The Life of Riley [Dog]

2008-07-06T16:13:00.002-05:00

I can leap buildings in a single bound. Especially the buildings that are the same size as an end table. I heard fireworks this afternoon, and mom had the chair right next to the end table. It would have taken too long to go around it, so I just leaped over it. As mom said, luckily her "adult beverage" was in her hand, and not on the end table. Then I went around the couch, and darn near climbed up on the window seat. You see, I would have to have all 4 paws on the window seat to officially climb on it. Since I only had 2 paws on it, well that is practically almost 4 paws on the floor.

Of course, I have to ask...When does the 4th of July actually end?

2008-07-05T19:59:00.001-05:00

I am messing with them again. Remember the no barking rule? Not during fireworks. Yes sir – woof-woof-woof-woof-woof and then “shut up you damn dog someone is trying to sleep.” It’s too bad I can’t hear him. You can’t hear when you’re barking. Anyways why is he complaining? He’s the one always trying to teach me to bark. Well grasshopper – your student was listening and now I am barking!

Sis is nuts! She is going to the Boundary Waters with Whitney. I don’t think she has figured out that the bathrooms are pretty much like mine. Look around, maybe sniff a little, do the deed, kick back the grass with your rear paws, walk away and then let Dad pick up the mess. To be honest I enjoy the whole pooping outside thing – I don’t think little Miss “can’t go out of the house without a full shower and makeup” is going to find being close to nature so much fun. Of course she will be away from Mom and Dad for the week and with that in mind she may put up with inconvenience. In fact I think Sis could live on the moon and survive if it got her away from the parents.

The family went to a shower [not the one hour kind Sis takes] and anniversary party today. Dad said his cat lady cousin laughed when she heard about my blog. Too bad cats are too dumb to write. With that in mind I guess I get the last word – WOOF!

2008-06-28T07:12:00.002-05:00

The Woofers are here. The Woofers are here.

I thought that would make the day kind of fun. I don't think so anymore. Woofers are loud. I think there will be fireworks later. Don't the woofers know that my 14 YO sis is still trying to sleep? It is 7:14 in the morning. Of course, if she can sleep through a whole woofing project, she can sleep through anything.

2008-06-15T18:31:00.005-05:00

Happy Father's Day!!!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I love special days. Special days usually mean special treats for me. I don't mean regular treats. Mom gives me lots of those. This was definitely a special treat day for me.

Mom was cooking today. I think dad was trying to help. Trust me, I'm not sure mom wanted the help. She had everything under a troll. Or is that control? I wasn't listening too much. That's eavesdropping. That is rude. Besides, I had my eye on the floor. This is one of those days that you just don't know what was going to fall. Especially mom's foot. More about that later.

The first thing that went falling...a dallop of Cherry Garcia Ice Cream. Homemade of course. A little bit fell onto the floor when it was being transferred from the ice cream maker into a different container. Yum. For those that don't know, that is a chocolate-cherry mixture. YUM.
That was at lunch time.

At dinner...mom let me try cooked aspargus, that was fresh from the field where it was grown. Mom liked the asparagus better than the steak. OK MOM - get a grip. The asparagus was OK, now let's talk about steak. That is meat. No, not really. Steak is meat with a capital M. Like MEAT. Let's puncuate that a little. Tonight was so special, STEAK !! was served. Except for sis. She had chicken with swiss cheese and some prosciutto in it, First, I got to try the chicken with the ham and cheese. That was OK. Well, it was better than OK. It was better than the asparagus. It was better than my regular dinner. Then mom gave me some of her steak. Oh, I mean STEAK! And some baked potato. YUM!!! Asparagus, what asparagus???

OK, now about mom's foot falling. Luckily it was falling gently. All of a sudden, mom turned around, and there was a foot on my tail. Not just a little bit of my tail...the whole tail. She thought a towel had fallen, so luckily she didn't put her whole foot down hard. THAT'S MY TALE and I am sticking to it!

So - what's up with this Father's Day thing? Am I a dad? I know I have a dad, but that is because I am adopted. I must have a regular 4-legged dad somewhere.

Happy Father's Day Dad! - to BOTH of my dads!

2008-06-11T06:25:00.001-05:00

I have got a confession. The not barking thing is a highly developed strategy to help me convince mom I am not a dog. I need to do that so I can walk all over her and get spoiled rotten. For the most part it works. She refers to me as “her boy”. She never uses the “dog” word. I had a close call a couple of weeks ago when she kept telling me I smelled like a “dog”. I was getting worried. But she solved the problem with a “dog” bath. Of course she paid someone [who most likely can afford a big screen TV] to “groom” me. Funny – dad said it was a “dog” bath; mom said I got groomed. Kind of like a boy would get. Anyways after the grooming I didn’t smell like a “dog”. I was back to being “her boy”. Now dad is another story. He is working real hard to turn me into a “dog”. If only he knew how silly he looked when we gives me “barking” lessons. I know what he is up to when he encourages me to jump in big rain puddles – like he did after the big rains on Sunday. Of course I enjoy doing that. He just hasn’t figured out that if I start to smell like a “dog”, mom will pay the nice lady [who was a big screen TV] to “groom” me. In fact yesterday I tried to take matters into my own hands. Tuesday is “grooming” day at daycare and I tried to sneak into the grooming area. Almost accomplished my mission; got caught at the last minute and did not get “groomed”. It was a good move; mom thought it was funny and completely forgot I smelled like a “dog”. In fact I think I got extra hugs and snacks for that story. Of course with mom all I have to do is give her that special “sad eye look” and I get whatever I want. Mom – do we really need dad around the house?

2008-06-08T13:54:00.002-05:00

I got my reward today.

Bad weather with lots of rain brings lots of puddles. Or maybe small lakes.

Did you know us labbies like the water? I was in water today that was higher than my belly. I was totally a wet dog. I was pretty darn happy. The water walk was really fun. Besides, mom made the daycare people give me a bath last Tuesday, so now I'll start to smell like a dog again.

I wanted to play with the ducks that were out. They like the water too. I don't know why, but when I got to their little lake, they flew away. STUCK UPS!

Mom had to dry me off when I got home this morning. There wasn't 1 part of me that wasn't soaking wet, so it was a 2-towel morning. YAHOO. Some people pay good money for this type of massage service. Mom does it for free, because she loves me!

2008-06-07T18:06:00.003-05:00

I was very vocal today.

Bad storms, tornadoes, lots of thunder, lots of rain.

It was a 3-woof storm over 2 hours.

And the first woof was just your normal sized WOOF.

The second woof was also your normal sized WOOF. I only woofed. Sis JUMPED.

Then, just right now, there was a loud crack of thunder. This warranted a:

WOOF!!!

Now, I am having neighbor problems. I am off of Patty's good list. I saw her the other morning. She had snacks for birds. None for Riley. Patty didn't want to share the worms with me that she got for the bird feeder. She said dogs do not like worms. I say don't put words in my mouth. I would much rather have worms. Even if I would just spit them out.

2008-05-28T23:02:00.002-05:00

I'm back.

I'm really back.

Last week was half a bad nightmare, half a doggie's dream. You see, the bad stuff was basically my mom and sis left town. They left the state. They went Global. OK - they didn't exactly leave the country or anything, they went to Tennessee for a Global Destination Imagination. Apparently, sis did great with her team, and they got 9th place.

After my bonus day for day care on Thursday, Dad took me to my second favorite place - the Woofdorf. I got to stay for 2 days. Yeah! Guess who was there. No really... you have to guess. Stacy got to see her cousins, lots of them at a cousin's wedding. So - I celebrated with my cousin Copper. Copper doesn't get to stay home alone overnight either. We were both at the Woofdorf. I know. I smelled her. I didn't get to play with her, she was in Smallville. I was running with the big dogs.

There were was a big storm one night at the Woofdorf. Many dogs didn't sleep good. Including me.

So - everyone picked me up on Monday. Tuesday rolls around, and yep, I get to go to my regular dog day care. Miss Michelle wondered if I was loosing some weight. I wasn't sucking my stomach in or anything. Mom did explain that I was on a hunger strike when she was gone last week.

I slept really good on Tuesday night, and all day Wednesday. That is why mom thinks I am back. I was hungry tonight, I wanted to go for a walk, a long one, and my tail was wagging lots.

Yes, it is fun to go away, but it is better to come home. Especially when my mom is there too!

2008-05-22T21:23:00.002-05:00

So - mom isn't home yet. Neither is sis. I really know that mom was thinking about me today. She signed me up for a rare Thursday at dog daycare. I think it was due to guilt, probably because she was worried about exactly how sad the sad eyes would be. Oh well. If mom is going to sign me up for extra days - I'm ready.

After dad picked me up, we went on a long walk. I'm dog-tired, so I'm going to catch about 80 winks.

Catch you later!

zzzzzz.......

2008-05-21T06:27:00.002-05:00

I tried the hunger strike thing again this morning as there is no Mom in site. Was going really well until Dad cut up some hot dog for me. I guess I could have just eaten the hot dog - but somehow all the food in the bowl disappeared. Now hear this Mommy - I am on a sleep strike. That is right - I will sleep until you get back. I will have to decide how I will handle my daily walks and tennis ball catching. Mommy - JUST COME HOME!

2008-05-20T21:06:00.002-05:00

Mommy called again . . . I don't think her and Dad talk near as much when they are both here. I have a theory. Mom isn't calling for Dad. She is somehow hoping I will answer. That will never happen. You see when sis is around the phone never gets a full ring in if she recognizes the number as one of her friends. I am an old dog and I can learn new tricks - I just need lots of practice and treats [it's a scam - I make the lessons last to get extra treats]. Anyways if the phone doesn't get a chance to ring how can I answer it. Plus I don't bark.

2008-05-20T20:43:00.002-05:00

OK. I'm a lab and labs love to eat. The hunger strike has ended. Mommy you owe me - get home. If you think you can travel to a warmer place, drive some hot car and ignore your dog you have another thing coming. I not afraid to post as often as necessary. Of course it will have to happen between naps.

2008-05-20T20:23:00.000-05:00

Hey - Daddy just cut up a hot dog and put in the food dish with my other food. OK - I'll eat the hot dog and leave the rest alone. Does that mean I am the opposite of a "select vegetarian"?

2008-05-20T20:16:00.002-05:00

Mommy called again. She got the car thing worked out. The guy felt so bad for the mistake he gave her a red Mustang. Wouldn't I look good in red? Still holding my ground - no Mommy, no food in Riley's tummy

2008-05-20T19:54:00.000-05:00

Mommy just called. She sounded mad. Something about getting screwed on a car rental. What a minute; her car in the garage. Why would she need a car. OH NO - she's not coming home tonight. Hunger strike - I am not going to eat the food in my bowl until she gets back.

2008-05-20T19:12:00.000-05:00

OK, Mommy where are you? Oh why am I worrying. She didn't get home last night until after 8:00.

2008-05-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

Oh, Daddy filled my food dish. I'll just take a little nap and eat when Mommy get's home.

2008-05-20T18:14:00.002-05:00

Just got home from doggy daycare . . . oh look [oh smell] tuna water in my food dish. Mommy loves me. I know she's going to be home soom. Sis I'm not too sure about. She went on a bus with lots of other kids. Not a yellow bus, a blue and white bus with a bathroom

2008-05-18T17:23:00.001-05:00

There is going to be fun at my house this summer.

Want to know how I know?

Because, today, some "Woofers"stopped by the house. Boy, I sure hope they like dogs. Of course, everybody likes me, so the "woofers" probably will too.

2008-05-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

No, its not good around the house today. Not good at all.

Mom had to take me for a walk tonight. Apparently, dad picked the short straw that said "taxi-driver for sis."

Mom had to wear her winter jacket tonight. With mittens. Someone is not very happy. 'Nough said.

PS: We saw Bill and Patty tonight. I haven't seen them since the snow started falling. Bill and Patty must have been planning on seeing me. They brought me treats. Lots of them. Well they weren't supposed to be all for me, but apparently it was too cold for the 4 little dogs tonight...SO I got them all.

2008-05-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

Today wasn't a dog day for me.

The world didn't revolve around me.

Apparently it is mother's day today.

The world revolved around my mom today.

Sis didn't want to help dad make pancakes for mom today, so I got to go with dad to the bakery. Except dad didn't let me into the bakery. It isn't dog friendly there.

Luckily, the sad eyes still worked, on dad and sis. Dad took me on two walks today. Sis played tennis ball with me. Mom- well she is just sort of lounging around.

Well you know what they say...Happy Mother's Day.

Tomorrow we'll be back to a regularly scheduled dog-sort-of day.

2008-05-03T21:13:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday today. Dad went to work. Mom wasn't moving very enthusiastically today. Sis slept late. OK, she didn't sleep until noon or anything, just until about 10:30. So guess what. NO MORNING WALK!!!

Mom said it was raining. She said it was cold too. Mom is a wuss. Plain and simple. Mom is a wuss.

So, I just layed around. All day.

About 5:00, Mom finally felt sorry enough for me that she took me on walk. It is May 3rd, and Mom was wearing her winter coat. Mom sure wasn't happy about this. But hey - this blog isn't about her. I was very happy to get outside and moving. You know the song...if you are happy and you know it wag your tail!!! My tail was wagging. Enough said.

We were at the field, kind of like a dog park that we can walk to from our house. Sometimes there are other dogs. Sometimes there aren't. Today I hit the doggie jackpot. The mom and dad of Jeeves were coming home from somewhere. It probably wasn't an important place, because Jeeves wasn't with them. They talked for a long time. That's OK, because I let them pet me. And, even though Jeeves wasn't with them, I could still smell Jeeves. The dad was just petting me and petting me, and I was just smelling Jeeves. I think in business, that is a win-win situation. There is no down side here. Then Jeeves's parents left.

I wasn't sad. They decided to go home and get Jeeves. Why not, if the parents are just going to be talking anyway, they might as well let us doggies play. Jeeves and I ran around like a pair of young pups. I chased him, he chased me. I chased him. He chased me. There was more of that too. Then another dog joined us. His name was Sniper. Sniper is a (littler than me) friend of Jeeves. Don't forget, Jeeves is my St. Bernard buddy. We played a lot, sniffed a lot, and just had a grand time.

Jeeves was giving my mom a lean. All 120 (or so) pounds of him. That's OK with mom, though. Apparently my mom has always liked St. Bernards.

Not too much else going on.

Happy 50-degree spring days to you!
Riley

2008-04-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

It was a grand party. I'm not sure what the occasion was, but when 23 (OK, it was 24 after Paige got there) dog loving people are at your house for an afternoon, what's not to love about the day?
I saw Papa Ron and Grandma Donna. I haven't seen them since about Christmas. I met an Uncle Robb for the first time. He was really smart. He was wearing pants that matched me! That way, there is no real proof that I shed.

But the really fun part was, many people, including mom, dad and sis, were at a place called church. Then 4 other people came into my house. Yep, I am a watch dog. I watched them get treats out of a bag to give to me. Then I watched them throw a tennis ball. (of course, then I fetched it). Then I watched them get my leash to take me for a walk. Then after everyone was at our house, I watched the floor - I was on official cleanup duty, but nothing fell. Oh well. All that watching sure made me tired, and when everyone left, except for mom, dad and sis, I took a little snooze. Well, it was a long snooze, but I was just plain tired.

Apparently, Sis got confirmed yesterday. Whatever that means. Dogs get to go to church some days, but not on confirmation days. And noone brought me presents, so really, who cares. Dad gave me a rawhide to chew after he almost tripped on me in the kitchen. You see...I will always chew on a rawhide in the living room. I don't think he gave it to me to be nice, I think it was a bribe to get out of the way. Yep - I CAN BE BOUGHT!!!

Now, for some good gossip. I heard that Copper and I will be at the Woofdorf...AT THE SAME TIME!!! We've met before, Copper is my cousin. Apparently, everyone will be at a wedding except the dogs. We'll have a good time there. Copper - tell your people to send extra food, because us doggies run around all day, so we get super hungry by dinnertime.

But with that, I have to go. Dad needs supervision cleaning up the mess(es) I leave in the yard.

Woof!

2008-04-20T17:09:00.000-05:00

I was at the Woofdorf. For TWO nights.

Apparently, sis had to be up in a place called Stevens Point. Something about a stupid competition. They don't allow dogs there. Blah. Blah. Blah. Sis got a real big trophy. Whatever. OK, she didn't exactly GET the trophy, but her team did. Now she gets to go to a place called Knoxville, Tennesse. It's not exactly dog friendly there either.

So, anyway, I get dropped off at the Woofdorf on Friday. I didn't exactly wait for my mom to say good bye to me. That is a strategy I learned from sis. Don't let a parent lecture you. Make a fast exit, and you've saved yourself the lecture on good behavior choices.

I played hard with all the doggies there. At bedtime on Saturday, we got to watch a movie. And all us doggies got to snuggle with the people. The movie was JUNO. Sis was jealous. Apparently, she wants to see that movie, and I got to see it first. On Sunday, I got to play in the special sudsy water. I was clean and fluffy when mom and dad came to get me. I slept the whole way home. I'm dog-tired today!

I am sporting a new collar and a new leash today. Apparently, mom forgot where I was. You see at my regular dog daycare place, they take me away "in my leash and collar", and return me to my mom or dad "in my leash and collar", but we play all day without our collars on. At the Woofdorf, mom takes my collar and leash with her. She forgot to bring one with her, so dad and mom stopped at the store to buy me a new leash and collar. I like the new one, it is a pretty royal blue. Mom likes the old green one, because it is too hard to change the tags from one collar to the other.

Good news though, I heard them talking about my next visit, YEAH! I'm coming back to the Woofdorf soon. Should be a busy weekend, apparently they'll be really full up, since it is a holiday. (In my family, that is the weekend that sis will be at that place in Knoxville where they do not like dogs, and then they need they need to go to a wedding , for Paul and Jill. I'm probably better off at the Woofdorf with my doggy friends :) WOOHOO. I love it when the place is full of dogs.

I've got to go. I need another snooze!

2008-04-10T19:59:00.000-05:00

Tennis anyone?

Thanks, but no thanks. I've had enough today. Miss Michelle (the owner of Happy Hounds, my dog daycare) mentioned to my mom that I played tennis ball all day. I played catch with a weimereiner and Miss Michelle all day. By the end of the day, Miss Michelle's arm was hurting her.

Thanks Michelle, I had a great time!

2008-04-06T13:27:00.000-05:00

There is NO evidence! Absolutely none.

Mom and dad were out doing some yard work. I was out there to supervise. Heck, it was downright gorgeous today. It was definitely a dog's day outside. So, mom and dad were ignoring me pretty good, because they were working. Us labbies, we do not like to be ignored. Not for long anyway.

So, I layed right down next to my mom. Right on top of a pile of stuff that needed to be cleaned up. I looked really cute there. Well, I look really cute no matter what I do, but that is a whole different story. Dad tried to go in the house, get the camera and take a picture of me.

I exited the frame stage left, and poof, there is no evidence I was there. There is just a big (slightly smooshed) pile of clean-up stuff. And actually, mom cleaned up the pile, so there isn't even a pile there any more.

Yep, I am a smart labbie :)

2008-04-01T20:51:00.000-05:00

I woke my mom up this morning, I gave her a nice sloppy kiss. Right on the cheek.

Then, dad started talking. BLAH,BLAH, BLAH. I just snuggled in by mom. She always sleeps in a little later than Dad.

Dad explained that there had been a bunny head that he had to take out of my mouth this morning. Probably from the coyote that my St. Bernard buddy Jeeves chased away.

Mom kind of said YUCK. OK, she didn't exactly say YUCK. But, apparently, Yuck is a legal word on blogs. Other words aren't.

Then dad laid it on the line. APRIL FOOL's. We got mom good!

2008-03-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

MOM...make sure to save room for dessert!!!

Apparently tonight is leftover night. The leftovers smelled really good. I mean licking your chops good.

You see, Mom and Dad went out for dinner last night. I know this for a fact. They left me home with Sis. Mom and Dad had a great time! The went to a place called Jake's. This is a different place than my cousin Jake's house. But anyways, apparently they've been married about 126 years. That is in dog years, because that is the best way for me to count!

It sounded like a great time. Heck, the place specializes in steaks. Us canines, we like steaks. JUST KIDDING!!! We LOVE steaks.

Mom and Dad brought home a whole bag of leftovers. Tonight, they are having the leftovers. So - Mom - please eat your dessert first, and then, maybe you'll be too full for your steak! If there is any leftover, you could share it with your favorite dog! Really, you could share it with me. PLEASE...share some with me!

Wow, I got an unimpressive bite of steak. But, it was sure good!

2008-03-21T23:26:00.000-05:00

OK. There is a quiz today. Hope your pencil is sharpened! Luckily it is a multiple choice quiz.

Today is March 21, 2008. Yep, it is the first FULL day of spring. Guess what went wrong today:
a. Dad is home. Sis is home. Mom isn't home.
b. Dad didn't take me for a walk. Sis didn't take me for a walk. Mom still isn't home.
c. It is snowing hard today.
d. It is hard to "do outside business" when the snow hits the underside of your belly.
e. There is no tennis ball activity going on outside.
f. ALL OF THE ABOVE

2008-03-15T19:36:00.000-05:00

Doggy stuff didn't matter today. I'm filing a protest. Right now. I'm a neglected doggy, and I'm not very happy about it.

Sis and mom left today at 6:35. That is in the morning, in case anyone is wondering. 13-year olds do not like to get up at 5:45 in the morning. Then dad left about 8:30. HELLO...it is a Saturday. Saturday is a dog word that means "today the dog doesn't get ignored" Dad came home about noon. Hmmm. Not good. And then mom came home about 1:30, for only 15 minutes, then she left again. Somewhere they must have lost sis.

At least dad took me on a walk today before he left again at 3:30. I WAS HOME ALONE WITH NO DINNER until 6:30. Then everyone came home.

Sis was floating on air when she came home. She had a gold medal. It wasn't food. It didn't smell good. I just don't know what the big deal is. Something about a structure, and a team and a challenge. Must have been a good day. Sis hasn't been in this good of a mood in months. OK, maybe that is an exageration. But certain she hasn't been in this good of a mood for a week.

I heard a rumor tonight. Hopefully it will be true. Apparently, sis gets to compete again, but out of town. No neglected Riley that weekend. They are going to Stevens Point. HOW BORING. I get to go to the Woofdorf in Racine. Now THAT is a vacation for me!

2008-03-08T22:51:00.000-06:00

The tennis balls are defective. SEND THEM BACK.

My mom thought it would be fun to play tennis ball in the back yard today. Heck, I thought it would be fun too! Until, the mom threw the first one. The first thing that went wrong is mom is out of practice. Her throwing arm...well she needs to work on it a little.

But there is a problem, and it was huge. The tennis balls didn't bounce. Not on the snow. The go up in the air, and come down with a thud. That's it. No bouncing. This is just plain wrong.

Mom said it isn't the tennis balls that are defective, it is the weather. She wants to send the snow back.

2008-02-27T20:28:00.000-06:00

She's back!

She got home at 10 last night. Dad and I were already sleeping. Then all of a sudden, she was home. I went out in the hall, and I met her at the top of the stairs. I was wagging my tail so hard I woke up Sis. You see, my tail was thumping on her door. It was thumping pretty fast and pretty hard. Sorry Sis - I was just happy to see mom!

I had dog daycare yesterday. I get pretty excited to go. You don't need to ask me twice on daycare days to get in the car. I tried to tell dad he can drive really fast to get to daycare, because then I would have more time to play. Sis even thought I was pretty excited to go to daycare.

2008-02-25T21:42:00.001-06:00

Hunger Strike

It's bad. Really bad. My mom left yesterday ~ with a really big suitcase. Rumor has it, she went to a place called Dallas. They have cows there.

I'm stuck wondering why she wants to be by cows and not her favorite mutt. Luckily, there are no Giants there, or there would be big trouble. Really big trouble.

So, I'm on a hunger strike until she gets home. That's right. I'm not going to eat until she gets home. I've put my foot down. Well actually, I've put all 4 of them down.

MOM - WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME????

2008-02-24T09:54:00.000-06:00

It hit me right between my sad eyes.

And, I might add, the sad eyes didn't work.

You see, my dad goes to a place called South Dakota. He goes there a lot. So, today when I saw the suitcase, I thought dad was going again. No problem, I get spoiled rotten when dad is gone.

Well, today, Mom gets out a suitcase and starts to pack it. That's when it hit me. Right between my sad eyes. Mom NEVER packs for dad. Apparently, big boys need to pack for themselves. Dad has earned "big boy" privileges to pack himself. Mom is packing.

No amount of sad eyes is stopping my mom. NONE. My mom is running away. She took the BIG suitcase. She even told me - don't even think about hopping in the suitcase. Apparently Midwest Express has some stupid policy about overweight bags. $50 charge - each way. NO WAY - I am not overweight. Just ask the vet. Mom said she would know the minute the suitcase got on the luggage scale that it was overweight.

NOT FAIR!

2008-02-17T19:22:00.000-06:00

I DIDN'T DO IT.

Honest. I didn't do it. I can't throw my tennis balls up that high. I didn't have any big friends over, either.

The fact that there are 3 really big cracks in one of the 1/4 round windows by the fireplace isn't my fault. Actually, they are more than really big cracks, the window is just plain broken. Luckily my dad taped it all up. The reason they think it is me, the window broke on the inside, not on the outside.

Mom isn't too upset about it. Something about the windows have a 20 year warranty on the glass. The window just doesn't look very pretty right now.

Oh well, guess that means there will be a repair person in the house pretty soon. Darn, I always try to let them work, but its really hard when they want to play with me. I'll try to be nice!

2008-02-13T21:43:00.000-06:00

At the vet today...

First, let me say my dad rocks. Because he took me to the vets office last night, they gave me an 8:00 appointment time. They only allow the vet to be double-booked for cool dogs like me. Maybe the Cheryl's like my sad eyes.

There was a black lab there at 8:00, for ear surgery. The black lab's dad was really upset about the surgery. Maybe he was wondering about vets and big screen TV's.

The 8:30 dog was Molly, she was a golden retriever. She wasn't too friendly. OK,maybe a little friendly. Maybe because I got to be seen before her. Because I am special, I was allowed to cut in front of her.

One of the Cheryl's really felt bad for me. I couldn't eat after 10:00 last night, just in case Dr. Beachum was going to do surgery. Once Dr. Beachum decided that I didn't need surgery, just a "fancy" manicure on my dew claw, Cheryl kept feeding me some treats. Hey Cheryl, Love you! I still have my fancy lime-green bandage on. Dr. Beachum added a white stripe to it with some tape.

I even backed up the 9:00 dog. The 9:00 dog was a hunting dog, maybe a pointer. I don't remember what he was there for. I was ready to go home and eat some breakfast!

2008-02-12T19:24:00.000-06:00

INJURED

No kidding. Dad picked me up at doggie daycare tonight, and they had a special conference. Just about me. And, I am sporting a really cute lime green bandage. Sis is going to be so jealous that she doesn't have anything as cool as this.

Somehow, while I was busy playing today, I ripped my dew claw, and it started bleeding. When my dad picked me up, the first thing was he took me to the vet. Well, not to the vet, just the vet's office. The vet was gone already. But my favorite Cheryl's were there. Not my mom, but the two Cheryl's at the vets office. The Cheryl's were happy to see me. I must be their favorite their favorite patient. They remembered my name. Dad was pretty impressed. I haven't seen the Cheryl's since September.

So, dad is going to take me to Dr. Beachum's tomorrow morning. And, I'll be there all day. I wonder what type of television Dr. Beachum has? I bet dad is wondering too!

2008-02-06T18:50:00.000-06:00

It is the dog days of summer oops I mean winter.

I don’t even know if I should be coming or going anymore. Between starting dog day care on Tuesdays, my sis has skipped school 4 different days this winter. Including today. Don’t get me wrong, she is delightful to have around. Today was one of those no-school days, and it wasn’t even a weekend. Something about maybe we’ll be getting 15 or 20 inches of snow.

Dad was so excited about getting all this snow, that he actually came home early from work to play with me. He probably felt guilty that I only got 1 day of day care this week.

And then, mom came home early too. Mom wasn’t happy. Mom was a bit frazzled. Apparently, driving home for mom was much worse than driving home for dad.

Regardless of why they all came home early, I’m glad they are all home. Nothing like getting some attention ALL day long!

2008-01-24T18:53:00.000-06:00

2nd day of Dog Day Care this week.

You know that guy...my dad...the one that is gone this week? Apparently, mom decided that I needed a second day of dog day care this week. Not because I needed it. But because SHE needed it. If you do the math her way, this bonus day of dog day care saved her from some walks outside. It saved her on Wednesday night, Thursday morning, Thursday night, and Friday morning. Tomorrow morning it is supposed to be about -20 degrees with the windchill. She figured the rate out to be $1 per degree below zero. Dad calls this funny math. Mom doesn't care. Besides, dad wasn't home to walk me instead.

One of the day care people has 2 dogs that go to work with her, and one of them is becoming a good friend of mine.

I have to go. Sis has a friend over, and sis's friend smells like her dog, Ellie. I like Ellie. Sometimes I actually get to smell Ellie, not just the friend who smells like Ellie.

2008-01-22T20:33:00.000-06:00

Nothing runs like a deere:

except a dog stuck wearing a john deere hat.

And since people in this house don't understand that dress-up is for girls,

Dad bought himself a new turtleneck. Mom swiped it from him (well - she said it was an accident.) When dad asked where it was, it magically landed on me. HOW HUMILIATING!!!

And...did you ever wonder what a dog looks like after a day at dog day care? Pretty much like this:

I think dad left with a suitcase this morning. Probably in South Dakota again. I'll worry about it tomorrow. I'm just too tired right now.

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz

2008-01-15T21:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, Ok, I know. It has been a long time since I posted. Life just got busy for my people. Really busy.

First fun thing...I got to do a sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's house about a couple of weeks ago. It was the second time I slept there, but the first time, mom, dad and sis where there too. This time, there was a Christmas party, and when it was over, only Grandma and Grandpa and me were left. I just made myself at home, and hopped up on the loveseat in the bedroom. Apparently mom and dad forgot to clue grandma and grandpa in. Dogs do not always sleep on the floor. Especially when the couch looks comfy. And, somewhere in there, my cousin Alex took me on a nice long walk. It was labby weather. We like to walk in labby weather. Grandma and Grandpa took me on a walk in the morning too. It was still labby weather outside. And then, mom, dad and sis came back and took me home.

Second fun thing...I went to dog day care today. First time for me. I hope it isn't the last time for me. I was so tired today, I didn't even need a single walk. Not in the morning (I think mom and dad were just planning ahead) and I didn't even beg for one in the evening. When I went up on my couch to relax, I curled up in my tight ball. That's what I do when I am tired. My mom always laughs at me when I'm in a tight ball. I get really small. Apparently, my mom is concerned that Sis's activities are going to keep everyone busy for the next couple of months. My mom doesn't like to think about me if she thinks my legs are crossed, waiting for someone to get home.

I had to do a personality test at Happy Hounds. Guess what?!?!? I have a personality! So, I got to stay at Happy Hounds.

Mom says I can go again next week...Yeah me.

2007-10-25T20:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, I’ve seen a suitcase in my day. I’ve even seen a big suitcase in my day. I have NEVER seen the flurry of suitcases like a saw a couple of weeks ago. There was even a nice suitcase for me. OK, not really a suitcase, it was just a plain old box, but it was filled with my dog food.

First off, on a Friday, my dad went to the place called Germany. That’s OK. I still had the girls home. And then on Tuesday, me and the girls left the house. All of us with our suitcases. Then we dropped sis off at school. Now, it is just mom and me. Perfect. We are going on a road trip. Just me and my mom.

Mom drops me off at the dog park hotel. I stayed there for a day before. Bye mom – I gotta go and check it out.

Well, it was OK. Just OK. I didn’t really like the accommodations my mom picked out for me. That was the Petite Suite. NOPE. I’m not a petite dog. I just jumped the fence. Kind of my special way to ask for an upgrade. Yep. They put me in the standard sized suite. Heh, a dog has got to be able to stretch out after a long day of playing.

About a week later, my sis and dad picked me up. I ignored them just fine. Afterall, I don’t get to play with dozens of dogs in a day at my house. I did snuggle up to sis on the way home. She needed a soft pillow. Something about being up for almost 24 hours. I thought those silly teens liked to go on no sleep.

When I got home, I tried ignoring my mom too. That was harder to do because she fixed me some dinner.

By the next morning, I pretty much forgot about ignoring them, especially after my favorite dad got out my favorite leash. Then mom took sis somewhere, and left her there. Mom was really tired, so I made sure she slept. I took a little snooze too.

2007-09-30T19:59:00.000-05:00

I think I am starting to irritate dad. Not the kind of irritation that can be resolved with a quick scratch. We’re talking about the kind that could send me away. Not that he could ever do that; he has a minority voting interest in any decisions about me. Mom decides everything about me and she would never let me go! Here’s the problem. For the past couple of days mom has gone camping with sis. I’m sure mom is really at a hotel. She is not the camping type. Anyways I wanted to go along with mom and sis but they forgot me. So I tried to make a hole in the door. This is wood door we are talking about; according to dad it will take two years for me to tunnel through it. This is probably not good for my teeth – good that mom found a fabulous doggie dentist. I know I am wrecking the door. I do try to open the door knob but all I ever do is lock it. Mom we need dog friendly door knobs around here. It might reduce the dentist bills! When dad got back from taking mom and sis to the meeting point for the camping trip he found me standing by a pile of wood shavings from the door. He yelled at me. This was a problem. I can’t understand a word he is saying. Even if I could I would take the route sis takes; ignore him [until we need something]. The problem was not that I was getting yelled at; the problem is that mom wasn’t here to defend me. So I had to coward to him. Don’t worry about me. When mom comes home I will use the whole thing to get sympathy from her. Note to self; when dad tells mom story make sad, sad eyes.

The evening got better. Dad was cutting the lawn and left the outside doors open so I could see him. Guess what? I can get through a screen door in a couple of minutes. Once I got through I ran to help him cut the lawn. He was not happy – I think “mad” better describes him. He got off the lawn mower and YELLED. I had one thought as he yelled – Mom get here quick.

I tried to make up to him on Saturday. It was just us guys. I always heard guys like to sit around farting and scratching. I did my part. Dad didn’t appreciate any of it. He told me to get lost. Anyways the whole farting was his fault. He made me my favorite food – chunks of grass from the mower deck. I know he leaves them on the lawn just for me to eat. Just like mom says – if you don’t want me to eat snacks don’t have them around. Same applies to grass chunks!

Gotta go – need to work on the sad eyes. I can’t wait for the girls to get back!

2007-09-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

Well, today I went to the doggy dentist. And then mom left me there. I don't remember much. EXCEPT - for some odd reason, my mom feed me a really nice snack around 10pm last night. AND I got nothing for breakfast. Absolutely nothing. Heh - a dog's gotta right to eat.

Then mom left me with the dentist.

Then, dad picked me up. Apparently what happened is: They took out one of my big back teeth, and did a root canal on one of my canine teeth.

But the worst part - I can now eat again, but only 1 lousy little tablespoon of food an hour for tonight.

Dad thinks the worse part is - he thinks HE should be getting a nice big flat screen TV...Apparently the doggy dentist will be getting the big flat screen TV instead.

I'm off for a snooze...z.z.z.z.z.z.z.

2007-09-15T12:59:00.000-05:00

I got to go see Dr. Beachum today. He is my very own personal doctor. Dr. Beachum suggested I go see one of his Dr. friends, a doggy dentist. Apparently I have a slab fracture on one of my main teeth. This is probably good news though, I like slabs. As in a slab of bacon. A slab of ribs. You get the picture.

Dr. Beachum gave me two shots. Just normal things. Otherwise, I can't go to the Woofdorf-Astoria Doggy Hotel and day spa next month. Apparently all shots need to be up to date. The lepto shot was ok. Mommy said I didnt' even flinch. The shot for kennel cough was in my nose. I flinched for that one. Cheryl (not my mom, but one of the Cheryl's that works with Dr. Beachum) said I hardly flinched at all, compared to some of the other doggies.

I'm lonely during the day now. Sis is never home. Something about a place called school. But that is OK. I just like to sleep during the day. Especially if someone plays tennis ball with me in the morning. Dad forgot one day this week. He isn't the normal "play tennis ball" in the morning person. Mom is. She had to go to and early morning meeting this week. That is why dad was there. Apparently, he forgot the routine.

2007-08-29T20:23:00.000-05:00

My bad. I have not written in my blog for such a long time. I just want everyone to know that I am having a birthday on Friday, August 31. I am going to reach the grand old age of 9. I think in dogs years that is 9 – mom says I will always be a K-9. Somehow all those 9’s means “Golden”. You know mom really wanted a “Golden” retriever. Dad didn’t want the shedding hair from Golden’s. I got the last laugh – you should see some of the hairballs I leave behind in this house! Mom and Dad – I really like you. You are aware it’s my birthday, right?

So back to the birthday. I am begging you with the saddest eyes you can imagine. I really want a big screen TV. Why? Because someone else is writing this. What a scam. I need to take lessons from sis about begging for birthdays. That girl gets the mother lode of presents. She knows how to work the system. She starts early and begs hard! Hey sis – Christmas is only 118 days away. Start your begging now!! Sis I really love you. You do know it’s my birthday, right?

Dad took a week off of work. Some guys came that week and painted the house. That was fun – they ate their lunches at dog level. Yes the opportunity was there for me to share their food as they ate it. I was a gentleman and didn’t eat those yummy bologna sandwiches. Stupid – they didn’t even share. They told dad a story about a Doodle [Poodle-Lab Mix] stealing one of their lunches and eating it while they were working. Come on guys – if you don’t take care of us we’ll take care of ourselves. Stacy’s cousin Sam was here that week. I like Sam; hopefully she knows it’s my birthday.

Mom & dad went on a date that week. They went train watching in Rochelle, IL. Sounded like a romantic day. Sub sandwiches at the deli, dad bought mom a sweatshirt at Wal-Mart and they watched trains with all the train geeks in the rain. Mom you should have stayed home with me. On Sunday sis went to the Brewers game with a friend. Sis's cousin and his parents went to the same game; but sis did not “connect” with them because she was too busy socializing. The Brewers probably know it is my birthday, I'm sure they'll announce it on the jumbotron during the sausage race. Did you know sausages would make a perfect present for a dog's birthday?

Last week it rained. It rained some more. It rained after that. I am not complaining – I’m a Lab. It was great that week. Dad was in South Dakota so mom had dog walking duty. Mom’s the sucker – she braved the wet weather and took me for my two daily walks. I’ve noticed dad has been getting lazy about that – there’s a couple of rainy mornings that dad blew off my walk and, in my opinion, he was just being a lazy “butt”. It’s OK that’s he’s a lazy butt. I like him anyways. Hey Dad, do you know what Friday is?

Grandma Donna found a sock left by visitors to her house. They’re not mine. However if you find any dog treats from the dog bakery those are mine. Hey grandma and grandpa – I really like you. You do know it’s my birthday coming up?

Hey – I got some early treats for my birthday. There are some really nice neighbors; Bill and Patti who always give me treats when we meet on walks. I have not seen them for a while [they only “have” to take walks when Apollo is visiting]. Tonight I didn’t get to see them, however they was a couple of dog treats on the driveway that spelled “HI”. You had to be there – I ate them and now the message is gone. I really like Bill and Patti; they treat me like everyday is my birthday.

Enough about me and my birthday. Did you know that on September 10 it will be my one year anniversary living here . .

2007-07-21T19:27:00.001-05:00

Wow, or should I say Woof. I haven’t written to my blog for almost a month. I am lazy. There is a famous quote that describes me – The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. Really I am not lazy – I just wanted to use that famous quote and also make sure all of the keys worked on the computer key board. Busy is what I have been.

I am getting way too comfortable here. I started barking. Not a lot – just maybe once or twice a day. If there is a problem with that it is [according to Mom & Dad] that I do it anytime. I don’t care if the sun is out, the moon is out or it’s raining out. I bark. I barked a lot at fireworks. Not sure why I barked so much – I thought fireworks were illegal. Not in Hubertus – the party started a week before July 4th and went for the week past. All of my barking was happy barks. Mom didn’t feel the love of the barks. Maybe it was a timing thing. Once she goes to sleep she doesn’t like to be woken up. I should know that – Dad has told me scary stories about getting Mom up when she didn’t want to be. Somehow Dad thinks he was a hero when he heard water running during the middle of the night when they lived in Lake Villa and it wound up being a broken water main. All Mom remembers is not getting to sleep through it.

You know who is really busy? Sis. This is the honest truth. She was gone for almost two weeks. You know how I know she was gone, I get a treat-filled Kong in the morning when she is gone. I’m not sure where – but I did request a little one-on-one time with her riding boots when she got back the first week.. Good smells! Anyways she left on Sunday, came home the following Saturday at noon, left for some dumb Girl Scout thing at 2:00, came home around 10, stayed up really late, left the house at 11:00 on Sunday and did not come home until Thursday evening. No good smells from the second trip – some stupid leadership training thing. And the story goes on. On Friday morning she went to some cool Girl Scout thing. I know it was cool because I got to go along to pick up her up and it was a dog boarding place. Now talk about smells . . . Speaking of smells – I really felt close to Sis when she chomped on a corn dog in the car on the way home. I love life and I love living here!! Yes I did give the sad eyes and got a piece of the corn dog – she even made me wait until it cooled down. I have almost got Sis where I have Mom. She can’t resist the sad eyes.

Dad is no fun. This morning on my walk [not really a walk since he leaves me off leash and I run and run and run] I rousted up something in the field. As I was running Dad got a worried look on this face [not that I was paying any attention to him]. He was yelling “RILEY GET OVER HERE; RILEY COME: HEY YOU DUMB MUTT . . .” [not that I was paying any attention to him]. So then starts to run towards me. I know things were getting serious then because running through a field where dogs run of leash is like walking in a minefield. Anyways he gets to me just as I was sticking my face into a hole in the ground – with excellent smells. Still not sure why Dad was so concerned. What was more interesting was the reaction from Mom when he told her that I he thought I was chasing a skunk. Those are cute animals aren’t they? Kinda cute like me?

2007-06-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-06-23T14:20:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-06-17T09:04:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-06-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-05-28T21:38:00.000-05:00

Boy oh boy, I have Pampered Paws. I am a Pampered Pooch.

Mom, dad and sis all got suitcases out this weekend. I saw suitcases last weekend, and then mom ran away from home. NOPE, not happening this weekend. I snuck in the car with them. Yep, no one is running away from me this weekend. NOT HAPPENING.

We went on a really long car ride. We went to someplace called Wisconsin Dells. All of a sudden, the car stops, every one hops out, mom gets my leash, and we start walking into the building. I saw a bunch of dogs there. In the building, all of a sudden, someone else gets my leash, and I am out playing out with all those doggies. Mom, dad and sis waved at me a few minutes later, and then they went somewhere else. Who cares? Not me. I was at Pampered Paws Pet Resort.

Pampered Paws was really tiring. We played, we slept, we played, we slept, we ate, we played, we slept. In the morning, we played again. I even got the "Pampered Pooch Package" which meant I got doggie ice cream for a late-night snack. About 10 in the morning, mom, dad and sis came and got me. I was really tired on the way home. I mean really tired. I was so tired the rest of the day that I didn't even move close to the dinner table, JUST IN CASE some food would fall.

Apparently, while I was at Pampered Paws, my family just went to a graduation party in LaCrosse, for someone called Jaimee with my same last name. I heard that Copper got to go to the party. I'm glad I was partying with the pooches instead.

Well, it's just about time to go to bed, just after I get some doggie ice cream. They serve that at my house, don't they? Hello - COULD I GET A LITTLE SERVICE HERE?

H

2007-05-20T14:14:00.000-05:00

SOMETHING BIG IS UP! MOM LEFT. I know she will be gone for a long time based on the size of the suitcase she took. At least that’s the comment Dad made. He said something like “ . . . what you’re packing for a year?; I thought you were only going to Denver for a couple of days” I know what Mom was trying to do. She was taking a large suitcase so I could sneak along. We must have got our wires crossed – I’m still here and she ain’t. I am really worried about her. She is going to be so depressed without me. How will she able to go through the day with seeing my excessive tail wag?

I have to start plan B. When Dad is gone I get certain extra special privileges. The worst thing is that Mom doesn’t let Dad know out about these privileges. Here’s the dilemma. Do I just try to do the things I do when he is gone and hope he goes along? I think I can win him over. I seem to remember that an announcement was made early on that I would not be allowed in the office; now of course my favorite hang-out.

2007-05-13T22:32:00.000-05:00

OK, my mom needs help. Lots of it. Really.

She is having a hard time trying to decide which pic she should send to HAWS for their 2008 calendar.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. My opinion is - send them all to HAWS. Mom says no, because only 1 pic per dog. Well not really, send as many pics as you want - it is ONLY $5 each. I'm worth it, right?

Actually, mom knows that the snow pictures aren't very good. I was trying really hard to find my tennis balls in one of them. I KNOW that I left them on the chair back before the snow. And I really wasn't in the mood to stop and pose once I found the t-ball. I was ready to play.

Oh - Dad says you should go back and look at the pump boys working. That post was on April 21.

2007-05-07T20:21:00.000-05:00

Lots going on here.

Mom owes me big time.

Sis is the pres.

Dad ran away from home. Again.

Mom - she owes me really big. I mean - REALLY big. We went to the HAWS dog walk on Saturday. HAWS is where I used to live. Before Mom, Dad and Sis found me and gave me a real nice home. I think it stands for Happy Animals Want Stability. Actually, mom is standing over my shoulder and telling me it really stands for Humane Animal Welfare Society. I used to live there for a while. Until I found my forever home. Apparently, mom paid to write her name and phone number down on some papers. Tonight, Mom got a phone call from HAWS, and they told her that she won a massage. A one hour massage. Don't forget mom - you wouldn't have this cool prize if it hadn't been for me - the cutest dog in the world. Oh - just in case mom is still reading this - I'm sorry I didn't try to kiss you in the kissing contest. I really was trying to be on my best behavior.

Sis won Student Council President for next year. Just an idea sis - "bring your dog to school day" sounds like a whole lot of fun!!!

Where oh where did my favorite dad go. Oh where oh where did he go??? He's back at that place called South Dakota again. That means Mom is in charge of the morning stuff again. Hurry back dad! Mom brings flashlights and stuff on the morning walk. She doesn't like to look at the stars like us guys do!

2007-04-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

Ok, a little more about the cheese balls I have been getting.

I overheard my mom and dad talking today. Right now, I am getting 2 cheeseballs, 2 times a day. Mom told dad the cheese costs $7.19 per pound. The cheese is really yummy. To my doggy pals - this cheese is just the best. The cube that's left, though, is just getting smaller and smaller. Pretty soon, there isn't going to be any of it left. I can do the math here. No good cheese left = no more good treats for me. I am not stupid on this one.

I am a little bit concerned though, it sounded like mommy is putting something in the cheese balls. I might have to check this out a little closer tonight. She was talking that the cheese only needs to last for 7 more times.

Mom told dad that when the $7.19/pound cheese is gone, there won't be any more jumping in the cart at the store. Not until she needs white cheddar cheese to make Shepard's pie for company again.

SO- as a confused pup here - it is OK for company to eat $7.19 cheese, and OK for the dog of the house to eat it as leftovers. But it isn't OK for the dog of the house to have it as a regular snack. Something just isn't right here, if you ask for my opinion.

And, my mom is trying to sing to me:
Oh a little bitty cheese ball helps the medicine go down, the medicine go down, the medicine go down! Oh a little bitty cheese ball helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way.

She says it is a real song. I just don't believe her. She says it is from the movie Mary Doggins.

Oh well, I am going to find a nice sunny spot in the house to lay down and think about this.

2007-04-21T18:10:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's been a while since I posted.

This is the update.

I almost went home with the guy from the well company. Apparently, we live in the country. We have wells. That is where my water comes from. The well. The well was causing some problems. My dad thought it was the pump. That's why the well guys were here. One of them was really nice. He was giving me lots of attention. As you may know, I'm a sucker for attention. I would've gone home with him, but my dad said no. He said mom might miss me a lot. Oh yeah, forgot about her for a couple of hours.

Sorry mom, I won't talk to strangers any more. And sorry mom, I don't understand either why something 281 feet below the surface was such a $$big$$ deal either. Of course, had the pump failed when grandpa and grandma were over, there would have been fireworks. That would have been fun! Just kidding mom - REALLY - I am just kidding! Mom does want me to ask the well guys for the "cute doggie" discount. They have those - right?

Of course, that is not the really big news this week. Yep, WOOF # 7 occurred. Right about 11:30 last night. Dad was sleeping. Mom was sleeping. Sis was sleeping. I was sleeping. The window was open, because it was nice outside. There were some teenaged girls out walking last night. They weren't sleeping. They were actually quite loud and gigly. I sure gave them a "woof" of my mind.

Mom took me to the vet again. Second time in two weeks. That's OK though. Everyone is so nice there. They really like me. And even if I am not feeling tip-top, I am still wagging my tail. Kind of the same problem, they just moved the diagnosis to the large intestines instead. NOPE, I AM NOT TAKING MEDICINE FOR THIS. But my mom gave me a nice cheese ball when we got home. Actually it was 2 cheese balls. Probably because I was such a cool dog at the vet.

I need to go. It's a really nice day today, and I haven't even been on 1 single little walk outside yet. Have to go bother my mom and dad about this. Can't bother sis though. She ran away from home. Took her sleeping bag and everything.

Later dudes!

2007-04-15T14:46:00.000-05:00

The humility of it all.

My new cousin Copper came over to visit yesterday. We had fun, 'cept my dad made me eat dinner in the bathroom.

I tried really nice to share my toys. I have enough t-balls for many doggy friends. But Copper went swimming in my waterbowl instead.

And, Copper thinks that I am a climbing gym. Guess what? I'm not.

Guess what I suggested to my mom and dad? We need a revolving door at our house. See, on Friday, dad went to pick up Jake. Then dad, sis and Jake went somewhere. All day. After mom got home, then Ken and Kris came over. Then dad, sis and Jake came home. Then Ken and Kris and Jake left. Right away, then Grandma and Grandpa came over. They stayed over night. I went on a really long walk with mom and grandma on Saturday. Then mom, grandma and grandpa left, and then came back. Then grandma and grandpa left, then mom, dad and sis left.

I'm not sure, but in all of this coming and going, I don't think my grandma and grandpa gave me any treats. Maybe I was just too dizzy from all the company, and I didn't notice if they gave me treats.

Good thing I got an afternoon nap in.

Cuz, then Copper came with his people Kurt, Sharon and Joey. We played outside first, and then came in the house. My mom made a new rule for when I have playdates. No doggies in the family room. Something about the nice carpeting. Then a little bit later, Mark, Wendy and Cyndi came.

I'm not sure, but in all of this coming and going, I don't think my grandma and grandpa gave me any treats. Maybe I was just too dizzy from all the company, and I didn't notice if they gave me treats.

A bunch of us went on a long walk after the 2-legged people ate dinner. And then eventually, all the people went home, and it was just my family and me. I slept really good last night.

2007-04-09T21:08:00.000-05:00

So - I wasn't feeling too good yesterday. That was Easter. Mom and dad were a little concerned about me. Sis too.

I still wasn't feeling better today, so dad took me to the vet. He was home all day. So was sis. Mom was gone all day.

I have some sort of a gland infection, and I didn't really enjoy this visit to the vet. Luckily, at least there were treats at the vet.

I did think mom tried to get some medicine down me tonight. Luckily, I just settled for 2 cheese balls instead.

2007-04-07T12:23:00.000-05:00

I just need to face the facts.

I've turned into a mama's boy. Don't get me wrong. I like my dad and sis just fine. But I've turned into a mama's boy.

Unless someone is talking treats to me, taking me on a walk or playing fetch with me, I like to be by my mom. I'm not sure when this happened. But it did.

Luckily, mom doesn't mind. Nope, not at all.

2007-04-04T19:45:00.000-05:00

Oh oh. If I weren't so good-looking, I'd be in trouble. BIG trouble.

Apparently, Dad thinks I prefer to sleep on his pillow during the day 10 times more than any other part of the bed. The only reason he thinks this is because he thinks there is 10 times more dog hair on his pillow today than any other part of the bed.

Personally, I think dad would be much more relaxed about the whole situation if he just wouldn't try to over analyze the situation.

Oops. I got busted.

2007-04-03T23:01:00.000-05:00

Late tonight, 'bout 10:30...

I was just laying close to my mom. It is pretty much what I do every night. Mom just enjoys the peace and quiet, watching a little TV. I enjoy the belly rubs. It is what we do every night. 'Cept for tonight.

Someone came in the house at 10:30.

I greeted the intruder with a "woof". Hi Sis! She just came home from babysitting.

Sis gave me a couple of pats on the head, and then she went to bed. I don't understand why mom wouldn't let Sis play with me. Oh well.

Officially recorded...Woof # 6.

2007-03-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

Riley, the storm protector

Last night, we had storms. You know, the ones that shake the house. This was happening about 2 a.m.

I went to mom's side of the bed, just to see if she was OK. Then I went to dad's side of the bed, and then to mom's, and then back to dad's. Mom was doing OK. I'm not even sure she knew there was a storm going on. Dad, on the other hand wasn't doing OK. Dad just wasn't snuggled into bed like he normally does. I think my dad was scared of the storm. I waited by dad's side of the bed, and dad just didn't go back to sleep. This is very unusual for him.

I had a little chat with dad. "Dad, go back to sleep, you'll be OK" that didn't work. I just couldn't go back to sleep, because dad wasn't sleeping.

Finally, I'm not sure whose idea it was first, Dad and I thought it would be better for dad if I slept on the bed close to him. Once I was on the bed, dad settled right down, and then so did I.

Six months and 12 days into my forever home, and I was sleeping on the bed. I was sleeping on Dad's bed. I guess there isn't a secret about me on the bed anymore. Go me!

Now my problem is, mom doesn't believe that I got to sleep on the bed last night.

2007-03-10T17:04:00.000-06:00

I have a new cousin. I'm really excited. *

*Except for she is a girl. It really would be better to have a boy cousin :)

Anyway, since my cousin is only a couple of weeks old, I thought I would give her some good doggy advice. I've got 8+ years under my collar, so I'll help you figure out the ropes. Just stick by me kid!

By the way, my new cousin belongs to my uncle Kurt, Aunt Sharon and cousin Joe. She is a Basenji.

First - train your people that you'll do ANYTHING for treats. Treats are a good thing.

Second - tell your people to sign you up for obedience classes. (Obedience classes = treats).

Third - cute, sad-looking eyes will give you anything you want. (Your dad will most likely be the sucker in your family.)

Fourth - keep your family on their toes. They won't even mind if you wake them up at 2:34 in the morning to go outside for business, because anything that keeps the house clean is a good thing!

Fifth - keep your family OFF your toes. Face it, that just hurts.

Sixth - about your yodeling. Make sure you yodel at night when Joe is trying to go to sleep. Your mom and dad will be so concerned about getting the boy-child to sleep, that, well let's just say, you'll have free run of the house until the boy-child settles down and goes to sleep.

Seventh - Tell your family you like toys. Lots of toys. Even more toys than that! As the new spoiled one in your home, you should (politely) demand more toys than the boy-child has.

Eighth - Don't be afraid to cry. When I want something really bad I cry. Nobody likes a crying dog.

Ninth - Rules are made to be broken. When I landed at this house I was told "no dogs in the office". That was Sunday - by Tuesday it was one of my favorite hang-out spots. If you don't like the rules you can break them when they are not home. Unfortunately don't leave evidence. I found out the hard way - white hair on dark blue furniture is a dead give away to where I liked to sleep during the day.

Tenth - Remember your just an animal [don't let them on to how smart you are]. If I decide I need space I just let a little fart out [silent but deadly]. I'll tell you - my sister never moves very fast except when I pull that little trick.

Welcome to the family Cooper! They are (as is mine) a little crazy, I think it is because your dad and my dad are brothers.

2007-03-02T21:21:00.000-06:00

Doctor Riley, at your service

Mom still isn't feeling good. I sent her to the people vet. She came home with a sinus infection. I don't know exactly what that is, but I know it is bad. I didn't even let her go to work on Friday. She came home, and took a bunch of pills. Then she went upstairs, and relaxed up on the bed, watching TV. I of course, needed to be up there with her. Just in case she needed to pet me. I didn't want her to work to hard to find me. I don't like when mom isn't feeling good.

2007-03-01T12:49:00.000-06:00

Riley the Guard Dog

Dad went AWOL again to South Dakota. Mom isn't feeling good, neither is Sis. I was enjoying some quiet time up on Mom's bed, just hanging out with the girls. Protecting them. Getting my belly rubbed. Just enjoying the moment, that I didn't hear the intruder. The intruder all of a sudden said "woof"

I flew off the bed so fast, and added a WOOF of my own. Note - this is woof 5.

Guess what - Dad's back home!

(p.s. - please don't tell dad that I go up on the bed when he isn't home.)

2007-02-24T14:23:00.000-06:00

He said...She said...

He Said: By the way, "he" is ME! I am a frustrated dog today. Nothing is going right. My dad is playing in the garage. Almost all day. He's been out there for HOURS. And I know he is playing out there. I can hear him. I even tried to outsmart my mom. When I went outside for a business trip, I snuck in the other direction, around to the garage door. It was closed. I haven't been able to play with my daddy all day.

She Said: By the way, "she" is my mom. I am a frustrated mom today. The day got topsy-turvy by 6:00 a.m. Our daughter was supposed to play in a music festival today, and there was about 10" of snow, so the festival was cancelled. Everyone was up, so we went out to breakfast and then went to Kohl's and the bank. When we got back, I took the dog for a walk, and my husband started to blow the snow. Then he comes out to where I was shovelling. A belt broke. He left for an hour. And, he spent over $100 on belts. Then, he decided he needed a vise for the fix, so he left for another hour. I fixed him lunch, and then he went back to work on the snowblower. He finally just finished getting the belt on and then the blower attachment, and now, at 2:30 is just starting the snow removal. My dog looks so rejected, because, he loves to spend time outside with his dad. Luckily, this little snow blower incident didn't happen tomorrow, because then my husband will be out of town again to South Dakota. We are expecting much more snow over the weekend.

2007-02-14T22:23:00.000-06:00

ANTICIPATION

Do you remember that commercial? I do, from my puppy days. The commercial was about a big juicy hamburger. Then some kid was waiting to pour some ketchup on it? And, there was some screechy person singing: Anticipation.

I love TV when there is meat involved, but I digress.

Now that hopefully know the commercial, let me tell you about my anticipation moment.

I carefully wait at dinner time...just in case something might happen to fall. And I wait...And I wait...And I wait. Many days and nights go by, and I am still waiting.

As life immitates art, or maybe the better way to say that, as life immitates the commercial - I keep anticipating when something will fall at dinner.

I scored BIG tonight at dinner. Sis dropped a tortilla chip with melted cheese on it. I was so fast getting that chip, that I was already smacking my lips and looking for more before they started to tell me not to eat that. (Darn!)

And then just a couple of minutes later, sis and dad bumped hands and a piece of french bread jumped out of dad's hand. Yum yum. I ate that pretty quick too. I was then anticipating mom dropping something too, but it just didn't happen. Oh well, can't blame me for hoping!

2007-02-10T16:54:00.000-06:00

OK. That is enough. Now that dad is back, now something isn't quite right with mom.

She left me home all alone today. Sis and dad were already gone. So mom is the bad person to leave me alone.

Then Sis and dad get back a couple of hours later. Mom wasn't with them. Mom didn't get back until way later, like 2 hours after Sis and dad.

Mom smelled suspicious. Yep, suspicious. I'm not quite sure exactly what she smelled like. She went to one of the places where she comes home with lots of treats. Treats for me. OK - it wasn't a bad kind of smell. Must have been the cats. Or, maybe it was the birds. I mean - I don't mind the dog smells too much on mom, but it is almost like she is seeing other dogs. She should have taken me. I would have certainly suggested she by ALL the good tennis balls, not just 4. And I could have helped her pick out more treats, since I just really like treats. She didn't come home with enough - bad mom.

2007-02-07T19:31:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged.

It has been so crazy, I'm not even sure if my family is feeding me breakfast in the morning, or if they are feeding me breakfast at night, and dinner in the morning.

First off, Dad went AWOL again this week. Something about South Dakota. Good thing he came back today. Him and I need to have a serious chat. I think Sis dropped out of school. She was hanging around the house all day on Monday. And then again, she was home all day on Tuesday. Don't get me wrong here, I love having belly rubs 24/7. I'm just not used to someone being around all the time.

Now, the weather has been just frightful. I always feel like such a dork in my boots. Luckily no other dogs have seen me in them. But man oh man, it probably would have been too cold to conduct any outside business this week without them. And, the worst part of this...mom wouldn't take me for a walk while dad was gone. She is such a wuss. Apparently Mom doesn't do walks when the temperature is -17 degrees, with a windchill of -35.

And, tonight when mom got back from work, the temperature was really warm outside. She took me out while she was shovelling the snow, and then, she let me bring out my tennis ball. We played a little catch in the driveway. Only a little bit though, because then my dad got home. He's been gone since Sunday. I forgot about mom and the tennis ball. I was really happy to see my dad. Thought he forgot about me, but he was really happy to see me, too.

Dad let some new guy into the house. The new guy was Bruce. Bruce smelled good. Really good. Bruce smelled exactly like a golden retriever. Well, Bruce smelled more like 3 golden retreivers. Way to go Bruce! You can come back anytime! If you want, bring a golden friend with you next time :) Better yet, bring all your golden friends.

But anyways, Dad and I get to go on a walk tonight. Him and I have to talk about Sis and school. Why did she skip school for 2 days this week? I mean, I can't say that I blame her or anything. Heck it is was awfully cold out there. Apparently, Dad said it was OK that she missed school. School was cancelled for 2 days because of the cold.

Catch you later...

2007-01-23T20:37:00.000-06:00

Missing

Reward offered for information

Really BIG Reward

My dad has been missing since Monday after our walk. Luckily he fed me breakfast before he went AWOL.

He might have been seen off in South Dakota.

Just remember, the reward is REALLY big.

2007-01-21T11:57:00.000-06:00

Oh the weather outside is PERFECT...

My mom just took me for a walk. The snow is light and fluffy, there is no salt on the streets, and it isn't windy and it isn't too cold (especially important for mom).

And...the snow is belly deep. On me that is. I don't think mom would venture outside at all if it was belly deep on her.

Since the snow was light and fluffy, I could just walk through it, and run through like it was nothing.

Oh baby...let the snow keep coming. This was pure labbie fun.

2007-01-13T19:14:00.000-06:00

Cousins, cousins and more cousins.

I've met some people cousins, a dog cousin, 2 aunts and an uncle. Last Sunday, we finally found Sis. Remember her? She's the one who wasn't home from Friday night until Sunday. 2 whole nights with no belly rubs. She apparently was with her cousins, Sarah, Emily, Samantha and Alex. And Aunt Margaret. Mom and I went to pick up Sis. So I got to meet Sam, Alex and Margaret and my dog cousin Mia. I even got to go to a new dog park. This one was just packed full of dogs. Big dogs, little dogs, muddy dogs, fun dogs.

Today, other cousins (Sarah and Emily) and Dawn and Gary came to my house. I sniffed, sniffed, gave labby kisses and wagged my tail. I think I sniffed another dog, but apparently they left Jasmine at home. Bummer.

2007-01-09T20:28:00.000-06:00

OK. This is not good news.

I've probably mentioned my dog trainer Beth. She has two dog children. One is Ollie. The other is his NOW VERY SICK sister. Lavy has something called Mast Cell Neoplasm, in the second stage. Lavy gets to go visit the vets in Madison.

Take care Lavy - we are all pulling for you!

2007-01-07T10:24:00.000-06:00

OK, that's it. I want a new home. NOW.

Well, first off. My mom and dad are just plain old bad. Sis hasn't been home since Friday night. NO ONE EXCEPT ME SEEMS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. HELLO - this is not normal behavior for my sis. I need my belly rubs. I need some treats. I need my sis! Well, maybe its not too bad, I did get to sleep in mom and dad's room. Well, maybe mom and dad aren't so bad. We'll see if sis shows up anytime soon.

Now, second off. Mom and Dad left yesterday at 1:15. In the afternoon. They didn't get home until 9:00. OK - I am often home alone for that amount of time. But, did they even think for a minute that I am used to dinner around 5??? No - I had to wait patiently until 9:00 for my dinner. 4 hours later than normal. Don't think I didn't notice.

Now, third off. Mom and Dad apparently saw Papa Ron and Grandma Donna yesterday. Did they think to stop by and see me? That would be a NO. They were even pretty close to my house, and didn't think to stop over. I hope they didn't forget about me.

2006-12-31T21:43:00.000-06:00

Just a couple of end-of-the-year things. Don't want to leave anyone hanging going in to the new year.

First off - do you remember this post?

And then, mom and sis had to go somewhere. Dad took me on a really long walk. I met a Sheryl. She was sort of sad, so I cheered her up. She used to have 2 st. bernards, a newfie and a lab/mutt. OK, so not all at once. They only had the St. Bernard, the Newfie and the lab/mutt at one time. They had a first St. Bernard before the 2nd St. Bernard. Sheryl really liked me. I really liked her. But now, all their dogs are at the Rainbow Bridge. I gave her some labby leans, and some labby kisses. I tried to convince her she should get another dog. Just like me. Ok, so the new dog doesn't have to be just like me, it just has to be someone fun for me to play with. I like big doggies!

Well, I am prouder than proud to introduce my new friend Jeeves. His person is Sheryl, and um, what's his name. I usually see Sheryl, not, um, what's his name. In case you are wondering, um, what's his name is the dad. They got a new dog. He is kind of a 'mutt-ure" guy like me, except he isn't a mutt. He is just 100% lovable St. Bernard, and he is about 5 years old.

They found him on the computer at some place called the Detroit Humane Society. That is very far away from here. Apparently Sheryl and um, what's his name decided just from the picture and his description that he would be far better off on this side of the lake. So, they went and got him and made him a brand new home here. His name is Jeeves. He found a great home. Just like me.

Funny thing though about Jeeves and Me. We like to meet and greet each other on walks. And, I don't even get jealous when Jeeves gives my walker (i.e. dad, mom or sis) a "labby lean." Except, he puts a little more weight into his labby leans. Just so Sheryl doesn't feel left out, when Jeeves gives my people a labby lean, I always give Sheryl a labby lean. Fair is fair. And, Jeeves is fun to walk with too.

Hey Jeeves: WELCOME HOME!!!

OK, the other big thing that happened is, my daily accomodations. You know, the ones when sis is at school and mom and dad are at work. I used to go into a crate. Then I got to not go into the crate and have part of the house. I could only go into the kitchen, the front hall, the steps, and the upstairs hallway. Well, that was OK for a while, like a month. Then, I kept seeing these navy blue couches. They just looked way to comfy. Because I am really smart, I figured out a way to get to those really comfy, navy couches. It was hard to cover my tracks, because, well lets just face it - I shed. Almost white dog hair shows up REALLY good on navy couches. Mom was not happy.

So, we came up with a nice compromise. In a room called the living room, which used to be the toy room when sis was little, and now it is a craft room, there is this really big pink couch. The couch was born in 1984. How old is that couch in dog years? Well, the reality is, the answer doesn't matter. That's because I get to use that couch any time I want to. Yep. Any time I want it. They usually have a dumb sheet on it, to keep the hair off the couch. But I don't care. It is just plain old soft.

(Don't tell Dad though - I'm not sure he knows I go up there during the day.) You may remember that he was never going to let me go in any of the bedrooms, in the office, I was supposed to be in a crate all day. He's really a big softy.

The other fun thing, I got to see my trainer Beth just before Christmas. I hope Ollie wasn't mad at me. My mom gave Beth some cookies, but I didn't have anything to give Ollie. I'm sure Ollie would have loved some treats too, but we only gave Beth some people stuff. Sorry Ollie. I'll try to sneak you some the next time I see you!

And with that, I think I don't have any more loose ends. so...

1...

Happy New Year!

2006-12-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

Dad needs to get back to work.

Full time. Permanently. Well at least Monday thru Friday. Sis is OK home on Christmas break. Dad - well, he is driving me nuts.

Mom went to work today. Dad went in for just a couple of hours. Then he came home. He wanted me to play a joke on mom when she got home tonight. Let me lay this on the line: MOM DOESN'T LIKE TO PLAY JOKES RIGHT WHEN SHE GETS HOME. I've got a pretty good sense about this. She does, however, like to see a handsome, "mutt-ure" guy like me, with a wagging tail.

So. right when mom walked into the house, I went to say "hi", and wag my tail. I am just cuter than the dickens when I am wagging my tail. Dad tries to bribe me over to come over by him with liver sausage. At first, I went by mom. Then I went over by dad, and as soon as my mom said "Riley, come" I did.

Oh, yeah, I know that I was getting big "mom points". Heck, I knew dad was going to give me the liver sausage anyway.

2006-12-25T11:12:00.000-06:00

Twas the morning of Christmas

at 0500; HARK

not a creature was stirring

except the dog that went BARK

**Bark Number 4, registered at 5:06a.m. on Christmas morning. Just an interesting dream perhaps? Maybe he heard the jolly Santa Claus? Maybe he wanted to go play with the reindeer? Who knows!!!

2006-12-24T22:08:00.000-06:00

"Twas the night before Christmas,

And all through the hut,

Not a creature was stirring,

Not even the mutt!

I would like to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Riley

2006-12-17T22:12:00.000-06:00

This is how a dog can get kicked out of a pet store. Permanently.

So, mom and dad took me to my favorite pet store yesterday. Just to get a bath. They thought I started smelling like a dog. I didn't notice anything smelling bad. They took me anyway.

Mom and dad were just going to give me a bath at the pet store, but there were several problems. The first problem was the newfoundland that got there before us. He clogged up the sink before he was even all the way wet. Then they had to call the maintenance guy to undo the plumbing to get the hair out. I was kind of hoping that we'd just go home instead, or maybe to the dog park.

Unfortunately, there was an opening for a shampoo, blow dry, and a nail clipping. I came out of that with a oatmeal kind of bath. I got stuck getting a bath anyway.

But anyway back to the original story. If you, as a dog, will bite the shampoo girl, they will not be happy with you at the grooming salon. And, if you really don't want to come back to the store, then bite the cashier too. You'll be banned from the store permanently.

Yep, that is what a cocker spaniel did yesterday. This dog won't be coming back, not ever.

I would never bite the shampoo girl. She was nice. She got me all wet. Did you know that us labbies like water? Then she gave me a really nice massage. Then somehow, I was pretty dry before my mom and dad took me home.

2006-12-12T19:21:00.000-06:00

Riley the Velcro Dog.

My mom and sis went out of town last Friday. They didn't come home for 24 hours. I was a little bummed. Apparently, they had "stamping" stuff to do. I was really happy to see them come home. I stuck to my mom like Velcro.

I was stuck to my mom so tight, that somehow, Dad snuck out of town for 3 days, and no one asked me if it was OK. He is in some place called South Dakota.

2006-12-02T15:29:00.000-06:00

I went to the vet today.

It was mostly fun, except when they took my temperature. If anyone from a medical supply company wants to invent something - I have an idea. Just invent a doggy tympanic thermometer. They are the ear thermometers. My sis gets to have her temperature taken with one.

But anyways, back to the vet. My mom and dad thought I was drooling excessively for the last couple of days. Today, I was hardly drooling at all. But they took me anyway. No biggy (except for the thermometer thing).

I did get a little bad news though. When I did my first vet visit with Dr. Beachum, he said I needed to gain about enough wait to get up to 65 pounds. Now, I am 65.8 pounds. Darn it all, I am at my perfect weight. Hopefully, they won't stop giving me treats, and all the food that I am used to getting.

Oh and if you are concerned about my health, don't be. Apparently whatever is bothering my is working its way out of my system, that's why I was drooling less today than yesterday or the day before.

I met a new dog today at the vet. She was a 1 yr old chocolate lab. She was, well, um, she probably needed a little more exercise than she is currently getting. Her name was Mocha. Mocha's mom was talking to the vet tech about possibly adopting one of the vet tech's puppies. That way Mocha would have a brother or sister. I wouldn't advise it though. Note to Mocha's mom: In case you missed it, a 100 pound dog jumped on your back while you were paying the bill. YOU SHOULDN'T GET ANOTHER DOG UNTIL YOU'VE GOT CONTROL OF THE FIRST ONE.

2006-12-02T09:41:00.000-06:00

My dad is the coolest...

We live in Wisconsin, and to celebrate December, we decided to have just a little snowfall on December 1st. So, out by us, dad estimated it was about 14".

I had fun helping dad shovel the snow. I helped lots.

And then, dad shoveled a path out to the back of the yard. Ok, it was only out to the middle of the yard. Hey - I take care of business back there!

Well he didn't exactly shovel it, he used something called a deere. I thought a deere was a 4-legged animal. You know - the things mom doesn't like to see when she is driving. But, color me confused, and I'll just appreciate the favor that dad did for me.

2006-11-30T20:00:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention...

Sometime ago, dad and I were outside playing around. We were really having a good time. It was a little dark outside. No worries. We were really having fun. UNTIL...dad stepped on my paw.

WOOF

yep, it was "woof number 3"

2006-11-23T17:11:00.000-06:00

Mom got freaked out today...

Of course, anyone who knows her will probably realize it doesn't take much most days to make this happen.

We were just taking our walk, just Mom and Me. Enjoying ourselves I must add, because it was beautiful outside today. When out of nowhere, some stupid black dog comes over to say "hi." This black dog kind of reminded me of my friend Lavvy but was bigger. At least Lavvy is nice to me. And, this dog was not on a leash, AND THIS DOG DIDN'T HAVE A PERSON WITH HIM. And, this dog wasn't a girl like Lavvy is.

Mom tried to get me to run with her in the other direction. 'Cept the other dog just kind of followed us. I was really surprised at what mom did. She dropped the leash, and then the black dog and I sort of growled at each other for a minute. Then we started sniffing each other. And then I decided the other dog was just plain boring, so we stopped sniffing and then I went back to mom.

We then finished our walk. I couldn't exactly understand mom on the way home. It was a lot of words I've never heard before.

2006-11-15T17:14:00.000-06:00

Ugh! HELP ME!!! What do these people think I am? A Barbie? Well I am not. First, they dress me up as a pirate on halloween. Then today, as I was comfortably sitting on the couch today after I broke into the living room (my bad), the door bell rings. Guess who it is! Exactly, the mail man. Apparently he was dropping off some stuff for me. Inside there was a dumb Santa bandana. I knew someone was going to have to wear but I was hoping it wasn't going to be me. So, I went up to mommy and said this is for Stacy right. She tells me it is for you to wear for family pictures. Apperently, mommy, daddy, and sis are dressing up which means I have too!!!!! WHAT WAS SHE THINKING!?!?!?! On the bright side of things, she ordered me a stocking. Hopefully that means there will be treats from Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.

I got to go cope with the fact I am a barbie!

PS: Mr. Jolly, if your reading this, there better be lots of treats. AND I MEAN IT!!!!!

2006-11-12T10:43:00.000-06:00

Oh yeah, I'm learning lots with my family!

My mom took me back to the dog park today. Remember, we went there with Miss Beth last week??? Miss Beth told my mom never to say something like: "Riley COME!" I don't know why, it probably is some little quirky thing about dog training. I really like this little quirk, because then I can go where I want, sniff who I want, go as far ahead of mommy as I want. Mommy caught on real good though. When she wants me to come, she just yells Riley, and then shakes my treat bag. I come running real fast. Did I ever mention I like treats???

And I learned something else really cool at the dog park. Some chemical equations so to speak:

Snow and dirt = just snow and dirt

Snow and dirt and a little sun = a nice mud puddle

Snow and dirt and a little sun and a lot of dogs = a lot of muddy dogs.

A lot of muddy dogs = a lot of unhappy doggy moms and dads.

I just wagged my tail at my mom. I'm just too cute when my tail is wagging. Doesn't matter how muddy I am then.

2006-11-10T18:16:00.000-06:00

Ahhhh, the snow beautiful white and untouched. Well, until I went out there. You see, there is a good and a bad thing about going out into the cold snow. The good thing is that I'm a lab and love water in any form. The bad thing is that it is cold and the wuss aka Mom would not go out with me. Therefore, it had to be me and the teasers aka dad and sis. I wasn't too happy with the white, watery tennis balls they were throwing at me. As soon as I would catch them, they would break in my mouth. The teasers didn't seem to care that I was eating them!?! A good thing was that they gave me these humungous treats, which were also white and watery. I even did tricks for them. Are dogs supposed to have that many treats in a day? Well, why question the good things in life?

And, I should probably mention, today was a 3-walk kind of a day. Those are the best!! Dad took me for my early walk. Then since we had company, Grandma and Grandpa took me for one too before they left. And then Dad took me for one in the snow. Grandma brought me something special in a white bag. Yum! Thanks Grandma!

2006-11-05T19:09:00.000-06:00

Let them eat steak!!!

And all I got was a couple of green beans. What's up with that? Dogs are meat eating creatures. Dogs never never meet a meat they don't like, and my mom and dad had steak tonight. It sure smelled like a meat. It sure smelled like a meat I wanted to meet. Yeah right. And all I got was a couple of green beans.

Ok, that was the suckiest part of the weekend. Did I ever mention that the weekends are "S" days? You probably know them best as Saturday and Sunday, I know them best as "Special" days.

Yesterday was VERY special. I had dog training class at a new place. It was at a dog park. Miss Beth was there, 'cept she didn't bring Ollie or Lavvy. I got over it, because there were all sorts of dogs to play with. There was even a lab/shepard mix, but he didn't look like me at all. There were goldens, vizsla dogs. german shepards, some smaller than me, some bigger than me. There looked like a "doodle" dog, but I don't know if it was a golden doodle or a labradoodle. That dog actually went in the water, so pretty soon he was a muddy-doodle. There were even some huskies their. I really want to go back there. Really bad. It was so much fun. Oh, can we go back there PLEASE??? Pretty Please???? Pretty Please with a filled Kong on it????

Oh, and today wasn't a bad day either. Mom took me for a walk after they picked up Sis from a sleepover. Maybe I should say sleepless-over. She was pretty much toast when she got home. Luckily, Sis just crawled into bed and slept when she got home. It was a beautiful day today, so mom and dad were doing work outside. Yep, I spent most of the day outside. I had fun today. And then, some of the neighbors came over. They were Josh and Tim. Josh was the boy. I don't know how old he was. The dad was Tim. Tim had treats. Did I ever mention I LOVE TREATS????? They stayed over for a long time. Josh kept throwing me my sausage/tennis ball. He throws really well. He throws a lot better than my mom. Nothing personal mom, but you do throw like a girl.

Josh - just so you know, special people have an open invite to come over and see me. Your name's been added to the list.

And then, mom and sis had to go somewhere. Dad took me on a really long walk. I met a Sheryl. She was sort of sad, so I cheered her up. She used to have 2 st. bernards, a newfie and a lab/mutt. OK, so not all at once. They only had the St. Bernard, the Newfie and the lab/mutt at one time. They had a first St. Bernard before the 2nd St. Bernard. Sheryl really liked me. I really liked her. But now, all their dogs are at the Rainbow Bridge. I gave her some labby leans, and some labby kisses. I tried to convince her she should get another dog. Just like me. Ok, so the new dog doesn't have to be just like me, it just has to be someone fun for me to play with. I like big doggies!

Well, after that, the day just went down hill, and pretty fast too. THEY had steak for dinner. You could share next time. Really - I won't eat all of it.

But - I gotta go. Sis is working on a report. Dad wants a computer too. I really have to go.

Till later...
Riley

2006-11-04T18:44:00.000-06:00

Let me describe myself in a few carefully chosen words. I am spoiled rotten!! . . . And I love it!I usually start my day at 4:45am by waking up my Dad and demanding that he get his butt out of the nice warm bed and get me outside to do my stuff. It’s amazing how they jump when there is any chance of an inside mess. Anyways he takes me outside and I make sure I take in all the sniffing time I need. Dad can wait! Then we go for a quick walk around the block. They make me wear this obnoxious red/white/blue pet blinker. You would think I am on the set of Cops. My owners are such geeks. Next it’s going to be a Pet I-Pod. Is there such a thing? Anyways after my walk I get to eat. Something weird happened on that front this week. I usually get dry food with a couple of spoons of canned dog food. Are you sitting down? They cut out the canned dog food. I gave them the doggie evil eye – it didn’t help. They say I am getting too fat. However, we were at dog class with Beth and they asked her if that was OK that they cut back my food. I sucked in my gut; Beth looked at me and said I could have canned a couple of times a week. I think have Beth wrapped around my paws – she was giving me lots of treats that night and all I had to do was look cute to get them. I have that effect on lots of humans! Anyways back to my normal day. After I eat my breakfast I go upstairs and Mom lets me sleep on the bed. Yes on the bed! That nice soft thing that Dad said I would never be allowed on. You saw the pictures from when he was out of town; now I just do it. He gives me a hard time about being on the bed; I just give a Labbie yawn and ignore him. Mom will back me up!The rest of my day is pretty unexciting. The best thing is that I get a Kong with all kinds of treats inside. It keeps me busy all day.In the evening I get to go outside, eat and go for a walk. Then I go to bed and I get to sleep on my Sister’s bed. That was another thing my Dad would never happen. Let me say it again; I am spoiled rotten!

2006-10-22T18:19:00.000-05:00

One halloween night, poor Riley was dressed up in a pirate costume. He decided to go trick or treating while he was all fancied up. Then he went and rang the doorbell at Ollie's house. The evil witch Beth answered the door. She convinced his owners to get a sister sometime soon. Riley had a few more peaceful months without a sister. After that for the rest of his life he was tortured by his sister. The End!

Okay, so not really but I can have nightmears right? I have no idea how Ollie can live with her even though she just got a sister for him. Anyways, Beth is mean to me too! She convinced my owners how cute I looked in this dumb pirate costume and mommy actually bought it. Then she thinks that I should get a sister. I have read Ollies blog and he says having a sister SUCKS!! It probably will suck if they get me one. What happen to boys rule girls drool?

2006-10-21T20:39:00.000-05:00

I met my Grandma. Most people I know call her Grandma Donna. She belongs with Papa Ron. I met him a couple of weeks ago. His is a Very Important Papa (VIP). I don't know what she is yet, but I do know that

Grandma Donna brought me treats. Oh yeah!!!

And I was on my best behavior when Grandma Donna and Papa Ron were here. I tried really hard to be good. I was so good, I was hoping for treats. (The dog biscuits from the Door County Bakery were really good.) It might have appeared that I was begging. I wasn't. I always thought that grandma's and grandpa's are supposed to spoil the granddogs rotten, so I was thinking they should give me treats just for being cute. It just didn't work.

And, I got to go on a walk with mom and grandma and grandpa. And, grandpa did my chuck-it a few times, so I just HAD to go fetch my tennis ball. I love to fetch my tennis balls.

Come again soon, OK? Just come by anytime!! I'll show you where the leash is.

2006-10-14T21:16:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah! Another "s" day.

Did I ever mention they start off a little weird? Dad finally got up and let me out about 7. Dad took me on a walk about 8. Sis got up about 8. Mom was complaining about the coffee.

The fun thing that I got to do was help with the vacuuming. I like the vacuum cleaner. It's fun when they bring out that toy.

Mom, dad and sis left me home and went somewhere. They were gone for several hours. I wasn't liking this. It is an "S" day. They are normally special days for me.

When they got home, something was smelly. It was a lot of smelly smells around. I couldn't quite get my nose on until I realized they brought me all sorts of dog food samples from a place called The Feed Bag. I didn't say it was a bad sort of smelly. They had more types of samples for me than I have paws. Oh yeah! Hey - do they allow dogs in this store? I think I should really go check it out. I would love to post a link, but I just can't find a website.

In addition to the food samples, sis bought me peanut butter bubbles. I didn't like them much. Just give me a plain old fashioned treat any day. Mom bought me some different food, and dad bought himself a super duper pooper scooper. Guess mom wants the front end, dad gets the back end.

And, the last thing they bought me was a dog collar light. Tonight, I felt like I was in a patriotic disco as we walked around the block. It flashed red, white and blue. Well, actually, I'm colorblind, but that's the colors Sis said they were.

You know, I think I forgot to mention one thing that happened to me. It was pretty exciting, so I'm not sure how I forgot about this. When mom and sis leave in the morning, I don't go in my crate anymore. I can go in between the kitchen and the front hall and the stairs and the upstairs hallway. Oh yeah. It isn't the whole house,but it is a lot better than the crate.

2006-10-12T20:48:00.000-05:00

Dad was out of town for a couple of days this week.

I tried my hardest to not be sad that he was gone. I wagged my tail good, ate good and was overall a swell dog. Mom must have thought I was a little sad.

SSHHH: Just don't tell dad about this:
When dad came home, I ran circles around him and gave him a 62 pound labby lean.

2006-10-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

Today was another "S" day.

It started off weird like all S days do. Mom fed me, took me out quickly, and then she went back to bed.

Sis just wanted to snooze.

Luckily dad took me for a walk, finally about 8 in the morning.

Today, I got to go to a place called church. They were having a SPECIAL thing just today, called Blessings and Biscuits. I wasn't too sure about the blessing part, but biscuits sound like treats. There were a bunch of dogs there, and cats, and rabbits, fish, birds and a hermit crab. I did something really funny during the church service. I was standing by my dad, and I was wagging my tail. My tail was just wagging, and wagging and wagging. With each wag, my tail hit a small girl in the back of the head. It didn't hit her hard. I didn't understand why she was giggling. I wasn't tickling her or anything.

There were two older grandma-types there, or maybe they were closer to great-grandma types. They didn't seem to be there with there own pets, so I let them pet me. I thought they were really nice. I like to be petted :) And, I let a couple of really little girls pet me too:) Did I mention I like to be petted?

There were lots of every size dog. I saw Lucy, she is a toy poodle. I saw all types of dogs. Black labs, yellow lab puppies, mountain dogs, big dogs and little dogs. There were lots of golden retrievers too. Dr. Suess could have written a book about the doggies here.

Miss Ellie gave me my blessing. I didn't even get to say "hi" to Pastor Meredith. She was busy blessing a lot of the other pets that were here. Those above pictures are me getting blessed by Miss Ellie, and some of my pup friends that I met at church. They just weren't in the mood for a nice photo shoot, so I just don't have great photos. But yes, they did let us into church.

And, at the end, there were treats for the dogs. Did I ever mention I like treats?

2006-10-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

And, a few more pics, just me coming home from the "Blessings and Biscuits"

2006-10-03T20:44:00.000-05:00

It was a dark and stormy night...

followed by a dark and stormy night...

followed by a dark and stormy morning!!!

Ok, I can handle the rain~ us labbies like the water. I can handle the lightning. I can handle being in the car through the car wash. But, once the thunder shakes the house, I just get a little nervous. I'm not liking this.

Nope, I'm not liking this at all. I even tried to go up on my sister's bed. I curled up by one of her pillows. I tried to look sad pathetic. It's really tough to look sad pathetic when you're as cute as me. I got kicked off the bed.

Then I tried the same thing on dad's bed. Yep, I went right up by mom's pillow. He didn't buy my sad pathetic look either. I was asked to leave the bed. I got stuck sleeping on the floor.

I was supposed to be sleeping in my sister's room these nights. My mom wouldn't let me, though. She wants to make sure that sis gets enough sleep on school nights.

But, storms aside, there was really great news tonight. My mom bought me the 35 pound bag of food today. Guess I'm staying!!!

2006-10-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

So, can the tail wag the dog???

I know you are really curious about this. So, I thought I would throw in my opinions.
The people in my house say I get really, really excited about going on a walk. When I see them get my leash, it's all good in my opinion. It means we are either going for a walk, or a ride, or just outside. There isn't a down side with seeing the leash in someone's hands around here.

But anyway, they make me "sit" before they will put the leash on. They say that since my tail gets so excited, that YES, the tail can wag the dog.

2006-10-01T21:45:00.000-05:00

Yep, it was another Special weekend at my house.

By the way, I just want you to know: I’m home. I’m not sure exactly when I knew this, but I’m home. I have a great mom, a silly dad, and a sis that doesn’t want to pick up poo.

Ok, so my sis is trying to teach me some new tricks. She even let me sleep in her room last night, and I started to sleep on her bed. Then, she started moving to much, so I slept on my dog bed instead.

But I do have some concerns about sis. She tried to put some stupid costume on me. And then later in the night, she tries to brush my hair. HELLO, I’m a BOY dog. WE DON’T DRESS UP. WE DON”T CARE ABOUT HAIR STYLES.

(Ollie, I think you’re right. Girls, are just dumb sometimes. Especially sisters.)

I got to try the microwave “Woof Popcorn” that I got dad for his birthday. It is just fab. And, I’ll even let them throw it too me, and I’ll just catch it. I’m just that talented.

On Saturday, my mom was gardening. She let me outside in the front without a leash, or a chain. I was a good doggie. I stayed really close to mom. I made her real proud. I even found a tennis ball to play with, all by myself. I still don’t understand why she went EWWW. Apparently, since she didn’t like that I picked it up from the bushes, and she didn’t know where it came from. She did go get my sausage shaped tennis ball for me. So, everything is just good.

There is really exciting news this weekend. My mom, dad and sis left the house and I didn’t have to go in the crate. I was really good. I just slept while they were gone.

2006-09-29T20:50:00.000-05:00

Riley Speaks

Last Sunday, after we got home from Gilda's house, my mom wanted to do some gardening. So, she tied me on the outside chain. Apparently she didn't want me to help. My mom went into the garage to get her stuff. She left me outside ALL ALONE for 15 seconds. Woof!

Then she didn't come back fast enough, so after about 15 more seconds...Woof!

That got her attention. Then she finally came back outside. She gardened for a while, and then her and I played with my new tennis ball sausage thing.