I saw an old friend today, my dog trainer Miss Beth.

I had to try to help cheer Miss Beth up. Her dog Ollie went to the rainbow bridge last week. Something about a sepsis infection. Not good for doggies. We know Miss Beth and Lavvy tried everything to make it better, but it didn't work.

RIP Ollie~Hope you are having fun with your old friend Elmo at the bridge!

Maybe some insight on my life before I joined my current family.

It was a 2-woof afternoon, because I was really excited. I heard a big gunshot.

I get really excited when I hear gunshots. Dad just thinks it is fireworks. I know they are gunshots. I get so excited, my tail really wags, I definitely want to go outside and check it out. Except they won't take me out. Probably because guns aren't good to have in a subdivision. Mom still thinks it is fireworks too. Mom is afraid of fireworks that the neighbors do, so no doggies outside. I know it isn't fireworks, it is guns.

Afterall...my family now thinks I used to be a hunting dog!

OH MAN!

Started off as a typical day in our house. Dad got up super early. I took care of my business, and I got food. I am waited patiently for a walk. Dad always takes care of me in the morning. Except when he is in South Dakota.

Then Mom got up early too. What the heck? Today is Saturday. There is NO snuggle time for me and mom today.

Then, mom woke up my sis at 6:15. At first, it seemed normal, except for the comment that mom didn’t wake sis up early enough. Sis seemed to think she needed an hour to get ready. After much discussion (and later than my mom and dad would have preferred) the whole family gets into the car before 7 am. Yep, that is 7 o’clock in the morning. On a Saturday.

Something really big must be going on. No walk for me today, but an even trade for being in the car so early.

I love being in the car. I left noseprints all over the car windows. Dad is thrilled.

We were in the car for a long time. About over an hour.

When we get out – I realize it is the same place mom took me to last Saturday – when I had to take a temperament test. Which by the way, I passed in about a minute and a half. Maybe I can play with the other doggies again today??? That would be fun.

The place I went to today was the Woofdorf Dog Hotel and Day Spa, or something like that. As soon as we walked in, someone took me in right away to meet some 4-legged critters.

I had a whole day, from 8 in the morning to 8 at night of playing with the dogs. We got to play in the doggy pools. I got to roll in the dirt. Can you do the chemical equation here – the water and the dirt = a dirty dog. But, a dirty dog = a happy dog. So, no worries from mom. Besides, we were in dad’s car.

I was too pooped to poop by the end of the day, and one of the humans that works there was just rubbing bellies of the tired dogs. I was first in line.

I was really tired on the way home. I didn’t even wait for mom to come up and go to bed. I went up with dad.

Today is Sunday morning, it is about 9:30, and I haven’t even begged for a walk yet. Nope – my family needs a little rest. I’m being easy on them today.

The reason they took me to the fun doggy place was - apparently, there is a theater in Chicago, that doesn’t like dogs. And, Mom didn’t want me home alone all day. So, I went to doggy day care. It sounds like my family went to see a play called Wicked. They seemed to enjoy themselves. Doesn’t sound like it would interest me a bit. Just sounds like a stupid story about a goat, flying monkeys, and a dog named DoDo. And, the dog named DoDo wasn’t even in the play, they only mentioned him.

I guess it is OK that they went and saw this without me, but they better get a ticket for me when they go see a play like 101 Dalmatians.

Note to mom:
Can I go back to the dog place again? That was fun!
Love, Riley.

OK . . . I BARKED four times this morning. Yeah I bark at balloons. Not the silly dog balloons that some clown makes. I’m talking the big kind that carries two people and lands in the field across the street. I think my family is starting to see some of my quirks. At least they keep their sense of humor (ok they’re not too crazy about the scratches on the woodwork). Back to the balloon thing. Dad let me out this morning around 7:00; for the second time since I convinced Mom that I should go at 5:00 (bet Sis can’t get that out of her). Anyways this huge hot air balloon was landing across the street. I was trying to run and get over there but Dad yelled at me. I kept trying to decide – run, go back to Dad, run, go back to Dad. Dad won out. He feeds me. Dad goes and wakes Stacy and so Stacy and I go look out the front door. I was crying, whinnying, BARKING and begging to go out and see that balloon. Sis wanted Dad to go over and bike to see balloon with her. Dad said he had to make a pot of coffee for Mom. Dad kept trying to decide – go see the balloon, go make coffee for Mom, go see the balloon, go make coffee for Mom. Mom won out. Not sure why, she doesn’t feed him. Dad said something about a coffee-less Mom is a crabby Mom. She’s never crabby to me. Sis and Dad need to learn to look cute and use the sad eyes.

I’m afraid of storms. You know I was trapped for a week during a hurricane by myself. Now when it storms I kinda of freak out. Sis has decided it is her job to calm me down. She does a good job. I just wish her services were available 24/7. She sleeps a lot! Anyways the other day someone was shooting off fireworks. I got a little excited so Sis came over to calm me down. She had it wrong, I was happy excited. I WANT TO GO HUNTING. Fireworks sound like guns. I WANT TO GO GET A DUCK. Maybe I can convince my Uncle Ken and Cousin Jake to take me hunting.

Other news on the home front. The whole family is getting passports. I guess Dad is going to Germany for a work conference and Mom and Sis are going to meet him at the end of the conference and spend some time there. Nobody has asked for a photo for the passport for me – I am guessing they are going to use many of the 1000’s of pictures I have posed for (they love me so much! – I’ll bet they didn’t take that many pictures of Sis). Anyways I know they are going to take me – I do have some German shepherd in me. Should I be worried that Dad, Mom and Sis have their plane tickets and they didn’t get one for me? Dogs get to fly for free if they’re cute? Right?