Yummy Treat for Me

Mommy was going through the toy box a few weeks ago and found this toy!  She got a little teary eyed when she did . . . this was one of Hunter's favorite toys as a puppy.  He used to LOVE to eat peanut butter from this toy.  He liked it so much he would bring it and drop it at Mommy's feet to ask for a refill.

I'm enjoying this toy as well.  My toy is filled with cheese and is frozen.  Daddy won't allow me to eat peanut butter (whatever that is).  Dawgs who eat peanut butter before they're a year old could develop an allergy.  That's what happened to Hunter.  He started losing hair on his tail and rear end and Mommy and the vet determined peanut butter was the cause.  Apparently they don't want me to go through that too!  So instead, I eat cheese, the canned spray kind!

I'm not to the point where I beg for more cheese yet, but I am enjoying this toy.  I usually only take notice of food when my big sisters alert me to its presence with their rush to the kitchen.  I'm just going to enjoy this treat whenever I can!

Ruger

One Cone Head Coming My Way . . .

Mommy says this all the time.  She recently dragged out some old pictures of my big brother Hunter to show me EXACTLY what this phrase means!

This trip down Memory Lane is because I've tweaked my ACL again!  [sigh]  I'm so sad about this turn of events.  The doctor has said I can't play with my beloved soccer ball for FOUR WEEKS!!!!!

I first pulled my ACL last spring.  After a visit to the vet for some pain killers and anti-inflammatory meds, I recovered and was back to my usual energetic self.  It happened again last summer, but with all the walking we do during the summer, I strengthened my knee in no time.  Mommy was sure this little knee problem was a thing of the past.  Then Daddy took me hunting with him in the fall.  I came home and was just fine, but woke up the next day favoring that leg again!  I seemed to recover within a couple days.  Up until now, I've only limped around while still putting weight on all four legs.  I don't know how I did it, but this most recent time I was truly only moving on three legs.  Mommy was really worried and with good reason.

The vet has decided that I've built up scar tissue on my knee from my injury a year ago and that I've recently strained that tissue.  He wants me to refrain from any major physical activity and build the scar tissue back up since it's helping hold my knee together.  So that means no ball for FOUR WEEKS!  Mommy told me I am to follow the doctor's orders or I could end up like this:

This is Hunter ten years ago when he tore his ACL.  This injury required surgery and weeks of at-home physical therapy.  It was stressful for all parties involved (at least that's what Mommy tells me).

Hunter couldn't use the stairs for weeks following his surgery, so the dining room was turned into a large kennel for him!  Daddy even set up the air mattress and slept downstairs with Hunter since he hated being away from our parents (I know the feeling).

Mommy says it was a loooooooong, sloooooooow road to recovery.  You know what the worst part was?  Besides wearing the cone?  There's a fifty percent chance that if a dawg has surgery on one leg, he'll have to have surgery on the second leg.  Mommy should  have gone to Vegas with those odds because Hunter was definitely part of that fifty percent.  Almost a year to the date, he tore the other ACL . . . I guess on the bright side, he didn't have to wear a cast the second time.  Mommy says there wasn't a bright side.  Well, maybe the fact that dawgs only have two ACLs!

Now I know what it means when Mommy says it's all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone!  I've learned no amount of begging and pleading will coerce Mommy into throwing the ball for me.

In fact, my favorite toy seems to have disappeared recently . . .

Here's hoping there won't be any surgery in my future.  Cross your paws!
Jenna

Lucky Number 7

Happy birthday to us!!!!  

We are SEVEN years old today.  Can you tell which of us is the good girl??

In traditional human to canine years we're 49 years old, but scientists don't really rely on the old 1:7 year ratio any more.  Mommy saw this chart on Pinterest recently posted by the American Kennel Club.  Our weight falls right on the border of medium to large breed dawgs.  That means we are somewhere between 47-50 human years old.  No matter which end of that range we think we are closer to, that makes us the oldest in the house!

We had a super quick photo session before church Sunday morning.  One of us was better at posing than the other!

Happy Birthday, Jenna!

Happy Birthday, Dixie!

To celebrate, Mommy ordered our first BarkBox.  Apparently she can order us a box each month, but she told us to keep dreaming!  She said we have PLENTY of toys already and definitely do not need to add two more every month!  We tend to disagree, but we're not paying the bill!  If you haven't ever seen a BarkBox in person, there's a theme each month.  This month's theme honored springtime in Japan with items you might take on a cherry blossom picnic (that's what the enclosed card said)!  Mommy was hooked with the adorable tissue paper that had cherry blossoms and dawgs on it.  It could have been elevated to "labadorable" status if it had had drawings of us on it!  In addition to the yummy treats in the box there was a sushi toy and a teapot toy.  Both squeak!  Yippee!

Jenna loves to chew the manufacturer's tag off any new toys first!  One day Mommy is going to have to remember to buy one of those cloth baby books with all the tabs on the edges.  Those would be right up Jenna's alley!

Dixie is wondering if the Japanese play tennis much . . . she'd probably prefer a tennis ball!

Jenna loves BOTH toys!

Mommy tried to capture a picture of each of us in a party hat as well, but . . . once again, one of us was better at posing than the other!

Mommy says there's a surprise for us tonight.  We wonder what it is . . . we'll be sure to take plenty of pictures (as if you had any doubt) and share those with you later in the week!

Dixie and Jenna
The Birthday Party Girls

Soccer Genius!

I've recently discovered I'm a genius!  Alright, we've all known that for a while, but this is in a whole new field.  I recently told you about my new favorite toy, the SOCCER BALL!  It turns out I can retrieve that ball like no other.  I LOVE IT!!!!

I love the soccer ball so much, I even take it to bed with me!

Mommy recently captured me in a few of my favorite moves about a month ago (when we still had dead looking, horrible, dormant, grass) and I wanted to share those pictures with you.  Please don't think I'm showing off.  I'm really not, I promise.  I just thought the world should be aware of my talent!

Mommy says it's all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone . . . wonder what that means???

Jenna

My New Security Blanket

Just a short while back I told you how I loved to carry Leopard and Giraffe everywhere I went.  Don't worry Grandma, I'm sure I'll eventually play with them again.  In fact, they still find their way out of the toy box every now and then.  But they aren't attached to my teeth every waking moment.  I have a new "security blanket" that goes with me everywhere.  Even to bed!

Yep!  It's my soccer ball!  I LOVE IT!!!  Daddy calls it Wilson after the soccer ball that starred in Tom Hanks's movie Cast Away.  I'm not sure why.  My ball should clearly be called Adidas!

Mommy isn't too thrilled about the ball coming to bed with me (not to mention a few other toys as well).  She tolerates the ball for a little while if she's reading, but eventually she tries to quietly put it on the floor.  I'm wise to her ways and I usually hop down onto the floor immediately to retrieve it.  After all, I'm not called a Labrador Retriever for nothing!

Here's to Sweet Dreams!
Jenna

ANOTHER???

Look what the wind rolled in!  Within the span of two weeks, two balls have appeared in our yard.  You'd think the neighborhood children would have learned when their soccer ball disappeared, but apparently not!  This time it was a KICKBALL that rolled in! (With a Halloween theme?!?!?)

Mommy thought we'd be very excited at the prospect of another ball until Jenna put her teeth on it . . . instantly, Mommy realized her mistake. Unlike the soccer ball, the kickball has no inner parts that help it keep its shape.  There's only air in there!

One bite and it was toast!  I didn't mind.  Jenna had her ball and now I had mine!

Along with my tennis ball of course! (Can you spot it?)

Shortly after this picture was taken, one of us began to really try to tear the ball apart.  I won't name names to protect the guilty.  Once the ball was in more than one piece it found its way into the trash can . . .

Oh well.  It was fun while it lasted!
Dixie

My New Favorite Toy

I know what you're thinking.  Another new toy??  I know I just recently introduced you to Leopard and Giraffe, but to be fair they've been around since Christmas.  I have an even "newer" favorite toy that I like to play with daily.  It's new to me anyway.  I truly have no idea how old it is exactly because I found it!

Mommy came home one day and this beautiful pink soccer ball was just sitting in the yard waiting for me to get my paws (and teeth) on it!  It's like it was meant to be!  We do have a few kids in the neighborhood, so it probably belonged to one of them at some point, but . . . FINDERS KEEPERS!  At least that's the philosophy I'm adopting in this situation.  Any child growing up where we currently live should know how windy it is on a daily basis and should know to put their toys away at the end of the day.  If they didn't before, they do now!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

My sister and I both love to play fetch.  Dixie sticks to the tennis balls and I usually prefer my frisbee.  But this toy has given my fetch game new purpose.  I love for Mommy to kick the ball.  If it's early morning and she's about to go to work and is wearing nicer shoes, she'll pick up the ball and toss it for me.  Either way, I can chase after it or try to catch it in my mouth (this happens more frequently than you'd think).

The only drawback to my new toy when it first arrived was that it was so tough and large I couldn't REMOVE my mouth from the ball when I was told to drop it.  My teeth got STUCK in the ball!  It was quite a challenge to give the ball back to Mommy for the next toss or kick.  I learned I had to put it down on the ground and use both paws to pull it from my mouth.

Through all this tugging, pulling, and puncturing, I've kind of deflated the ball a bit.  Don't worry.  No need to feel sorry for me.  It still works!  The ball has kept most of its shape and Mommy can still kick it around the yard.  And the best part is that it's easier for me to drop it now!

When Mommy's not paying attention to me, I try to regain her attention by chewing on my new ball.  She doesn't like that!  She's told me if I peel it too much, she'll have to take it away . . .

I even try to get Mommy to play ball inside the house.  I found her on the kitchen floor recently repairing the rug.  I thought this was prime opportunity to get Mommy's attention!  Don't you agree?

I'm going to enjoy my new soccer ball for as long as it lasts.  Perhaps I'll start training for the US Women's Soccer Team . . . I could be the next Mia Hamm.  I don't really need to be the next Brandi Chastain.  She was the first woman to remove her shirt in celebration of her soccer victory (eighteen years ago . . . do you remember that?).  I don't think my fans could contain their excitement if I removed my fur coat!

I'll let you know when my first official game is and I'll expect to see you there!
Jenna