Pet Bragger

So, y'all know that our DogMom works for a newspaper company. They make a bunch of weekly community newspapers in the southwestern suburbs of Minneapolis.

Anyway, she showed us our pictures in the paper last weekend. Something she called Pet Bragger where people (who love their pets almost as much as DogMom loves us) sent in their pets' pictures and had them printed in the paper.

It was kinda funny cuz there weren't just dogs in it... there were some cats and a gerbil and a rabbit and a calf -- yeah, like one of the kind that goes "MOO" that Opie is afraid of on the farm near our house.

Anyway, if you want to see it, click here (http://www.shakopeenews.com/node/849) and download the PDF's. The pictures of Opie and me are on page 7 -- next to our favorite place to stay, Dog Pad!

Wuf Ya!

Mask? What Mask?

So... I figured out how to rig it so that I don't have to wear that goofy mask all the time. While dogmom was gone on Saturday -- something about landscaping for Habitat, whatever that is -- I pulled the mask all the way forward so that it wasn't on my mouth any more. But, alas, that wasn't very comfortable when I tried to lay down for a nap. So, being the smart and resourceful street dog that I am (remember, I was found in a dumpster)... I chewed the leather straps on both sides of the mask until they fell away from the mask.

Nothing to tie it on anymore... so it's no longer a mask, right?

Dogmom just gave me "the look." You know the one... the one that makes you wish you could hide in the crate and have her not see you in there. Yeah, that one. I tried to tell her that Opie did it, but somehow she figured it out and said he didn't. Oh well.

I still win... I don't have to wear the mask!

Wuf Ya!

Threepeat on Stitches

Ok. So I licked my stitches open again. It doesn't bother me at all, really. But dogmom - you'd think I tore my ear off or grew an extra toe. Freakazoid. Always looking at my mouth and squirting water in it when I eat and then looking at my teeth again. Geesh. I didn't realize she had this thing for dog teeth.

Anyway, back in the truck without Opie. I heard him crying when we left even though dogmom said we'd be right back. He gets so upset when everything isn't exactly to plan.

So I go back to Pet Crossing to see Dr. Kate. I'm kind of remembering that things happen to me here... so I'm shaking with dogmom while we're waiting. But it wasn't so bad. Dr. Kate said that the stitches probably wouldn't hold anyways. And continue with the funny mask (darn it!) and the soft food and the medications and all that stuff. But, I'll probably have a scar -- which seems to bother the humans a lot more than it bothers me. I mean, having battle scars makes me the big dog at the bark park, right.

Opie and me, we run around in circles and jump on each other when I get back home. It's been like forever since I left. Dogmom said we were gone an hour, whatever that is.

Wuf Ya!

What's the Big Deal?

So, I lost a tooth and broke a tooth and licked my stitches out and got the hole sewed back up. What's the big deal? Not like I did anything totally miraculous or nothin.

The pain pills work pretty good and so most of the time I'm just my normal Gomer-Pyle acting self. So, I lick the front of my mouth a lot. You would too if Dr. Nicole forgot to take the thread out when she was all done sewing. It feels really funny in there. First, there's no tooth where there used to be one. And the hole has thread sticking out. You'd lick it, too. Dogmom keeps tellin me not to... but I do anyways.

And, what's with this squirting-me-with-water-thing that seems to be a new routine after I eat. First, the woman feeds me mush and then she tries to squirt it all out. Geesh.

And, I still have to wear this goofy-looking mask all day. Randi came yesterday to take us for a walk and I really really like her now cuz she took it off and let me walk around and play without it. But, alas, when she was leaving, she strapped the dumb thing back on. I think she and dogmom are in cahoots.

Oh well... it seems like last time all this didn't last forever. I can't wait till she starts forgetting about it.
Wuf Ya!

What About ME?

Ok. So I've had enough of all this attention that Gomer's gettin jus cuz he's got bad teeth and can't keep his tongue inside his mouth. It's supposed to be all about ME - Opie! (If you're questioning it, I have dibs cuz I said that in our blog on the second day, July 5. So there.)

DogMom tries to be fair, but being only human she doesn't quite get it right. She cuddles with me extra time in the evenings while she's reading. And, it seems like I get treats now and Gomer doesn't. And, we both have blankets up on the bed now.

BUT - she's been forgetting to give me my rawhide chew in the evening. And, it would obviously be better if Gomer didn't get to sleep on the bed. And, I see her making Gomer special food that has gravy on it rather than just the dry stuff. And Gomer seems to get two extra treats every day in the morning that she thinks she's foolin' me by saying, "Time to take your medicine, Gomer."

Obviously, she needs more training. Maybe I'll go live with Puppy Tosca (www.mypuppytosca.blogspot.com) for a while. At least she gets marrow bones. And, I could help her train her dogmom about the right way to do sit down stay come.

Wuf Ya - Opie!

More Surgery For Gomer

Ok. So, I told ya yesterday how dogmom found that I ripped out the stitches on my jaw and since it stopped bleeding I didn't think it was a big deal. Silly humans, though, act like the whole world is falling apart. I mean, geesh. The gash it left was only about an inch long and about a quarter inch wide. You'd think she saw the grand canyon in my mouth or something.

So, we went back to Pet Crossing. "Just so they can look at it," she kept saying. Yeah, right. Like I believed that. (Ok, I did believe it... but I'm gullible. I'm just a dog, after all.)

Anyway, Alicia checked us in. I hadn't met her before, but she's nice. And Dr. Nicole came in. She saw the grand canyon on my gums, too. And she wanted Dr. Kate to take a look. Yup, need to fix that. So far, I'm really happy cuz I'm getting all this attention.

Uh-oh. Somethings up. They're getting stuff ready on the table. No big deal... I wonder who's gonna get the mask this time. I'm just happy to be sitting over here by mom and watching and getting attention.

Wait. No way. They actually want to do something to ME! To my mouth. Geesh!

So, Dr. Nicole fixed the big hole in my jaw. I was so relaxed that I forgot to breathe for a while. Not too long, I didn't think. But, the way the humans were acting, it was a long time. Somebody pinched my toe really really hard. OUCH! I tried to yell and bark at them, but couldn't. They all clapped and acted excited. Dogmom said "Welcome back Gomer!" I just didn't get it, but I still couldn't move or anything. And, after a couple more stitches, they let me wake up.

But, alas, things didn't change. I have to wear that stupid mask and stay in my crate when dogmom is gone. And she stuffed more pills down my throat this morning. And the food she's giving me isn't crunchy, it's mush, really. And I haven't had a decent rawhide or chew bone or, for that matter, a Milk Bone, for six days now. Will it never end?

Wuf Ya!

Uh-Oh... Loose Stitches

Uh-oh. Mom found out. She looked at my mouth today and saw that my stitches came loose and I have a big gash in my jaw. It doesn't hurt much, really. And, it stopped bleeding already. So, I don't know what the fuss is all about. But she says I have to go back to see Dr. Kate.
Should I say "Yea!" or should I say "Oh no!"

More later... Wuf Ya!

Milking It

Yeah, so I had surgery on my mouth. Well, not on my mouth so much as on my teeth. Well, I guess it was really both, since the top tooth that is missing had to be cut out and it feels like my jaw and nose are broken, but I'm not sure it is. And my bottom tooth that I had the root canal done on in May that broke again feels really good but it also feels a lot shorter than it was a few days ago. So what if I look like I have human teeth on my right side and canine teeth on my left side?

I'm awake now and all the drugs have worn off. Except for the ones that dogmom jams down my throat every morning. (Not really, I don't mind taking them, I just want her to think I hate takin' them.) I think one works on the pain, cuz after I take it my mouth feels better. Not sure what the other one is for. Oh well.

So, I have to wear this stupid basket on my face again. Seems like it's only when dogmom isn't home. I sure wish she'd stay home more, cuz this thing is ridiculous. Especially when you combine it with the fact that she locks me in jail when she's gone. What does she think I'm gonna do? Run around and bang my head against the wall? Ok, don't say it... that's probably what got me into this mess in the first place.

Anyway. Don't tell dogmom that I feel great. Cuz as long as she makes me wear this funky basket and stay in jail all day and looks at my mouth all the time and puts that cold-thing-wrapped-in-a-towel on my face and doesn't give me any rawhides or special treats -- well, the more I'm gonna act like my life is totally miserable. Got it?

Wuf Ya!

Hostage Hound Returns Home

Whoa. I wasn't held hostage, Opie! I was being a model visitor and patient at Pet Crossing Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic in Bloomington. You know, where Dr. Kate works miracles on animal teeth. It was pretty uneventful most of the day. I played with the staff. I kept the cat company in Dr. Kate's office. No big deal. Kinda like the days I used to spend with Dr. Burke in Arizona. You know, when she helped me to not be such a scared puppy and all.

Anyway, eventually, I got poked in the arm and started feeling kinda funny. Like things weren't really real and I really wanted to just lay down and take a nap. Yeah, that's good. I'll take a nap. Oh, you want me on that table? Ok. Nighty night.

MAN, I could swear that somebody knocked out some of my teeth and broke my nose while I was sleeping. This isn't good. This isn't good at all. Everything smells funny and I want to sneeze. Dogmom and Dr. Kate are here. They're saying I'm a brave boy and everything's ok. I don't know. Usually, I can believe them. But this just isn't right. Uh-uh. I don't think so. Something's up. I keep seeing my paws moving, but the wall looks the same. I should be moving around and seeing something different as much as my paws and legs are moving. I just don't get it. Why isn't anything working like normal?

Now, I really really have to pee. They must have pumped me full of fluids or something. Trying to get to the door. My legs aren't working right. Everything feels kind of weird and disconnected. Man, I really have to pee. Ok Sharon. I really don't want that towel under my belly. Gotta get outside. Quit with the towel already and just open the door. Aaaaahhhhh... the pine tree. Much better. Whew.

Ok. Let's go, mom. Can we go home now? Hmmm... why aren't my legs working right? I think I'll sit down. Yeah. That's good. No, I don't want any food, Dr. Kate. Really, I just don't feel like eating it right now. Leave it and I'll eat some later. Maybe tomorrow. Everything feels funny and smells funny. Hmmm... well, maybe a bite wouldn't be so bad. No, I don't want any more. Well, okay, maybe just one more bite, but that's all. Um, well, maybe one more. Yeah, I'll eat that one too. What else you got? What? That's all? Geesh.

Where's Opie? I thought he would be in the car. But he's not. Oh well. So tired. Think I'll take a nap on the car ride. Yeah, a nap would be good. Aaaaahhhhchoooooo! Uh-oh. Mom's stopping the car. Light on. Here she goes with the towel in my face again. Yuck. It's not that I mind the taste of blood... it's just different when it's MY blood. Ok. We're driving again. Whew!

Oh. Hi Opie. I can't play now. Too tired. I'll race you up the stairs. I win. You can whine all you want. I'm not getting off the bed. Ok mom, I'll move over. Yeah, I can sleep on that red blanket. No problem. Nighty night.

I'm tired. More tomorrow...

Wuf Ya!

Gomer's Being Held Hostage!

Yo - Opie here.

I don't know what happened. We got up this morning and went for our walk (in the rain, I might add... you know how I hate that!). Anyway, we went for our walk and ate our breakfast and watched dogmom get drowned and then get dressed. You know, routine. I like routine. I don't like change much. In fact, I don't like change very much at all.

Anyway, dogmom got our leashes back out and said we were going to see Dr. Kate. I think I like Dr. Kate. In any case, I like the word "go" and I like "car ride" and I like "walk" and I like that whatever she was talkin' about involved needing our leashes. So, we go to see Dr. Kate at Pet Crossing in Bloomington. Then I remember. I do like Dr. Kate. Everybody there lets me give them sloppy dog kisses even before they ask for one, so it's a good place.

So, anyway, it started out pretty much routine. We waited in the room with the pretty rug and chairs and dogmom let us sniff everything. We got on the scale, one at a time. The nurse, Eliza, looked at our mouths and our ears and held that little circle thing next to our chests while she gave us a hug. (Again, one at a time.) And she asked dogmom some questions and they talked and stuff.

Then, Dr. Kate came in and we jumped on her and gave her dog kisses. Even Gomer did! And he's pretty stingy with his dog slobber kisses. So, I know for sure that Dr. Kate passes the tests and is one of the "good" humans. Anyway, she looked at our mouths and she spent more time on Gomer's mouth than on mine so I pretended not to care and sat in the corner and laid down and ignored all of them. So far, everything was normal and ok.

But then, I don't get it. Dogmom took me out to the car and left Gomer there. Just left him there. Yup. She went back in for a little while, but forgot him again when she came out. She got in the truck and started driving home. Something about Gomer needing to have his tooth fixed again. I don't get it. I mean, those people at Pet Crossing are really nice and all, but how could she just leave him there? I'm soooo worried.

Please help me figure out how to get Gomer back. He's my best bud and I miss him already. Please help me get him back home!
Wuf Ya - Opie

Uh-Oh! Where 'da Tooth Go?

So, I didn't get to see Dr. Kate last night, but my tooth is still broken and dogmom says we have to go for our surgery 6-month follow-up next month anyways, so we're going to go early and see Dr. Kate on Wednesday morning. I really tried to hide my broken tooth from dogmom. But she really pays attention to us and notices the littlest things... like extra toes and broken teeth and torn ears that are bleeding. I don't know how she does it, being just a human and all...

Anyway. I've had surgery on my teeth two times. Once with Dr. Visser in Arizona. He was really nice. I woke up on the table before he was done, but it didn't seem to freak him out at all. He finished and then I scammed dogmom into thinking I was still asleep a long time after I was really awake. Didn't fool Dr. Visser tho... he came in and I jumped up and ran down the hallway. That was fun!

So, the second time was with Dr. Kate here in Minnesota last May. I broke another tooth and had another root canal. So both of my canine teeth on the right side are really short. Mom says that doesn't make me less of a dog. But that's not all... I had to have one big tooth and one little tooth pulled out. My mouth was so sore. And I had to wear a funny basket muzzle to keep me from bumping my mouth on anything. I looked really goofy, didn't I?

Anyway, I'm not sure what's going to happen when I see Dr. Kate tomorrow. Mom emailed her some pictures of my tooth, but since I didn't sit still very well... (how would she like it if I stuck my paw in her mouth and tried to hold it open while I took a picture?)... the picture is kind of blurry.

Guess I'll report more later when I know more. Wish me luck and hope that I don't have to wear this funny mask again.

Wuf Ya!

Fur & Teeth Collection

Hey Tos! Thanks for offering to donate some fur to dopey Opie so he doesn't freeze this winter. At least the snow has stopped, but now it's raining a lot today. Oh well. At least that gives us some time to figure out what to do with Opie, the near-furless dog!

DogMom says that I need to go visit the doggie dentist today to have my tooth checked. I think I broke it again. It hurts but I'm not letting it show. I had it fixed at the end of May, but now I broke it off further. Anyway... it's good cuz I get to see Dr. Kate again!

Mom called Pet Crossing, where Dr. Kate works, and we're not going to be able to see her until Wednesday morning. Mom hopes I don't ruin it by then.

Wuf Ya!

Is it real or is it Ginger?

Not sure if you knew it or not, but we have some cousindogs that live in other states. Well, we have one cousindog that lives here in Minnesota, too; that's Izzy, who owns uncle Matt. Anyway, one of our cousindogs just had her portrait painted by her dogmom, Dawn. Dawn came to visit us last month, remember?

Anyway, Ginger said that her dogmom started not coming home early every night and told her that she was learning to paint. Ginger didn't get it, cuz her dogmom just painted practically the whole inside of the house and seemed to do a pretty decent job of it. Anyway, supposedly she needed painting lessons or something like that just for fun. Crazy humans.

This is kind of funny when you think of it, cuz auntie Dawn is really the analytical type. In fact, that's what they call her at work -- senior analyst -- even though she's by no means old enough to be called senior anything. Anyway, auntie Dawn sent us a picture of her painting. We think it's awesome and looks just like Ginger. What do you think?












Who knew that the humans we know possess so much talent? And a relative, to boot!

Wuf Ya!

What Do You Think?

So, I'm interested. Yeah, really, I am. See, Opie and me, we're really different. Yeah, we're like brothers and when we were young people always mixed us up cuz we looked a lot alike; and we're both pretty goofy and dopey; and we're the same size (sort of, cuz I'm a half-pound bigger); and we both eat the same food and live in the same house and walk together and share a toybox and ... well, you get the point.

But, I'm really interested. Cuz there's one way that we're really different. Well, there's more than one way, but I'm only going to talk about that one today, cuz it's relevant with the weather and all.

See, I am part beagle and part lab. But my fur is more lab-like than beagle-like. I have the longer hair and when it gets cold I grow more fur and then when it gets warmer all that extra fur falls out. (Freaked me out the first time it happened, let me tell ya and I ran around trying to save all that fur so dogmom could put it back on.)

Anyway, Opie has this really short, sleek dogfur coat. It's really pretty, ahem, I mean handsome. But when the weather gets colder like it did yesterday, Opie doesn't grow more fur. He just stands there and shivvvvvers. Like he can't get warm. He does it every year and really rushes to get back inside. In fact, last night, he actually slept UNDER his special dogbed in the room with the big comfy bed that dogmom uses. (I told you he is a weirdo!)

So, like I said, I'm interested. Do you think it's silly that a dog that weighs 50 pounds needs to wear a coat or a sweater when it's cold outside? Cuz it totally embarrasses me to be attached to the same leash and dogmom. But, if you don't think it's silly, then I'll accept it.

Wuf Ya!

EEEK - What's That White Stuff in the Air?

Ok... so it doesn't bother me so much... but Opie, the freakazoid, just froze (no pun intended) when we went outside for our walk this morning. We never saw this stuff in Arizona. Dust in the sky, yes. Water in the sky, yes. But dandruff? NEVER!

Gosh, we're not in Arizona anymore, are we Toto?

Who would have believed that we'd see snow in the sky before Halloween???? Where on earth did mom move us to?

Wuf Ya!

How to Train Your DogMom

See, I don't know if you knew it before or not, but our DogMom is allergic to dogs. When we don't get drowned every week and we start to actually smell like dogs, our DogMom starts sneezing and sneezing and sneezing and sometimes she wheezes and puts a funny thing up to her mouth and takes a couple of deep breaths. (By the way, we hate it when that happens, because it means we're gonna get drowned again real soon.)

Anyway, because of this sneezing-allergy thing she has, Opie and me are NOT allowed on the furniture. We have our own special beds in DogMom's room. We have our own special beds in the big room with the grey box that talks in the cabinet. We have our own room... which we've already established is really just jail renamed.

Anyway, because of DogMom's insufficiencies in breathing on her own when we're just being dogs... we are under no circumstances supposed to be on the furniture. Not on the big comfortable bed. Not on the leather couch. Not on the cozy reading chair. (Which, by the way, is Opie's favorite when mom's not around.)

Ooops... secret's out... we've been caught.

So, if we both just lay here and stare at her and act like we're deaf... yeah, that's it, we can't hear her at all.

She's training really well. Either that, or she just gives up too easily.

Um. But we really didn't win completely. Shortly after she caught us with the little thing that flashes a bright light... we had to get drowned again. Oh well.

Wuf ya!

Taste & Tails!

Coming up soon -- the Carver-Scott Humane Society fall fundraiser!

Taste & Tails includes an enjoyable fall evening sampling fine wines and hors d'ouvres and a silent auction at the beautiful Oak Ridge Center in Chaska (where we live!). Unfortunately, this is a human-only affair and animal friends aren't allowed to come. Guess we shouldn't have drank so much that other time -- but we're silly ALL the time and why drink wine when we can have apples and carrots and special treats?

Anyway, Taste & Tails is Friday, October 20th, 2006 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 in advance or $50 at the door. For tickets, send your check to:

Taste & Tails
Carver-Scott Humane Society
PO Box 215
Chaska, MN 55318

or, call 952-270-4651 for more information. Information is also available on the CSHS Web site at www.carverscotths.org.

Wines have been donated by Aurora Wines & Spirits, Chaska. At the present time, the Carver-Scott Humane Society does not have a shelter facility. All animals are fostered out to homes. All proceeds from this event will go to help fund the building of a shelter for the Carver-Scott Animal Humane Society. Thank you for your help!

Wuf Ya!

Don't Forget Pet Bragger!

Happy Friday, all!

Don't forget - this is the last weekend that you can send photos to be included in the first annual Pet Bragger section in the newspapers DogMom works for! Opie and me will be there -- does your dogmom or dogdad love you enough to include you, too? Hope so!

Click the link on the left to upload your photo. You can pay with PayPal -- and money goes to the humane society.

Thanks - Wuf Ya!

2006 Skyhoundz Champion!

Before you get tooooo excited ... no, it's not me or Opie. But it is somebody we know. Ok, maybe we don't really KNOW her, but we did MEET her once. Ok, it was a long, long time ago and we didn't know that we met HER, specifically. We just met the whole litter on our way to Ohio once. She was a very cute little puppy girl! (Don't ya think?)
Yeah, I think so too!

Anyway, her name is Wigglebutt Seven of Nine and she WON the 2006 World Skyhoundz Championship. Her mom used to work with our mom at Thomson Newspapers when I was just a pup. Here's what Seven's mom wrote to my mom the other day... "We are back from Skyhoundz Worlds in Georgia, and man are we whipped. It was so fun to see Kat & Sarah and the gang there - they did great!

We met up with Tony Hoard and Seven as much as we could over the past 6 weeks to practice - very fun and we are learning so much from watching them. Sunday was the microdog finals, and everyone was worried about getting rained out. We thought we were going first, but they changed the order - darn, gotta wait. One dog before Seven finally went in, and it started to POUR! Yickes! We waited in anticipation, and finally the rain stopped and they started up the event again.

Tony and Seven were "jamming" out there, while Bill & I watched anxiously hiding behind the crates - trying not to cheer and distract her with our voices. It's always really exciting to watch them, but the hype of it being worlds was almost too much to handle. The results from round one came in, and they were in 3rd place, just 1 point out of first. There were 14 microdogs entered (the 2 or 3 best from each region/country were at the finals.) Dogs need to be either under 16" or under 25 pounds to be in microdog. Seven is 23 pounds.

Next was the Distance & Accuracy portion. Tony was hoping to score in the double digits to pull into the lead. Seven missed the first toss, Tony threw the 2nd out of bounds - panic started to set in - phew - she caught one, time was running out and the count-down started ... FIVE - FOUR - THREE - TWO (Seven rushes back and spits out the frisbee at Tony) ONE (Tony basically dives on the grass and chucks the frisbee super fast and low from his knees) TIME (Seven turns on the TURBO POWER and MAKES THE CATCH). The crowd is roaring. They score the highest score in Distance & Accuracy and move into first place.

Round 3 - last round - freestyle. They need to do well to keep the lead, they didn't get the kind of lead hoped for in Distance and Accuracy - only 2 1/2 points up. Tony is cool as cucumber - Bill & Angie on the verge of cardiac arrest and hyperventilation - Seven just wants to play. The start is a bit rough - Seven misses a few overs, and a butterfly. Sarah and Kat remind me to breathe - I'm wondering if I have a heart condition and whether I'm going to keel over dead. Bill's a wreck too. Whamoo - Tony throws the longest/fastest air bounce I've ever seen! Seven is running FAST and BOING! - there goes Seven about 5 feet in the air to make the big catch. WOO-HOO! The crowd goes wild.

They ended up with 8 misses - a lot for Seven. We aren't sure where she will place. The weather was starting to roll in again, and they finished up the other events as soon as possible. Out come the award platforms and the huge trophies. They announce 3rd place - not Seven, 2nd place - not Seven. Oh no! Did she go from 1st to 4th? Nope...

(Photo by Mike Waller)

2006 SKYHOUNDZ MICRODOG WORLD CHAMPION - Tony Hoard & Wigglebutt Seven of Nine

Bill & I are crying, Tony is smiling, and Seven's like, "don't we get to play some more?" On the podium, Tony was asked who gets the trophy. He replied, "They get the trophy, I get the dog." Well, that's not going to happen - I think we'll keep the best little disc-dog in the world right here. The rain started downpouring, and we were not only happy as a clam but wet as a clam too. What a weekend..."

Isn't that like totally exciting? You can check out Seven's info and more pictures here: http://www.wigglebuttaussies.com/Seven_of_Nine.htm

Wuf Ya!

Doggie Palooza! (Part 3)

Ok - so Opie's almost a canine good citizen and I couldn't be bothered with following commands. So what? I mean, I'M usually the good one, so what if I didn't want to play that game?

Oh, get over yourself already! Let me tell you about the BEST part of Doggie Palooza! I mean, besides seeing Dr. Kate and seeing Mr. Benda and meeting Jody (Randi's boss) and getting tons of treats from everybody... the absolute best part is that I totally beat the system on the agility course!

See, ever since DogMom brought me home from Friends For Life in Arizona, everybody that seems to know anything about us dogs tells her that she should get me into agility. Like I'm not agile enough, I guess. Anyways... Dr. Burke, Dr. Quist, Dr. Moffat, Dr. Mertens, Sam the trainer, Jennifer, I mean everybody!

So, anyways, DogMom sees this agility training test course at Doggie Palooza. And she gives the lady some paper and says she'd like me to try it. The lady said it would be hard with two dogs - but being human she wasn't smart enough to offer to hold one of us like the ladies at the canine good citizen test were. Oh well.

Anyway. Mom tried to get me to do all these weird things. I just didn't see the point. People have been giving me treats all day long and I didn't have to do any of these weird things. So, I figure, why start now?

First, there was this silly pole laying on a stand with two poles sticking up. I think they wanted me to jump over the pole that was as high as my chest. Duh. I jump 6-foot fences with ease -- why didn't they give me something fun and challenging to do? So, I figured they must NOT want me to jump over the pole, but to do something else. So I carefully slipped my head under the bar and flipped it up into the air ... with the added bonus of having it hit Gomer on the way down. I thought that was a great trick... but did I get a cookie for it? NO!

Then, there was this tire hanging in mid-air. The lady wanted me to jump through it. And she held out a treat and called me, playing like she was all excited. I ran really fast like I was going to jump through it... and ducked underneath it and stole the treat from her hand. (Since she forgot to give it to me on the bar trick.) Mom wanted to try again. This time, I jumped right over the top of the tire and kissed the lady in the face. I thought, maybe that was supposed to be the trick... since obviously jumping through the tire would be sooooo easy for me to do. The lady didn't seem impressed and again forgot to give me a treat.

The next thing was some kind of tube laying in the grass. I just couldn't seem to train this lady about how lame her instructions were. Why on earth would I go inside a tunnel, when I could run around it and jump over it (lengthwise!) and that was so much more fun? By this time DogMom was laughing hysterically and couldn't stop. I like it when she does that.

Anyways... the goofy Gomer watched all these stupid things to do and watched me not get any treats for being creative about how to play the game. And, what does he do? He looks at the lady and at DogMom... gets his leash out of DogMom's hand, barks, and runs over to the bar trick and jumps over both of the bars that are set up. Then, he runs over to the tire and jumps right through it. Then, in the epitomy of goofiness, he runs up to the tube, stops, looks at us, and then runs right through it.

Mom acted surprised. The lady looked at her and asked how long Gomer's been in agility classes. Never... he as NEVER taken an agility class! So, with all my creativity and hard work to train these humans, what happens? GOMER gets attention and praise and cookies.

Go figure.

Wuf Ya! - Opie

Doggie Palooza! (Part 2)

Hi - me again. Where was I? Oh yeah, I was tellin' ya about the doggie party in the park.

So, we go across the bridge and people are there to greet us and give DogMom more stuff. There was a hot dog cooker right there, but mom didn't stop and get us one. Instead, we started walking by these funny tents with people standing at tables. This was weird if you ask me, but then they started coming out from the tables and tents and giving us treats. Sometimes, mom would stop to write stuff down on the table. Other times, we just walked by.

Then, we turned the corner and I saw her! It was Dr. Kate! Yeah, I'm sure of it!. It was Dr. Kate and I was sooooooo excited I couldn't remember my manners and I jumped and jumped and danced and danced. I showed her my beautiful teeth (thanks to her!) and gave her hugs and kisses. Even Opie was glad to see her! Mom talked to her for a while about how good we are about letting her brush our teeth and stuff. I think she said we go in soon for our follow-up, whatever that is.

Anyway, we walked some more and saw Mr. Benda - you know, the guy who took our pictures even though Opie didn't behave and kept running away from the camera? Mom is still really glad we did that for some reason. She told some people that had their dogs with them that Jim is the best photographer and how he was sooo patient with us and our special needs. It made Mr. Benda laugh.

Then, at a couple of the tents we got more treats and mom got some stuff that she put in her bag. We saw an interesting area that was roped off and a sign that said "Canine Good Citizen." Mom said we should give it a try. Since there were two of us, Cassia held my leash and Opie went first. It makes me nervous when new people I don't know try to be nice to me. So I kept a close eye on where mom and Opie were going.

Opie likes getting all the attention. He sat when mom told him to. He looked at her and walked nice on the leash. He turned left when she said left and right when she said right. He stopped and sat and let people walk by. He walked around in circles with mom while other people walked by him and didn't bark at them or anything. Then, he sat and stayed while mom walked away and came back. And, he sat and stayed while she walked away again and then (SHOCKER!) came when she called him. Finally, he let some stranger hold his leash and mom told him to sit and stay. And then, she actually walked away from both of us! She walked to where we couldn't see her! But, she came back a few seconds later. And, Opie was really, really excited to see her. (Ok, ok, I was too!) Anyway, the guy said that was the only part of the test that he didn't really pass, cuz he got too excited too fast.

Opie -- a canine good citizen! Who'da thunk it?

By the way - I could have done all that stuff the right way, too. But, what was the point after Opie did? So, I flunked, which made mom really laugh out loud.

Wuf Ya!

Doggie Palooza! (Part 1)

Ya know, we kinda have a routine that we follow with DogMom so that she doesn't forget simple things like feeding us and giving us treats and stuff. Most days, she gets dressed up in clothes we aren't supposed to jump on and goes somewhere and leaves us at home alone to rest. But some days, she doesn't get dressed up in clothes we can't jump on. On those days, we take more and longer walks or go to the bark park and she usually gets out the big green monster and we have to get drowned and embarrassed in order to get more hugs.

Anyway, this day was different. We got up and did the usual routine with our walk and our breakfast and all that. But DogMom said she wasn't going to give us our bath right away because we were going to go to the Doggie Party in the Park. Sometimes she said Doggie Palooza party. Anyway, she acted excited about it so we played along.

We got in the car and went a longer way than just to Dr. Kelso's or Dog Pad. Opie got nervous when the traffic was just sitting there for a while, but mom drove off that road and went on another one. Anyway, she kept talking about going to the doggie party and having fun and that we really had to behave or we couldn't stay at the doggie party. Yeah, right, like that would happen... we're always well-behaved. (Hmmm... well, not really... we usually forget our manners when we're out in public... and at home too, for that matter.)

Anyway, we got out of the truck and there were lots of smells that we didn't recognize. This was obviously a new place. Mom called it Wolfe Park... but I didn't see any wolves. I looked and looked and thought that maybe Shantell would be there. I haven't seen her in a long time. She was my wolf-hybrid bark park buddy in Arizona. I haven't seen her for a very long time. Anyway, she wasn't there that I could see.

But I digress... DogMom told us to sit while she filled out some forms and there were lots of people and dogs doing the same thing. We sat there being perfect dogs and then we kind of started to tug because the baby rat terriers came up behind us. They were very very tiny, but we were really good and gentle and didn't scare them. So we got treats. This was going to be a great day if that's all we had to do to get treats...

Mom got a big bag with stuff in it and a funny mark on her hand. And we walked across a little bridge and then WOW! There were all kinds of dogs and people and food and smells and ... oops... gotta run. I'll tell you more tomorrow!

Wuf Ya!