Happy Halloweenie!!

We have survived Hurricane Sandy.  Although the storm was devastating to parts of our region, it turned out (thankfully) to be just a major wind and rain storm by the time it reached our house.  We appreciate all of the prayers you sent our way for our safety.  We lost our land line and internet for about twelve hours, but we never lost power.  Mommy was quite surprised that the power stayed on all night since we seem to lose power pretty easily at this house.  She has already placed the pumpkins and fall decorations back on the front porch, the election signs in the yard, and the pots on the deck.  She is leaving the deck furniture to Daddy.  The big question now is what to do with all of that stored up water???  Maybe Mommy will let us take a bubble bath?

It's almost here . . . Were you able to figure out what our costumes are going to be?  I am wearing the same costume I wore last year.  It was a good one and the best fitting, most comfortable one I've ever had.  I am going as a horse, of course!  Poppa Hall calls me a horse whenever he is around, so it is very fitting (literally).  It also doesn't detract from my naturally handsome good looks!

 

Mommy might be taking the "twin" idea a bit too far.  She decided the ghouls, I mean girls, should dress alike for the holiday.  Jenna and Dixie are going as Halloweenie Hotdogs!  They relish the thought of all that candy currently sitting on the dining room table waiting on the neighborhood trick-or-treaters.  I just hope Jenna doesn't decide to take a bite out of Dixie since Jenna is seriously into anything food related! 

 

 

May your Halloween be filled with more treats than tricks!

Hunter

Hurricane Update

What goes flying in the wind at 100 miles per hour?  One of us, that's what!  I weigh the most, so hopefully it won't be me!  My best guess would be Jenna since she weighs the least. 

Hurricane Sandy keeps bearing down on us.  Our little town is right in the path of the hurricane.  By the time some of you read this, it will be many hours later, but Hurricane Sandy just made land in Joisey! 

Mommy and Daddy were both able to stay home today, so we have been enjoying ourselves.  We haven't been able to play ball outside, but we have chased each other around the house pretty often.  It has been an effort to go outside to potty today.  None of us likes to be rained upon.  Dixie has required the most encouragement.  Mommy put on Daddy's hunting rain gear and accompanied us outside this afternoon to try to push Dixie in the right direction. 

So far, we have stored up well over 100 gallons of water just in case the worst happens (that's Daddy's doings).  We should be able to water the plants for some time to come (not that they'll need it after this storm!).  We haven't lost power yet, but Mommy fears it's only a matter of time . . .

I'm sure Mommy and Daddy will allow the girls to sleep upstairs again tonight.  That way we'll all be safe (or blown away) together!  The night time was the scariest part of Hurricane Irene last year.  I'm sure Sandy will be no different. 

Dripping Wet Wags and Kisses,
Hunter

Anticipation of a Different Kind . . .

How's the weather where you live?  Why do humans always ask this question?  Don't they have something better to talk about?  They could talk about their pets; that would be so much more exciting than the weather. 

We are bracing for our second hurricane in two years!  WOW!  Who would have thought that would ever happen where we live?  Not me!  Hurricane Sandy is going to pack a punch, yet it's only a Category 1 storm.   Mommy told us to cross our paws so that maybe she'll be able to miss a day of school and stay home with us.  She really doesn't expect a lot of damage, but the surrounding areas are prone to flooding even in a regular rain storm.  For now, the forecast is calling for the brunt of the storm to hit Monday night and into Tuesday.  It's still too early to tell how much we should expect from the storm, but we are busy preparing:

• gallons of water:  check
• bottled water:  check
• even more water in the bath tub for flushing:  check
• deck furniture tied down:  check
• baby pool finally put away:  check (that one makes me sad)
• gasoline in the vehicles:  check
• gasoline for the generator:  check
• food:  check (I wonder if Mommy has enough dog food too?)
• books and magazines for Mommy to read:  check
• new toys for me and my sisters:  check (Thanks, Daddy!)
• purchase of floaties for the three of us . . . maybe tomorrow!

While Mommy and Daddy were busy preparing this weekend (under my supervision), Dixie and Jenna were having a blast in the great outdoors.  They spent quite a bit of time chasing each other in the yard Saturday.  They also apparently found some sort of trick or treat outside.  I say apparently because you could smell them from a mile away.  I have no idea what they got into, but it was quite a nasty smell!  As a result, Mommy had to give them a bath.  They should be ashamed of themselves; Mommy just gave us all a bath last weekend.  I love baths, but the girls aren't too sure about them.  Maybe that will teach them to stay out of stinky stuff!


I hope you have had a great weekend.  We are only a few days from Halloween!  I'm sure no matter what happens with Hurricane Sandy, the doorbell will be ringing soon.  I've got my bark on (but not my costume yet) and I'm ready!
Woof!  Woof!
Hunter

PS: Isn't that a cool spider web Mommy captured on the deck recently?  Even the spiders are ready for Halloween!

ALVIN!!!!

Are you familiar with Alvin and the Chipmunks?  I'm sure you remember those cartoons (or more recently the movies).  Pretty soon you will begin to hear their Christmas song on the radio.  Alvin and the Chipmunks is EXACTLY what we have at our house.  Mommy was on the deck with all three of us yesterday when Daddy walked by.  He said he could hear Mommy fussing about something, and she sounded just like the father on the show except she was using other names (but not mine, of course).

I would be Simon, the smart one of the bunch.  He rarely gets into trouble (at least not by himself) and tries to lead his siblings along the right path.  That's definitely me!  I just sit back, relax, and watch Dixie and Jenna rush headfirst into all kinds of situations (sometimes literally).

Dixie and Jenna take turns being Theodore and Alvin.  Theodore is the chipmunk of less than average intelligence who blindly follows Alvin's lead.  He goes with the flow and sometimes finds himself in situations that cause him to ask, "How did I get here?"  On any given day, this could be either of my sisters.  On other days, Dixie and Jenna could be Alvin, the master mind of all diabolical plans who finds trouble wherever he turns. 

"DIXIE" is likely to be heard from Mommy's mouth when trying to play fetch, and Dixie refuses to drop the ball.  Dixie desperately wants to play fetch with the tennis balls, but it's a bit hard when you have two tennis balls crammed between your teeth and you won't let go of one long enough for the Chuckit to grab!  Very frustrating for all involved.  You might also hear "DIXIE" when Jenna looks at Dixie the wrong way; Dixie feels as if she has to guard any nearby toy with teeth bared and her little nose wrinkled up in a snarl. 

"JENNA" currently is heard most often when Mommy hears the pitter patter of paws on the bathroom floors.  You already know Jenna has an affinity for eating toilet paper.  This "addiction" isn't diminishing despite my parents' best efforts.  Mommy has tried everything she knows, but most recently has simply had to resort to placing the toilet paper on the back of the toilet.  She used to fuss at Daddy when he just placed the new roll on top of the toilet paper holder instead of actually threading it into place.  She doesn't fuss anymore.  Except at "JENNA!" 

The next time you hear chipmunks mentioned or hear that annoying Christmas song, just think of us and know you won't be hearing . . .

"HUNTER!!!!"
(It's been YEARS since that happened!)

Anticipation . . .

We are giddy with excitement!  Halloween is only eleven days away!!!  We love Halloween!  This will be Jenna's first Halloween at our house, so we're sure her presence will just add to the fun!  Do you know how many times our door bell rings?  LOTS!!!  We have about twenty to thirty trick-or-treaters each year.  It makes for a very exciting evening at our house.  The bell rings; we run to the door.  The bell rings; we run to the door.  The rugs go flying, Daddy grabs us, and Mommy grabs the candy.  (Mommy says she has to be responsible for the candy, or Daddy will give it all out to the first five children in large handfuls.)  It's too bad WE can't grab that candy!  Just thinking about it makes our tails wag!  Maybe we CAN nab the candy this year since Daddy only has two hands?  Hmmm . . .

As usual, we will be wearing our best looks for the evening.  (Daddy is rolling his eyes.)  This year's costumes are great.  Hunter found his fur-ever costume last year, so his won't be a surprise.  Dixie and Jenna have new costumes.  They won't exactly be watching their ghoulish figures in their costumes, but Jenna is pleased with the theme of hers!  Betcha can't wait to see us!  We relish the thought!

Wags and Kisses,
Hunter, Dixie, & Jenna

PS: Can you guess what we'll be wearing?  There's a hint above . . . and it has nothing to do with the ghoulish figure comment!

Picture Perfect?

Mommy said she tried for MONTHS to capture this picture before I ever joined the family.  Dixie and Hunter frequently take up this position on the deck in the afternoons.  Mommy believes it perfectly captures her canine babies' stages of life:

• Dixie, at the age of two, is scouting out the world and ready to grab hold of whatever catches her fancy. 
• Ten year old Hunter is relaxing and enjoying watching the world go by; he's happy to let Dixie "go get 'em" while he watches from the sidelines.

Naturally, the two of them posed long enough for the picture after I arrived on the scene and I'm no where to be found!  Oh well.  That's where these pictures come in . . . Can you guess which one I am? 

Wags,
Jenna

Sick as a Dawg

My poor sister, Dixie!  She was sick as a dawg this week.  Dixie urinated in her crate Tuesday (several times)!  In an attempt to escape the problem (or cover up the evidence), Dixie turned her entire crate bed over but it didn't really help.  Mommy thought at first that this problem was just because Dixie had not used the potty as many times as she normally does in the morning.  It was a busy morning here that day; Grandma and Poppa were packing up to leave for their home as Mommy was trying to head off to work.  Mommy just figured Dixie had not been able to hold it all day . . .

Mommy was wrong (that doesn't happen often, so don't tell Daddy!).  Dixie went outside to potty that afternoon with the rest of us.  And then she moved and pottied some more.  And then more.  And more.  And more . . . until she was just really going through the motions and nothing else was left!  Mommy knew then that something was wrong.  She called good 'ole Dr. Stoneback and he said he could see Dixie as soon as they arrived.  He was kind enough to stay open a little later just for Dixie. 



Dixie has nicely recovered and is back to hogging the toys!

You won't believe what Mommy let them do to Dixie!  First, Dixie had to go potty and the vet technician threw a bowl under her to try to catch it.  The indignity of that position!  Next, Dixie had to have her temperature taken.  Do you know where they take a dog's temperature?!?!?!?  Now that Dixie has told me, you can bet I will NEVER act sick even if I am on my death bed!  How humiliating!  Dixie said she whined and cried, but that did not stop Mommy and the technician from placing that thermometer in a place the sun doesn't shine!!!  No way!  That is NOT happening to me!

Dixie's pH was fairly out of whack and she had a good deal of blood in her urine, but thankfully the urinalysis showed nothing more than a typical bladder infection.   Dixie is already back to her usual self.  Wonder what causes that?  I hope I can't catch it.  The whole idea makes me a little worried.  My crate is right beside of hers . . . and there is NO WAY that thermometer is going to get close to me!

Jenna

Where's the Love?

I am sure some of you remember when Daddy used to call me, "The One Who Loves Me" (meaning him).  I used to hold a place of honor in this house.  I was known as the wild child, the baby of the family, the sweet girl . . . but no longer.

I think Jenna has taken my place in Daddy's heart! 

• Daddy says Jenna follows him around, but is polite enough to give him his space.  I, on the other paw, like to be where he is, but I like to place my head in his lap.  This allows him to know how much I love him and allows me to be rubbed behind the ears at the same time.   What could be wrong with that?  It's a win-win for both of us. 
• Daddy says Jenna is more like him: stubborn, ambitious, free-spirited.  I am a bit more reserved, more polite like my Southern name (please note, I did NOT say more like Mommy!). 
• When my parents eat at the coffee table (which they do frequently since they don't have to set a good example for any human children), I hang back and let them eat.  I sometimes even lounge on the love seat and watch them from afar.  Jenna, on the other paw, rests her head on Mommy's knee and waits eagerly for anything that may fall her way (it rarely does). 
• When I take my rightful place on the love seat in the evenings (the one I have held for the past two years) and mind my own business, Jenna jumps right up on top of me and stretches out.  She has no sense of boundaries (as stated earlier by my brother).  What makes her think it's okay for her to stretch out on top me? 

I've been trying to give Jenna the evil eye, but it doesn't always work.  She likes to stare me down.  I think she's making a move on my toys, but my parents assure me she isn't.  To be on the safe side, I keep my toys as close as possible to me, often times in my mouth. 

Here comes Daddy now.  He just gave me a big hug and kiss.  He does love me!  But here comes Jenna . . . hmmpf!

Wags and Kisses,
Dixie

Now I Get It . . .

This weekend marks the six month anniversary of Jenna's arrival to our house.   I think I have finally figured out why Jenna didn't make the cut for Canine Partners for Life.  Don't get me wrong, Jenna is a wonderful, beautiful, loveable dog, but she also . . .

• licks the Windex when Mommy tries to clean the sliding door
• eats the grape tomatoes right off the vine (green or red)
• doesn't know her own strength and thinks she's a lap dog
• sits under Mommy's feet while Mommy scrapbooks, waiting and hoping for a piece of paper to drop
• eats the birdseed that is dropped on its way from its storage container to the bird feeder
• eats the grapes growing on the grapevine in the backyard (Sensing a food theme??)
• almost broke Mommy's nose
• has no sense of personal space or boundaries
• runs off with the toilet paper
• eats the cardboard roll when all the toilet paper is gone
• throws up the cardboard roll three days later

On the other hand, she is a good addition to our home because she is:

• able to potty on command (unlike Dixie who takes forever)
• a shadow to Mommy
• a cuddle bug
• a playmate to Dixie (since I can't keep up with either of them)
• a distraction to Dixie which keeps Dixie from bothering me
• smart enough to know she'd better defer to my authority as the oldest four legged member of the family
• a sweet, loving puppy

Welcome Home, Sweet Jenna!

Love, Hunter

Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire Extinguisher?

This morning we wanted to surprise our parents with breakfast.  They've been so good to us lately (Daddy's been trying to make it up to Hunter after this week's "forgotten" incident).  First, we thawed out sausage and fried up sausage patties; we don't like links because they look too much like little doggies.  We then retrieved the bread, milk, and eggs from the fridge to make one of their favorites: French toast!  Yum! 

Everything was going as planned until we kind of overcooked the sausage and the pan was a bit black.  The sausage was still edible and you can trust us on that one; we have a very discerning palate.  We've seen our parents de-glaze the pan with wine before, and it looked so easy when they did it.  When we poured the wine in, the pan must have been even hotter than usual or the wine was more potent than usual because chaos ensued!  The pan went up in flames!  It was ruff work putting the flames out and not burning down the house.  It was so smoky in the house that the smoke detector went off downstairs AND upstairs! 

We don't think we've ever heard the smoke detector in this house.   Hunter says he has experience with the smoke detector from the apartment in Delaware where he lived with Mommy and Daddy while shopping for this house.  That smoke detector was quite sensitive and went off at the drop of oil into the pan! 

There was no breakfast surprise for our parents after that.  They ran around fanning the smoke detectors (our tails wouldn't reach that high) and opening windows.  It took a while to clear it all out.  We think the burn smell might still be lingering.  Either that, or our nose hairs were singed in the process!  You will probably be surprised to know that breakfast continued on smoothly after that.  The French toast still tasted yummy! 

Paws Script: No actual fire extinguishers were involved in the making of breakfast!