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 ....

We Got A New KONG!!!

Boy did we have an exciting and fun weekend! On Friday night Chris, my master, came home from medical school in Syracuse, New York. He couldn't stop to see me that night but I dreamed about him because I was so excited that I was going to get to see him. I love him so much and I miss him. He calls me a good boy, pets me, and talks to me alone. I feel special when he does that.

On Saturday, I helped Mommy while she was working in the yard. She was digging in the flower gardens so I helped dig too. I think she felt badly that I was working so hard because she kept telling me to stop. I did a pretty good job though and we got a lot of it dug up. Stephanie, my master's sister, was helping too. She's not quite as good a digger as me but that's okay because she is really nice and I love her very much. She lets me run around in the yard while she's mowing the grass. I try to catch the birds that fly around but they can fly and I can't so I never seem to get to them.

Sunday was the best! I worked outside in the yard with Mommy, Daddy, and Stephanie most of the day and a big brown dog came to visit us. He stayed all afternoon and wouldn't leave. He was kind of okay, but he kept checking me to see if I was a girl. I was getting pretty tired of that. Mommy called the police but when the police came to pick up the dog he ran away. I don't know where he went. He was all muddy and dirty. I guess he was playing in the stream behind my house.

On Sunday night, Aunt Wendy, Uncle Merle, Daddy's mom (Nana), Chris, Lauren (Chris's girlfriend), and Lauren's parents all came to see us for dinner. We had a full house and everybody was so nice to me, Safire, and Sammy! They even gave us some leftovers from the food they were eating! It was really good. BUT .... the best thing of the day was that Aunt Wendy gave us a BRAND NEW KONG! It is a red rubber toy that humans put food and treats inside, then they hide it so that we can find it and bring it back. I always bring it back, but I like to eat some of the treats first. I bet Chris will fill it with food for me tonight and play with me before he has to go back to Syracuse. I am such a lucky dog to have so many nice humans in my life. I just want to make them happy by being a good boy. I'd better get some rest so that I'm ready to play with Chris later on. I will tell more about the kong later ....

I'm Famous!

Daddy just told me that Mommy put a picture of me, Safire, Sammy, and Ella on her desk at work and she put our names on it so everybody knows who we are! I feel very special!

Mommy works at a hospital where she helps humans who don't feel well and need help. I've never been there but I bet Mommy treats the people she helps (I think she calls them "payt chents") as nice as she treats us. I know that she sees therapy dogs at work and she says that they are very nice dogs. I wish I could be a therapy dog. The only thing is, I would probably feel sorry for the payt chents and that would make me sad. But I would try as hard as I could to make them happy. I would do tricks for them and rub up against them to let them know that I care about humans and I want to do everything I can to make them happy. I love it when humans call me a good boy and pet me. It makes me feel all tingly and it makes my tail wag like crazy!

I think my master Chris is coming home to see me tonight. I am so excited! He is a student at a medical school very far away and I miss him so much. He wants to be a doctor and help people just like Mommy does at the hospital. I know he will be very good at it. He always makes ME happy when I see him. He even used to take me with him to the lake when he rode his Jet Ski. Sometimes we would take the boat and he would let me ride up front. Then when the boat stopped I would jump in the water and swim. The humans in our family would throw big sticks and Safire (she's a Black Labrador Retriever) and I would swim to get them and bring them back. It was a lot of fun. Sammy the Red Dachshund would stay in the boat and bark at us. Sometimes Sammy would jump in too but he would get tired very easily. Then Mommy or Daddy would have to lift him back into the boat.

I can't wait for the snow that I know will come this winter. I like to run and play in it while Daddy is using the snowblower on the driveway and sidewalk. Sometimes Aunt Wendy and Uncle Merle come out in the snow and play with us. Aunt Wendy almost always has treats for us, snow or no snow. We love them very much because they are so nice to us.

I can't wait for Chris to get home tonight! I'm going to go lie by the door and wait for him. Maybe I'll take a nap while I'm waiting. Wait, I'd better take a toy with me. Chris likes it when I show him a toy as soon as he walks in the door. Getting sleepy .....

Men In Truck

Today has been another exciting day. Daddy left Safire, Sammy and me outside at lunchtime and the sun made me feel really warm and cozy. I decided to take a little nap in the driveway with my raccoon stuffed animal. I was dreaming of my master Chris and wondering if he misses me like I miss him when all of a sudden a loud noise woke me up! It was men in a truck backing into our driveway. I started barking hello to them but I don't think they heard me. When they had backed all the way into the driveway, one of them got out of the truck and I barked hello again. He didn't bark back and instead he got back into the truck. They stayed there for a few minutes and then they drove away. I wonder if Daddy knew that they were there? He didn't come outside so I bet he didn't even know.

Daddy brought us back inside when he left to go back to work and he gave us all carrots! I love carrots and I like getting them out of the refrigerator myself when Mommy and Daddy allow me to. Sammy the Red Dachshund acts so uppity and sniffs the carrot before he takes it. I don't hesitate! I take the carrot right away. Then Mommy and Daddy call me a good boy and that makes me very happy.

I don't know how long Safire, Sammy and I are alone each day but it sometimes seems like forever. I don't like it when there are no humans at home. I like to hear them talk to me, pet me, and just be with me. I wonder if humans feel the same way about me? I hope so because I love my family so much and I want them to love me too.

Safire's backside must be asleep because I hear it snoring. Oh yuck! What's that smell? I have to go to the door and get some fresh air .... I can't write under these conditions .... I'll write more later.

A Busy Weekend

It is Monday morning and I am so tired! I had a very busy weekend but it was fun. I ate a lot of food!

On Saturday, I watched a football game between the University of Michigan and Northwestern University on TV. Safire the Black Labrador (sort of my sister) really likes to watch the University of Michigan games because her master (Brittany) goes to school there and her boyfriend is a football player. We get to watch him play on TV. Even better, our human family usually has food for the game and they always give us some of it if we're good.

I don't think I understand football completely, but I do know that I would like to run around with the players. I think I could run faster than many of them but some others might be able to beat me in a race. I know I could catch the ball because my master, Chris, throws balls for me to catch and I am pretty good at it. If they would let me, I would like to be on TV. I would catch the ball and bring it back every time! Then everybody would cheer for me the way they do for the people we watch on TV. I bet I'd get even more treats than I do now!

Sunday was even better! Stephanie, who is Sammy the Dachshund's master, planned a birthday party for Mommy and there were alot of people at our house yesterday. Mommy has a lot of friends that care about her and they brought her nice gifts to help her celebrate. We even watched more football on TV, the humans ate more food, and they gave me lots of treats. By the end of the day I was really tired! I tried to play ball with Andy, one of the guests at the party, but I was almost too tired to run. Andy is a very nice boy who treats me very well. He pets me, feeds me, and talks to me. He says I'm a good boy and that makes me feel very special. Andy has a pet dog of his own, Ralph a German Shorthaired Pointer. Some humans say that Ralph and I look alike but Ralph is younger than me and is also taller. His coat is a little shinier than mine. But we are the same color and we do look quite a bit alike.

At the end of the night I did my favorite thing: sleep at Mommy's feet while she was watching TV. She was watching a show called "Desperate Housewives". I don't understand the show and there are no dogs on it so I usually fall asleep and only wake up when Mommy talks to me or when it's time to go to bed.

There were deer in the field behind the house last night before I went to bed. I tried to catch them but they ran away again. I also saw a black cat with a white stripe down his back. I tried to catch him too but he ran into the woods before I could get close to him. I hope I don't hurt his feelings but he smelled really bad! I'm sort of glad that I didn't catch him. I remember one time many years ago when I tried to catch one like him and I came home smelling really, really bad. Mommy wouldn't let me in the house for days after that and I had to live in the garage. I didn't like that at all! I don't like being away from the family, I don't care what the reason.

Mommy and Daddy just left for work and they were really nice to Safire, Sammy and me again this morning. They fed us puppy food, gave us a treat, and let us run around outside for a while. I am so lucky! I'd better take a nap and wait for Daddy to come home at lunchtime ....