques of taking us on walks together. The thing is Ella wanted to play, and I did not. So we kind of had to tip toe around each other, and I unfortunately, ended up in my crate on several occasions.

On Saturday morning they left us to go to breakfast with Joan's childhood friend, Craig. My crate was in the bedroom with me in it and the door shut. In the evening, they left again to go have dinner with Joan and Gina's graduate adviser, David and his wife. That time I was in the crate but Joan also turned on the radio so music was playing - I think so I did not have to listen to Ella outside the door huffing and wishing she could come in and devour me. I was pretty dang scared of her! Though, it wasn't like I was shy about demonstrating my feelings!

Here are pictures of us at the dog park. That is the great thing about Oakland and San Francisco in general is that they are VERY dog friendly! We got to run along the bay - in one photo I'm looking off at San Francisco and the Bay Bridge is behind me.

We look like we are friends here:

and here:

Looking longingly across the bay:

We couldn't do our usual "family photo" of everyone because Ella would not allow me to go near Gina because I did not pass her "play with me" test first. So I never got to really even say hi to Gina.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

(Sorry I haven't gotten our trip photos up --soon!!). On Sunday, I woke up having to pee like crazy. Joan let me out and then we went on a walk. It was so weird. I felt like I had to go all the time, so I squatted about 20 times on our 1 mile loop. Then we went to my favorite place, the dog park, and there, I squatted about 60 times - seriously it was like every 10 seconds - 1 minute. I just really felt like I had to go but nothing would come out. Joan kept saying things like, "Bosco - again?", "What are you doing?" "There must be something wrong with you." That's not very nice.

In any case, this continued on the whole day - I had to keep asking Joan to let me out of the house so eventually she just left me outside. I managed to hold it overnight but we were up the next day and I had to go, go, go, go, go, go, go.... Joan left and a bit later, Alyssa (the daugher of Tim, my favorite guy and neighbor), came over and let me out in the yard. She's so sweet. She came over again later on and then, not long after, Joan came home. We went on another strange walk because everytime I squatted, Joan pushed a plastic container under me. She's weird.

BUT then we ended up at the VET! I don't like that place. There was a cat in a box there, and I was panting. Then there was another cat and weird smells. They made me get on this black pad and announced 48.5 lbs. Okay. Then we went into the room. The room with two doors, no windows, a bench (that I got up on), and a silvery high table/countertop (no food on it - nothing on it!). Despite this sparcity, you could HEAR a lot - too much. I heard people outside both doors and I would pace around the room. Then I'd jump on Joan's lap. Then I'd jump up on the bench. Then I'd jump down. Meanwhile, panting, dripping saliva, panting, shaking.

Then a woman came in. She picked me up and put me on the silvery table. She started feeling me everywhere which is like petting so it was okay - sort of - I still had my tail between my legs as I was a bit scared. She looked at my paws which I don't like especially because they are itching me like crazy. She put something in my butt (eeks!!) and then said 100.6 or something like that. Okay. Normal. Okay. All these numbers. She looked at my back paw and said that it was bad - because I have been licking it a lot. Then she left us in there. We were in there forever - like 40 minutes or more. More panting, pacing, jumping, licking, shaking, pacing, listening, whining. Finally, the woman returned and had a long discussion with Joan that pretty much said, they don't know what's wrong based on the examination of my urine that Joan collected on our walk. She gave us pills for my foot and we left (of course paid our big bill!).

I started to feel a bit better - not feeling like I had to go so much. The next day, Joan got a call and they said that I have what's called a "bladder infection" and that the pills I got for my foot will also fix my bladder. Yeah! That was the worst feeling because I know I'm not suppose to go in the house but then you feel like you have to go so you really have to distract yourself so that you don't think about it - especially when Joan is gone and I'm alone in the house.

All I know now is that I'm getting to eat a lot of peanut butter!!!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love the summer. This weekend, unlike last weekend, was summer sunny the whole time. And I got to spend most of it sitting in the backyard watching my territory. Joan did take me to my dog park on Saturday where I went swimming - but the park was flooded again and we couldn't go as far as we usually do. On Sunday, she took me down to the dunes by my house - two men were there with their boat and they had a plate of food so I was very interested in them! Joan tried to keep me from bothering them, but they didn't mind me checking them out. I went in the river down there, too. I just plop in and sit until I feel the urge to run some more. Joan also planted plants in the front and back so I got to watch her do that while overseeing the yard. No squirrels allowed - or cats! The black and white cat came a little too near to the yard and I went crazy barking. (The funny thing is that I like cats when they are in houses but not when they are outside and near my yard.)
This morning Joan and I went on a run which was fabulous, and then she was working on the computer while I again, sat outside in the yard - heaven! UNTIL she rode her bike to work and left me inside. I watched her ride by the front of the house. While she was gone, some woman came up to the door to pick up some things Joan put on the stoop (I barked at her) and the man who drops paper in the metal box outside the door came by, too. I don't bark at him.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Saturday, Joan took me to the dog park. Well, first she went to the coffee shop on the way and I had to wait in the car while she got her food and drink. Then, she let me out and we sat outside at the tables. She ate her food and I waited, waited, waited. There was no lack of people to look at because people kept coming in to the shop, so I'd check them out as they went in or out. Sometimes I would try to get near them so I could sniff their legs - interesting smells.

Then, we finally did go to the park. Once we got in and beyond the initial pack of dogs waiting at the top, I was more comfortable. The park wasn't as muddy as last week and the Mississippi River was flowing VERY high, so we couldn't walk on the shore of the river like we did last week. Joan chatted with this woman who had two very small dogs - one black and one brown. I also ran around with some springer spaniel type dogs - we had some great chasing.

After the park, we did the usual things - some that I like and some that I don't. We had to go through that machine again which sprays water all over the car while we are in it. It scares me and I whine a lot. But, then we went to the store where I can go in and BONUS get treats to eat.

On Sunday, Joan seemed very upset and she was getting sick in the bathroom. That was weird. I've done that sometimes when my stomach gets empty and I vomit on the floor. Actually, Joan doesn't let me in the bathroom except for bathtime - which I don't like - so I would not know to vomit in there if that is the right place. I really wanted to go for a walk but at the same time, I could see that Joan was kinda sick, so I stayed kinda low profile as much as I could. She did take me for a walk but I think she was feeling really bad because she was sick some more when we returned and then she went to bed. I was very sensitive to that and instead of trying to get up on the bed with her, which is what I usually would try for, I just took a nap on my own bed on the floor and let her try to feel better.

This morning she seems OK. She got up really early and immediately started working on her computer (after feeding and letting me out, of course) instead of taking me on a walk - that is not our usual schedule. Again, good thing I've been practicing being patient lately, because I had to be patient some more waiting for her to take me on a walk. We just returned from it - and it is cold outside again! BRRRR. Not like Zero or anything, but with the wind a bit cool on my furry back and wet nose.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Yesterday, Joan took me to the small park near my house around noon. There was no one - no person, no dog - there. And I could only see Joan's eyes because she was completely covered everywhere with clothing. I guess I can understand (a little bit) because it was really cold - like about 0 but with windchill more like -20. That weather doesn't bother me that much since I have a fur coat on - I'm very versatile with weather. And as long as I can run around, I stay warm. I played fetch with Joan and she kept working on "GIVE" to get me to give her the ball so she could throw it again. As much as I like her to chase me, I guess it works well also to GIVE her the ball if she throws it again for me (which she does).

The biggest problem I had at the park is the lack of water. I was thirsty with all my running and the cold weather, but the water in the water bowls there was frozen solid. I kept running over there to check but I kept finding solid ice. That doesn't work for quenching my thirst.

After a while, we left and we saw another man get out of his truck with 2 dogs. Joan said "no one is in there." He said, "I'm not surprised." We couldn't really see what he looked like because he was clothed similarly to Joan - couldn't see anything but his eyes. As we drove away, I saw the two dogs - a lab and a golden retriever - I whined a bit because I bet it would have been fun to play with them! Instead we got to go home, and I got a drink water.

Today is warmer at about 2 when we went for a walk this morning but little wind so we did our longer morning walk which I liked as opposed to the one or two block walk we did when it was really cold -30 windchill. Right now, after I finish this entry, I'm going to lay down on the floor where the sun is streaming in. Even though it is so cold outside, it is suprising how warm the sun can be where it hits the floor or the bed or whatever. Have I told you how much I love the sun???? I love it!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday was an interesting day. Joan slept in...which means she got up to feed me and let me out for bathroom duty but then went back to bed again. When she finally got up, she took me to my dog park. I was very excited and made all sorts of noises - yelping and crying - on the way there. We did our usual walk through the park, except Joan fell down once on some hidden ice. She did not get hurt or anything but she really needs to grow some sharp nails like me so she can dig into the ice or snow as needed. I liked all the dogs I saw and I also even went into the river - I just got my legs wet - which Joan thought was crazy since it was 18 out. I don't mind though; I'm tough.

On the way home, we stopped at the gas station. I waited in the car while Joan pumped stuff into the car. Then we got in a line in front of this big door that goes up and then the cars go into a little room. I was kind of yelping because I wanted to get home to drink some water and check on the squirrel situation in my backyard. Instead, the big door opened and Joan drove in. At first it was okay but squirts of stuff covered our whole car and I couldn't see out the windows anymore which made me a little concerned. THEN, a big noise started and water started spraying against the windows really loudly. I was VERY afraid and climbed into the front seat and tried to lay in Joan's lap - I was so scared. This happened for a bit of time and then I went to the back seat again because it stopped and I could see out again. Joan then drove us out of this little room and we went home. I don't know what was up with that but I'd prefer to not do it again!

When we got home, Joan ate some food and relaxed. Around 3pm, I started bugging Joan to go for a walk again, despite having returned only a few hours earlier from the park. I have a routine - and Joan may decide to violate the schedule - like skipping my morning walk - but that doesn't have any impact, in my opinion, on the rest of the routine - like me liking to go on an afternoon walk sometime between 3:30 and 5:00 PM. She doesn't understand my reasoning because despite my trys at a walk, she decided to brush me. I like being brushed but I kind of protested because I really wanted a walk. At one point, Joan called me "Chewbacca," I think in response to the noises I was making but I don't know what that means.

Then she pulled out some new dog-wear for me, a new collar. My old collar is okay - it is brown leather, but I know (she has told me) that she was shopping for a reflective collar so I'm safer outside and on walks. She wanted to buy a reflective collar from Orvis that also would have my name and phone number on it, but it would cost $40, and she thought that was ridiculous. She ended up buying this one for me on ebay for $5. Doesn't it look cool? I think red is my color.

Then, we finally went on a walk. Finally!!!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This weekend was quite busy! On Saturday we went my park near the MIssissippi which was fun, as usual. However, it was less fun for Joan because the path was generally an ice sheet. I have no problem with it because I have four legs, paws and many nails. But Joan was walking sooo slowly. Sometimes these humans really slow us dogs down.

Later that night, my friends from Iowa - Kaleb, Beth, and Joe came up to visit. I really like Kaleb because he pets me a lot. I visited their house once but they've come up here a few times, too. They left me for a few hours in the house alone while they went somewhere.

The next morning they left early, and then Joan and I went back to bed. Later on Sunday, Miguel came over and I was really loving seeing him. I wanted him to pet me constantly and he wouldn't, though. Then Joan and MIguel left for a couple hours and returned again and I went on a long walk with Joan. There were lots of visitors and I love it!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Joan took me to the park yesterday, and I had a great time there. I liked the dogs there and was running around with them or I was going into the river. Here's a picture Joan took of me - if you look hard you'll see that she caught me with my tongue out of my mouth!! Geez.

The only thing that I did NOT like at the park was at the end, when we were walking back up to the car, three dogs came over to me and then one jumped on my back. I was not at all happy about that. I squirmed down and then the three were over me and I was growling at them at this point. I could tell Joan was mad at the dogs and their people were not very effective in getting their dogs away from me. I ran ahead of Joan and we escaped. Phew.

Later that day, Joan gave me a bone to chew on. :-)
I love bones.

I got to see Chris and Anneke - Joan's friends this weekend. I can tell that Chris has her own dog...I can smell it. Anneke does not have a dog but she took care of me a while back so I like her a lot. I did not jump up on them - Joan is making me be very courteous when people come over.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This morning Joan took me to the dog park where I can run around at my speed. Some woman complimented me, saying she liked my markings! Another woman thought I was a puppy. Ha ha. She was surprised to find out I was almost 5 years old. I am a puppy at heart, though.

I have to tell you something though. I found a dead fish that some dog must have dragged up into the forest from the Mississippi River. Joan was not nearby so I started rolling on it. What fun! Then Joan saw me and yelled at me to stop and go over to her. So I did. And she thought all was fine until we got back to the car and got in. After about 10 seconds, she told me that I stank. That's not very nice. She said I smelled like fish.

Then we got home and I knew something was up when I saw her get some towels and put them in the bathroom and then shampoo then my choke chain on me. I started to hide out. But Joan picked me up and took me into the bathroom. I knew it! She was going to give me a bath. I hate that. I got in the tub myself and I did not escape - I just let her wash me. FOREVER. She washed my neck twice where the fish smell was. And she still doesn't think it is gone but I think she was tired of being in the bathtub with me.

Was it worth it? Rolling on the fish for 5 seconds .... and a bath that takes 30 minutes plus drying off in the house when I'd rather be outside (except it's 30 degrees out - windchill- so Joan won't let me out because it is too cold for a wet dog). I'm really not sure.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have risen to another level in my relationship with Joan. I'll give you a clue:

Yes, Joan has been letting me up on the couch with her when she watches TV or reads students' papers or whatever! I don't know exactly what happened that changed her mind to be so open to me on the couch. Perhaps it is the rising heating costs that she's talked about -- you know, I'm quite the heat generator -- or maybe she just wants a dog to cozy up with!! For whatever reason, I'm pretty happy about it. However, I wish she'd spend more time on the couch so I can sit there with her. Too much of her time is in the kitchen or in her office on the computer - and I don't have cozy couches in those rooms. Now, let me say that this new treat seems to not be available at all times. Though she doesn't say anything, I get the sense that Joan doesn't want me up there when she is not up there, too. That seems weird to me. So if she's home, I'm careful about waiting until I'm invited up there. But as soon as Joan leaves, I get right up on the couch!

However, the other night Joan was in another room, and she came into the living room to find:

woops! I was up on the couch cozy and warm, and she found me. She did not do anything but come over and give me hug. Cool!

So that's that.

Yesterday, Joan and I went to the park where I run around like a maniac. We met another dog with my same name, Bosco. That dog was a brown and white Australian shepherd. I like that type of dog - they don't scare me at all. In any case, that Bosco's owner had treats in his pocket and I could smell them. I kept putting my nose on his pocket and licked his hand. Then, Joan said, 'do you have treats?" She told him how I can smell a treat a mile away - especially in pockets since Tim, my favorite neighbor, feeds me treats out of his pocket. So I've learned that the pocket area of human's clothes are great places to sniff to see if any food is in there. Bosco's owner and Joan talked about how they both don't like the Lake of the Isles dog park as it is has a "dog packs" mentality. I really did not like that park when we went there. I was scared out of my mind, so Joan and I don't ever go there anymore.

Recently, I've seen and smelled a few more dead squirrels. The most recent was a freshly dead (blood was oozing out of him and I could really smell this one) squirrel on the street. I pulled and pulled to go and investigate more closely, but Joan would not let me go into the street. I guess she knows what she is doing but I really wanted to smell that squirrel.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yesterday morning, it was raining and dark. I was still downstairs on my bed when a huge clap of thunder happened. I HATE thunder. My ears go down and my tail goes between my legs and I search for Joan. Luckily I knew where she was - up in her bed. So I ran upstairs and she was expecting me! She let me go up on her bed - yeahhhh! It is so comfy and I like cuddling with her. She was okay with it since I did not lick her but just kind of curled up and snoozed. It was raining and raining and raining. Then we got up and it is a little scary jumping off her tall bed but I did it anyway because I knew we'd go outside.

She put on all this crunchy-sounding clothes and she opened the door and I saw - it was pouring rain. But I don't care about that so much if a walk is involved. So we went on a walk around 2 blocks. When we got back, Joan went into the garage and got a shovel and then we walked back to the front of the house. I thought, great, another walk. Though I was a bit wary of the the shovel so I did not pull or anything. We walked to the corner and then Joan started shoveling leaves out from the street. At that point, I saw that half of the street was like a shallow pool (fun for me to jump in!) but not so fun when a car drives by really fast. As soon as Joan moved the leaves, the water started going really fast into one of those grated holes that I avoid when walking around. At this point, we are both really wet! Joan's crunchy pants were not really crunchy anymore and my fur was wet but I just shake it off.

We went back inside and Joan had to dry me off like when we go to the dog park. Later in the day we went for a long walk around the river and we did not even get rained on! Last night though - more rain again! Not really any thunder though so Joan did not let me sleep with her on the bed.

~Bosco

Posted by Joan Hughes at 8:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joan has been monopolizing the computer the last few weeks. She would go to work and then come home and work on the computer forever! She said she was doing something called a "grant". All I know is that she did not get a lot of sleep because I'd check on her and she'd still be working late in the night and up early, too. That's not the way I like to live. At least she was working at home because she would let me sit outside all evening as long as I wanted. I love it outside - just love it! I finally have a chance to get at the keyboard now that she's done.

We also got to go to the dog park on Saturday night, too. Finally. I haven't been there for 2 weeks I think. It was great because it was so hot out, and I like to swim in the Mississippi River. As is the usual, the park was different again. We haven't had any rain, so the river was really low and we could walk all along the river shore the whole way down the park. There weren't many visitors at the park on Saturday evening - probably because it was 100 degrees out - so the human people didn't want to be out.

On Sunday, Joan kind of slept late (8:30). In the meantime, my stomach was really empty so I had to throw up, but Joan did not hear me do it because the machine that I don't like that blows cool air into the room was on. I'm scared of it. Anyway, Joan found it, though, as she went to get my bowl because I threw up right there. Later, she stepped in another spot that she hadn't seen. Oops, sorry about that!

Hopefully now that the "grant" is done, I will be able to blog more often and hopefully Joan will take me on long walks again and start running with me since it has cooled down a bit.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It has been very hot here lately. Since I'm in a fur coat, I get really hot quickly. Joan is nice to take me to the dog park so I can take a dip in the Mississippi River. However, when it is so hot and humid, Joan stops taking me on her runs which is a bummer for me because I LOVE TO RUN. But, I do know that I would just get overheated. Joan always can tell that if I start trailing behind her, it is a very bad sign, and then we start walking.

Last week, Joan went took me and my food and bed over to Camp Bosco at Martha's house. I was happy to see her and Boli, the orange tabby cat. I gave Boli a kiss. Then Joan left - I saw her drive away and was a bit worried. But then the fun began. Martha and Miguel would take me to the golf course every night and I would RUN really fast. Then I would also go into the pond and then I smelled kind of bad, so they washed me when we got back to the house.

I also met a nice 9-year old boy who was living next door. He really liked me and went to the golf course with us a few times. However, he tried to call me but I always listened to Martha or Miguel, not the boy. I mean, I don't trust him because I barely know him. The boy who lives behind Martha who is about 3 or 4 is still scared of me because I ran him over (by mistake) last year. Miguel threw a stick for me and I just turned and ran after it and the boy was in my path and I mistakenly knocked him over. oops!

On the second morning, when Martha put my food bowl down, Boli tried to eat my food. He went up to it and started licking and eating my wet food - I was stunned and did not know what to do. I just sat there. Then, Martha moved Boli away and then I could go and eat my food up. The funny thing is that (don't tell Joan) Martha and Miguel overfed me big time! It was great! Miguel would feed me two scoops of food in the morning (usually I get 1.25 cups) and then sometimes, Martha would get up later and feed me again. Ha ha! And then I got dinner, too, and treats. Then Joan returned on Friday and I was SOOOO happy to see her! I jumped up and gave her a kiss!

On Saturday, Joan took me to my dog park again so I could get some exercise and cool down. It was fantastic! We spent about 2 hours there and there were so many people and dogs. Look at this photo of the crowd:

While we were there, someone saw a person swimming down the middle of the River. Then, about 5 minutes later, we saw all sorts of fire engines, police, ambulances on the other side of the river that has an access road. Then the St. Paul Police boat came up and down the river - but by that time, the swimmer must have been way down the river. We never heard what happened but it didn't seem like the man swimming was in trouble but maybe he was.

We spent most of our time with Joan throwing sticks into the river and me retrieving them. I would just do it over and over. I would get out, drop the stick, and then look at Joan, wagging my tail. She would say, "More?" Wag wag. And she'd throw it again.

One time, two dogs were both clutching the same stick. They were both growling. Someone near us said, "That is not good." Then all of a sudden, DOG FIGHT! The german shepherd started biting the other dog on its neck. One man jumped into the water and pushed agains the german shepherd (who wasn't even his dog!) to separate the two dogs. The other dog being attacked was his dog. Finally, they got separated. Joan was happy for me because she knows that I would never do that. If someone else growls at me and wants my stick, I just give it to them, no problem. We saw that man, Gus, later and he actually had been bitten by his own dog in that confusion. He showed us one of the wounds on his side - it was bleeding a bit. He didn't even realize it until he was far away from that area.

We told Gus to go look at the downed tree - every time you go to the dog park, it is different. Like last week, we couldn't even make it to the end of the park. This time, a huge oak tree had fallen down so I went out on it to investigate.

When we got home, Joan gave me a bath outside in the front of the house. I did not mind it since it was cool water and this fur is so thick and hot! Plus, then I for sure won't smell like pondwater anymore.

More recently, it has been raining and thundering. I do not like thunder - I have to run to wherever Joan is so that I feel safe when it happens.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In case you are interested in what my seroma looked like after it appeared as a result of my collision with a tree branch, I found this picture that Joan took of me. If you can't tell, the seroma is on the top of my right leg/chest -- so on the left as you look at it.

I'm happy to report that is pretty much gone. I never really paid any attention to it - which is a good thing because Joan was threatening the "cone".

Posted by Joan Hughes at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Be sure to read about my trip to Madison, WI in the next entry, but in here I will share with you my traumatic event this weekend. If the title doesn't already reveal it....

Joan and I went to the dog park on Friday afternoon. Joan thought it would be a great way to start the weekend, though it was a bit cool. We walked through the park on the interior trails, first. We were behind a group that had three dogs - one of which looked like a pit-bull mix and its owner kept calling it back when it got near me. Joan was not pleased because you shouldn't bring dogs that are bad to the park - though it hadn't YET done anything bad. So she veered off and we went through some other trails and I got to this one spot and sat down in a pool of mud and muddy water. Joan said, "Booosco!" But she knew that on the return trip, we'd go along the river and I'd wash myself off and get the smelly mud off of me.

We kept going, and I ran like a maniac as usual. Jumping over trees, through the mud, to the water, and back. We were near the end of the park and I was running through a mud field that is usually not mud. (the water is kind of high). Joan turned to look at me, particularly because I was running through the mud. And then it happened. I was jumping over a log and collided with a branch that was sticking up from it. I fell down on my side and rolled over and was yelping over and over and I wouldn't put my right front leg down. Joan just kept saying, "Oh, bosco, bosco" and she started to get really upset. She thought I broke my leg. Then three dogs heard me yelping and they appeared from nowhere to see if I was okay. Since Joan thought I broke my leg, she went to pick me up, but I squirmed and she put me back down (she was also wondering how she was going to carry me all the way back to the car.) Then she was all muddy!!!

After about a minute, I stopped yelping but I was really hurt. A woman came along and Joan told her what happened. Her dog was one of the dogs that ran over. She said she thought it was a dog fight by how much I was yelping and crying. Joan looked at the branch that was sticking up, and sure enough there was my fur on it!

At this point, I was putting my leg down but limping. We started to walk back to the car. I just walked right next to Joan and limped the whole way. The woman asked if this was my usual self. Ha ha! No! I would never walk this slowly. We went to the river and rinsed off a bit (Joan didn't - she was still muddy all over).

We got home and I just was really sore. Joan was very concerned. I just laid down on my bed and didn't go anywhere. Even when Joan went out the back door, I did not get up. So Joan spent the night petting me pretty much. She did go to bed upstairs.

On Saturday, I went up to her bedroom, albeit slowly. Joan thought this was a good sign, and then I wasn't limping as bad but still somewhat. We walked over to the vet (1 block) and asked them about it. I have an appt on Tuesday, if it looks like I need it then. But I am getting better. Joan saw a red spot under my leg under my fur, and keeps trying to look at it, but I don't like her touching me there and push her hand away. Why does she always need to assess everything like my injuries?

I've been taking it easy - mostly because Joan is making me. The vet assistant said dogs, especially labradors, will ignore their injuries in favor of chasing squirrels etc. So Joan is only taking me on short walks and making me rest. But I'm getting better.

PS - It is May 1 and it is snowing here. This is a strange place, indeed!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got to swim for the first time this season. Joan took lots of pictures - some of which you will see below. Yesterday Joan worked for some of the day and then we went to the dog park, then to Dairy Queen (not for me), and then to Joan's office (not for me), and then back home!!

Today we went for an hour long walk during which it started raining and thundering. I was a bit scared of the thunder, but the rain doesn't bother me at all! But Joan says I'm a bit dog smelly like wet dog right now.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today started for me (and Joan) at 3 AM when I woke her up because I kept shaking my head/flapping my ears/jingling my ID tags. See, I sauntered up to Joan's room, where I have a second bed, but my ears were bothering me so I kept shaking my head. This wakes Joan up. So at 3AM, we had a little one-on-one in the kitchen - and not the kind I wanted. I like it if she goes in the cabinet and gets me a bone or lets me outside. But instead, she started cleaning my ears. This consists of her squirting cold liquid from a bottle into my ear, massaging it around, and then cleaning my ear with a paper towel. As soon as I see that bottle, my tail goes down and I look at her with a sad look. So she cleaned my ears and then went back to bed. She also took off my collar so that my ID tags wouldn't jingle anymore even if I shook my head. In that case, all she hears are my ears flapping.

Since I made Joan get up at 3AM, I let her sleep in a bit. And I was sure rewarded. First, she fed me. Then, we went to the dog park where I got to fetch my purple bone toy over and over again. There were 2 dogs when I got there - a white one and a black one, and I liked both of them. Then later a lighter brown dog joined us and he wasn't so nice. I had to growl at him once, so then Joan and I just played fetch by ourselves, off to the side. Meanwhile the light brown dog got more aggressive with the other two dogs and eventually the white dog was on her back, submissive, and the brown dog kept going at her. Finally, the owner got a clue and left. Phew! I could relax after that. Though, I have to say that is exactly why I prefer to operate on the periphery of dog activity at the dog park.

Most of the rest of the day (besides my afternoon walk with Joan) was spent on the backstoop, sunning myself and overseeing my yard - making sure no squirrels came into it. Oh, and then Tim, the neighbor, saw that I was outside so he came over and had a few treats for me! He is so nice to me!

This evening I was sleeping on my bed while Joan folded laundry etc. All that overseeing the yard really tires me out!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was awesome! It snowed last night and this morning we got to go on a walk around the neighborhood. I just love the snow. As Joan plodded along the non-shoveled sidewalks, I would plunge my head into the snow, wiggle my head right and left, and then emerge with a snow-crusted nose. I was bouncing around happy happy happy!

Later, Joan left but then she returned and I could tell we were not going to go on our usual evening walk, but go somewhere - perhaps the dog park. I knew this because she brought up the sheet from the dryer that covers the backseat of the car. And then, I really really know we are not walking when she gets the leash but does not put the gentle leader harness on my nose! What great excitement. I jump up and down by the door because I'm so excited. I also sometimes jump on Joan, especially if she is doing other things like drinking a glass of water or eating some food. She's so into her own needs - what about mine?! I need to gooooo.....

So go we went - we drove over to this golf course across the river. Lots of people were there sledding on a great hill but Joan brought her skis. I guess she vowed the next time there was snow, no matter what, she would go. So we went....

Ha ha. That is a joke! This is skijoring and I know this dog looks a lot like me, but it is not me nor Joan. However, Joan thinks that maybe I would be a good skijoring dog as long as we have plenty of time for stopping. There was a guy at the golf course whose dog was attached to him much like this - skijoring along. I started to look at them, considering whether I should go and say hi, but then the man told his dog to keep going, so I just stuck with Joan. There also was another dog who was running around with his human. We played a bit, running around like maniacs but then his human man wanted to go so Joan and I headed off on our own.

Here is the real picture of me out there having a great time. I know it doesn't really do justice because when Joan stops, so do I usually. Well, I'm super tired now and just want to take a nap on my bed, so it's to sleep for me.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't think I emphasized enough how much I hate getting my nails cut. I become a gymnast, contortionist, wiggly body, whiny dog, mean, growly dog - anything I can to avoid getting my nails cut. In fact, Joan did it again today and managed to cut 4 nails on my back foot but when she tried to do the other foot, I just tried my hardest to pull my foot away as I felt that metal cutter clink my toenail. She did one toe on the front and then gave up, and I had treats and a walk. Cool. I saw half of a dead squirrel on our walk. It was just the bottom half, including tail, left. Too bad for that guy. ha ha. ;-)
This morning Joan took me to the dog park. She was SOOOO slow walking. I guess the ground was pretty much a sheet of ice so she had to hold on to the fence and walk carefully. Why are humans so slow? I had no problem running around with or without ice. However, if Joan keeps cutting my toenails I might get to the point of not being able to grip like I like!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 7:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. Joan did her thing of packing up a suitcase and leaving me for another week. I hate it when she does that! And she had already left a week before that. Everytime I see that suitcase filled with stuff, I sniff it and realize she is going to leave me for a while. Then I start following her around endlessly because really, I would like to go with her. But alas, last week, I saw the suitcase. She was leaving so Joan took me with her but all we did was go to the post office. But then we came back home and she left with that suitcase out the front door. I was up on the couch instantly watching her walk away from the house. Oh, please don't go!!

But then a few hours later, I was saved when Roberta came over to stay with me. The problem is I miss Joan so much that I bug Roberta quite a bit. I always want her to pet me and nudge her. (Over Christmas I spilled a glass of wine on Roberta when I jumped up on her lap. She was NOT happy with me and neither was Joan!) Joan said if I keep acting like that, no one will want to stay with me and I'll have to go to a kennel - and I remember that bad place from when my former owners abandoned me to it. Actually, it was okay, but I was just scared and lonely so I would just curl into a ball in my kennel.

Yesterday I got to go to the local dog park to play fetch with Joan with my favorite purple plastic dog bone/bar bell toy. Twice I had to get kind of angry with other dogs. They were both small dogs that yipp a lot. I do not like them, so I had to growl and make scary sounds. Those other dog owners did not like me doing that, so Joan said we had to go. But I was fetching my ball just great when those little dogs did not bug me. And, I even was returning the ball to Joan because there was another dog who kept stealing my ball from me. So if I got a hold of it, I brought it directly back to Joan instead of just dropping it - b/c the other dog would steal it then.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

What a great day. Joan came home early enough to take me to the dog park! Actually, she had an ulterior motive that also made me happy - she bought dog food for me and dog treats. I guess she was down to a cup or two of food and the place she buys my food is near the dog park, so she couldn't go that direction without bringing me along! Lucky for me.

I am running a lot and farther away from her at the park. I always keep an eye on her, but I just love to run big circles through the forest and up trees - I know you've seen pictures of me at the park already.

Well, I'll go back to napping on my bed...

Posted by Joan Hughes at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I love visitors. Joan had her parents here for the last few days. Joan showed them the dog park where I was having fun climbing trees. (See the picture.) I was showing off by not only climbing the tree but jumping off the tree from the middle - just about where I am in the photo. Anyway, now I guess I can rest because they left now. It was great to have people around all the time at home to pet me and let me out and give me treats. I was getting concerned when the suitcases came out today, but lucky for me Joan stayed. Phew!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I just love going to the dog park near Minnehaha park! You can see below that I am also very adept at climbing trees and swimming (I'm all wet). I was fetching sticks from the river and running around with a new dog friend I made, Bailey - you can see him just below me - he is a black lab mix. I had the grandest time down there and it always better to go there with a dog friend than alone. I don't always trust those other dogs - sometimes they come after me too aggressively and then I have to growl or bark at them because I'm still pretty shy. It was a fantastic day!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)