The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Mommy gave to us:

Jenna poses with Daddy's newest goose decoys!

Twelve liver treats
Eleven rawhide bones
Ten belly rubs
Nine bowls of kibble
Eight flying Frisbees
Seven tennis balls
Six hunting decoys
Five squeaky toys
Four pepperonis
Three red bandannas
Two training bumpers
And a bowl full of yummy cold cuts!

A Yankee Christmas?

The Yankees around here have a few unusual Christmas traditions.  Our Southern parents like to put the Christmas tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving.  If Thanksgiving is early like it was this year, they might wait one more weekend, but that is really pushing it.  So many of Mommy's friends here wait until the week before Christmas to put up their tree, or even stranger yet, Santa puts the tree up on Christmas Eve!  Doesn't Santa have enough to worry about than to put up a tree, put lights on it, and decorate it?  No wonder he wants milk and cookies when he arrives!  I know Santa has a bit of magic up his sleeves, but putting a tree up is surely more responsibility than he needs (or wants)!  Where does he carry that tree?  Does it fit on the sleigh with all of the other gifts?  Hmmm . . . perhaps there's an advantage to this strategy; Mommy wouldn't have to drag Daddy from tree to tree looking for the perfect one!  I'm sure Santa's trees are perfect! 

Another strange tradition (at least in Mommy's opinion) is waiting to put the gifts under the tree until Christmas Eve.  Why in the world would you wait?  If a gift is wrapped, shouldn't it go under the tree?  How can I shake it up and guess what it is if I can't see it or touch it?  You humans might not know it, but those gifts under the tree have smells too!  Part of the fun of Christmas is trying to guess what's in each package.  I like to sniff around to try to find the ones that might belong to me.  Daddy likes to take Mommy's small gifts and wrap them in giant boxes with lots of extra packing so nothing inside makes a movement or sound at all!  Mommy likes to wrap gifts before she even has a tree.  That way, when the tree goes up, the gifts go underneath and the "look" is complete!

Mommy may think these Yankee customs are strange, but she puts wreaths on every door in the house (minus the closet doors)!  Isn't the front door enough?  Look closely to see what Mommy has added to this one!  This wreath is my personal favorite and hangs in the kitchen.  There is even an outline of me on it!

No matter what traditions your family has, enjoy them!
Hunter

Christmas is in the Air!

Christmas is almost here!  Can you smell it?  [sniff, sniff]  I sure could yesterday.  Mommy came home with sixteen loaves of sourdough bread.  Do you know how good SIXTEEN loaves of bread smell?  YUMMY!!!!

Remember all of that grape jelly Mommy and Daddy made back in September?  She decided to give jelly and fresh baked bread to Daddy's co-workers for Christmas presents.  Mommy decided the jelly was enough of a homemade gift; she bought the bread yesterday afternoon.  (She says she's good, but not that good!)  While we were out playing she tried to sneak it in the house without us noticing, but we are way too smart for that!  As soon as we came back inside, we knew something was in the air.  We were all doing the happy dance!  I was especially good at sniffing out the goods.  I tried to get at the kitchen counter from all angles.  Mommy was NOT pleased with my behavior,  but I just couldn't help myself.  It smelled sooooooo good! 

 

 

Oh well!  Better lick next time!  Maybe you'll be lucky enough to receive one of those packages . . .

 

 

Wags,

Jenna

Lights! Camera! Action?

Mommy has been on the Pinterest lately . . . can you tell??

Seriously, I have to wear this?

 

You want me to do what?    [sigh]   

The things I do for Mommy . . . 

 

This is more like it!

 

Nope.  Not gonna happen!  Think again, Mommy!

Despite Dixie's eye roll and the stressed look in Hunter's eyes, no dawgs were harmed in the shooting of these pictures!  Woof!  Woof!



Not Ready for the Rocking Chair Yet

A couple weeks ago Mommy let all of us out to do our business in the morning as she usually does.  Hunter took about three steps outside and promptly turned around.  He hightailed it back inside and turned towards the laundry room.  The reason for his detour?  Frost on the deck!  He is definitely a Minnesota dog!  Poor Hunter hates walking on the slippery deck when it's frosted over.  He is willing to take his chances with the kitchen's ceramic tiles in order to avoid the deck!  Instead of going out to the yard via the deck, Mommy lets us out in the laundry room.  From there, Hunter only has to manage his way down three stairs.  It can still be tricky, but less wood to cover on the whole.  Since that cold morning, Hunter seems to know when it is cold enough to frost over and has been heading straight through the kitchen in the mornings to the back door.  How does he know?  Is Mommy letting him use the computer after Dixie and I have gone to bed?  Is he staying up late at night to watch TV?  Daddy says not to worry; Hunter knows because he feels it in his old bones. 

Hunter may be old some days, but he's still got it!  He has been having a blast lately playing with the frisbee in the afternoons.  He can't out run me and Jenna, but he does know his left from his right which is an advantage.  Hunter listens to Mommy call out which direction the toy is heading and he turns instantly in that direction to catch it before it lands.  He's so smart!  He has also been doing his best to keep up with us when Jenna and I chase each other around the yard.  I guess he's not ready for the rocking chair yet!

Hunter's much younger (and beautiful) sister,
Dixie

Our Christmas Wish List

Dear Santa Paws,

 

We are really looking forward to your visit this year.  This is Jenna's first Christmas with us, so it should be a howling good time.  Yippee!!  Woof!  Woof!  We decided to make a list of the items we want the most for Christmas.  We each added a few items to the list. 

1. a third arm for Mommy (it's hard to love on all of us at the same time with just two)
2. tennis balls (mostly for Dixie)
3. stuffed animals without the stuffing (not as messy)
4. 

   

   This is the ONLY picture Mommy
   could capture of the three of us!

   treats
5. squeaky balls (even though they drive Daddy crazy!)
6. snow
7. more treats
8. a new love seat just for us . . . . better make it a full size sofa!
9. more squirrels in the backyard to chase
10. more rabbits to chase would be good too
11. frisbees
12. treats (Jenna is the one who keeps adding this to the list)
13. a new blanket (Hunter's choice)
14. breath mints
15. twenty minutes alone in the grocery store (take a wild guess about who wrote this one!)

We hope we haven't asked for too much.  We've really been good this year.  We're sure you'll agree . . .

Wags and Kisses,
Hunter, Dixie, & Jenna

Say Cheese!

Mommy held our annual Christmas photo shoot today.  She said it went better than expected.  Of the three of us, Hunter was the least cooperative.  You would think he would have been the best since he's had the most experience with Mommy and her camera.  (Of course, maybe that's why he was so unwilling!!)  Jenna sat perfectly perfect as usual.  There was only one picture of the three of us from Mommy's solo attempt.  When Daddy arrived home he agreed to help out and was determined to get a perfect shot of the three of us.  We still don't have a great one, but don't tell Mommy that!  She might want to have another photo session.  We're crossing our paws, that won't happen!  Here are our best shots . . .

Enjoy!
Dixie

This is as good as it gets with the three of us!

Or do you like this one better?

Jenna



Beautiful Me



 Hunter

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming!!  We are officially ready here at the Dawg House!  Mommy has finished shopping and wrapping.  The tree is up, the lights are on, and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care.  There is a new stocking up this year!  Daddy had to rearrange the hooks on the mantle to make room for Jenna's, but I think the result looks pretty good.  We each have a stocking that looks remarkably like us. 

Dinner time has been interesting the past two days.  Each year when the tree goes up, our food bowls have to be moved to another location.  I am quite used to this process, but my sisters aren't.  When Mommy dishes up our food Jenna runs to her crate, and Dixie runs to her usual place which is currently on the left side of the Christmas tree.  I can understand Jenna's behavior since technically she could still eat in her crate and this is her first Christmas with us.  Dixie on the other hand is definitely confused!  Does she think Mommy is going to place her bowl beneath the tree with the presents??  We are temporarily eating in the dining room.  That makes perfect sense, don't you think?  I wonder how many days it will take for my sisters to catch on . . .

Mommy had an interesting dinner experience herself tonight.  After fixing her plate, she went into the garage to retrieve a soda (for you Yankees), or pop (for you Mid-Westerners), or Coke (for you Southerners and it was actually a Diet Coke) from the extra drink fridge.  After she had been eating her dinner for several minutes, we all heard a very high pitched yelp.  The yelp for help was coming from Dixie!  Dixie had become trapped in the garage when she followed Mommy in there without Mommy noticing.  This has happened before, but it's been a while.  Poor Dixie.  Won't she ever learn? 

I'll leave you with a picture of Jenna in front of the tree.  Mommy hasn't forced us into the usual Christmas tree photo session --- yet!  I'm sure it's coming, but Mommy got lucky with this one! 

Have a great week!  Woof!  Woof!
Hunter