Puppy Shots

Wow!  What a last 24 hrs!

First thing that happened was that our parents did not come home for dinner but one of our favorite pet sitters, A, did come by to feed us.

Now, this didn’t come as a surprise to me because I remembered that Mom said that they had other plans for the evening but Sammy either forgot or (more likely) wasn’t listening because he was totally shocked to see her again and get dinner so early.   I should start by saying that in the morning we got a bit confused when Mom filled up our food bowls right after we finished our breakfast.  When she did it we did one of our patented head tilts in unison.  She quickly put our bowls on the counter and distracted us with the now classic ruse “where’s Dad” – and I must confess we once again fell for it…not that I am blaming us because finding Dad is always a fun adventure.  After Miss A left we were on our own until after 11PM!  And when our parents finally did arrive home and tried to convince us to go outside there was a blizzard of monumental proportions…well at least there were a couple of inches of snow on the ground and it was blowing like mad.

All was pretty much as normal until the morning…and yes that does include an instance or two of my “Cecilia” personality coming out.  Then in the morning, things got a little interesting again.  First of all, although Mom fed us like normal…and not like yesterday since she didn’t make an extra bowl…but then Dad got up and started shoveling while Mom was in the basement sweating up a storm (not that I saw this but human sweat is so easy to pick up on the air streams – especially in our house).  Anyhow, after Dad opened the curtains so we could watch him, he went outside and shoveled our driveway.  Lucky for him Neighbor Steve had already snow-blowed the sidewalks.  After he did that he took us for a walk around the short block which was a big relief to my bro Sammy since he didn’t get his evening walk on account of the ‘rents being away.

Then things got real weird.

Instead of going in our crates and them leaving for work we got to go with them.  I was thinking: “must be take your daughter to work day.”  But the route we took was very similar to how we go to Dave the dog guy – or as most probably know his shop “Canine Coiffures.”  Sammy was convinced that was where we were going once we turned onto Park Street but then we turned into a medical complex and Mom got out.  I was ready to follow her but she shut the door before I could get out!  Of course I just rolled with this change in routine and jumped over the gate that is supposed to keep us in the back seat and took over the shotgun position – after all, it was empty…and off we went.

Now Sammy was sure we were going to Dave’s but we went flying right past it going a good 25 MPH or so and continued on for a mile or two where Dad decided to take a left and sit in traffic.  If he had asked me I would have said: “Dude! No traffic if you go straight.”  But then I would have missed out on one of the best treats I could ever imagine.  Apparently the bumper to bumper traffic was to get coffee and coffee cake at this place called Starbucks.  Now we have been to similar stores before with the same name and logo but never at this particular location.  After Dad ordered the coffee for Mom and the coffee cake for him we got up to the window and because I had taken the initiative to sit in the front seat the barista dude was like: “you want a puppy shot”.  Dad looked at him with his own classic head tilt and the guy said: “Seriously.  It is something we do here.  It is a little shot of whipped cream.  You’ll laugh when you see how she reacts to it.”  I’m thinking, “Yep.  All mine.  Rewards for being forward thinking and getting in the front seat.”  Then the guy asks what kind of dog I am and Dad says: “Oh just a mutt.”  WHAT THE $*@&”.  A Mutt????  I was on the verge of getting mad when the dude handed Dad a bit of something that smelled pretty good.  The guy handing it to the barista dude said: “Hey, dude guy (I must admit he had a name but I can’t recall what it was – beg my pardon…if you smelled what I did you wouldn’t pay attention either) did you just make another friend?”  The answer is an obvious YES but then again what good is it to make a friend that doesn’t even remember your name…just asking.  Then Dad handed over the shot of whipped cream and…lo and behold, Sammy popped up from the back seat and helped himself to a lick or two of MY treat.  Dad then had to set down the shot (out of our reach) to make way for the other caffeine addicts and off we went again.  When we arrived at Dave’s shop we got to share the rest of my shot.  If you think a picture is worth a thousand words tell me what you think this (unedited) video is worth!

Unfortunately when we finally arrived at the CC they were still not open.  So Dad thought why not go for a little walk.  Talk about a bad idea…not from our perspective, I mean there were good smells, plenty of places to pee…but Dad didn’t last long due to the high winds and low temps.  You would think being a southern girl caught without her coat that I would want to get back in the car…and boy do I always like getting in the car…but I was a bit disappointed we went back in when we didn’t end up heading home again.  Did I ever mention I am a bit jealous of Dave the dog guy?  No not jealous really but mad.  Why does Sammy love him so much when I am right next to him????

The rest of the day was petty much the normal for a day at the spa.  We eventually got home and Dad was “making” dinner again which of course meant the fan over the oven was on and I had to go upstairs…I mean after mugging both the ‘rents once Dave let us out of the van and we ran inside.

Did I mention we look awesome!  My parents also said we smell great but all I smell is soap…not our good natural odor that we work so hard to obtain.  But if it makes them happy…

More soon,

Mo-Tor

August v February

Today:

August:

Does a girl from Tennessee need to say anything more????

Mo-Tor

Dad’s Edit: The top picture was really from Feb 1st.  This is how it actually looks today:

Her point still stands…despite her slight exaggeration.

All Apologies

How embarrassing!  Falling asleep before even signing off on my last blog…never had that happen before.  Not saying I haven’t fallen asleep in front of (or behind) a computer while my parents were working on it but I didn’t think I would zonk out like that while I was working.

So, I apologize for my inexcusable behavior.

I suppose I should also apologize to Sammy for slamming him on his photogenicity.  He can really work it in front of the camera.  Strange that both of us take such good pictures when my parents need professionals to come in to even make them look presentable in photographs – but that too is a story for another day.

Finally, I need to apologize to my parents (not for the above statement for that is true) but for learning how to counter surf from Sammy and on occasion getting into a little trouble while up there.  Sammy is a little taller than me so he can often get stuff that I can’t off the counters.  He is also very clever using his tongue to extend his reach.  It is for this and some other feats of trickery that one of his nicknames is Houndini.  Did you know he can open doors?  Luckily he jumped on it right as he did and it slammed, startling him, so he never knew that he learned this.

Here are some examples of what we can accomplish when things are left on the counter!

I think those are enough confessions for today.

Mo-Tor

-HEY! The song by Nirvana with the same title as this blog was playing on Pandora just as I was about to post.  That’s what I call Karma!!!

kar·ma

noun: karma

1. (in Hinduism and Buddhism) the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.

   • informal

     destiny or fate, following as effect from cause.

OK, probably just a coincidence…

Acknowledgements

I realize this is something I should have done much earlier on in my blogging career but I just had so many other stories to tell and frankly, so many things happen on a daily basis that my whole acknowledgements blog just kept getting pushed back…that and my parents went on vacation without me (but that is a story for another time).

There are a number of things I should let my readers know about:

1) The photo on the top of my blog was taken in Michigan by my Father’s niece…hey, if I understand how you people organize relationships, then she must be my cousin!  Hey E, thanks for the photo.  It is one of my favorites of me…although to be honest I am pretty photogenic so it isn’t a hard thing to catch me looking good.  However, she did a great job in capturing my personality and charm with that photo of my tennis ball in my mouth while I was playing in the backyard of my Michigan grandparent’s house.  She also got a good one of Sammy – even though he is not as “picture ready” as I am (LOL)!

and what is a blog without a pic of me?

2) The blogging inspiration was from my grandmother in New Mexico.  She helped set up my blog, and also is responsible for extending my reach to Asia and Australia!  Hey, have I told you I have now had viewers of my blog in 5 of the 7 continents?  I think that makes me a global sensation.  OK, I haven’t gone viral or anything but from what I understand catching a virus – either airborne or electronic isn’t a good thing…can entirely sink you for days or even weeks.  Anyhow, I don’t expect I’ll ever get into the Antarctica scene (from what I understand there aren’t a whole lot of people with internet access down there), but I do hope to break into the African market.  After all, even though I was born in Tennessee, one of my nicknames is the African Jumping Dog (this was given to me after someone who lives close to my Michigan grandparents said he saw a show that talked about dogs who had to jump to see over the grasses where they lived in the African plains…to be clear, I jump because…well, why not?)

3) “It’s Great to be Alive”: Although this is a dog’s perspective and the phrase is not universally unique, I am paying homage to a DJ in the Chicago area where I live who will on occasion utter this phrase.  His name is Lin Brehmer.   My parents listen to his show when they are driving to work every morning.  They may learn more about current events by listening to NPR or could be more in tune with the latest literary works by listening to audiobooks instead, but I don’t think they’d be nearly as in tune with the universe without Lin….just saying.

There are a few other things that my dad said I should acknowledge.  These come from his review of my blog entries (I guess he just mindlessly types what I tell him without thinking about the content…shhh – this tends to be his MO – and that isn’t an abbreviation for Montana…by the way, why did Missouri get MO and not Montana?  Just asking!).  So anyhow, apparently when he was in Florida basking in the sun and the supra-zero temps down there, he actually read my blog.  He thus encouraged me to make these acknowledgements:

1) We do not live in a palatial estate.  Apparently, at best, it is just a standard house in the North Shore of Chicago…but to be honest, I love it here even if there may be bigger places elsewhere.  I moved a lot when I was young and I am glad to finally have a family and pack and yard I can hang with most every day.   And as I said in my last posting, I have a pretty fine older Bro too.  So please excuse me for embellishing my surroundings – heck, isn’t that really just  a state of mind thing anyhow?

2) I really thought he told me there was another thing I had embellished and should acknowledge in this post but…yahhhhwww…for the life of me I can’t think what it is.  I think after 700+ words I just might be tired and need a nap.  It is still really cold outside and the heater vent is so warm….zzzzzzz

My Big Brother

One of the best things of moving in with my new family was the fact that I ended up with a big brother.  He has taught me SO much it isn’t even funny.  A number of things have been quite inspirational for my development as a Blogster and others I have modified a bit with my own personal touch.  There have been multiple things that I’ve ended up getting in trouble for…but how can it be that bad if my Bro is the one who taught me?

OK, so here is a list of a few of the top things that I have learned from Sammy.

1) No motorcycle is allowed to pass us when we are in the car…sometimes we  even get mad when we hear one anywhere close by (I must admit that sometimes I get confused if some other load vehicle passes by).

2) Joggers are bad…especially if they have a squirrel tail following them – dad says these are pony tails and that we should relax.  This would be a lot easier if we were allowed to run too.  Which reminds me of a funny story.  Once Mom was walking Sammy early one morning and a jogger passed them by…Sammy didn’t bark at him (probably because he didn’t have one of those squirrels on his head) but instead started running along side the guy and Mom had to remind him that he was really just walking with her.  What a card that Sammy is.

3) Scratching after peeing on our walk.  My parents call this “Skritching”.   Now Sammy taught me to do this but I took it to a new level…but that is a story for another day.

4) Sitting politely and waiting for our dinner until we are told “OKAY, take it”.

5)  Not emptying my bladder on the first squat…gotta save some for all the other marking possibilities.

I’m sure there are a lot of other lessons he has passed on to me but I am blanking on them now.  I am sure they’ll come up over time if I keep up this blog.

Until then, have a great weekend….

Yikes!

I forgot the whole reason I started this whole edition of my blog!  I was looking at some of the comments on my last blog and some other emails that said it looked like I was lifting my leg and peeing on Sammy in my last video.  Well that is #6 lesson: if you really want to mark something properly you have to lift your leg to get the best distribution of your scent.  This flexibility also helps when I am running a marathon…something that I haven’t done but can see how my Brother’s instruction can come in handy.  Here is a short clip that I think demonstrates this move.

“The Lift”:

I’ll follow up with some of the other lessons he has provided me in future posts.

Have a great weekend,

Mo-Tor

Super Bowl Sunday…The Blizzard

My dad finally got enough room on his computer so he could help me put together this little movie showing how we dealt with the ~18″ snow fall that occurred around our home on February 1st.  To put it mildly, I was initially not pleased at all with what happened to our backyard during the storm…not real interested in going out there for any reason.  My parents ended up taking us for a couple of walks but that was even a challenge since the sidewalks were also covered with all that white stuff.  Even with these obstacles I was able to get in some good jumps while we were out.  Later in the day my mom was nice enough to shovel a boys and girls room in our backyard.  I was so excited that I tornado-ed in the first spot she shoveled…too bad Dad was too slow with the camera to capture that little outburst.  I still had fun helping Mom with clearing some space for us in the yard but eventually I was done and just wanted to go inside and have a good nap on top of the heater vent.

Since this day, the snow has packed down some and Sammy and I have made some good trails around the yard so we can get to the fence much easier…which is important if I am going to give those (…) squirrels a run for their money.

Later,

Mo-Tor

Valentines Day Treat

Yesterday in the mail we got a card from our grandmother in Michigan.  I was given the privilege of delivering to my mom from the mailbox when we were doing our chores…Sammy isn’t allowed to bring anything of value since sometimes he doesn’t get all the way to Mom before he decides to try and open it himself.  This is not part of what our chores are supposed to be – chores (or “homework”) is delivering the mail…not eating it.  Because I am so good at it, sometimes I get to bring more than one piece of mail.  I’ll show you some video documentation of our work another time.  This post is about our Valentines Day card.

When we opened it (and I mean my dad – when I try, things inside tend to get “ruined”) we found this extra note inside the card:

“Here is a little money as a Valentines gift.  You can choose if it is going to be used for flowers, candy or wine.

It can also be divided up between the 4 of you ($5 for each).

Maybe Sammy will be happy to just eat the card.

Love Mom”

Apparently, Sammy took it literally.

We just got back from Sammy’s annual vet appointment (I always get to go along – and get treats – so I don’t freak out when I have to go there) and the sun came out so we are having a great day.  Hope your Valentines Day is as good as ours.

Mo-Tor

Framed!

Well maybe the title really should be “Set Up” since I did actually bring the glove upstairs this morning but to my credit – and really isn’t this blog really about that (?) – I did not shred it like I really would have liked to.

Let me take a step back and explain exactly what happened.  I have this toy box in our room.  Actually it is both Sammy and mine but he tends to ignore it and rather focuses on getting treats.  Now I am not against getting treats but I also love playing with my toys.  This includes:

1) Tennis balls

2) Bones

3) Deer Antlers

4) Stuffed animals

5) “Tough” toys – and by the way, a 9 score on some of these toys means it takes me 9 minutes rather than 9 seconds to shred the toy and get to the squeaker.

Hey!  Did you notice I really like numbered lists?  I hadn’t realized I was so orderly but as I reflect on it now, I see it does really fit my personality.  I am a numbers girl.  I got more stories about that but I think I’ll wait to share those for another post.

Oh yeah.  My toy box.  Sorry I got a bit distracted there with what is normally in there and not what got me in trouble this morning.  So normally my toys are on a seat thing in our room.  I think it was designed so my parents could sit there and put on their boots but regularly it houses my dad’s work bag (when he is not at work) and my toys.  Apparently one day, my dad put his gloves on top of his bag but one of them fell into my toys.

Then Bill the Bug guy came – I think I already told you that story.  This meant my toys went into the dog shower so Dad could sit on the seat thing while Bill did his thing.  This morning while my parents were getting ready for work I went downstairs to see if there was a toy I hadn’t played with in a while.  This is when I noticed the glove.  So as any good daughter would do I brought it upstairs and sat on the bed with it.

Since they were distracted with their morning rituals they did not notice the good deed I had done.  I then maybe got a little distracted and may have confused the glove with the bone that was nearby.

That was the point in time when my mom noticed what I was doing and got my dad’s attention.

You are not going to believe this but he REPRIMANDED me!  After all I had done?  Just because I got confused between the bone and his glove?

I say I was FRAMED!

More soon,

Mo-Tor

B is for Bill…the Bug Guy

This morning one of our regular visitors stopped by to help with the keep our palatial abode in complete working order.  The Orkin guy, Bill, came to look for rodents and bugs and the like.  The former, I must say, we would have taken care of so I think this is a waste of time.   Ants have invaded our place once or twice and there are so many of them and they form these crazy lines that seem like they’ll never end so I don’t even bother with them – plus I don’t have one of those long sticky tongues that I know other critters have that make lapping them up so easy.  So anyhow, since Bill the Bug guy (which is what I like to call him) started coming by we don’t really have much in the way of issues with bugs – except some little bugs in the plants my dad keeps downstairs.

By the way, here is a list of people who stop by regularly:

1) Bill the bug guy…The Orkin dude I am telling you about today

2) Dave the Dog guy…our groomer (I’ve mentioned him in previous posts but have additional stories of him in the future)

3) Tom the Tree guy…he comes by once or twice a year to check out and if necessary trim our trees

4) Brian the Backyard guy…this is kind of a stretch since Brian is the landscape architect my parents have worked with and he has worked on more than just the backyard but Brian the Landscaper guy doesn’t really fit, so…I am sticking with the backyard guy – just saying…

Because it was early in the morning, and we aren’t always ready for visitors, we have to go into our room and hang out with Dad.  He took this picture of Sammy listening into what Bill the Bug guy was saying to Mom while we were banished to our room.  We did speak up a couple of times to let Bill know we would defend our turf if he didn’t do what my mom wanted.

Finally Bill left and Mom came to rescue us.  And boy, did that Bill guy get around our house while we were in our room.  I detected his scent in the basement, upstairs in our guest room, the room where Mom sweats most mornings and even in our dining room!  That was a lot of work to detect where he went and make sure he wasn’t hiding out in some corner waiting for an appropriate time to sneak out and steal our food.

Speaking of which, this evening after we had our dinner, Dad started “cooking” again.  So with this the fan over the stove went on again and Sammy and I hightailed it out of there.  I got all the way upstairs and Sammy to the first step when we realized the smoke alarms weren’t going off yet.  This series of pictures is us returning back to the kitchen.  Sammy may look braver than me but remember he is so slow he didn’t even make it up the first step.

The good news is we did get a few bites of steak at the end of dinner!

More soon,

Mo-Tor

The Creeper

“The Creeper” is another one of my many nicknames.  This is based on my constant sneaking a peak into our neighbors’ backyards (particularly our neighbors to the east that have two female dogs).  I don’t think I am really being creepy but just doing my job of protecting our vast estate.  Sammy really is the muscle but he isn’t as observant anymore now that he is old and sleeping all the time.  Therefore it is up to me to keep my eyes open for any potential invasion.  Our main threats are:

1) other dogs

2) squirrels

3) rabbits

4) big birds…I get really mad at the ravens I see in New Mexico, but I also see the threat of aerial assault that hawks and other such flying bags of feathers can pose to our docile abode.

Dad got a shot of me on one of these spying missions on our neighbors’ backyard.  I was trying to ascertain if their dogs were out… if I spot them I usually immediately run downstairs and if the backdoor is open let them know they are not welcome in our yard with some firm barks at the fence.  They’ve only lived here a year or so and therefore I have to make sure they know what the house rules are.

If they aren’t outside then my job is done and I can go back to my other full time job…napping.

For any of you who are interested, the term “Creeper” came from the following YouTube clip:

It is our second favorite after this one:

We so feel for our furry companion in that last clip…no cat should ever get such a good treat – especially over a dog!

Mo-Tor