Why Kids are Better Than Dogs

I like yesterday's post a whole lot better, but DogMom made me write this one too. Something about fair play. (Now, Opie and I really don't think kids are better than dogs, but mom is making me do this and she controls the food.) So, here goes... Why are kids better than dogs?

• Most kids evenutally grow up and move out.
• Chances are better that kids will take care of you when you're old; dogs probably won't.
• They develop thoughts, feelings, and minds of their own. (Ok... maybe that one's a tie.)
• The older ones can learn to take care of the younger ones. (Ok, that's a tie, too.)
• Kids do chores; dogs make chores.
• You can occupy kids for hours with an electronic baby-sitter.

Wuf Ya!

Why Dogs Are Better Than Kids

Of course, I wouldn't be biased or anything, but there are a number of reasons why dogs are better than kids in MY view.

• We generally sit, lay down, come and roll over on demand.
• We're not very picky eaters.
• When we misbehave, nobody looks at you funny if you lock us in a crate for a while.
• Leashes are encouraged when we're out in public.
• When was the last time you saw a kid begging for stale cookie? (Ok... maybe that one's a tie.)
• You can leave us alone all day even if we're younger than 10 years old.
• We're ALWAYS happy to see you when you get home.
• We don't require electronic toys to be happy and occupied for hours.
• After loving, training, feeding and raising us for 18 years, you don't have to pay for college!

Wuf Ya!

It's All in a Name

Betcha think Opie and me got our names because mom liked the Andy Griffith Show growing up. Well, she did grow up in a town just like Mayberry, RFD. And, the sherriff's name really was Andy in Blakeslee at the time... although it was Andy Muehlfeld, not Taylor. And the deputy kinda looked and acted like Barney Fife. And I think Siti (mom's mom) was really Aunt Bea, although everybody called her Aunt Louise for some reason. And there was a little service station (Bob's Service), and a corner diner (Sam's Place), and a barber shop (Joe's)... and they all stared when strangers came to town and all that.

But, really, our names started off as puns. See, when I was really little and first came to live with our DogMom, I was a scared little puppy. Everything was scary... trash cans and lights that went on and off and shoes, especially. And, I wasn't the healthiest specimen of a dog, like I am now.

So mom called me "Go More" cuz I always had to go more than what I initially went when I went out. I'd go out, do my business and come back in. But a few seconds later, I had to go out again and finish. "Go More" became Gomer. Simple enough, right?

So, I'm sure you're smart enough now to figure out where the name "Opie" comes from. Opie's kind of absent minded and easily distracted. So, he'd go outside to do his business and just stand there like a dope (thus, Dopey Opie was born). And, finally, after an extended period of time, the light bulb would go on and he'd remember why he went outside... "Oh, ... pee!" It always took so long, that his name stuck, too.

Wuf ya!

I Know My DogMom Loves Me Cuz...

K everybody. It's your turn to comment. Opie 'n I'll fill in the blank, but we want to know what your pet is thinking too. How do you know that they know that you love 'em?

We know our DogMom love us cuz...

• She lets us sleep on the bed if we want.
• There is always dog food in the house, but not always people food.
• She has Randi come and take us for a walk when she's at work.
• She takes us to Dog Pad(!) when she's gone for a long time.
• She makes us take our medicine and then gives us a treat afterward.
• She walks us EVERY day.
• She tells us so.

What would your pet(s) say? Please tell us by posting a comment!

Wuf ya!

Opie = Odie?

Did you see the Garfield comic strip in the paper yesterday? I think that Opie leads a secret life as Odie in that comic strip. Does anybody besides me see the resemblance?

Wuf Ya!

New Beds!

Mom brought in a big box when she came home from whereever it is she goes during the day. She acted excited and said "Your new beds are here!" So, Opie and I ran around in circles and were excited, too.

She took the box upstairs and opened it and pulled out two great big pillows. I think they're red, but Opie says they're purple. Anyway, she put one in the corner and told Opie to look and come lay on his new bed. He just stood there like a dope and stared at her. So I started to lay on it.

But she said "Uh-uh" and picked up the other one and put it in the other corner. She laughed and laughed when I tried to lay on it. Cuz I kept falling off of it. Every time I rolled over, the pillow popped up and I fell off. Then I'd lay on it and try to roll over and the pillow popped up and I fell off. I just couldn't seem to stay on it.

Meanwhile, Opie decided to pick his up in his teeth and carry it. Mom was laughing really hard. I don't know why... Opie was having real problems carrying his bed. I don't think she should have laughed at him. He kept trying to carry it and kept tripping over it; it's as big as he is! Then, he tried to jump with it. Mom was laughing really hard now. I just kept looking at her.

Finally, Opie jumped up on mom's bed with his new bed in his mouth and dragged the rest of it up. When he got it all up there, he laid down on it. (I wonder why he didn't roll off; maybe because it was up high on her bed?) Anyway, mom said we were goofy and dopey and laughed when she walked out of the room.

Wuf ya!

Update Day

-We still don't have a driveway.
-Opie's taking his meds and played with his toys last night, so I think he feels better.
-There are still lots of puppies at Crystal's and Tory's houses. And new puppies at Deb's (yorkie) and Deb's (puggle) houses.
-Randi came to visit yesterday.
-Mom's friend Gary in Ireland has to have surgery next month.
-The big green monster came out again last night.
-We both hid under the bed when it stormed.

Life is way too exciting. I need a nap now.
Wuf ya!

Where'd the Driveway Go?

So we walk outside last night when mom got home and that big space in front of the garage looks and feels VERY different. Muddy, in fact, not smooth like the road. I just don't get it. Where did the driveway go?

Not everybody's is gone... just a few. And, there are a lot of cars on the street. That's kind of scary cuz I didn't realize right away that they were all standing still and not moving. Freaky humans. Why do they change things like this.

I think it's a conspiracy. They all get together wherever they go during the day and think up things that will confuse us and make us crazy.

Does anybody know when the driveway will be back?

Wuf ya!

My Adventure Without Gomer

Man, I hate it when mom takes me places without Gomer along. Well, sometimes I hate it and sometimes I like it. I really like the extra attention and that Gomer doesn't keep butting his head in to get petted when mom is paying attention to me. I really like the one-on-one time. I really like being the sole focus of her (or anyone's for that matter) attention. Like I said when I introduced myself... it's all about ME!

But today I had to go to see Dr. Kelso without Gomer. It was okay at first. There was a little puppy there when I got there. She was cute, but didn't feel well. Her owner was way too protective of her and acted like it was my fault. So I ignored him. Then, the lady behind the counter was really nice and let me put my paws up on the counter and lick her face.

Then Dr. Kelso called us back into one of those rooms. I weighed 52 pounds. I like getting on the scale. But then he lifted me on the table, and I thought "Uh-oh!" I tried to jump off, but mom told me to stay and held me.

You wouldn't believe what Dr. Kelso was doing to me. I yelped and tried to get away, but it didn't work. Then he stopped. He told mom he didn't feel any stones. (Of course not, I thought, that's what you walk on... why would there be any inside me!) And, he said my prostate, whatever that is, feels ok. So, I have to take some pills. Cuz I have some kind of bladder infection, whatever that is.

But the absolute best part was mom taking me back home to see Gomer. I missed him soooooo much. And we romped and played and kissed and ran around in circles. I hadn't seen him in like forever! (Ok, so it was 45 minutes, but it seemed like forever!)

Wuf Ya! - Opie

Bath Time!

We love bath time! No really, we do!

We get a bath every week, "whether we need it or not" mom says. She's allergic to dogs, whatever that means. So we get lots of baths to keep her from sneezing and wheezing a lot.

Actually, we like it because it means we lots more hugs and belly rubs and attention from mom. She found a new place to give them... it means a car ride combined with bath time. Nothing could be better! We ride all the way to Savage from Chaska and go into a little room that has a high tub. It's the best, mostly because the water is warm.

We DON'T like the noisey air-blower thingy that she points at us tho.


Wuf ya!

I Did, I Did Smell a Puppy!

Remember about a month ago when I swore that I smelled puppy on mom when she came home from work? I did, I did smell a puppy. I wasn't just thinking it in my head. I really, really did smell one.

Mom said her name was Bailey. She's a designer dog, a puggle, that one of her co-workers brought from Ohio. Did I mention that's where mom grew up? And that I've been there a couple of times? The first time was scary; I was just a little pup. The second time was better last spring when I met Jane and stayed at her house. She just opened a kennel on her farm.

Anyway, I did smell a puppy! Here's her picture! I told ya she was cute!

Wuf ya!

Heigh-Ho

We chew chew chew chew chew chew chew on our bones the whole day through
To chew chew chew chew chew chew chew is what we really like to do
It ain't no trick to get full quick
If you chew chew chew with your teeth and paw

On the floor! On the floor! On the floor! On the floor!
Where a million chew bones implore!
We chew chew chew chew chew chew chew from early morn till night
We chew chew chew chew chew chew chew everything in sight
We chew up rawhhides by the score
A thousand bones, sometimes more
But we don't know what we chew 'em for
We chew chew chew a-chew chew
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
It's on a walk we go
(Whistle)
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
It's on a walk we go
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
(Whistle)
Heigh-ho (until fade)

Wuf ya!

Mom's Aye View Today

Mom is really really sad today. She got some news about a good friend in Ireland. Gary is one of those very few people that she seemed to have an instant, deep connection to. She met him when she and Siti Louise went on an Evelyn's Excursion tour in Ireland a few years ago.

Gary is just an all-around terrific guy. A big heart. Loves family, travel and meeting people. If you met him, you would love him. He's 48 years old and has a teenage son. His wife was killed by a car bomb in Jerusalem in the early 90's, when Padraig was barely walking. Gary has raised a fine young man.

Gary was just recently informed, after several months in and out of the hospital and a multitute of tests, that they have found an 8 cm malignant tumor on his only lung. (He had one lung removed when he was very young.) The specialists are determining and debating options; but the tumor is too large for radiation and Gary refuses to have it removed because he only has the one lung.

Gary meets with the doctors this week. Please pray for him, even if you don't believe in that sort of thing.

Gomer will be back with happier, sillier, topics soon.

Wuf ya!

The Big Green Monster

I hate it when mom gets the big green monster out of the closet. Opie tries to act brave, like it doesn't bother him, but I know it really does. How could it not?

It's noisy and makes the floor feel funny. It keeps moving back and forth across the floor and mom keeps trying to catch it, I think, cuz she holds onto the handle. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, making loud noises the whole time. I hate it.

I hate it, too, because she brings it out just when we get the floor nice and soft and fuzzy furry the way we like it. Then we have to start all over again. Geez.

Do you have one of these things at your house? How can we get rid of it? Barking at it doesn't help... I think it's deaf from all the noise it makes. Can you help?

Say What?

I can hear you now!

Opie Lost His License

I told ya Opie was a dope. Now he's lost his license.

He was walking with uncle Matt. Maybe uncle Matt attached his leash on the wrong ring, so when Opie started tugging, the ring stretched open and all the tags flew off; that's what uncle Matt said.

We wear a lot of tags.

• There's the blue one with our name and phone number, in case we get lost and somebody wants to call our mom to come get us. (Trust me, the way we behave most of the time, it doesn't take them long to call her.)
• There's the red one that mom gets from the city of Chaska that helps the police man find her when Opie gets loose. (Might explain why Opie came so fast when the police woman came after his three-hour tour.)
• There's the red plastic one from Friends For Life Animal Sanctuary in Arizona, where mom found us and we convinced her to take us home. (If anything happens to mom, F4L will take us back and find us a new home.)
• There's the yellow one with the number for Home Again microchips. (So that anyone, nationwide, can connect us back with mom.)

Which is kind of silly when you think about it, because both Opie and I have microchips. So, if anybody finds us all they have to do is take us to a shelter or vet and have them scan us with a funny machine that doesn't hurt and it gives them our number.

I think mom just makes us wear all these tags so that she can hear us when we're running around the yard. Or, so she can hear Opie when he escapes.

Wuf ya!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Dopie Opie here... giving Gomer the day off. (Really, I've decided he shouldn't get all the glory... I've got lots more stories than he does!).

Let's see. What should I write about? Gomer and I are best buds most of the time. Sometimes I just can't stand to be near him. Like when he jumps up on the bed and stretches out all over. Why can't he just curl up into a ball and sleep like a normal dog?

Other than that, he's lots of fun to torment. He can't run nearly as fast as me. And, while he's really obedient, he's not as smart as me. So, I usually win when we play games. Especially games I create and start. :)

The best is to get him running around in circles and then take off up the stairs. He's so dizzy by the time he hits the stairs that he literally hits the stairs and forgets to step up. Ding dong dog!

Another one I like is when he pulls a chew bone out of our basket and I pretend like he stole mine. Mom usually sides with me, so I get to take it away from him. I'm so sneaky!

But he's better at tug-toy games. Surprises me, cuz he only has two canine teeth on the left side. The ones on the right broke off and he had root canals.

Oops. Gotta run! Randi's coming to take us for a walk!

Wuf ya - Opie

Great Fun at Dog Pad!

Whew! We're tired!

Mom came today and picked us up at Tory's house (Alias Dog Pad Bed'n'Biscuit)! Tory said we were such good boys this time! Opie only jumped the counter once! Tory's on to him and told him "No!" and he listened this time. (Which is always a surprise when that happens.)

Anyway, we're exhausted! Cuz Tory and Mike got out the pool and we went swimming and played ball fetch in the pool. It was totally cool. I mean literally, too. Even Opie got his feet wet and chased after tennis balls. Wow, it was fun!

Next time, we'll ask Tory to take some pictures of us playing so we can put them up here. But here is a picture we stole from her web site... Our favorite person other than mom, Tory, is here with Fidget. Look at Tory's web site at www.dogpaddogs.com to see more pictures of how much fun we have!

If you'd like to learn more about Dog Pad, check out the web site at www.dogpaddogs.com, or call Tory at 612-747-0454. Maybe Opie and I will see you out there!

I'll write more later... all that playing and a bath today makes me want to take a nap now!
Wuf ya!

Off to Dog Pad!

Hi!
We're off to Dog Pad for a few days while mom sees some old friends in Chicago.

Talk to you Tuesday!
Wuf ya!

Puppies, Puppies Everywhere!

My mom's friend Crystal is having puppies today! Well, really, Crystal's dog "Bella" is.

As of 8:30 a.m. there are three. We're sooooo excited! Here's a picture of Bella and the first two pups!

We'll update more later!

We love puppies!

Wuf ya!

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! And then there were SIX!

We're sad to report that three of the nine puppies didn't live very long, but Willie and Bella have six squirmy furballs to look after now!

Wuf ya!

Ouch! Playing hurts!

We were soooo excited when mom came home last night. It was dark outside and we missed her. We were crazy boys and running around in circles.

I ran past her and hit the hardwood floors and started sliding and went "BOOM" into the wall by the stairs. Ouch! I cried and cried and cried and couldn't stand up very well. My right leg really really hurt. And I had to pee.

We went outside but I didn't walk far, cuz I was only using three feet and was a little unstable.

Mom took us back inside and she looked at my foot and my leg and my knee and my shoulders. Getting attention was nice, but it still hurt. I didn't sleep upstairs. Mom said if it wasn't better in the morning we would go see Dr. Kelso.

My foot didn't seem to want to bend the right way when I was walking this morning. Mom massaged it some more and I didn't cry this time. But, a little while later, Opie wanted to play and I started to play with him. My foot feels a lot better.

Mom's wondering what it was?
Wuf ya!

Bunnies, Bunnies Everywhere!

Did you see 'em? There was a herd of bunnies out this morning! Must've been about 12 of them... although it's hard to count them cuz they keep hoppin around.

Gomer and I saw them while mom was getting ready for work. They were hopping around the trees in the neighbor's yard. I wonder if the rainstorm last night flooded their home in the wetlands behind our house. There sure were a lot of them.

I like to just stand at the window and watch them. But Gomer, he goes berzerk. Whining, wimpering and running around like a crazy dog.

Bunnies, Bunnies Everywhere
And not a one to eat
Couldn't catch it anyways
Cuz they got rabbits' feet.

Wuf ya! Opie