So Thankful

We are thankful for so many blessings in our lives . . . 

Our parents who love us like crazy and take care of us

Our siblings

Our grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends

Food to fill our bellies

Toys to play with

Warm beds to sleep on

Lots of love to you on Thanksgiving from our home to yours!

And the only picture Mommy could capture of the three of us . . .

Love to all,
Hunter, Dixie, and Jenna

Put a Cork On It!

Recently Daddy needed a door prize for the local Ducks Unlimited banquet.  He asked Mommy to make a wreath using some of the many wine corks they have collected over the years.  She was happy to help him out and so was I!

Mommy kept a close eye on me.  I guess I can't blame her.  Once when Dixie was younger, Mommy had allowed Dixie to stay out of her crate for the day.  Upon Mommy's return, she discovered little bits of cork all over the house.  Dixie had decided to stand on the sofa and help herself to the corks Mommy kept in a glass hurricane on the end table.  I guess Dixie thought they looked yummy.  I'll admit, they DO!  But I wasn't allowed to taste them.  Drat!   That hurricane has had a new home in the house since Dixie's taste testing adventure.

This isn't the first wreath Mommy has made to help Daddy.  Last spring she made a shotgun shell wreath.  It takes a special person to appreciate these wreaths.  It's a good thing I'm that person . . . er, dawg!  Mommy made her first shotgun shell wreath over a decade ago.  It's been hanging in our garage ever since.  I really prefer the empty shells over the wine corks.  The many smells attached to the shells are simply divine!

Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to win the cork wreath?  Or maybe I'll win and can use it as a new chew toy?  Hmmm . . .
Jenna


PS: Since we're on the subject of wine, we should make a toast to Aunt Kelly who is celebrating her birthday today!

TP Snob

Mommy discovered something strange abut my sister Jenna recently: Jenna is a toilet paper snob!  As a human, you probably have a certain brand you prefer to use and that is perfectly normal (I assume).  If you're not the shopper in your house, then you might not know what that brand is, but the person doing the buying certainly does.

At our house, the chosen brand is Angel Soft.  Perhaps because our house is full of angels?  I'm not really sure why Mommy buys this particular brand.  She probably doesn't even know herself.  All she really cares about is that she isn't buying the kind Grandma does.  No offense Grandma, but that stuff is ruff!  We like our paper a bit more cushy!

A few weeks ago, Mommy had to take Jenna to the vet for a vaccine.  While they were there, Mommy needed to use the restroom and so of course, Jenna had to go along with her.  As you already know, Jenna LOVES to eat toilet paper.  Oddly enough she doesn't eat it when our parents aren't here.  She only eats it when they are in the bathroom!  I think she just loves the attention!  Mommy, being the kind person she is (and the one waiting for a dawg's intestines to be impacted), offered Jenna a couple squares of the toilet paper the vet had on the roll.  Jenna grabbed it and promptly spit it out!  She refused to eat it!  Mommy tried to entice Jenna to at least clean up the floor, but Jenna refused.

Apparently Jenna is a toilet paper snob!  Very strange!  She usually isn't picky about anything.  She will eat anything, lie down anywhere, and play with any toy.  I don't know what brand the vet uses, but it must not be up to Jenna's standards!   I guess it tasted "tearable!"  (Kind of like that joke, huh?)

This just goes to prove that my sister is indeed strange!
Dixie


PS:  Grandma, I hope you don't feel too paranoid about your paper choice!

More Bad Habits

Since my brother is ratting me and my bad habits out, I will do the same for him!  Isn't that what little sisters are for???

Apparently Hunter thinks being the oldest child in our house comes with privileges.  Being oldest children themselves, Mommy and Daddy tend to agree with Hunter.  That lucky dawg gets to sleep upstairs while Dixie and I are forced to sleep in our crates at night.  The fact that we like sleeping in our crates isn't important; we'd like the option to choose!

Hunter must think that being first to drink when we're hot and thirsty is another privilege that should be granted to him.  As Dixie and I jostle for position at the water bowl or water hose, Hunter stands back to watch.  He waits as long as he can for his turn (about ten seconds) and when he grows impatient, he begins to bark at us.  He continues to bark until we move out of his way.  Never mind the fact that he is large enough to push us away.  Nope.  He just stands and barks.  [sigh]  It's very annoying.

Maybe Mommy should put out another water bowl for us . . . nah, he'd just bark more!  We don't call him the Barkalounger for nothing!

Pesky Little Sister,
Jenna

Bad Habits

We all know bad habits are hard to break.  Unfortunately, they are very easy to learn.  Jenna has picked up two of Dixie's bad habits and it's about to drive Mommy crazy.

Usually Jenna only rings the bell to go outside in dire circumstances.  Mommy and Daddy know when they hear a slight jingle (instead of Dixie's crash of the bells) that Jenna is waiting for them and she means business!  Jenna rarely has to ring the bell because Dixie rings it so often; chances are Jenna will need to go at one of those times.  This was all true until recently.  Jenna has started ringing the bell to go outside even when she doesn't really need to potty. We're not sure why Jenna feels the need to sound a false alarm.  She must see Dixie receive attention and crave some for herself.

Jenna has also started barking for Mommy to throw a toy.  Since Dixie was a puppy, she has barked nonstop when she wants attention.  Mommy tried every training trick she could think of or read about to stop this annoying habit and it never did any good.  Dixie loves to have attention.  She grows very impatient when she is waiting for Mommy to throw the ball.  (The fact that Dixie is standing over the ball and Mommy can't grab it even with the Chuck It means nothing!)  While Mommy is trying to coax the ball away from Dixie's mouth, Jenna usually waits patiently until it's her turn.  Not any more.  Lately she has learned a bark might help her receive faster attention.

Mommy is NOT pleased with these turn of events.  Lucky for Mommy, ignoring Jenna is more effective than it was for Dixie!  Our kind Daddy reminded Mommy that most dawg training is more about training the owner than the actual dawg . . .

Here's to breaking these bad habits soon!
Hunter


PS: How do you like that bandanna covered in bones?  We all have one and the white bones GLOW in the dark!!

Prep Work

Fall is here and bird season too!  Daddy has been doing some preliminary work with me in the backyard.  I need to be ready to help out and do my part in retrieving birds!  I LOVE receiving Daddy's undivided attention and I LOVE the training duck!!!!

Someone else had to do a little prep work as well . . . Mommy!   Daddy wanted her to take the state's hunter safety course.  I think he's afraid that on the off chance something horrible happens to me while I'm in his care, he doesn't want to have to break the news to Mommy.  His solution to this highly unlikely problem is to take Mommy along for the hunt.  I think she's supposed to be my dawg-sitter.

Mommy wasn't thrilled with the idea of taking the class, but only because it was held during the evenings of the first week of school!  She was also a bit nervous about having to take a test.  The fact that twelve-year-olds would be in her class kind of freaked her out as well.  She's quite used to tests and twelve-year-olds, but from a totally different perspective!

She need not have worried.  She put all of those study skills she teaches her students to work and passed with flying colors.  She only missed one question and was really bummed out about it.  I heard her discussing the question she missed with Daddy.  I personally think she could make a case with the state over the answer.  No matter what, she PASSED!  Look out world, she can be licensed to hunt now!

Here's to bird season!
Jenna

Herd of Dinosaurs

Recently Mommy thought she smelled something a bit "off" in the house.  It was specifically coming from the area of the toy box.  She is terribly paranoid on a frequent basis that the house smells because of us three dawgs.  I have no idea why she would think that!  We smell absolutely wonderful!  If the house smells because of us, then it smells wonderful too.  Mommy is always asking our grandparents when they visit, and they assure her it smells fine.  Either it's really fine, or they are being polite for Mommy's sake.

Mommy was taking no chances, so she decided to throw all of our toys into the wash.  When they reached the dryer, you would have thought the house was falling down from the sounds emanating from the laundry room.  We have A LOT of toys, and they made quite a bit of noise tumbling around and around.

I thought the noise sounded like a herd of dinosaurs.  Actually, there really were two dinosaurs in the mix.  And a zebra.  And a fox.  And a skunk.  A dalmatian, giraffe, weasel, donkey, butterfly, lots of knotted ropes, and our blankets.  I might be leaving some of our friends out . . .

We have quite a stash of toys that keeps us busy when we're playing inside.  Mommy does wonder if we have too many, but then she remembers her furniture has no teeth marks.  And the carpet is in one piece.  And the pillows aren't frayed.  And she knows we have just the right amount of toys . . . until Christmas or our next birthday!

Wonder what animal will join us next?
Dixie

PS: Happy Birthday, Grandaddy!  Please don't think the title has anything to do with your birthday.  It's just a coincidence!  Seriously!