Snow? I don't see any snow!

Yesterday Mommy came home early because she said it was going to snow. I was so happy to be with her, and I was really excited to have someone at home to play with! She immediately let me out of the back door. It felt so good! It was so chilly, and I decided I wanted to stay out and run around in my yard for awhile. Mommy kept trying to get me back in the door because she said it was starting to snow really hard. I didn't see any snow! I didn't feel any snow! I just wanted to play outside.

Mommy kept trying to get me to come in, but I was having so much fun. I wanted her to throw my ball so that we could play catch. I wanted her to play chase with me. I wanted her to come out and play tug-of-war with my rope. But, NO! She kept saying it was snowing too hard. She said it was too cold. She even said I was beginning to turn white! Do I look white to you?????

Well, this morning when we woke up there WAS snow! I had so much fun playing in it! I think it is so much fun to eat (I really did eat alot of it!) and I love to roll in it and bounce in it. No matter how much I played, the grass never showed up. Just snow, snow and more snow.

I did figure out a couple of things, though. First, you have to be really careful on a wood deck when it is covered in snow. Everytime I bounced up the stairs and ran across the deck I ended up sliding into the glass door. And the other thing I learned is that you only eat white snow.

I hope Mommy will grow some fur like me so that she will have more fun on snow days! She didn't even take me on a walk the last two days! (Do I need to report her to someone????)

Have fun in the snow! If you want to play outside, come on over!

Bishop, the Poster Pup

I have been very busy with Ms. Elaine lately starring as the "Poster Pup" for Wilderwood when she has gone to different civic clubs to speak. Today, however, was a little tough for me. First of all, my Mommy had to go to Nashville last night, so I had to meet Ms. Elaine at Starbucks. My foster daddy took me there, where he was having an early morning meeting. I was glad to see Ms. Elaine and go with her for the second time. I guess I was so precious the first time that she chose me to go again.

Well, as I said before, this one was a little tough for me. First of all, I had a little gas. (Okay, I had a LOT of gas. ) While Ms. Elaine's friend was speaking to the people in the audience I sort of let a little whiff escape. (Okay. It was a little bigger than a "little") Ms. Elaine thought that maybe I needed to excuse myself to the outdoors and took me for a nice walk. I'm not the best at making significant deposits on the grass while attached to a leash, so I decided to "hold it" and we went back inside. That's when another little whiff escaped. (Okay! Okay! This one wasn't little, either!) Ms. Elaine decided I needed another walk (hey....this is getting to be fun!) so we walked and walked but I just have a little problem doing the poopy thing when someone is standing right there, attached to the other end of the leash! I decided I could hold it a little longer and we went back in. Maybe going back in was not in my best interest, however, because that's when I got tea spilt all over me - twice! Now I am stinky AND sticky.

That's when one of the ladies asked if I could be "seen"...and sweet Ms. Elaine let me off my leash for the "meet and greet" portion of my visit. However....as I was running around making friends and being really cute my body suddenly realized I was no longer on a leash and...

Let's just say I left something on the floor, but it WASN'T a good impression.

Poor Ms. Elaine had a few apologies to make, as well as a little mess to clean up. (Okay! It wasn't little! Why do I have to keep admitting these things!).

It was a fun trip though, and I had so much fun at Ms. Elaine's house as I waited for my mommy to come home. Mommy said I couldn't add a picture to this post. I wanted to show you what I "did", but she poo-poohed that idea. Sorry!

Soccer time!

Tonight I went to my very first indoor soccer game! Wow! That is one wild game! The ball was flying all over the floor and everyone was kicking and yelling and pushing and jumping. It was my kind of game! Except that nobody invited me to play.
But Gavin was there and he was willing to share his ball with me. It's a little big for my mouth, so the best I could do was push it around with my nose. A couple of times, when I couldn't stop fast enough, I just rolled right over the top of it. We played so hard that we had to take a Gatoraide break!
One of the best parts of this outing was the floor around the concession stand. There was all kinds of food crumbs, and I got my very first taste of gum. Mommy made me spit it out, though. She doesn't like for me to eat off the floor. She doesn't want me chewing gum either.
I got a lot of attention from everyone...but still didn't get any invitations to play ball with them. Maybe next time? By the way...do they make doggie shin guards?

Road Trip!

Today I went on my first real road trip with Mommy and Daddy to Nashville. This is a picture of me all stretched out in the back seat of the car. I laid down the minute they put me in the car and gave me my blue blanket, and there I stayed the rest of the trip.

We went to see Bonni and Drew's new house. Wow! Wood floors are fun to run on...and slide on! While everyone went out to eat I was left with my foster cousins Max (the aged Scotty) and Zoe (the wild Min Pin). We decided to play the copy cat game....I'll poop here...you poop there. I'll pee here...you pee there. No one like the game except us. (Actually it was pouring rain outside, so it was as much as a necessity as it was a game). The fun part was that I got to sleep in the room with Mommy for the first time. She thought I would keep her awake, but I surprised her by sleeping at the foot of the bed all night long...never once even trying to get in bed with her! (I thought this good behavior might get me a place at night in the room with them at home, but that was a big NO.)

Once again, I slept all the way home on my little blue blanket! My foster parents are so proud of me! I hope I get to travel with them again soon!

At the Office

Today Mommy took me to her office after I had gone with Ms. Elaine to Athens to be the "poster dog" for Wilderwood. In case I look a little sticky in the photo, I just want you to know that it was NOT my fault that some lady spilled her tea on me...not once, but twice...while I was trying to be a good dog for Ms. Elaine. Other than that, it was one fun trip!

But back to Mommy's office. Her intention was to have me sleep under her desk while she worked...which I did. (I was pretty tired after working so hard to be good with Ms. Elaine!) But once Mommy left the office for a minute I took no time in hopping up in her chair to see what she was giving all her attention to. First of all, let me say that my Mom's desk is quite a mess. She has some very interesting things amid all the clutter, though. First of all, there was a picture screen on her computer with Gavin and me on it. Pretty cool. The computer was attached to a "mouse"....which I assume is dead since it never moved and was already stiff and cold. My great find, however, was a peppermint! The wrapper wasn't so good, but the candy inside was great.

The only problem I encountered was that everytime I tried to reach for something, her chair would swivel and I would almost fall out! I don't know why she would continue to use a chair that won't stay still! When Mommy came back I sorta got in trouble for getting in her chair, but mostly I think she was just mad because I ate her last peppermint! (She did say my breath was MUCH better. Maybe I'll get another peppermint soon!)

The Tooth Fairy

Yesterday Mommy became concerned because I wasn't eating my food or chewing on my chewbones. She thought I might be a little sick, but actually my mouth was having trouble chewing on anything hard because my teeth are falling out! In fact, yesterday FOUR teeth fell out! Mommy finally figured it out when she started finding teeth in the floor

("Here's your sign", Mommy!)

Gavin was with us spending the night and he was very concerned that my baby teeth were falling out. Mommy tried to explain to him that it was perfectly normal, and that when he is five or six, his baby teeth will fall out, too! Then she opened my mouth and let him see the places where my teeth had once been! Gavin was NOT impressed. He said he was NOT going to lose HIS baby teeth when he got older. He said, instead, he is going to lose his baby toes...and then big ones could grow back.
This was all very hard for me to understand until Mommy explained about putting my teeth under my pillow for theTooth Fairy! Well, who needs to understand? Just bring on the toothfairy!
Last night I left my teeth under my pillow (well, not exactly. I left them under my mouse since I don't have a pillow of my own) and this morning the Tooth Fairy had left me a.....hotdog! Yes, a nice, soft-to-eat hotdog. Life is good. (So are hotdogs!)
There is no picture today. I don't want to smile with my teeth missing.

Where is Mr. Mouse?

Today has been a very fun day because my Mommy and Daddy were stuck at home due to the weather and couldn't go to work! That means I was free to roam the house all day long and play with my family. Mommy was bragging to daddy yesterday about how well I had been accepting my boundaries and being such a very sweet dog. Unfortunately they walked into their bedroom about that time to see that I had discovered their nice, cozy bed. After all...if it is good enough for them, it's good enough for me. When they walked in, I was in the bed with my head on Mommy's pillow and her sock in my mouth. From their response, I don't think that their bed is within my boundaries.

I did, however, really like that bed, so today I tried many times to get back in it for a nap. Let's just say that they do not share very well.

Needless to say, me and my Mr. Mouse had to find other places to sleep. Mr. Mouse has become my very best friend. He was Molly's Mouse at first, but once I chewed his nose off, she wasn't quite as fond of him. Because I am a very "accepting of anyone" dog, I took him in as my own special friend, and we aren't seperated much. I have quit chewing on him and prefer to just use him as my snuggle toy. He's always close by...and as you can see, my Mommy has her camera on me and Mr. Mouse snapping shots every time I close my eyes.

Which, by the way, it is time to do for the night! Come on, Mr. Mouse. It's time to go to bed!

Oh, NO! Not again!

Today I had a very big scare! Mommy took me on a little outing to a new place. We arrived at Dr. Collin's office and everyone just loved me! The receptionist thought I was really cute, as did all the other patients in the waiting room. When they called my mommy's name I went with her down the hallway, catching the eyes of all the nurses. Gosh, they really thought I was the cutest thing they had ever seen! I still wasn't sure what we were doing at this place, but with that kind of attention, who cares!

Mommy then had to do something called "weigh in", and stepped on the scales. Poor mommy. It must have been very, very painful because she moaned very loudly, looked quite upset, and was mumbling about the food she ate over the holidays. (I thought she had liked the food! She sure ate a lot of it!)

We went on down the hall and was led into a room, and that is where I saw it! A metal table with paper on it. Terrible thoughts and flashbacks came to my head...memories of very, very bad things happening to me when I have been on a table just like that. I am sorry to say that I absolutely went crazy! I tried to escape! I jumped. I pulled. I cried. But mommy made me stay. I was so upset. No one had explained to me that MOMMY was the patient. I thought it was me again!

I was so upset at mommy that when the doctor came in I let a giant "whiff" escape from my behind side, embarrassing mommy really bad. You should have seen her trying to make the doctor believe it wasn't her! I don't think he believed her, though!

I was very thankful that the Tetinus shot went in HER, not ME! And I was very thankful that I got out of there with everything I went in with...unlike the last time I went to a doctor's office!

Although I thought mommy hated being weighed, she has now gone and bought some scales for our house. Tonight she weighed me! I am a 35.2 lb puppy! And I am only 4 1/2 months old!

Play Ball!!!!

After several practice sessions I have finally mastered the art of playing ball! Mommy bought me a cute little ball with bones on it (one I could easily distinguish from the balls that are "no no's" and belong to Gavin). At first I just watched Mommy throw the ball....then eventually she would go get it and bring it back. I could not figure out why she would throw it away if she wanted it back so badly! Silly girl!


I finally got tired of watching this crazy routine of hers, so I started going to the ball and laying down by it. She would come and point at it, pick it up and try to put it in my mouth, or say things like "get it"...Quite frankly, I didn't want it. She was the one who kept throwing it, so she can be the one to chase after it and haul it back.


But she just kept doing it over and over, day after day, and finally I thought that if I would just grab it and run around with it in my mouth it would discourage her from throwing it. Instead she kept trying to get me to bring it to her, trying to bribe me with all sorts of things...bones, treats, bacon. She is one desperate person to get that ball back.


Finally Gavin came over and threw the ball across the room today. I really like Gavin and wanted him to have his ball back, so I ran after it and brought it back to him. That was such a simple, kind thing to do, but all of a sudden everyone was praising me, giving me treats, and hugging my neck. So when Gavin threw the ball again, I went and got it again! Same thing happened. Hugs! Praise! Attention! Treats! Well, whatever gets you the attention works for me! Now I run and get that ball as soon as it is thrown. In fact, I went and got a toy cooking pan that Molly threw across the room and brought it back. And I ran to get a plastic banana...and a toy hotdog bun...and Molly's pacifier! This is fun stuff! Maybe I am not a bouvier after all. I think I just might be a soft, curly, clumsy retriever....in black!


After teaching me this fun game, I gave Gavin the biggest lick on his cheek. He thinks it is pretty funny when I kiss him. (Actually, I was just licking the popsicle off of his face, but don't tell anyone!)