Another Year!

Wow, I can't believe another year has gone by. It was only yesterday I was still a pup. It was kind of a tough year for Mom, but she's doing okay. The most significant thing for me was the white stuff. I don't mind it as much as I did when I first saw it, but that stuff is nasty. It's cold and if you are as short as I am walking through it is not fun. However it tastes okay and I like how it bunches up on my snout when I walk through it. But most of the time it is way too deep. Mom shovels a path for me to potty, so I guess I can put up with it. I'll be glad when it is gone for awhile cause I like going through leaves much more than snow. Leaves make crackling sounds and snow is way too silent. I love noise especially if I am making it.
I just figured out how to get on Mom's desk. Not just my paws all of me. I can see out the window the lady across the street is using some machine to move snow. Geeze, she's all bundled up like she was at the North Pole. Maybe it's real cold out there, I only stay out long enough to empty. Mom doesn't like outdoors too much and when the white stuff is here I agree with her.
As I am getting older I find some of the things I liked to do as a pup are just not as much fun as they used to be, but I still love teasing Mom. She gets hyper when I take pens or paper. Pens crunch when you bite them and depending on the kind of paper it makes neat sounds when you tear it. and she runs after me and never can catch me. She has to trick me to catch me. She'll give me a treat to make me drop the pen or paper. She is so easy to fool. I don't care about the pen or the paper, but I do love treats. And she thinks I'm the one that's trained. LOL

Dis Disapperrance of toys

I'm still just a kid right? Only a puppy after all. And I need toys, lots of them. Mom buys them almost every time she leaves the house. I guess she feels guilty for putting me in my room. It's fine with me. My room is neat, soft blankie and just dark enough to be cozy.
When she gets back, man, it's a party. Out come the toys and treats. All because I took a nap. What a life!
Then she takes me outside (shh to poo.) Then we go back inside and I get to see the toys, big ones, little ones, soft ones, and hard ones. My favorites are the ones that squeek. I just squeek and squeek till my jaw gets tired. Now comes the time I need to really examine the toy. I find a teeny tiny hole and work it to make a bigger hole. Out comes the stuffing. Some kind of white poofy stuff. It really doesn't taste good, but it makes Mom hyper. She chases me till I drop the stuff, then she picks up all she can find. Sometimes I hide a little in the corner of the couch. Not much, just enough to get her going. I love it, she gets downright exasperated. Keeps her young, gotta keep her moving.
Then when the toy is finally broken in right, it disappears. I turn around and it's gone. I think Mom hides it, but I'm not sure. I guess she doesn't know when a toy is really good. Sometimes they come back, but the hole is gone. Can't find it, so then I have to make a new one. I work on it harder and harder and when it's almost perfect, poof it's gone. I don't know maybe there is toy eating troll in the basement that comes up at night and takes them. I never go there. It looks really scary down there, so I stay up in the family room. But not to worry next time she goes out she'll come home with more.
COME BACK NEXT WEEK AND I'LL TELL YOU HOW HARD I HAVE TO WORK TO MAKE A SAD MOM, HAPPY

Learning where to Poop

Mom was not pleased I'd chosen her carpet as a toilet. What do I know? It's in there and it has to come out. As it comes out of me, I guess poop comes out wherever I am.
Clearly there was more to this piddle and poop thing. She would shake her head and make little tisking noises. Mom contacted her youngest daughter Kelly. She (Kelly not Mom)had raised a lot of dogs and knew a lot about poop and piddle placement.
She (Kelly, another redhead) came to our house and showed me where I had to p&p outside, which was fine when I was outside. But sometimes I'm inside. So Mom keeps following me around with two spray bottles. One takes out my stink and the other one puts in some yucky stink. It didn't take me long to figure out that IF I didn't leave my scent in the house I could avoid the yucky one altogether.
This red head Kelly, I think she likes me. She'll pick me up and kiss my neck until I just melt. When I am in Kelly's arms I'm just a dog, with no messages to convey, no duties to perform. Sometimes a pup just needs to be a dog. Bill's shoes are hard to fill, but I try very hard. I promised him I'd look after her (Mom not Kelly) and do my best to make her happy. You better believe it's a big job. She misses Bill like crazy.
COME BACK NEXT WEEK AND SEE HOW I MAKE HER HAPPY

Meeting Bill's Wife

I guess I don't understand how I can be born in IL and take messages to a lady in NY, but I figured God and Bill knew what they were doing.
At first I had six brothers and sisters. Most went to families in Channahon, sold before they were weaned. There were just me and my sister left. We were put in a local pet store with very nice accommodations. My sister was so stuck on herself that she stood in the corner of the display case watching her own reflection hour after hour.
Two ladies came in, one had red hair the other white. The redhead said, "Look at them Mom aren't they cute?"
Sis hovers in the corner, I guess she thought she was so pretty they would pick her.
I studied the lady with the white hair. she had the same sad look as Bill. So I walked right up to her and wagged my tail as hard as I could and jumped up and tried to lick her face.
"Mom look he likes you," the redhead said. Mom (I guess that was her name) replied, "But Casey, we never had male dogs."
Casey just laughed and said, "well maybe it's time you did." Mom reached down and petted me. Her hand smelled nice and I wiggled into her touch. I really, really liked her and I hoped she wouldn't pick my sister.
She (Mom not my sister) smiled a funny half grin and picked me up. I licked and kissed her so much I was running out of spit.
She wrote on a piece of paper, picked me up off of the counter where the man set me and held me to her chest. Then we got in Casey's little car and drove away. I knew she was the right one and I would do my very best so she wouldn't be sad.
COME BACK NEXT WEEK AND LEARN ABOUT MY TRIP TO NEW YORK