Becoming a dog

I have been a good boy and Ma says I am becoming a dog. Hrrrrumph! What's that supposed to mean? Have I ever been anything other than a dog? Well, apparently, she means I am growing up, but because of this, she is very concerned about my social life. She doesn't want me mingling with a lot of strange dogs all at once since this can lead to some bad juju - as in dogfights, which we've seen a lot recently. But, I have kept my nosey nose out of trouble, thanks to Ma, who has a sixth sense for bad juju. She manages to get me away before things erupt. And, she is not taking me to the doggie party on Sunday at Lois's which is a bit upsetting. She thinks subjecting me to a dozen small dogs near food in a small, enclosed yard is a bad idea. Hrrrrumph! Well, that doesn't sound much like fun, so fine. But no worries. I get to hang out with known pack members, in other words, my best buddies.

Unlike me, these guys may have evolved from cows.

Tikka has learned her play bow pretty well.

Why spend money on toys when we can find the best ones on the beach.

Kelp - part toy, part nutritional supplement. Ma says it has lots of iodine and is good for my hair.

Lucca and I know a good treat when we smell one. Can you believe we don't beg at home?

I taught him this!

And here's another one of my buddies, Rider.

Handsome, isn't he?

Well, that's it for now. Til my next misadventure, au revoir, and don't forget to root for Andy Schleck. Allez, allez, allez.

Different strokes

I have been a good boy and spent the weekend at Northstar/Tahoe with Ma and her friends.

I went to the Ritz Carlton in Northstar. Me at the Ritz --can you believe it? I thought those places were for Paris Hilton types and their chihuahuas. Me?? I ain't no chihuahua! But then, Ma took me inside and all the waitresses stopped to say hi. You know I'm a hit with the ladies.

Ma's friends hanging out.

I had to sit quietly and listen to a one man band.

I noticed he didn't get many tips and I feel kinda bad since I think I stole the show even though I don't play no instruments.

But then, Ma et al., decided to get on the gondola. That was SCAAAAAAREEEEE!! Ma jumped on before I could object, but boy, was I stressed.
I somehow survived and didn't barf or nothing, although, I felt like it. But things got worse - I had to go down stairs that were see-through, you know the kind made of metal grating that they use at ski resorts so the snow can melt and fall through. We doggies don't like to walk over grates or stairs with open risers - this had both.

Well, I survived that too and we got back to the house where I was a big hit since I don't beg for food, steal food or get on the furniture. To be honest, they all thought Ma's doggie would be something you can pick up and boss around, not a 70+ pound terrier like me. Well, as you know, I have to be convinced to do anything since I'm stronger than Ma (she doesn't really know this).

The next morning, Ma got up at the crack of dawn before anyone else and took me on a nice walk in the forest. I wonder if she knows about those coyotes and bears that live here. Well, I know Ma heard the coyotes last night but bears don't yip.

After the walk, I was going to settle in for a nap but we drove to Lake Tahoe and...I had to get on a BOAT!

I did get kinda used to it and I was allowed up on the furniture in the boat.

I didn't throw up or nothing which was a relief to Ma. She still remembers when Stan barfed and pooped in the wayback of the car on his early car trips. But I have to say, the weekend was getting kinda stressful.
Ma bought this dorky PFD for me to wear. The lake is hundreds of feet deep and she was worried I might fall, or jump, overboard and drown. She did mention that none of her OTHER doggies had to wear anything so lame like this...Hrrrrumph! And, does she remember when her uncle put her on a leash on a yacht when she was about my age???? She hated it! But, I guess that means I better learn to swim. Well, that opportunity came sooner than I thought.

Things were going swimmingly well until Ma decided it was time for me to learn to swim.

Now that you've had your ha has, in my defense, I would like to point out that doggies are fast learners when it comes to swimming - all doggies instinctively know how to swim and doggies learn to swim WELL in a matter of an afternoon, not like you humans. So, laugh on! Of course, Ma wants me to LIKE swimming - like Stan and Hoover, which is a different story than just knowing how to swim, so she is planning another excursion for me.

The final test was to jump from the boat onto a really narrow dock. I didn't like that either and required some assistance but at least I was used to walking on narrow ledges having done that at the Sutro ruins so I did OK. It felt good to be on solid ground, finally, but then, another challenge. It must have been 90+ degrees out and the pavement was hotter than a pizza stone. Ma and I had to run from shade to shade so that I don't get blisters on my paws. Lucky for me, the dock hands took a liking to me so they got me icewater to drink and let me hang out in their tiny shed hangout which was thankfully cool.

I'm home now and this morning we went back to familiar ground, or sand, at Ocean Beach. Whew. I missed the cool breeze and sure footing. Home sweet home. So, til the next misadventure, au revoir from le bon chien. (We've been watching a lot of Tour de France, thus the French.)

Romancing the bone

Ma gave me a chicken bone.

You know me, I don't gobble up my treats immediately. I took it to Pa's den. He's off to Colorado and I thought this might entice him to come back.

Well, that didn't work so I took it to Pop's room. Pops was delighted but said he can't chew bones.

So, I took it back to the living room to see if Ma wanted it back.

Well, after I made the rounds, I decided it was mine after all so I ate it. A little bit at a time, of course, since I like to savor my food.

I have been a good dog but Ma thinks I'm approaching my terrible twos. That's when all dogs enter a rebellious stage where they forget all their lessons and manners. She says most pound dogs are about my age and a little older because that's when we stop being cute and become a nuisance. Hrrrumph! What's she trying to do? Scare me? Well, we'll see.

Enjoy my video while I ponder the possibility of a future at a pound. Ha! No way. I have her wrapped around my paw. She'll never send me away. Will she? Naaahhh. Still, it is a troubling thought. Til my next misadventure, mata ne!

New friends and din din that got away

I have been a good dog, and as you know, I am always good even when I'm not. Hee hee. Anyway, I think I'm very good and that's what's important isn't it? Good self-esteem? And, I have a new friend now, she's the rose gardener at Sutro Hts. I suspect she has many many friends since she carries doggie treats in a secret pouch. Well, I have a good nose so it wasn't really a secret!

She thinks I'm odd since I don't gobble up the treats immediately. You know I like to savor my food - roll it around in my mouth, spit it out, sniff it, then eat it.

I also got to meet Lucca's little sister. Isn't she a good looking gal? Just like Lucca. I have to be careful not to try to knock her down because I noticed Lucca gets a bit upset when I play bumper cars with his family. Oh, well. I'll just bump Ma.

I lost my nice new collar wrestling with Lucca. My buddy, Mark the beachcomber who brings the squeaky toys, is looking for it for us!

Ma and I went to get some eggs down in Pescadero where I made more friends.

Little humie friend.

Little humie with friend or fowl?

When they start flapping around vigorously, it's hard to resist the temptation to eat them. That's what Ma calls fowl prey or is it foul play? I have trouble pronouncing the "L" sound. This is all very confusing - after all, I sometimes get chicken for din din - I could just help myself and save Ma the trouble of shopping and cooking them. And, better me than the wildcats that ate ten of them.

We stopped by Ft Funston on the way back from running errands the other day. Note my pearly whites. Ma noticed the beginnings of plaque and so now I get my teeth brushed. Yuk!
Can you spot the horse? Well, I smelled him before I saw him so I ran down and barked furiously. Ma didn't like that and neither did the rider. She was also surprised she didn't spot them first. Well, among her many handicaps, she has a very bad nose!

I heard Ma's COOOOME in the far distance. You know she's slow so she can't keep up with me. But, horses are rather large and I don't know if I'm friend or prey, so I decided to come back and stick close to Ma.

Well, those are my stories for now. Til the next misadventure, ya ta hey!