Summertime by Me, Yoshi.

During the day here it is kind of boring. I have to entertain myself a lot. For example, I have to get my own ball from under the tv and book thing. Mom actually IGNORES me when I ask her to get it for me!

 Mom says this is just "the way it is" and I have to "deal with it". She says that she has to work again for a while. I do not like her work.

 She also has been gone a lot either to the hospital in someplace called Springfield where dogs cannot go, or to Grandpa's house. At first I was not allowed to go to Grandpa's house. She said he had surgery and was not ready to handle me.

 As if I need handling? I do not need to be handled. I need to be rubbed and paid attention to, yes. But handled - I may be diva but let's not get too carried away!

 I tried to get Mr. Moose into the whole ball chasing thing, but he really didn't seem to care. (Honest, this was a Moose. Boo ate off it's ears and antlers and all that's left is a stump that looks like a Monkey, but it isn't; it's Mr. Moose)

 It takes longer when I have to get the ball out by myself.

 But somehow it seems more satisfying. I did it ALL by MYSELF!

 Sometimes Mom is right even when I think she's wrong. Sometimes in the evenings we go for a walk at my favorite walking place. There's this bridge...

 and there's trains at the end of the walk. Sometimes there are lots of them, and sometimes just a few.

 Today Dad rode his bike and met us at the car. Then Mom drove me to my newest favorite place on earth. Can you guess why I love this place?

 First I have to be very patient and "Wait" which is mommy's second favorite thing, right after "Leave It!" But then if I am good she says "Go ahead"....

 so I do! Maybe this summer isn't so bad after all! 

Just popped in to share some videos (the embed thing isn't working, but the links should) of me that mom took last night which will show that:

1.) I play well with others.

2.) Daddy is a cheap toy

3.) I am Wikkid Spoiled.

Mom is a sucker, and she KNOWS it!

Falling Behind

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!

Socialization is the Key to Success

Mom says this is true. If it is, then I am going to be a highly successful individual!

I had no idea when I got up this morning that today would be such an important day filled with so many new things. It started when mom folded up my portable crate and took it and me to the car. I was concerned and I followed her very closely and stayed near to my bed when she propped it by the door. I have not been a fan of the car so far, and mom was worried that she might need to go into a store, or we could have an accident and I would not be safe loose in the car all by myself, so she felt like bringing the crate was insurance.

She put my crate in the back and laid my mat down in it, and gave me my rawhide chewie and one stuffie. I went into the crate a little reluctantly, but once I got into it and knew it was mine I felt better. Then mom's cell phone rang. She talked to someone for a minute and I heard her say "OK, I can give you a ride, but I am in a hurry.". She can be very  fussy too, just like me.

We drove to Greenfield and stopped at a bus station and I got to meet one of my brothers. His name is Private Adams, and he is in the Army. He just graduated from something called AIT, which I do not understand, but sounds important. I think having a soldier for a brother is very impressive. He opened the top of my crate (the top comes up, like a convertible!) and petted me. I liked him. We drove a bit more and then dropped him off, and then we got back on the road.

And then IT happened. I threw up. I was very unhappy. It was gross and it made me a little embarrassed and I tried to get rid of it, or get away from it, or cover it up or ANYTHING to make it go away! Mom pulled over and cleaned me up, and then she let me sit in the front seat with my leash handle through the seatbelt. She says I need a car harness, and she sounds pretty serious about it. I think I'd be fine loose, but mom says "safety first!". She's big into "what if"'s. What if we have an accident and I get loose? What if she opens the door and I sneak out? She thinks more than I do!

I rode quietly on the seat next to her and there was no more gross throwing up, which made me happy. For a while I rode on mom's lap, standing up, which she said was very unsafe, and that I was a very spoiled dog. After a while I got sick of standing and I curled up in the other seat. It was comfortable. I slept a little.

When I woke up we were in a new place. Mom took me out of the car along with a green bag full of eggs, and we went into a strange new building. It smelled really good once we got inside. I could smell sheep, I think! Mom said that was the yarn. This was Webs, mom said, and now I could meet Auntie Kathy. Mom says that it's Auntie Kathy's idea that I am even here, and she's really glad and, she says, "forever grateful" that Auntie Kathy said "Shiba!" and sent that link with all those puppy pictures, and reminded mom about Shiba Inu. Mom says my sister-who's-gone, Kioshi, was an Akita Inu and she learned about Shiba when she was learning about Akita. I think she is trying to tell me that Akita is something like Shiba, which of course it is not. Shiba is SHIBA, not anything else, not even Akita!

Anyway, I did meet Auntie Kathy and I liked her an awful lot! She smells very nice and I want to kiss her face, but mom says I need to not do that quite so much to everyone I meet. She says read an article about it. I think articles are dumb if it means I can't lap everyone's face. Anyway, I liked Uncle Steve, too, but I like Auntie Kathy better. I think in general I like woman more. Men are OK and cool to hang out with, but the ladies are what really count!

Then I met Katy and GL and a small thing called Laz. She had an owl on her head and shoes that looked like me. She is my size and will be one of my best friends, I know it. Then Auntie Mary and Tina and Viviana and Kendra and...well, I met a LOT of people, let's leave it at that! A really really lot of people! I met most of the staff in all different parts of the store, I saw the warehouse - it is big and noisy, but I liked it! - I met tons of customers who thought I was just too cute for words.

I saw shopping carts and I heard noises I have never heard before, and I took almost all of it in stride. Even when I didn't like stuff, I adjusted quickly enough. Mom even left me alone with Auntie Mary for a couple of minutes and I did very well. Mom says this is a very good sign and further proof of my "stable temperament", whatever that is. As long as mom's happy, I am happy! We walked all over the store and there were lots of doors and corners and places and offices and people, people, people everywhere! I loved all of the people! They pet me and cuddle me and it makes me so happy. I had very good manners almost all of the time, and I even practiced my sit, down and stand while we were there. I did well and Auntie Kathy, Auntie Mary, Katy, GL and I think Tina even cheered for me! And I practiced my name a LOT. People call me and when I go to them they rub me all over and tell me what a good boy I am. I could get used to that!

After the yarn store we made a quick stop to deliver some eggs at a place mom called Elgar, which she says is where we will normally see Katy and will almost always deliver eggs. I laid down in my crate quietly the whole time mom was taking the eggs in. I did the same thing when mom stopped to get her lunch at a place called Spoleto Express. Mom said it did not feel very "express" today at all, but I didn't really notice or care. I was starting to feel pretty worn out, but mom said the day was not done yet.

We drove for a little while and ended up at a place mom called "The Vet". She said that I would like it there, and I did. I met Polly who has some of those Akitas, and Doc who was very, very nice to me. He held me on his lap and looked at my teeth and my eyes and my ears and listened very carefully to my heart, which he said was very good. I got weighed on the scale, which was not scary at all. The scale comes up from the floor and becomes a thing called "the table", but even when it moved I was not scared at all.

I got to be on the table with a girl who's name I don't know - but she was very nice, too. Then I got my microchip - I don't really understand what it is, but they all seemed to think it was important. It didn't hurt much and I didn't even make a sound. Next I need a rabies shot. That I did NOT like, and I let out one good loud scream so everyone would know I was not happy. Mom gave me a kibble, and I forgot all about it and was happy again. I waited in the car (really I slept) while mom did "paperwork" which I sense was very boring. I thought then that maybe we would go home.

But we DIDN'T go home! Mom said we had another stop to make - we needed to go and meet my Nana. I didn't even know I HAD a Nana, but apparently I do. She lives at a place called The Arbors with a lot of other Nana-like people. I saw Nana, and I also saw automatic doors, wheelchairs, walkers, and canes. I heard loud sounds, and people yelling and having a party called "happy hour" (at 3:15pm! Mom says Nana-like people start early on happy hour because they've earned it). I met people in green aprons called Resident Care Assistants, and I met the ladies who answer the phone (and make sure mom signs in and out when she forgets), and I met a man called Joe, and one called Nathan, and a bunch of ladies who all loved me a LOT. I was very well-mannered again which was a lot of work, because there were a lot more new and strange things here than I expected, but it was fun to learn about them anyway.

After a while mom said that we should get moving, which was probably good because I was very sleepy. Once we were in the car I fell right to sleep on the seat beside her. I tried to wake up once at a stoplight, but I just couldn't get my head to stay up and I ended up inhaling car seat for about five minutes before my head finally laid down flat. Mom took pictures. It's a good thing I am not a human baby or someday I would be pretty mad about some of the crazy pictures she takes.

We got home and I headed straight for MY house and MY buffalo and MY bowl and MY toys. I am loving this place more and more every day. There's so much to do and learn and see! I can't wait to see what's next. But right now, I think I need another good nap!

I Keep Teaching, They Keep Learning

I like the gate now. Mom lets me have rawhide when the buffalo and I are not in the same room, so the gate means I get rawhide. This makes me very happy.

Mom found special rawhide from cows that ate only grass, which made her happy. Now I have my own Amazon subscribe and save! Mom loves Amazon. It's where she got my daytime crate and my gate thing, too.

I had another good night, and then this morning instead of calling me over and keeping me in the kitchen while she made dad's lunch, mom let me wander a little. I pretty much stayed in the kitchen, but it was fun to have more freedom. I am learning the ropes and mom says I am "trustworthy in small doses", which I think is good.

Mom has been trying all kinds of tricks to get pictures of me. Most of them involve me as a blur or me trying to move while she tries to snap. It's fun, I think. It amuses her and I don't want her to be bored.

Tonight I started school. It was a lot of fun. There were other dogs there, and I am both the littlest and the youngest. One dog was bigger than the buffalo. His name is Bruno and he's a German Shepherd, and I was not afraid of him. I also met a Brittany and a mixed breed dog, too. Then when we were leaving I met a Golden Retriever who was very playful. I did sit, and down, and stand. Then Pam took me away from mom and had mom call me by my name and I totally ignored her because Pam had Really Good Stuff in her hand. Pam says mom needs to help me learn my name. I'd rather have the Really Good Stuff though.

Pam also says that I have excellent movement and that mom is going to have a lot of fun with me. She says I have Attitude, whatever that is. Mom seemed to know exactly what it meant, and was very happy.

Mom says someday maybe I can meet Sandy at school. She says I will like Sandy because she is more my size. I also have not met my cousins Milla and Max yet. I hope I can meet them soon, too. I want to have lots of friends!

This has been another very busy day with lots of new things. I wonder if every day will be like this. Tomorrow I am going to go to the yarn store to meet Auntie Kathy and a bunch of other people when we deliver eggs. But for now I need a long nap!