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

Meet Ruger [The Vet]

My journey so far with my new family has been full of several new experiences.  I had to visit the vet right after arriving at my new home to get his seal of approval.  I was fortunate enough to have my appointment with Jenna's surgeon.  Mommy has decided she LOVES this vet and is happy to request him any chance she can.

I rode to and from the vet like a pro . . . I slept!

The doctor came in and took one look at me and said, "I need a new lab!"  Of course he does.  Doesn't everyone???

Naturally the doctor said I was perfect.  I had all the vet techs wrapped around my little (big?) paws!  And I slept . . .

The ride home was pretty uneventful too.  I kept my baby blues open for a while, but then I slept!

But I was a happy pup!
Ruger

PS: Dixie met our wonderful vet the following day for vaccines . . . this time the vet said, "I don't think I'm ready for a new lab after all!"

Meet Ruger [Bath Time]

Hello world!  I'm Ruger and I'm the newest member of the Dawgs Bark Family.  Today I get to tell you about me from MY point of view. I'm making great strides so far in housebreaking and sleeping through the night, apparently two skills I must have in order to be a part of this family.  I've also learned how to type so I can entertain you with tales of my adventures.  My sisters told me that was a necessary skill also!  Otherwise they're going to be the ones telling you about my adventures and you might not get the "true" story!

Mommy tells me it had to happen sooner or later.  Every dawg gets a bath upon becoming a part of the family whether he needs it or not.  Dixie and Jenna each got a bath on their arrival day.  There's something about their dander that bothers Daddy's nose sometimes.  (I don't cause Daddy's nose any such problems.)  I was able to make it three days into my new place before Mommy broke down and gave me one.  She said it wasn't that I smelled bad, I just needed a chance to smell like I belonged to the family.

Normally the new dawg bath takes place in a traditional bathtub, with Mommy bent over the side straining her back.  I'm sooooo special, I got to take a different route.  I got to take a shower with Mommy!  She stripped us both down and placed me onto the built in shower seat.  I was good until a LOT of water starting falling all over me.  I manned up and didn't cry or whine about it, but I wasn't exactly thrilled.

Eventually Mommy soaped me up while I sat on the shower seat.  When it came time to rinse me, she picked me up and held me at all kinds of weird angles.  Mommy recalls Daddy doing this to Dixie once when she was a puppy.  She said it was very similar to the diaper changing scene in Three Men and a Baby.  Do you remember that movie?  I certainly don't.  It was waaaaaaay before my time!

I looked like a drowned rat after the experience.  Mommy dried me off and wrapped me in a towel. 

This experience wore me out; I promptly fell asleep!

But I smelled great!
Ruger

Zap the Yap!

FINALLY!  My parents bought a bark collar for my sister, Dixie!  I know some of you are shocked (pun intended), but Dixie's incessant barking has taken a toll on Mommy and she was the one who finally made the big decision.  Mommy told Daddy if she'd known it would work this well, she'd have bought one seven years ago!

The excess collar hasn't been cut off yet!

Dixie doesn't bark all the time.  Yes, she barks if she suspects someone is on the other side of the fence and yes, she barks when we're in the front bedroom and someone walks by outside, but that's okay.  Mommy said she doesn't want to take away Dixie's natural protective instincts!  The barking that needed to STOP was the "play with me" bark.  Mommy says it's more like a nag!  (Daddy says Mommy would know all about nagging!)

Dixie loves to drop her ball and then wait on Mommy to pick it up and throw it.  If Mommy isn't fast enough, Dixie starts barking.  And it's very shrill!  Even if Mommy is trying to pick up the ball, Dixie will grab the ball, then drop it and bark at her to throw it.  Mommy finally said enough was enough.  Seriously?  It took this long to figure it out???

It's been interesting watching this new bark collar play out.  Our parents chose a collar by a reputable company that starts off automatically on the lowest setting and grows in intensity if the dawg ignores the stimulation it receives.  Dixie can usually get about 3-4 barks off before the collar really zaps her.
The first time Dixie got zapped, she ran over to Mommy and literally jumped in Mommy's arms for some snuggles!  I thought it was pretty funny from where I was watching.  Mommy felt soooo bad for Dixie!  She kneeled down to catch Dixie and loved all over her. Is THIS what a dawg has to do in order to be loved around here?  Just kidding.  We're the most loved dawgs in the world!  (With or without the bark collar!)

The really funny part (in my opinion) is that when she's wearing the bark collar, Dixie seems to lose the will to play.  As soon as she's zapped once, she runs to the shade of the patio and just hangs out.  No amount of calling or coercing from Mommy can make her budge.

Or she'll sit under the eaves of the house and just watch life go by . . .

For those who fear Dixie is being tortured constantly, have no fear.  Mommy only puts the collar on when we're going to play ball.  Sometimes the collar stays on Dixie's neck for longer than that, but Mommy turns it off.  Except for that time the UPS truck came by . . .

Apparently Mommy forgot to turn the collar off and Dixie let out a bark to say hello to the delivery guy.  Next thing we knew, Dixie was under the desk and at Mommy's feet!

My poor sister has no idea she's getting zapped because of Mommy!!!!  They say ignorance is bliss . . . I'm still debating on whether to tell her or not . . .

On the bright side, the needless barking has stopped for the most part.  There are times when I can tell Dixie wants to let one rip, but she restrains herself.  Sometimes the collar is on and sometimes it's not.  Most online reviews of the collar said it only took a few days to teach the dawg not to bark and then it was no longer needed.  That seems to be the case with Dixie too!

Until I tell Dixie that Mommy is zapping her . . . then she really might have something to bark about!
Jenna

PS: Happy Father's Day to Daddy, Grandaddy, and Poppa . . . hopefully you won't receive a bark collar for your gift!

Meet Ruger

As we suspected, the rumor was true.  [sigh]  We have a new family member.  Meet our new baby brother, Ruger!  We really aren't quite sure what to think of him yet.  All we can say for sure is that he's without a doubt the cutest puppy known to man or woman, present company excluded of course!

Mommy and Daddy had read all kinds of articles about how to choose the best puppy from the litter.  They knew they wanted a boy and it didn't take long for Ruger to set himself apart from the litter.  He was adventurous, curious, and inquisitive.  And LABRADORABLE!

Upon his arrival here at the house, we surprised our parents with our regard for Ruger.  Mommy expected Dixie to be the most aggressive since she tends to be skeptical of strange dawgs on our morning walks.  Instead, Dixie was cool as a cucumber and almost ignored the poor little guy.  Jenna was expected to be more accepting of this new presence in our lives.  Instead, she's been more hesitant to accept Ruger.  We think it's because she's still cooped up in her crate and can't run and play with him.  (She does have her stitches out now thankfully, but is still in solitary confinement for several more WEEKS!!)

We have the feeling Ruger's going to be taking over the blog as soon as he figures out how to type.  Did you notice how big his paws are?!?!  Typing could be difficult for a while.  What he really needs to learn is how to sleep through the night so the rest of us can get our beauty sleep (except Daddy who's already pretty handsome and can sleep through quite a bit; apparently Ruger is no exception!).

We leave you with what we think is the best picture of our new brother so far . . . at least it's Mommy's favorite.  Despite the mud on his nose.  Or perhaps because of it!

Adjusting to new big sister status,  [sigh]
Dixie and Jenna