STUCK!

Right now, as I type this blog, Mommy's car is being held hostage in the garage!  The giant spring on the garage door broke yesterday and the door will not open.  Not even the emergency release does the trick.  Mommy is waiting on the garage door people to come fix it today.  Did you know they have an emergency after-hours number?  Neither did we until yesterday.  I wonder how many people have to use it?  Daddy wonders how much they'll charge for a Sunday visit, but he realizes he really has no other choice (unless he wants to be Mommy's chauffeur to work Monday morning).

We were all in the house last night when we heard an awful racket.  Daddy tried to run outside to see what was going on, but the garage door wouldn't go up.  This wasn't that surprising.  Lately, the door has had trouble going up all the way.  Mommy would hit the button and it would go up about two feet and stop.  We thought this was due to the cold weather because that's when we noticed it happening the most (it's been about ten degrees at night this past week).  We just assumed something in the metal was contracting or expanding and preventing it from rising fully.  I guess it's been trying to tell us for a while it was about to break. 

Apparently that loud noise was the door!  Once my parents realized something was really wrong with the door, they began looking for the problem.  They discovered it had a FEW problems, not the least of which is the door decided to hold Mommy's car for ransom.  Wonder if the ransom pick up guy prefers a check or Visa?  Daddy tried all sorts of things to open the door and free the hostage, but to no avail.  He even has a giant jack he tried to lift the door with, but it still didn't work.  Apparently the door is super heavy.  I think there must be kryptonite hiding in the garage somewhere; my Super Daddy can normally do anything!

The broken spring above the door!

In the meantime, Daddy told Mommy this situation was all HER fault!  She just HAD to park in the garage!  Mommy told Daddy it's HIS fault for cleaning out the garage.  You have to understand that Daddy has LOTS of toys and tools he likes to keep in the garage.  For several years in a row, Poppa would help Daddy clean out the garage when he and Grandma were visiting so Mommy could park in there.  It would be clean for a while and then Daddy would have some sort of project to work on and Mommy would have to park outside again.  Mommy finally gave up parking in there a few years back.  (Hunter filled me in on the long, sordid history of the garage since this was all before my time.)

Daddy decided to surprise her with a belated Christmas gift.  About a month ago, he began to clean out the garage and Mommy has been parking in there for the last several weeks.  She LOVES it, especially since it's winter and she doesn't have to scrape her windshield.  I've heard her tell Daddy several times how much she enjoys parking inside and is very thankful he did this for her.  I've consulted with my siblings and we don't think this problem is anyone's fault.  This kind of thing just happens when you own a house! 

Keep your paws crossed that the ransom is picked up soon!  Hopefully, Mommy's car won't be harmed in the process.

Jenna

No Girly Girl Here!

We have recently discovered something unusual about Jenna.  Santa and Aunt Kelly both brought us lots of tennis balls.  The tennis balls the girls received from Santa were pink!  I thought the pink ones were kind of cool, but apparently Jenna doesn't.  She doesn't like to retrieve the pink ones.  Seriously!  Mommy will throw it, Jenna will chase after it, and then Jenna notices its color when it lands.  She just sniffs it and looks at Mommy as if to say, "Do I have to?"  She will eventually pick it up, but only to carry it as far as the nearest green tennis ball.  At that point, she drops the pink ball and picks up the green one.  I know this sounds crazy since we are color blind, but it's TRUE! 

Jenna also doesn't like to be dried off after being out in the rain.  Dixie and I run in and wait patiently for Mommy to throw the towel over us.  We don't mind the process one bit.  Jenna prefers to air dry and go au naturale.  It's not that she fights the towel, but she doesn't long for it either.  How can you not a want to be dried off by Mommy?  I personally prefer the towel dry method before shaking off.  Jenna doesn't know what she's missing.

Jenna is also quite forceful about getting her way.  Mommy was looking at some older pictures this past weekend and noticed something she had forgotten.  When Jenna first came to live with us Dixie would take up her usual spot on the sofa with Mommy; Jenna tried to squeeze in where she could.  The "cushions" have changed in the last nine months!  Jenna now makes herself quite at home on the sofa with Mommy.  Poor Dixie doesn't stand a chance.  Dixie could jump up and join them, but she's a bit chicken around Jenna sometimes.  Jenna is quite the assertive little lady!

When Mommy arrives home in the afternoon and lets Jenna out of her crate, Jenna likes to bring out one of her toys or bones so Dixie doesn't grab it.  One afternoon this week when Mommy was letting Jenna out of her crate, Jenna was in a hurry to hop out but she had to have a toy too!  She ended up getting her paw caught in the frame of the crate.  She whined and whined, but managed to pull her own paw out before Mommy even realized what had happened.  Poor Mommy.  She thought she had "broken" (Daddy's words) another dog!  Nope, not Jenna.  She just shook it off and kept going!

I know my parents brought a sister home to us last March, but Jenna's no girly girl!  I'd better watch out, or she might try to take my place!

Hunter

PS: Jenna's breeder told us Jenna was dominant; she wasn't kidding!  Jenna even marked her territory while hunting in the field with Daddy last weekend!  I thought only boys did that!

That Dawg Can Hunt!

I had quite an experience today.  I went on my first bird hunt!  I know some of you think this should have happened LONG before now, but Daddy says he does have to work for a living!  Daddy wasn't actually hunting today.  His sole purpose was to keep his eye on me and help me learn the process.  I stayed on a check cord a good bit of the time just in case I decided to let loose and go nuts!  Have no fear, I didn't!  I was a GREAT dawg today!  I even learned a new phrase, "Find the bird!"  Daddy says if it wasn't for that check cord I might still be chasing some of those pheasants that got away!  (I got a little bit excited!)

There was a really large hunt going on at the club today.  We tried to stay out of the main action since I was a rookie.  I was able to observe the hunters and other dogs from our position.  I smelled and sniffed the first bird that was shot in our area, but I wasn't sure what to do with it.  While I was contemplating my next move, another dog came in, snatched it up and gave it to a man.  Daddy told me that was what I was supposed to do.  When I had my second chance, I was in for a big surprise; the bird I found was injured but not dead!  It jumped up and tried to get away.  That bird wasn't going to get away from me.  I wanted to make my daddy proud.  My instincts kicked in and I caught it! Daddy was pleased with my persistence, but he was left re-thinking the check cord idea after a little rope burn on his hands!  He says it's a small price to pay for a good gun dawg. 

By design we were in a lower action area, but it became REALLY slow at times.  This made me antsy to get into the field; I was sure there were birds out there and that's where I wanted to be!  Once the hunt was over, Bullet (a fellow black lab) and I were awarded clean-up duty which meant going to find more dead birds in the brush.  This was when I had the most fun!  There were quite a few birds the hunters didn't shoot, and I found every one within smelling distance. I flushed them up and had a blast trying to catch them.  Daddy was impressed with how I could blaze through tall brush and come out with dead birds that the other dogs didn't find.  He says I have a good nose; I'm pretty sure that's a compliment.  

Daddy was so proud of me.  He and the other guides were impressed with how close I hunted. I never wandered too far away.  Daddy said I was one of the most well-behaved dogs present.  He told some of the hunters about how I wasn't quite cut out for Canine Partners for Life due to my excitability, and they couldn't believe it.  Everyone loved me.  There was even a young boy who couldn't keep his paws off me when I was around.  It was a terrific day, but I am exhausted!  I should sleep well tonight . . .  [sigh]

Wags and Feathers . . . in my Mouth!
Jenna

Fattening Up for the Winter?

As many of you know, Dixie really packed on the pounds last winter.  We didn't really notice until March when we brought her sister Jenna (the Supermodel) home to live with us.  Boy, was there a difference between the two!  Dixie had gained quite a little belly during the winter months.  With the noticeable difference staring Mommy in the face, Dixie's life began to change. 

DBJ (Dixie Before Jenna)

Dixie had been exercising the whole time we had her because she LOVES to retrieve tennis balls, but she had also been eating too much.  Mommy cut back on Dixie's daily amount of food at mealtime and on her treats.  [sigh]  Mommy cut back on mine too.  The result was that we both lost pounds.  I lost so much the doctor finally told Mommy I was thin enough.  Mommy only wishes she could hear the doctor say that about her!  Ha!  Fat chance!  Sorry, Mommy, but pun intended.  Dixie lost weight too, but I don't think she'll ever be quite as skinny as Jenna.  The strange thing is that Jenna is much more food oriented than Dixie.  Jenna stalks the goings on in the kitchen with a vengeance. 

Dixie still likes to retrieve balls, but not as much when Jenna is outside with her.  Jenna also LOVES to retrieve.  Jenna drops the ball without the need of a command and easily allows Mommy to throw it again.  Dixie carries two around in her mouth at all times when Jenna is nearby and will NOT drop them!  Why can't Dixie understand that Jenna has her own and isn't interested in Dixie's??  I think the real difference is that Jenna loves the action of retrieving and Dixie loves the actual tennis balls.  

As a result of Dixie's stubbornness, I fear Dixie may pack the pounds on again this winter.  Dixie sometimes runs along beside Jenna with two tennis balls in her mouth as Jenna runs to fetch her ball.  And if Jenna didn't spot the throw, Dixie will run in the direction of the ball (with two in her mouth) to show Jenna where to look!  But there are other times when Dixie just stands beside Mommy and watches as Jenna retrieves.  Dixie is so fearful her tennis balls are going to disappear.  I hate to tell Dixie, but standing in place and WATCHING as your sister run around will NOT improve your waistline!  She would probably tell me the same thing, but I have old age as an excuse.  

Dixie's current slim and trim waist   .  .  .



Now if only I could throw the ball and watch Mommy run after it . . . hmmmm.  Perhaps I should mention that idea to Daddy!

Woof!  Woof!
Hunter

Caught in the Act!

Camera Crazy Mommy caught my siblings making some funny faces!  Thank goodness I wasn't caught in such a compromising position  .  .  .

Hunter looks a little annoyed, but he was quite happy enjoying a 50 degree January day! 

Do you think this is Dixie's new smile? 

Or did she eat the canary?  I don't see any feathers . . .

 



I hope you enjoy these as much as I do . . . blackmail is so much FUN!

Jenna

 

 





Guess Who Came to Visit?

This past weekend we had some special visitors; Mimi and Grandaddy drove North to see us!  I personally think they came all this way to visit me, but Hunter says no, they wanted to see their son.  Maybe Hunter's right, but I am certain they were just as happy to see me. 

Mommy had to go back to work this past week, so she wasn't able to hang out at the house with our visitors.  Daddy was off all week.  He and Grandaddy went hunting early in the mornings and came home about mid-afternoon each day.  They had fun goose hunting.  If only I could have a bite of those birds.  Instead, I have to settle for scurrying about for loose feathers on the garage floor after Daddy cleans the birds.  Although I would rather sink my teeth into a bird, it's pretty fun sniffing and running around in the garage.  Mommy laughs at me when the feathers stick to the top of my nose!  I'm sure it's just because I look beautiful.

Mimi spent all day Friday with us by herself.  I thought she might keep us in our crates until Mommy or Daddy came home, but she decided to brave it and released us!  She said we were very well behaved all day, but I'm not sure if she really meant that.  I think I may have gotten on her nerves by ringing the bell too often to go outside.  There were a few times when I rang the bell and all three of us went to the door.  We desperately wanted Mimi to take us out to play.  Instead she looked at us and said, "I'm from the South y'all and it's too cold outside for me!"  At another point in the day, Mimi was a tiny bit panicked because she couldn't find Jenna.  Mimi walked around and around the house looking for her.  Jenna was relaxing in her crate (of her own free will) the whole time!  Poor Mimi.  I'm sure she was wondering how she was going to explain losing a dawg to Mommy.  Thankfully, we all survived our afternoon together.

Mimi and Grandaddy are now back home, and our lives are back to normal after the holidays.  That means work for the parents and tennis ball chasing for us!  I'm sure by now your new year is back to normal as well. 

Have a good year,
Dixie Doodle

Ringing in the New Year!

That's me living it up in the snow!  Yippee!

Happy New Year!  We haven't barked at you all year!  (Sorry, that's one of Daddy's corny jokes.)  We are ready to start the new year off right.  We will have our black eyed peas and greens thanks to one of the grocery stores of the South and Mommy's forward thinking!  While in the South, she sent Daddy to the store to load up on traditional New Year's goodies; he bought so much that we had to freeze some for later.  Upon our return to the frigid North, we found a coating of about an inch or two of snow!  Yippee!!  We LOVE snow!!!! 

We hope you had a terrific Christmas.  We had a great time and received almost everything on our list except the one item we needed most: a third arm for Mommy!  I wonder why Santa Paws didn't bring that?  I guess we can survive without it.  Mommy practiced being fair to all of us today.  I took one arm, Jenna took the second one, and Dixie stood in the middle and claimed her face.  Thankfully for Mommy, Dixie isn't as much of a licker as Jenna is, and so Dixie just sat quietly as Mommy whispered in her ear. 

Mommy and Daddy had a good Christmas with Poppa, Grandma Jane, and the rest of her family.  However, they spent much of the time sick with a nasty cold that they apparently spread to Grandma Jane.  Hopefully, no one else in the family will pick it up. 

Speaking of picking things up . . . Mommy and Daddy saved one of our treats for today.  They gave us each a deer antler to gnaw on.  Dixie and I loved our antlers last year and worked on them quite a bit on the first day.  We haven't chowed down as much this year on them, but that could be due to one tiny problem: DIXIE!  At one point she had all three antlers in her mouth and was trying to make an escape to the great outdoors with them!  Mommy finally snatched them back and spread them around again.  Thank goodness for Mommy!

Happy New Year!
Wags and wishes for a great 2013!  
Hunter