Happy Halloween?

I'm sorry, there's a what on my back?? A giant spider???

Sigh. Happy Halloween, friends. Are you getting good treats for your tricks?

I hate Halloween!

Tomorrow is Halloween. I HATE Halloween! It is full of witches and monsters and scary things! Little people knocking on our door all night and startling me out of a good nap! Fire crackers going Bang outside!

I hate Halloween! It is very scary and upsetting! I am just going to hide behind my person.

Is it over yet???

Oh Soft-Crate-Den, How Do I Love Thee? (by Ojo)

Oh Soft Crate Den, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

I love the treats that fall when I run inside your mesh door!
I love the treats that fall when I stay inside you, lying down on your black mat!
I love the treats that fall when I don't come out, even when exciting things are happening around us!

I hear that we are going to go to class together. I hear that I will need to stay inside you, safe and sound, while I wait for my turn to come out to work. I hear that you will be my travelling companion, and that we will do many fun things together.

I hope the treats keep falling! Because I am falling in love with you, oh Soft Crate Den! This is a wonderful place to be!

Black & White Sunday 10/26/14 (by Ojo)

Wet Grass Woes

Friends, Nature has started making rain. And rain makes the grass wet. 

I hate wet grass. (Do you hate wet grass too? It doesn't bother Ojo at all, but then we all know she's weird.)

The other night I went outside to pee because it was time for our long sleep in our crate-dens. But I could not pee because the grass was very wet and my paws do not like the wet grass. Usually, since my person stays inside, I sneak into the garden and pee on the dirt. Or sometimes I sneak around the side of the house and pee on the concrete.

But somehow my person caught on to me, and so that night she stood outside, watching. She told me "no cobi" when I went to pee in the garden. She told me "no cobi" when I went to pee on the leaves on the concrete. 

She wanted me to pee in the grass. 

This was very mean! I did not know what to do!

But then - RACCOON!!! It was in the big tree across the yard! I forgot all about the wet grass and ran to the tree!! Bark bark bark!!!

The raccoon got away, but now I was on the other side of the yard. At first this was okay, because there was dirt there, under our big oak tree, And so I peed. Ahh, much better.

But then. It was horrible. I was STUCK! There was no way back except across the wet grass!

I got stuck there for many minutes. My person called. She coaxed. She brought out treats. But I could not come because there was a whole stretch of wet grass between us!

Finally she put on shoes, and a coat, and she walked across the wet grass. She picked me up and carried me back to the dry deck. She muttered many things that sounded like "dumb dog", but I'm sure she would not say this about me. Would she? 

Anyways, this was much better, and a big relief. I do not know how I would have gotten back otherwise. And I think I should have this service all the time, don't you?

Sigh. What do you do about the wet grass?

My tongue has freckles!

Hi friends! Did you know that my tongue has freckles???

After my post yesterday I feel I need to clear this up. No, I was not eating dirt! Or anything else slimy! (Okay, maybe I was eating some seaweed, but that's not what made my tongue black!)

Look closely at my lovely tongue! No, that is not dirt! It is a big black tongue-freckle! I have them all over my tongue, but you can only see the ones at the back when I am really panting.

Isn't that the coolest? Many Northern Dogs have tongue-freckles, and of course the Chow Dog has a totally black tongue. I had a brother-litter-mate who looked Chow, but I also do look like a Northern Dog, do I not? With my lovely thick coat, and my beautiful curly tail? And my tongue-freckles!

Do any of you have freckles on your tongue?

Wordless Wednesday 10/22/14 - Hello!

On top of the world! (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

Today we climbed to the top of the world!

Up in the sky I was connected to everyone down below.
In the clouds I could feel all our friends who have walked the rainbow bridge before us.
Behind me was my person, and my packmate Cobi.

I was connected to the universe, and everything in it.

We are all part of the same world, did you know that? You and me, and all the Dogs and Cats and People, and all the other animals, and all the plants too. How amazing!

Black & White Sunday 10/19/14 (Birds, not Dogs)

Quiet

Oh Rain

Oh Rain!

You are wet.
That is all.

Oh Rain.

Wordless Wednesday 10/15/14 (STICK!!!) (by Ojo)

Ojo's tongue

Okay, I must admit it. Ojo has Longest Tongue Ever. I am very impressed. (And a little envious. But shhh, don't tell her.)

We beautiful clever Dogs do a photo shoot

When we were at Park, with our new Official Photographer (also known as our littlest person), we decided to do a photo shoot. Aren't we Dogs very photogenic and beautiful? (Our person is okay too, we guess.)

There was much set-up involved in getting us here. But do not worry, there were many treats too!

(Wait, don't lie down? Oh, okay.)

Yes, Our Person, we will Stay. We are with you. We are Good Dogs, you know!

Hang on, wait. I'm sorry, but what are we doing again? This is weird. Why are we doing this?

Oh! We get it now! We can do this!! (Aren't we lovely?) (Aren't we smart?) (Aren't we beautiful Dogs?)

Wahoo! Photo shoot!

What a crazy thing. Are we done yet?

Giving Thanks! (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here! Today is the day we give thanks for Good Things in our lives!

I am thankful for squirrels!
I am thankful for bunnies!
I am thankful for the meals that land in my bowl every night - I never go hungry any more!
I am thankful for beaches!
I am thankful for the forest!
I am thankful for the sun!
I am thankful for the rain!
I am thankful for the snow that will come soon!
I am thankful for my soft bed!
I am thankful for having my own family where I know I will never be abandoned again!
I am thankful for turkey! (Coming later today - yum!)
I am thankful for our yard!
I am thankful for the sticks in our yard!
I am thankful for the raspberries in our yard!
I am thankful for Balls!
I am thankful for Cobi! (Yes, I truly am.)
I am thankful for ice cream!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in my new country of Canada!
What are you thankful for?

Thankfullness

Today is Thanksgiving here where we live on an island on the west coast of the land called Canada.

I am thankful for many things...

I am thankful for my family.

I am thankful for the soft new bed that came home yesterday. (Ojo and I both disagreed about who would get to nap on it when it was on the living room floor. We took turns. Then, at bed time, it was in MY crate. Not hers, mine. This was wonderful, and I slept very well thank-you for asking.)

I am thankful for our island with beaches and forests, where it never gets too cold to play outside even in the winter.

I am thankful for the turkey that is waiting to be cooked.

And yes, I am thankful that Ojo came to live with us.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends!

This picture is of people art work I found on the Beach. A little people-friend made this. Isn't it lovely?

PARK!!!

Today we went to the Park!!!

We do not get to go to Park very often.

Well, I used to go All The Time, back before Ojo came. But then Ojo came and now we are "a handful", and so instead we go to Forest and Beach and Lake. Those are also good places, BUT I miss going to Park!

(I think this is Ojo's fault, because she steals Balls from other Dogs.)

(Ojo says it is my fault because I do not like bouncy, adolescent Dogs and I do not hesitate to tell them off! But can you blame me? They are very rude!)

But today we were Very Good.

Ojo only stole a few Balls, and she brought them back. Most of the time. If she did not, our littlest person (who is now our official Park photographer - aren't our pictures great??) went to fetch it. I did not, because I do not fetch.

And also I did not yell at any dogs, even though there was a rude eight month old lab there playing with Ojo. And also there was a very young puppy, and I let him jump on my head because he was a very young puppy. Wasn't I wonderful?

Also, we had our own super-awesome Balls, so Ojo did not need to steal as much.

Going to the Park today was amazing! I hope we do it again soon!!

More Park please!!!

Fall leaves (by Ojo)

Oh Fall!

You are coming!
You make the leaves pretty colours!
You make the air cooler!
(Which is very nice, because I am a Black Dog and Summer makes me too hot.)

You bring rain, but not yet...
...so far you have just brought beautiful sun!

You bring nuts on the ground for munching on!
You bring sticks off the trees for chewing on!
You bring Thanksgiving (with turkey and whipped cream)!

I love you!
Oh Fall!

Wordless Wednesday 10/08/14 (by Ojo)

On Being Better, Balls, Beaches, and Other "B" Words (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

I am much Better!

The people finally Busted me! Okay, I admit it! I was eating moldy chicken feed. Also I was drinking from the lake which may have had Bad algae. But that's okay, because I feel much Better today! Just in time for another Beach Day!!

Nature was making a Big Beach today, and it was very empty!

It was just me, and Cobi, and our person. And some Birds! (I like Birds! They are fun to chase! Do you like to chase Birds? Birds are pawesome!)

But even better than Birds are Balls! We almost never get Balls at the Beach (because they get sandy and they get lost), but for some reason our person decided to bring some today! Isn't that fantastic?!?

Nature is kind of making fall, but also kind of still making summer. I like this! It is perfect for us Dogs, and also perfect for our person who is much more sensitive to the cold than we are. (I think she should get a fur coat. Don't you think she should get a fur coat?)

Today was a Happy Day!!!

I am Better! We went to the Beach! We had Balls! There were Birds to chase! Oh Brilliant, happy day!

(And Balls. Did I mention Balls on the Beach?!!!)

Black & White Sunday 10/05/14 (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

This morning I was not feeling well! I was Sick!

Very early, before we got up, my dinner came out of my mouth into my Bed. I was so not-well that I didn't even feel like eating it again. Also this morning there was lots of runny stuff coming out of my back end. This was Not Good.

I am feeling a little better now, thanks for asking.

Because I am not-entirely-well, instead of Walk or Hike our person took us to Park.

At Park we lay in the sun! She also brought our super-happy-high-pitched-squeaky-ball with us! (This Ball is one that I dug up at Beach the other day. Both Cobi and I LOVE this Ball, so we had to take turns. These pictures are of my turn with Ball!)

At Park we sniffed the ground (many other Dogs go here!), and we walked around, and we lay in the grass with squeaky-ball.

Also I rolled! I rolled and rolled and rolled!

It felt very nice to be outside, even if my tummy is still not back to perfect yet.

We only stayed for a very short time because it was also very HOT! Maybe Nature is going to make Summer again?

Mystery of the Beach (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here! Today was Beach Day!

Today I observed something interesting. Sometimes there is a lot of Beach, and sometimes there is only a little bit of Beach. Why is this? Why does the Beach get bigger and smaller?

(Cobi doesn't know either. She says this is a Great Mystery of Nature.)

Today there was Medium Beach. Many rocks to run on, but no sand showing. The sand only shows when the Beach is very big.

Even though there was no sand it was still was okay - there was still enough room for me!!
I love Beach Day!

Wordless Wednesday 10/01/14 - This is Us