Wow! Where has the time gone?

In my last post I was really excited about Christmas. Now Christmas has come and gone for another year and it went really fast!

So much has happened in my life and the lives of my human family that it seems like time has just sped by!

I was so happy when Safire's master, Brittany, and her boyfriend Chad came home from college. They are so nice to me, Safire and Sammy and I love them so much! Just like the rest of my human family, they play with me, pet me, and even give me toys. I like to be really, really good so that I make them happy. Sometimes they even take me for long walks, which is the best!

Best of all, my master Chris came home from medical school for the holidays and he stayed with me for a very long time. I got to sleep with him and everything! He says he can tell that I'm getting older because he can see that my hips hurt when I run too much. It doesn't seem to hurt when I run in the back yard while I'm playing with Chris, but it hurts at night when I try to lie down and go to sleep. But it doesn't stop me from falling asleep and dreaming about how much I love my family.

Mommy and Daddy and the whole family left Safire, Sammy and me alone for what seemed like a long time over the holidays. They told us that they went to a far away place called Florida to watch Chad play football. But it was okay because Aunt Wendy and Uncle Merle (that's the humans that live next door) took good care of Safire, Sammy and me. They fed us, gave us treats, and let us outside to play. They are so nice to us and I love them so much. Aunt Wendy always gives us nice toys and lots of really cool treats. We try to behave really well so that we are no trouble to them. I don't think Mommy and Daddy know it, but sometimes we go out of our yard and scratch on Aunt Wendy's door until she comes out and gives us a treat. I hope we don't get inito trouble if Mommy and Daddy ever find out. I don't understand human talk really well, but sometimes I think that Aunt Wendy tells Mommy about us coming over and Mommy just laughs. So I guess we're not in too much trouble.

A very nice Dalmation named Liberty Belle posted on my blog. She says that she has set up her own blog too! I am anxious to see it and I hope that other people visit it too! Liberty (is it okay if I call you that?) I will post a message on your blog and I hope we can keep in touch.

Well, it's almost time for bed and I'm getting really, really sleepy. I hope I have good dreams ....

It's Almost Christmas!

Everybody is so excited around our house! Mommy says that Santa Claws will soon be here. I like that time of year because Safire, Sammy and I always get treats and toys. I know that Christmas is almost here because Mommy and Daddy have started taking pictures of me, Safire, and Sammy and she makes us wear costumes. Last year they took this picture:

It's fun to take the pictures but Sammy always makes it take longer because he won't stay still. Then Mommy gives us treats to try and get his attention but he doesn't like treats the way that Safire and I do. I guess Dachshunds aren't as hungry as Labs. Sammy DOES like carrots though. That gets his attention. Mommy lets me and Safire get our own carrots out of the refrigerator. She puts them on a shelf that we can reach so that whenever anyone opens the refrigerator door we can reach in and get them. I like carrots too!

I think we are going to be taking more pictures tonight so I'd better take a nap. I'll report back after the next picture session ....

I Miss Mommy and Daddy

I miss Mommy and Daddy so bad! They left home a few days ago and I haven’t seen them since. Stephanie says that they are on vacation. I don’t know what that means, I just know that I am sad when I don’t see them for awhile.

I have spent most of the time since Mommy and Daddy left sleeping and dreaming about the toys I’m going to show them when they come home. Stephanie says they will be home soon and I hope she’s right. Stephanie has been taking care of me, Safire (my Black Lab sibling) and Sammy (my Red Dachshund sibling) while Mommy and Daddy have been gone, but she has to work a lot and I get lonely when we’re alone. I know that my human masters always come back, but it just seems like such a long time when they’re gone. I like when humans say things to me and treat me nicely. I like when they call me a good boy. It makes me want to please them even more.

Today a man and lady came to my house and they are staying here with me, Safire, and Sammy while Mommy, Daddy, and Stephanie are gone. They have two dogs of their own that are staying here too. One dog’s name is Jasper and he is a long-haired Dachshund. He plays with me a little bit but he barks a lot. The other one’s name is Precious and he is a Chihuahua. He is really tiny and he doesn’t like Sammy. I think he’s afraid that Sammy will hurt him. They bark at each other a lot. I think they are going to be staying at my house until my masters come back. They are nice to us, they feed us, and they let us go outside a lot. I like that. They call me a good boy and that makes me miss Mommy even more. I love Mommy so much and I don’t like it when I don’t get to see her. I hope she comes back real soon. I’m going to take a nap and wait for her ….

Lucky Boy

Today was a very special day for me. I am so happy! This morning Stephanie, my master Chris's sister who lives here at home with me, played ball with me! BUT, this time she made it even more fun. She threw the ball a few times so that I could run and fetch it. I brought it back to her like I always do. I was a little naughty, though, and I kept dropping the ball at her feet instead of putting it in her hand. She finally got tired of that and wouldn't play until I put the ball in her hand when I brought it back. Then came the fun part! She started hiding the ball and she thought I wouldn't be able to find it. But my good nose and keen sense of smell came through every time. We must have played for 30 minutes or so. It was so much fun!

Next she gave me, Safire, and Sammy some carrots as a treat. They were small carrots, so I couldn't get them out ofr the refrigerator like I usually do. But that was okay because the carrots were really good! I feel very special and very lucky when I get carrots as a treat. They don't upset my stomach like some dog treats do. I still like to drink a lot of water after I eat any treat. Mommy doesn't like the way I splash water on the floor when I drink, so she puts my water bowl on a towel to soak up the water. I try really hard not to splash, but I just can't seem to not make a mess. Mommy doesn't get really upset. She just laughs.

I'm tired and sore from running today. It hurts when I get up after I've been laying down for awhile. I guess I just have to get used to the fact that I'm getting older. I'm not sad, though, because Mommy still kisses me and hugs me when she gets home. I'm going to sleep now. I'm so tired ....

I Got My Computer Back

Daddy and Mommy went on a trip and I didn't have a computer to use for that whole time. I'm glad that they're back and I'm glad that I can use the computer today. I miss them when they're gone. I wonder if they think about me? I think they do because they are so excited to see me when they get home. Stephanie, my master Chris's sister, has a computer here but I don't know the password for it so I can't use it. So now I can finally update everyone on what's happening in my life!

Brittany, who is my master Chris's sister, lives in Michigan because she goes to school at the University of Michigan. She sent me a message yesterday saying that my sister Ella (a young Yellow Lab) may be coming home to live with us again! She came to us originally when she was 12 weeks old. She was brought here by Stephanie's boyfriend as a gift to her. But then they broke up and he took Ella away. I was really sad but Mommy and Daddy told me that it would be alright. Ella was really playful and sometimes she was too rough with me. She would bite too hard and I had to growl at her to make her stop. I don't like to growl but sometimes it is necessary. Anyway, she is really pretty and she was just starting to learn some things from me and Safire (my Black Lab sibling) when she went away. I miss the way she used to cuddle with me when we slept. Brittany says that she is going to make sure that Ella comes home to live with us. I am excited! I hope she comes back soon.

I think I am going to spend the day planning what I will teach Ella when she comes home. She doesn't even know that we got some new toys while she was gone! I know that she will try to take them for herself as soon as she sees them but I will teach her to share by playing with her. I wonder if she will be home today? I hope so! I'd better get some sleep so that I'm ready when Ella comes home ....

Boy Am I Sore

It's been two days since my master, Chris, took me swimming in the lake and I am so sore. My hips hurt so bad that I have trouble getting up and laying down. I am also sad because Chris went back to medical school. I miss him so much. If I was human I would cry. Mommy, Daddy, and Stephanie are so good to me and I love them too, but Chris will always be my master. He says he is proud of me and that makes me feel good all over.

There were bright lights in the sky and loud noises at our house again last night. I was so scared! I couldn't get away from the noises no matter where I went in the house. Mommy tried to help me but I was just so scared! Mommy gave me medicine to make me feel better but it didn't help much. I am so glad that the lights and the noises are gone. Mommy and Daddy call them "thunderstorms". I call them awful!

Tonight a nice lady came to our house to meet with Mommy and Daddy. She was very nice! I showed her my toy that I call "purple piggy" and she made a fuss about it. I could smell that she has a dog at her house and I bet its a nice dog. She was talking to Mommy and Daddy in human language but I could hear her say "dog" and "cat" and she said I was nice. I liked her but I didn't bother her while she was talking to Mommy and Daddy.

Safire, who is my sibling (she's a Black Labrador retriever) is still fussing over the fact that she doesn't have her own blog. She calls it a "blob" and I think that's funny. Anyway, she gets really jealous when people talk about my blog. I really think she's going to try to set up her own blog soon. I hope it works for her but I don't want people to forget about me and just read her blog. I will let everyone know if she is successful at getting hers started.

Mommy was cooking something tonight and she gave some of it to Safire, Sammy (my sibling who is a Red Dachshund) and me. It was chicken and it was really, really good! I love Mommy so much for taking care of me and being so nice to Safire, Sammy, and me. She is really nice to other humans too! I am so lucky. I am getting sleepy ....

My Days Just Keep Getting Better!

Today I felt like I was in heaven. Chris, my master, and his girlfriend Lauren stayed at my house last night and they let me sleep on the floor of their bedroom! I love hearing Chris breathing while he sleeps, smelling his human scent, and hearing the sound of his voice. I miss him so much when he's away at medical school but I am so happy when he is home.

Late in the day today Chris and Lauren took me with them to the lake! They both took turns riding Chris's Jet Ski and whoever wasn't riding at the time played ball with me! They threw the ball out into the lake and I swam to retrieve it. They were so happy each time I brought it back to them. I must have been swimming for over an hour and I had so much fun!

I don't know why humans are so happy when I do things for them. I wish I could do more. I just love to hear them laugh and have them talk to me nicely. When they call me a good boy I get so happy that I can't stop my tail from wagging. I like it when people rub my legs for me because sometimes my legs are sore and the rubbing makes it feel good. I am sore tonight from all of the exercise today. I hope that the pain goes away soon because I am tired and I want to sleep but my hips and legs hurt too badly. The pain is keeping me awake.

Chris left to go back to medical school tonight but he spent some time alone with me before he left and I really liked that. He teased Mommy that he was going to take me with him. Mommy said that wouldn't be good because she would miss me too much. I think I would miss Mommy, Daddy, and Stephanie very badly if I went with Chris. Plus, Chris spends so much time at school during the day that I would have to be alone most of the time. So I guess it's best that I stay here. I know Chris will come home to see me as soon as he can and I know he'll spend time with me then. I'm going to try to sleep now and dream of Chris ....