Our Pet Ostrich

We recently had an exotic animal in our house.  We had a black ostrich!  She was very intent on hiding her head in the sofa.  Her name was Dixie!

Dixie rarely gets on the love seat anymore. She used to love to sit on the love seat in our previous house.  Then we bought a new sofa and Mommy put a ban on dawgs on the sofa.  That lasted for a while and then she relented.  I'm the only one who takes advantage of Mommy's weakness for having us near her.  Dixie usually sits at Mommy's feet instead.  The only exception is if Mommy is enjoying a snack while sitting on the sofa. As the foodie in the house, I like to beg from Mommy's feet.  Dixie sometimes jumps up next to Mommy to have an up-close view of the food.

Recently Dixie hopped up on the love seat and there was't any food in sight!  Mommy was surprised,  and I was a little annoyed Dixie was in my place, but I behaved and allowed her to stay there.  Mommy says the reason Dixie doesn't sit up there often is because I dominate the love seat.  That's not true!  All Dixie has to do is ask politely!

After saying hello to Mommy, Dixie buried her head in the sofa cushions!

Mommy really likes Dixie's ears in this next picture.

The ostrich emerged briefly . . . 

 . . . and then went into hiding again!

Eventually Dixie decided to be Dixie the Lab and not Dixie the Ostrich.  She snuggled up to Mommy for several minutes more before (finally) relinquishing the sofa to its rightful owner!

Yes, this next one is ME!

Hopefully the ostrich won't be back anytime soon.  Mommy disagrees with my thinking, but I don't want anyone, even my sister, to take my place.

Until next time, 

Jenna

Sofa Squatter

Pillow Talk

Daddy says we have too many throw pillows on the bed.  Does anyone else's Daddy say that?  Mommy really doesn't pay any attention to what Daddy thinks about this particular topic.  She's the one who makes the bed in the morning and turns it back for the night.  If it's an inconvenience for anyone, it's her and she's willing to overlook this problem and put up with the many pillows.

Despite the fact that our parents' bed and the other beds in the house have beautiful pillows on them, you'll never see them.  Mommy keeps a flat sheet over the top of each bed so we don't get the bed linens dirty.  Our black and brown hairs aren't attractive on all those white pillows and spreads.  At least that's what Mommy says.  I say why have the beautiful pillows and covers if you can't see them and enjoy them?  But that's a story for another day.

Recently I've found a way around Mommy's pillows and protective covering.  I like to retreat to my parents' bedroom at night while they are in the living room watching TV.  Jenna usually settles on the sofa beside Mommy, and Ruger usually lies at her feet.  I have the bed all to myself . . . shouldn't I make myself comfy????

I totally agree with you!  Sometimes I rearrange all (SEVEN) pillows and settle smack dab in the middle . . .

Other times, I just pull back the top sheet and the first couple of pillows . . . 

My puppy dawg eyes work EVERY time to keep me from getting in trouble.  After all, I'm pretty sure I'm Mommy's favorite!

Dixie Doodle

Let Sleeping Dawgs Lie [Jenna]

My brother Ruger is definitely making himself at home.  In order to understand this post, you might need some background information.  To make me feel more a part of the family as I was in solitary confinement after my surgery, Mommy placed my crate in the family room in front of the fireplace.  I can see all the goings and doings from here.  But technically, this isn't MY crate; it's Ruger's!

Mommy purchased a new crate for Ruger that is slightly larger than mine and Dixie's because she says Ruger will be bigger than we are eventually.  I'm not sure I believe that yet.  Only time will tell.  But as all good dawg moms know, she couldn't put little bitty Ruger in this huge crate or he'd make a total mess in there and not learn to use the potty outside!  For whatever reason (probably a good sale price because Mommy loves a bargain), Ruger's crate didn't come with a divider for puppy training.  My crate came with a divider when it was purchased several years ago and Mommy actually knew where she had stored the divider!  So . . . to make a long story even longer, I'm sleeping in Ruger's new crate temporarily to give me more room to maneuver inside and Ruger's in mine until he no longer needs a divider.  Are you confused yet??

I tell you all this because I think Ruger KNOWS this crate is his . . . 

He's been trying to hop in and be close to me since day one.  

The past few weeks Mommy's been allowing me to have a few more liberties as my ACL has been healing and my leg's been growing stronger.  She is no longer locking the door and it stays open most of the time so I can walk in and out freely.  Unfortunately, this means Ruger can walk in and out freely too!

He's started joining me every evening when he's ready to nap.  Why?  Why me???

And even worse, he goes in there during the day all by himself!  Who does he think he is????

Do you see why I think Ruger KNOWS this is his crate???  Or maybe, and this is even weirder, maybe he just wants to spend time with me?  Could this be his way of bonding with me since I can't run around like Dixie?

Hmmmm . . . something to ponder,
Jenna

Meet Ruger [Sleep]

Our new brother Ruger is the sleepiest puppy.  He finds the strangest positions to settle into.  Mommy says all puppies are like this and that I was the same way.  I didn't believe her until she showed me this:

As hot natured as Ruger apparently is, he doesn't have the luxury of sleeping on air vents here.  In the house where we live now, all the air vents are in the ceiling.  That's a shame for Ruger.  He would LOVE stretching out on a vent and cooling off after a few minutes in the sun!

Ruger loves to snuggle with Mommy.  Daddy thinks they do this all day long while he's at work, but Mommy says nope.  As soon as Ruger falls asleep, she puts him in his crate and works on other things in the house (lately it's been watching old episodes of Fixer Upper).

Sometimes Mommy carries Ruger around the house with her to keep a close eye on him if he's not totally asleep yet.  He even helps her do laundry!

Ruger found this little cozy spot on his first day home.  

He also likes to sleep on feet  . . . 

Ruger doesn't snuggle in Daddy's arms that often, but he has a knack of finding where Daddy has dropped his dirty clothes and settles there.

You might notice that Giraffe is sticking pretty close to Ruger's neck . . . Mommy sometimes ties Giraffe or Leopard around Ruger's neck to keep him occupied!  She said not to worry, it's pretty loose and she's always nearby.

Ruger isn't a big fan of the summer heat right now, but he likes to sleep on the outdoor dawg beds.

We always know when Ruger is ready to come in . . . 

One of Ruger's favorite places to take a nap is where the two sofas meet with an end table in the middle.  The first time Ruger found this place, ironically Mommy couldn't find Ruger.  She ran all over the house searching for him.  Finally she heard the crinkle of the plastic bag her needlepoint is in and knew where he was.  Our parents aren't big fans of this sleeping place.  There are a LOT of cords back there for different electronics in the den.  So far, Ruger hasn't chewed on anything yet . . .

To combat the problem of Ruger squeezing behind the sofas, Daddy placed one of the throw pillows in front of the opening.  Ruger found that to be a comfy spot as well.  Mommy thinks these are some of the cutest pictures of Ruger sleeping.  And you can tell he's already slimmed down a bit since his arrival.

Ruger has taken to his crate pretty well.  He has a snuggle puppy that's about his size that has a heartbeat to mimic his dawg mommy's sounds.  Ruger loves to snuggle up in there and sleep away the day . . . and sometimes the night!

Even while he's sleeping, we're still trying to make sure Ruger knows his name!

Ssssh . . . baby sleeping!

I really don't want to wake him up because he's always nipping at my heels.  (But that's another story for another day!)

Dixie

My New Security Blanket

Just a short while back I told you how I loved to carry Leopard and Giraffe everywhere I went.  Don't worry Grandma, I'm sure I'll eventually play with them again.  In fact, they still find their way out of the toy box every now and then.  But they aren't attached to my teeth every waking moment.  I have a new "security blanket" that goes with me everywhere.  Even to bed!

Yep!  It's my soccer ball!  I LOVE IT!!!  Daddy calls it Wilson after the soccer ball that starred in Tom Hanks's movie Cast Away.  I'm not sure why.  My ball should clearly be called Adidas!

Mommy isn't too thrilled about the ball coming to bed with me (not to mention a few other toys as well).  She tolerates the ball for a little while if she's reading, but eventually she tries to quietly put it on the floor.  I'm wise to her ways and I usually hop down onto the floor immediately to retrieve it.  After all, I'm not called a Labrador Retriever for nothing!

Here's to Sweet Dreams!
Jenna