Flashback Friday!

Ruger has been with us for a year and two months now.  Mommy's had fun trying to recreate some of the group pictures she took last summer.  She used the same bandanas from last year, but we think you'll agree something's labsolutely changed over the past year.  Let us know if you can put your paw on it . . .

Fourth of July Fabulous (albeit distracted)

Our personalized seersucker bandanas from Three Spoiled Dogs (very Southern of us) . . . 

(Yes, that's the real name of the company.  Coincidence??)

Two out of three labs look exactly the same.  Guess we haven't changed that much after all!
Jenna, Ruger & Dixie

Belated First Birthday Wishes

Ruger celebrated his FIRST birthday on April 27th.  Unfortunately, he wasn't home yet to celebrate with us.  But have no fear, Mommy more than made up for it when he returned the next week.  Mommy went all out and ordered a pupcake online made just for Ruger.  (Because she tries her best to be fair, she ordered one for us too!)  The cake would have been pawfect, but it didn't travel as well as Mommy and the baker had hoped.  But it's the thought that counts, right?  It still tasted quite yummy!

The Birthday Boy!

Waiting on cake . . . 

Jenna helped with clean up duty.

Ruger did too . . . he ate the plates!

I thought the cake was delicious.  I don't do clean up!

Happy 1st Birthday, Big Boy!

Love from your favorite chew toy (Mommy says that sounds nicer than "play thing!"),
Dixie

Puppy Class

We told you our proofreader has been slacking off lately and today's post is proof!  This is old news for our closest friends and family!  Starting last October and going until the week before Thanksgiving, I attended puppy classes.  Since I'm the fourth dawg in my parents' lives, they probably could have easily taught me all the basic skills (sit, stay, down, heel, etc) I need to function as a properly behaved lab, but they wanted me to be socialized around other dawgs as well.  (Having learned all they needed to know in Hunter's puppy classes, Daddy deemed these classes pointless for Dixie since she could be homeschooled . . .sure, Dixie knows her commands, but she is fierce with strange dawgs!)

I must admit, I was one of the stars of the class!  Seriously!  I listened pawfectly to Mommy as she lead me around the room in a pawfect heel position.  I was super good!

I listened attentively to the directions.  The teacher in Mommy appreciated that!

We were told to go to Home Depot or Lowe's and pick up a nail bag to carry treats . . . Daddy simply retrieved a leather tool bag from the garage for Mommy to use! (insert eye roll here)

When we first started going to class, I could ride in the front on Mommy's lap.  She says this became a bit cumbersome, so we eventually migrated to the back seat.  I saw WE because I prefer to ride as close to Mommy as possible!

You're looking at the future valedictorian . . . 

A bonus to puppy class was that my parents didn't have time to fix dinner before or after the classes each week, so they treated themselves to fast food on the way home.  I really liked the fries at McDonald's!

But did you know Chick-fil-a serves dawg treats?  Mommy didn't know that either!

Is that part of some secret menu??

I met so many nice dawgs in this class, including another Ruger!  The other Ruger was a chocolate lab mix.  He was very well behaved!  (He must have been taking notes from me!)

This pit bull mix was rescued from an abusive situation.  If a Most Improved Award had been given out, he would have won paws down!  When he could finally heel and walk at his mom's side, the entire class gave them a round of applause!

 Here we are at graduation!  I only have eyes for Mommy!  She did a good job too!

Here's to my next training adventure!

Top Dawg,
Ruger

Something's Missing . . .

A couple weeks ago Mommy told me she was taking me to be "fixed."  Seriously?  Am I not perfect already???  Apparently she thought not!  Hmmpff!  This is me protesting my lack of breakfast that morning.  It's ruff not eating when your siblings are pigging out. 

Fast forward eight hours and I was singing a different tune  . . .

My parents have apparently had LOTS of experience with hard plastic cones on my siblings' heads.  Mommy says they are murder on her legs as well as the doorways and furniture.  I guess I'll have to take her word for it.  I don't really think the cones I wore were a walk in the park!  Mommy purchased two different cones in anticipation of my recovery period.  This blue donut was placed around my neck when I first got home. 

It was fine . . . then I woke up and discovered I'd been permanently altered.  No amount of licking was going to bring my body back to its original condition.  So, the donut had to be switched out for the Comfy Cone!

Let me just say in case you're in the market to buy a cone for your own head, the Comfy Cone is a misnomer!  Do I look comfy????  Daddy says I look like a Jawa from the original Star Wars movie.   I don't see it . . .

My sisters were very curious about where I'd been all day and were eager to show how much they cared. 

I moped around for a day and then I was back to my usual self.  If you can call a cone on my head my usual self???

I've spent my days trying to commune with Instagram pals in other states and countries.  I keep hoping for a contact with life on Mars too . . .

Those stitches come out tomorrow and I can't wait!!!
Ruger

Wrapping Up Halloween

I really enjoyed my first Halloween.  My costume lasted about five minutes . . . I figured out how to take it off all by myself!  I also tried to eat Dixie's butterfly wings.  Mommy wasn't really surprised.  My sisters told me she only buys/makes the costumes for the Halloween card.  Usually by the time the actual holiday rolls around, she's had enough of our costumes and just settles for our glow-in-the-dark bone bandannas.

I liked watching and waiting for the trick-or-treaters.  They liked me too . . . until Daddy had had enough excitement trying to wrangle all three of us from running out the door and put us in our crates.  Bummer!

After most of the trick-or-treating died down and we were released from our prison cells, I mean our crates, I discovered something new to me . . . WRAPPING PAPER!!!!

It's not MY fault Mommy had it hiding under the guest bed!  She's still not sure how I managed to drag it out from under the bed and get it through two doorways before they noticed. 

Mommy and I had to have a little heart to heart about this transgression.  I think she was secretly proud of me for choosing the appropriate color for the holiday.  You might wonder why we own orange wrapping paper.  If you look closely, you can see it has tree limbs in a camo pattern.  She uses this paper sometimes to wrap the gifts for the hunters in our lives. 

Just like my big brother Hunter and my sister Jenna, I LOVE to eat paper!  This new paper discovery is amazing since it comes in numerous colors!

Mommy finally had to move the wrapping paper to the closet after I managed to pull it out from under the bed twice. 

We ended the night with me sleeping on Mommy's chest.  It was a good night.  Mommy says I lived up to her tee shirt . . .

I'm not sure what that means, but no matter.  It was WICKED FUN!

Ruger