Nana is sometimes sick now and that takes a lot of mom's time so I don't get to blog as often as I would like lately.
We have more baby chickens now, and I want to eat them all.
I think it is very unfair for them to be RIGHT there and me to be a hunting dog by nature, and not be allowed to hunt them all.
We had a very busy Wenesday last week and I got to do a lot of things and go to a lot of places. In the morning we went for a woods walk.
I have decided that I like going into the woods with mom maybe even better than the yarn store or school or visiting nana at The Arbors.
We found a tree down across the road. I was all for turning back, but mom said no.
We went around it and kept on our path. That day I saw a waterfall, a lot of birds, and I tried to bring home a stick. Mom says we have sticks at home.
After that we went to the yarn store just to buy yarn, and then we went to the Arbors to see Nana and April. April is moving to Texas!
I was asleep on the floor when this picture was taken. It was a really busy day!
Mom's new book came from the publisher and I helped by carefully sniffing each box to make sure it was safe.
Dad just carried them. I think my job is more important. Anyone can carry things, but only I can smell for safety!
After the books came inside, I got to play rough with dad. I love playing rough with dad.
He is very good at playing. We play fetch almost every morning and every evening, and then sometimes we get to wrestle and something mom calls "tussle".
It is FUN whatever it's called!
It is a good way for me to get out my energy, and I have a lot of energy.
School this week went very well. Whenever I have a problem it is usually mom's fault. She's working me with no treats now because I cannot have any for my test. I am not sure why people would obey when there's no food, but I am trying. It would be a lot easier if there was food! Mom thinks if I have a good night on test night, I will pass. She says if I have a bad night or if the train comes, there's no way. I'll show her.
We went for a walk the other day while nana was doing some shopping. It was an in town walk and there was a lot of noise and chaos. Mom made me heel, and I did some turns and halting and stuff and I stayed right by her and my leash was loose almost the whole time!
I was SO tired after just a short time in town that I crashed right on the seat next to mom with my head still up.
My friend Gail is also called the Kangaroo Dyer and she dyes yarn. She has dyed a color that look just like me!
It will be available soon from Webs and I will post all of the information here when it's ready. I hope it's named after me. I love Gail a lot, and not just because she dyed yarn that looks like me. It's exciting!!
This week another one of my brothers, the ones without fur, came to visit and cut down trees outside. I did not like the chainsaw at first. it took me a while to get used to it, but now I don't mind so much. I still do not like it when trees fall at all, but I am not barking as loudly when they do.
Mel and I play together a lot now.
For a while mom thought I was chasing him and tormenting him.
The other day he actually did stuff in front of her, so now she knows it is not my fault. Mel teases me all the time.
He teases me to get my attention, and then he sits in the chair and bats at my head and tries to get me in trouble. It's a good thing I like him or I would think he's not very nice!
Dog school tomorrow, the last class before our big test next week. We are going to go for a walk in town, which will be fun now that I am more used to being in town. Wish me luck! I think we are going on Main Street where there are even more cars than I am used to!
Monday (last) - Today I sneaked down into the basement around the gate again. Mom was on the phone having an important call with Nana and she could not come and get me. I stole Boo's bone and got up on the couch with it.
Sometimes he snaps at me and other times he does not. When he snaps at me he gets in trouble, and I get the bone taken away. When he does not snap at me, I get the bone taken away. I don't care. I am still going to steal it every chance I get.
Tuesday - We did not do a lot of school practice today. Mom thinks I do better if I have a day where I don't have to work a lot just before a day where there's a lot of work. She may be right. We did a little bit of the "off" and "stay" stuff around the house and in the barn. I don't like waiting while mom fills the waterers for the birds. She makes me sit and stay. The barn door is open, there are chickens everywhere, and I have to just SIT there like a lump and not chase them and EAT them. Not a lot of fun for me.
Wednesday - Grandpa came to visit and I got to get on the dining room table and be rubbed and lay down and socialize with him and mom. I had to "leave it" the (fresh from the oven and still warm!) banana muffin and the coffee mugs.
That was hard work, but I did it. I think if it had been fish I would not have done so well. A while after Grandpa left, Mom put me in my crate in the afternoon and LEFT ME. When she went to brush her teeth I cried a lot, not a whine or a bark, but a long, low howl. She did not buy it. She left me in my crate and walked right out the door. In fact she actually said to me "You're fine", just like that! I was NOT fine. I was VERY upset. Mom was gone for hours. Two of them. She had a meeting and she said dogs were not allowed. I don't believe her. I think she made up that part so she could go alone. When she got back I was glad to see her, and we hung out and played for a while. After dinner we went to dog school and I did well I think. Mom is trying not to give me any treats during school now because she can't give me any during my test. She only gives me treats at home about every 6th or 7th time that I do something. Mostly I do stuff anyway and hope she will give me things later. I had some trouble "staying" when there was a distraction. Amanda rolled a ball and made noise while I was in a sit-stay. I jumped right up to play and then I could not take my eyes OFF of Amanda for a long time. I kept hoping there would be more BALL! I love balls. School is usually all work, but a BALL is NOT WORK! Mom says we need to work on that so she is hoping that people will help tomorrow at Webs when we visit Friday.
Thursday - This is a slacker day. Mom seems to like taking a day off now and then, which I find very dull. She finds things for me to do, though - we go for a walk or we play a lot of ball. I think something bad happened to a baby chicken. Mom says now there are only 50 meat birds. I asked for the broken one after it was dead, but mom said no. Not fun since now I LOVE chicken! Mostly today is knitting and practicing things from school and watching movies. Mom says she is working all weekend so she is taking her weekend now.
Friday - In the morning we went for a jog in the woods. That was fun. I practiced heeling on the way home and I did well. I LOVE the woods! Then Mom left me home for errands. She said she had too many places to go that dogs can't visit. I was not happy. It made for a boring day. At night Toby and Kristen came. They are fun, and I like them. But everyone was loud and laughing and having a good time WITHOUT ME. I am not sure about that. We went to bed at MIDNIGHT!! I KNOW I did not like that!
Saturday - Dad took me for a short walk in the morning and when we got back mom was gone. She was gone ALL DAY. I am not sure how I feel about that. She was working at the yarn store. I want to go and work with her.
Sunday - I explained about how it would be great if I worked with her, but mom said no. She said there is a sign in the classroom that says "No dogs". Dad took me for a walk again but I wanted my mom. Dad watched a movie with me, and that helped, but i wanted MOM. I need to help her understand that she needs to stay home. She says she is not going to always stay home. I don't like it.
Monday - This morning we went for a jog in the woods again. We went farther than last time. There's a lot of up and down hills. On the downhills mom goes very slow and takes little steps; something about "shin splints", whatever that means. I have learned not to cross in front of mom, no matter what. She stepped on me once when I did. OW! We took a bath after. Well, we took them separately - mom first and then me. I am getting used to having my legs and belly washed. I kind of like it! I am GLAD mom was home all day today. Tonight I pulled a bottle cap off of a 2-liter bottle. I loved it!! Watch me here:
That may be true. Mom is preoccupied with some important family things a lot of the time right now. She still is typing my words for me, so I have to wait for her to be free.
Wednesday -
I had school and I did well. I got better at my stay, which made mom happy. I still pull a little and get distracted easily, but Christie, our teacher, is really good at making distractions that we have to get used to. People walk around us and make noise and doors open and close so we learn to follow and heel even when there's stuff going on. This makes mom very happy. I worked a LOT on "off" - not jumping up on people - which I stink at. I want to be UP where people are not DOWN on the stupid floor.
Thursday -
I know we went out but I don't remember where any more. Oh yes I do! We went to Brattleboro! They have a store there that sells chicken things and mom needed a feeder. We were going to ship some packages too, but the man at the shipping place was rude to mom so she left. She says it doesn't pay to get angry when it's so easy to just walk away. At the Agway in Brattleboro where we got the chicken feeders I was petted and I stayed off mostly well. People in stores reach over the counter with cookies for me, and I jump up to get them. Mom says I have to learnt o wait until she SAYS I can get up. Until then I have to stay OFF. Off is confusing and I don't like it. Up is easier.
Friday -
Friday is my favorite day of the week. We delivered eggs to Webs, and I saw Auntie Mary and Auntie Kathy. I showed them how I can do stuff, like sit and stay and lay down and stand. Mom made me to stay in two different places in the store and she had people distract me, which was really hard. We did one with food distractions, and I stopped and ate a piece. I was going to eat another piece but mom sounded serious about me leaving it, so I went to her instead.
After that we went to Elgar and mom left me there in my crate and went out. She left me in a strange place in my crate! I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, but I did very well and was quiet the whole time.
Then we went to visit Nana. We took her to do an errand at a store I cannot go into called Wilson's. Mom took me for a walk instead, around the block. There was a motorcycle that I did not like at all, but I did very well on my walk mom says. She thinks I pull too much, but I think she makes me stay too close. I am more right.
After the walk we waited for Nana behind Wilson's and I watched a man sweep the street. A lot of people and cars came and went in the parking lot and I ignored them mostly, which makes mom happy.
Nana wanted to go to a place called Wendy's. Mom said she would take her as long as she didn't have to eat anything from there. Nana got a fish sandwich, french fries, a soda and a thing called a Frosty that mom says is delicious, addictive and therefore evil. I believe her. back at The Arbors Nana tried to give me a french fry, but I spit it out. It was gross! Then she gave me a piece of the fried fish in her sandwich. I spit that out too.
Last she gave me a piece of bread from the bun, but I just sniffed it and would not even take it from her. Mom says I am her boy and this proves it. I do not like junk food. Give me REAL fish, not all fried and funny-smelling! Yuck!
Saturday -
In the morning Mom tried to brush my teeth again. Now that the baby ones are gone and the big ones are in she says it's time.
For now I get to lick the brush and chew on it a little. Sometimes mom wiggles it around in my mouth. I am getting used to it, but it feels weird.
Boring!! In the extreme!! Mom and dad spent almost the WHOLE day in the barn, cleaning it!
For a while mom and I rested on the deck, but I don't think the deck is really for resting. I wanted to sniff and look and whine and bark. Mom made me lay down and be quiet for a long time, and then she let me go back inside. She says that by the end of the summer I will understand about the deck. All I know is I can smell EVERYTHING out there! Foxes and coyotes and bears and weasels and chickens and I want to go and FIND them ALL!
I can see them if I stand on the table. I KNOW I can!
Sunday -
Mom killed two chickens in the morning. They were roosters and she says the yard is much quieter now without them. First she kills the chickens and then she has to clean them. Boo and I stayed inside; I slept in my crate and Boo laid on the floor near me. It seemed like it took a long time. When mom came back in she smelled really, really delicious, but she would not let me lick her jeans. No fun. She did bring us special treats, though. We went out on the back deck and she gave each of us a chicken heart! Boo spit his out. I ate mine and it was DELICIOUS! Then she gave us each a half of a liver. Boo spit his out again. I didn't! I'm not stupid! It was the BEST thing I ever ate! Mom put Boo's spit-out ones away and she says I can have them another time. Boo wants them cooked. Weirdo. Sometimes I am not sure he's a dog.
Mom rested for a little while and then we went for a ride with dad. We went to the bike path in Turner's Falls again to walk, only we went further this time. I met some dogs and some people, and a little boy with a bicycle. He liked me better than his bike. I got to see the canal, where the water comes right up under the bridge.
We walked down by the canal for a while, and then we walked back up the main street which is called Avenue A. At the top of Avenue A near where we turn to go back to the car I smelled something really good. It's a place called Holy Smokes.
Mom decided we could go and see what they had. She bought ribs, then said I couldn't have any! Where's the fun in that? We were the last customers. I had to wait outside with dad while mom got the ribs. But I like this place anyway, and I hope we go again sometime. Mom likes to take me to that path because there is so much going on. Cars, motorcycles, people, bicycles, dogs. She says that's all good stuff for my brain.
Girl's friend Faun came over and they watched movies at night, so I had snuggle time with mom downstairs in dad's cave again. It really bothers me that Boo is down there and he ha a bone that I think should be mine. I have my own bone that mom brings, but it's not as good as his, I know it. He thinks mine is better. Every time I leave the room, he tries to steal it. We steal from each other a lot. Mom says we are bad boys and stealing is wrong. She makes us give back the stuff we steal.
Today April may come to visit. Mom said she and April might go to the zoo. I hope it rains to they stay here. I like April!
I cannot imagine being anywhere else, and mom says she can't imagine it either.
This was me then:
And this is me now:
(I am a sculpture artist now - I work with Mini Slinky.) Mom says I have grown up a lot. She says I am very handsome. And she says she adores me. I like being adored.
This week has been exciting with a lot in it, and it's only Wednesday!
On Monday we had to go to the store for grain. I got a lot of attention at the co-op. I really like that place! Mom bought me a Kong Wubba. I like it. It has a squeak! I got a whole piece of chicken jerky, but in little bites. I did very good at my not jumping, and I even sat and laid down for the girl with the jerky. That place is so nice.
Yesterday we went to see Nana at the Arbors. Mom and I took her to do some errands and then we visited for a little while. I met a lady who cried and called me a "blessed angel from heaven". That made me feel really good. I like visiting the people there because they seem so happy to see me!
In the afternoon it was raining, and so mom decided to turn on the treadmill. She has not done this yet, and I would have been just fine if she never had. I hated it. This was me when mom first turned it on:
It was trying to eat her. I had to do SOMETHING!!
Mom decided that it was not ok for me to hate the treadmill. I was fine with it. I am fine with all of this stuff I hate. She has this thing about me not hating anything, ever. Picky. She went and got my leash and collar and spent some time with me. About five minutes later...
I decided it wasn't so bad. I wish I knew how she does that; how she makes me not afraid and not hate everything. She's sneaky. Or maybe she's magic.
In a little while we are going out again - to Brattleboro to mail some things, buy a frame and buy some other things for chickens I am not allowed to eat (yet, mom says) - and maybe something for me, I hope, although dad says I have too much stuff already. But we will see. We are going to a feed store, so maybe they will have something I need really really bad, like a cookie! Or a new hoof!
I have learned so many things since I came here. I think some of the best things I have learned involve this thing mom calls socialization, which sounds like something you do with other dogs or people, hanging out and stuff, but apparently extends to things like this:
On March 21, Gerbil bought Girl the gold birthday balloon of death. I hated it. I didn't care what mom said, it was evil. Even when I would get close enough to eat kibble off of the floor around it, I knew it was evil. It moved in the wind. Sometimes mom slapped it and MADE it move. Evil. Then the other day mom decided that it was time for me to get over my balloon problem once and for all. After a few minutes I decided it was actually kind of fun. I took the clip in my mouth and carried it around the house. I did it again. And again. The balloon bounced behind me, and I decided that it was REALLY fun!
On Wedsnesday we started Canine Good Citizen class. Our teacher is Christie, who is friends with mom. I decided that this meant I could get away with a lot of nonsense, like refusing to lay down and stuff. It didn't work. Mom made me do it all anyway. I guess we're going to get to meet strange dogs, and I have to do all kinds of things for a test that will happen in six weeks. There was a shopping cart, and two other dogs who didn't seem to like each other much. It was fun. I like school because it's an evening out with lots of smells and stuff, even if mom makes me behave.
On Thursday this week, the day before something called April Fool's Day, mom and I did errands. There was a rumor that we were going to get snow - a lot of snow - on Friday. Mom decided we should deliver eggs early, on Thursday, instead of waiting and seeing if snow would fall.
We started at Elgar and delivered eggs to Katy. I got to meet Alexandra, and I saw Jean and Katy and visited for a little bit. After Elgar we went to Webs to deliver the rest of the eggs. Aunt Mary, who usually is at her desk waiting for me, and Aunt Kathy, who's usually not there when we come to deliver eggs, were both in a meeting. We delivered the eggs to Tina. Mom made me do stuff like a recall from across the room with all the distraction in the office. I went to see Girl in the warehouse. I saw a LOT of customers and I worked on not jumping up. It's hard because I am little and I want to get close to people, as close as I can! Jumping up seems the best way, but mom always says no.
Aunt Mary and Aunt Kathy eventually came out of their meeting and I got to see them, too. We found Aunt Mary near customer service. I know it's kind of egotistical, but customer service really, really loves me! They get very excited, and this week they even gave me PRESENTS!! There were some wool things that needed a new home, and I love to sleep and lay and play on wool things. We got two sweaters and a rug all of this mom said needed to be felted. I just wanted them NOW, but mom said no.
We left Webs and went to Dave's to get special food for Tucker. I have never been to Dave's before. It was AMAZING! There were fish and rodents and birds and other dog smells, and a bin full of toys that said "50% off" which mom said I could pick ANYTHING out of that I wanted. Almost. She said no to the rubber chicken. I got a Lamb Kabob from those Funny Farm people, the same people who made my Tossed Chicken Salad toy. We got Tucker's food (I haven't even met him yet!) and we headed home.
It was kind of a long morning. (Dig my car seat harness? I am getting over it. I don't love it, but I live with it.)
After we got home, mom took my new stuff from Kirsten and Sara, my new wool things, and put them into the washer with hot water and soap. Then she put them in the dryer. They got small and thick and PERFECT for me to lay down on and roll around in.
I have a favorite; the striped one. Apparently it is made with Aunt Kathy's yarn, which makes sense. She must have good taste, too.
Yesterday kind of stank. Mom and dad left me here to go to a Farmer's Market, which I am pretty sure I would have liked. Mom wanted me to come along, but dad said no, that it was good for me to get used to being home alone sometimes. Now I think HE'S on to me! Anyway not much exciting happened after that. We spent some time on the deck. I have to be on a long leash on the deck because the railings are big enough for me to get my whole self through. Mom says I will get used to the long leash, but I think she should just let me loose. Boo gets to be loose. Unfair.
Anyway, this morning mom and dad took me with them. First we delivered the dog food that we got on Thursday to Tucker. I met him. He was nice, and my-size. Mom did not take a picture of us because she was busy juggling leashes. I think Tucker and I could be friends.
After we left the food at Tucker's house we went for a drive and ended up at this place with seagulls and a river and a bike path. Mom called it Unity Park. I saw a lot of new things. I saw new dogs, four of them, all from far away. I saw kids on swings, and people in cars, and people walking.
I saw a little girl on a bike and I saw seagulls. SEAGULLS!! I am pretty sure they are the best things ever. They fly! I like to watch them go over my head.
Mom let me go down to the river, which she's pretty sure is not ok, but I am spoiled so it's fine.
I could see the bridge from where I was. Mom says there's a dam too. if I looked the other way and squinted hard, mom said I could see Grandma Judy and Max's house, but I didn't see it. Apparently when dad was a kid he spent a lot of time in this river. Mom says if I am very good and wear a life vest she will take me out on it in her kayak.
All in all, I thought the walk was fun, except for the Silver Can of Death.
Mom says I will get used to it, just like the balloon of death and the vacuum. We'll see!
. I like it. It has a squeak! I got a whole piece of chicken jerky, but in little bites. I did very good at my not jumping, and I even sat and laid down for the girl with the jerky. That place is so nice. 
from those Funny Farm people, the same people who made my 
toy. We got Tucker's food (I haven't even met him yet!) and we headed home.
? I am getting over it. I don't love it, but I live with it.)
