Road Trip!

Greetings, furiends! Sorry I've been incommunicado for a week, but I was on my first road trip!
We drove down to northern Virginia to see my human grandparents and godparents. I handled the drive and temporary digs like a seasoned pro, if I may say so myself.

The trip down took almost 6 hours (it's normally about 4 and-a-half) 'cuz we hit lots of pockets of traffic. My human was getting a little nervous since we had only made one potty stop, but she had nothing to fear. I was a little excited since my usual car spot is on the floormat of the 2nd row, and this time I was in the very back with Girl Twin...I've never seen stuff whiz by the window before!

It took me a long time to settle down on my bed but I finally did, and even snuck in a few cat naps along the way.

But I was pretty happy when we finally arrived at our destination. My human godparents (or is that 'dogparents'?!) wondered how I'd behave in their home, but I was fine. Not a single accident in 4 days and only a little "innappropriate chewing" (hey, I'm only 6 months old, I'm still entitled). Besides, their indoor plants really did need some trimming. And the kids' foam puzzle pieces looked a lot better with little teeth marks on them.

Anyhoo, everyone was pretty impressed with how quickly I made myself at home and was fairly content to just hang out at people's feet, gnawing on my new bone. It was a good one! It had marrow in the middle that took me a looooooong time to get to. Here it is in the car with me:

But the best part of the trip was the sleeping arrangements: I got to sleep in the guestroom with my humans and Little Boy! I'm used to sleeping on my own, in my crate in the kitchen, so this was a real treat! I mostly slept on the blow-up bed on the floor, over Little Boy's feet. That stinker does aerobics in his sleep, so I would spend part of the night under my humans' bed and even occasionally slept on my own bed. But I was quiet and didn't try to wake anybody up, so my human was very pleased with me. Now that she knows how well behaved I am at night, she feels a little bad that she doesn't let me sleep in their bedroom, but she has to let the kitties have some place to call their own, since I effectively upended their world when I arrived. I get that.

During our stay, we went to a park where I saw my first real duck and geese! I was so excited, I wanted to jump into that lake and chase after them, but alas that was against the rules. So I contented myself with practicing my tolling (cavorting on the shoreline to arouse the waterfowl's curiosity and draw them in). It worked, too!

My godmom/dogmom was so happy to spend time with me, 'cuz she really misses her dog Nicky. Nicky crossed the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago and my goddad/dogdad isn't sure he wants to get another doggy. I stayed with her and the little kids while my human took the big kids to play miniature golf, and I didn't even miss my human (sorry, Mom!). Look how much my godmom loves me!

So today we returned to New York. I knew the drill and settled in right away. To pass the time, I read the Kong Stuffing can to ensure there were no preservatives or artificial ingredients. Then I convinced Girl Twin to slip me some while my human was distracted by traffic:

Getting sleepy......................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'll leave you with some "live action" of the trip home courtesy of Girl Twin.

Meet Girl Twin, My Human Sister

Since I've introduced you all to my feline siblings, it's time for you to meet my furless ones.

I'll start with Girl Twin, 'cuz I think she loves me the best! She's 10 years old. She plays with me, takes me on walks, does training sessions, bakes me doggy biscuits, chooses my bandanas and even goes on pooper-scooper patrol without being asked! Now, if that's not love, I don't know what is! Did I mention she likes to sneak me treats when my human isn't looking? She makes drawings of me, takes pictures of me (many of which appear on my blog), and has even composed a song about me. We're working on the keyboard accompaniment which isn't quite blog-ready, but stay tuned.

Girl Twin loves all animals, especially dogs. When she was really little, my human got her baby dolls to play with, but she ignored them in favor of her stuffed animals. She wants to have 4 dogs when she grows up and has even picked out names for them: a Kuvasz named Biggie (inspired by the one with a blog!), an Akita named Indiana, an Alaskan Malamute named Dakota and a Doberman named Butch.

This is a science project she did with a friend, about dog breeds. Check out which breed is representing the Sporting Group!

I love to swim with Girl Twin. Even when there's nothing to retrieve, I'll paddle out to her just to do laps with her. She swims on a swim team. Too bad there's no doggy paddle event, I'd be a top contender! Enjoy this clip of the two of us in the pool. I'll tell you about my human brothers another time.

Wordless Wednesday

OK, I'm adding some words here but just in case any of you want your very own cartoon, too! Brutus got his cartoon done by Lili, and when I saw how cute it was, I just had to get one for myself! What do you all think, is it me or what?! Thank you, Lili, you are amazing!

Meet My Feline Siblings

Since one of them recently had a birthday, I thought this would be a good time to introduce my doggy blog friends to my siblings of the meow-variety. I have a love-hate relationship with them...I LOOOOOOOOOOVE them, one of them hates me and the other is more-or-less indifferent.




This is Yquem (pronounced "ee-KEM"). She was the first baby in my humans' family, fur- or otherwise. She is a Chartreux and is 13 years old. She is the mellow one and will come up to the gate to check me out (I'm still banished to the kitchen/playroom until I'm old enough to not chew the furniture). But our occasional face-to-face meetings haven't gone so well, since I'm a little, ahem, "enthusiastic". I just want to play, and she's a bit of a diva. My human says she has the softest fur ever. In fact, in the 18th century, the pelts of "the blue cat of France" were prized by furriers--eek! Good thing my sister didn't live back in those times!






My other sibling is Poki, who just turned 12. He's a Tonkinese and is terrified by me. He will not come up to the gate to say hi and high-tails it whenever he catches a glimpse of me. The last time our human brought him over to the gate so we could sniff each other, he hissed at me and left nasty scratch marks on her legs in his hurry to get away (not on purpose). I'm so sad 'cuz I know we'd be great buddies if he'd just give me a chance. Oh well. My human says he's very smart (he figured out how to open a closed door in their old apartment) and very agile (don't ask how he ended up on the top of the door below). He was also a certified therapy cat for 2 years & visited nursing home residents and handicapped kids.

Hope you enjoyed getting to know the cool kitties I share my house with! Do any of you have a feline sibling or two?

I Busted Out!

I'm back, guys...it took me a while to tunnel my way out of puppy jail. Thanks for the various offers to spring me! If you wanna know why I was in puppy jail, check out Twix's comment (we're naughty girls!).

It's a good thing I escaped, 'cuz otherwise I would've missed this lovely new award from my pal Sugar; thanks, Shug!

We're supposed to list 7 reasons why we're "awe-summmm!!!"

Here goes:

1. I stick my entire head underwater to retrieve stuff on the pool steps.

2. I can pop up from under the table, snatch whatever's in reach and run away before anyone's the wiser.

3. I finally gave up fighting my bandanas and now I wear them with pride!

4. I am always happy to meet new doggies and new people.

5. I rarely bark and when I do, it's for a good reason.

6. I let my human clip my nails without fussing.

7. The best doggies on the Internet are my pals!

I have tagged all my regular buddies recently so I will take a "pawz" before sending this one on.

Wordless Wednesday - Puppy Jail

I Am a S.T.A.R.!

The last day of my puppy kindergarten class, we got "tested" to see if we could earn the AKC's S.T.A.R. puppy award, and I passed! I just got my certificate and medal (ahem) in the mail.

So what is a S.T.A.R. puppy? It stands for Socialization, Training, Activity, Responsibility.

To pass, I had to do things like letting a stranger pet me, walk nicely on lead, sit, down, recall, stay with a stranger while my human walked away, not freak out at a loud noise, not be aggressive toward the other puppies/humans, allow a treat to be taken away, allow my human to hug me (yeah, that one was really tough!). Then my human had to show proof of vet care & ID, describe my daily exercise regimen, attend at least 6 puppy classes, and bring plastic bags to class to clean up any messes (I was insulted by this one since I stopped pooping indoors a loooong time ago).

7 Things About Me

My good pal Bijou sent me this cool Kreativ Blogger award:

Mercy buckets, Bijou!
The rules for this award are:

• Give thanks and link back to the one who sent you the award.
• Post the logo on your blog.
• List seven things about yourself that others might find interesting.
• Pass the award on to seven other kreativ bloggers.

1. I had to be resuscitated when I was born; if I was a boy, my name could've been Lazarus!

2. I'm nuts about blueberries.

3. I go into a frenzy when my human dad greets me in the morning; he likes to get me all riled up.

4. I can hear a squeaky toy from a mile away.

5. I'm still battling my wonky ears; maybe the third time's the charm?

6. I have the softest patch of fur down my back, just like my father Rudy.

7. I am a very elegant swimmer and don't splash when I paddle.

I'm passing this award on to Bell, Woodrow, Sweetie & MJ, Sienna, Bella, Vincent & Adele, and my new friends Ginger Jasper, Ruby and Meggi. Hope to learn some new & interesting tidbits about all of you!

Saturday Means...

...the Farmers Market! We are lucky to have several where I live. I love going to them for the sights & smells, but mostly for the social scene. Lots of humans bring their doggies along to the market.

Three in a row here!

This little Doxie was so friendly.

My human ran into a friend of hers, who had her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in tow. His name is Truman and I think we're having a puppy playdate soon!

I made friends with this apricot poodle too.

Little Boy ate almost an entire pint of raspberries by himself...I only got a taste! Selfish kid!!

These lavender plants smelled divine.

I even got a doggy biscuit from a nice vendor, but I scarfed it down too quickly for my human to take a pic! D'oh! More scenes...

So here's what we ended up with at home. Note that Little Boy saved a single raspberry for Boy Twin, who returns home from camp today. What a welcome home treat, huh?! Sheesh!!

Some Finger Lakes (upstate NY) wine, fudge, bread, tomatoes, Hudson Valley cheese and full sour pickles. Oh, and the mostly eaten raspberries. Ready for the grand total? $70!! OMD! My human says she wishes she could buy more stuff at the farmers markets but she'd end up broke. I don't know where I'd have to take her to get repaired, so she better keep resisting temptation the next time we go!

Goin' Quackers

As a Duck Tolling Retriever, it's my duty to point out that Donald Duck celebrated his 75th birthday last month. Happy Birthday, Donald!

Donald was/is my human's all-time favorite Disney character. She told me about meeting him at the original Disneyland in California when she was 5 and being so star-struck she couldn't say a word. Since the person in the suit--I mean, Donald--didn't speak either, they just sort of stood there staring at each other for a few minutes, until it got really awkward and my human was compelled to walk away.

So it was destiny that she got ME!

I would love to get out there and toll some real ducks, but until then, I'm practicing at home.

Strange, though...this one squeaks instead of quacks.

Water Baby

We have finally been able to enjoy the pool after the monsoons of June!

I am getting really good at swimming now and my human doesn't feel like she'll have to jump in to rescue me anymore, if I swim more than one lap.

I am *thisclose* to jumping off the deck...on the low side! That side with the 5 foot drop is still too scary.

I almost gave a Toller Scream when I got so frustrated at the deck's edge...my Family thought it was pretty funny but I didn't!!

I just learned to jump in & climb out of the attached jacuzzi. That' with bubbles off, please!

I love ending pool time with a good game of Bite the Water.

Proud To Be An American

...by way of Canada, that is! Being a melting pot nation is one of the many things that make this country great.


Did you know that only a handful of dog breeds can claim to be all-American, among them:















the Boston Terrier


















the Alaskan Malamute

and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever?

My human's parents are visiting us for the holiday weekend and her mom made me some new bandanas.

Here is my patriotic one in honor of today.

Today, we're having lots of friends over for a cookout around the pool. Swimming and eating, possibly my two most favorite things in the world! Hope your holiday plans include something fun, too!

Happy Independence Day, everyone!