I'm a great babysitter!

Last weekend we took care of three other doggies and one cat! I wasn't sure how I would like the cat, but it was a fun time! Here are some photos of my new friends:

This is Sam (Mom calls her Sammy Sue)

Here is Mandy (Mom calls her Mandy May)

Then there is Ginger (Ginger Snap is Mom's name for her)

And then there's Jo (JoJo per Mom) and me. I look scared don't I?

Here we are all together (without Jo who was enjoying his dinner in the laundry room)

And lastly, here I am in the tub at their house. It is Mom's favorite color!

Mom and I are on vacation for the next two weeks so I am sure I will have lots to write about!

I'm a big boy now!

Everyone says how big I am! Some people even refer to me as "Big Barkley". I don't feel very big. I still sit on Mom's lap with no problems. I do hear her shriek when I step on her foot - don't know what that's about. Even when we are sitting on the deck I crawl up on her. She was once on a tri-fold chair laying on her stomach and I crawled right up and got on her back. She giggled and giggled until the chair broke. Thankfully we weren't hurt. And we both fit in the bed - although she does ask me to move a lot. She doesn't seem to understand that I sleep best when I sprawl out on my back with my feet spread eagle. Oh well - I just jump down to my big boy beds on the floor.

And for the record, if you have never been to a dog park, I suggest you try it. There are dogs of ALL sizes - the biggest one I remember was J.D. He was a 232 pound great dane that slobbered all over Mom. She loved him! She said he was like a horse! He was too fat to run very fast though. I was dwarfed next to him!

Happy Camper

I spent the weekend at Camp Bow Wow! I was told Mom could see me remotely on "Camper Cams", so I behaved. I passed my orientation with flying colors!

On a less happy note, we had another nasty tick situation. I heard at the dog park that this year is a particularly bad tick season. Mom was petting my head and immediately called me into the bathroom. I know what that means. The tweezer came out and she picked and said "Eww" about a hundred times. For the most part I just stayed still, but this time it hurt! She told me later that there was an egg sack on an embedded tick that broke and tiny ticks crawled all over her and a few on me. She eventually got everything - and I think part of my skull with it:( I don't know if this is related, but I got a long shower last night with weird smelling shampoo. I feel much better now though and Mom says I am extra fuzzy - she can't stop snuggling with me! I secretly like it.

Where have I been?

I have been a busy guy...I haven't written since there was snow! And if you live in Minnesota, you know that wasn't too long ago! Well, I have busy taking walks, staying at the pet lodge when Mom visits Grandpaw and going to the dog park. At my last vet visit I weighed in at 108 pounds - I guess that makes me a big guy. No wonder people on their balconies yell that as we walk by on our evening strolls. I have heard "That is one big dog!" or "What a handsome huge boy!" - or my personal favorite "Now he is quite a specimen!". Mom tells me every day how cute I am, but I never get a big head. She sure doesn't seem to think I am so cute when I come home from the park covered in mud/sludge though:

Here is one of my more handsome moments:

Until next time...I promise it won't be so long this time!

Why do I have whiskers?

This is what I look like when I ponder...Mom thinks I look inquisitive since I raise my eyebrows. In this picture I am trying to figure out why I have whiskers. Whenever I play with people (especially Auntie Wendy), I shove toys in their face. I want them to grab on so I can pull! When they pull the toy, they often grab a whisker or two by mistake. I never say anything, but it doesn't feel very good.

And since it is STILL so cold outside I get icicles on my whiskers when we go to the dog park! I get a nice rub down when we get home with a fleece scarf to get me warm again. Since I can't figure out what purpose whiskers serve I will just go with icicle holders...but what are they for in the summer?

Houseguest

Little Lottie (Lottie Lu as Mom calls her) arrived at our house yesterday. She will be staying with us this week. Lottie is 13 weeks old, housebroken and very fun to play with! She can even handle it when I play rough! She wants to snuggle though, and I only like to snuggle with humans. Is that weird?

Here she is laying in one of my beds. I don't mind sharing - especially when it comes to HER toys. Lottie is such a sweetheart and I can't imagine how rough it was for her in her short life...she and her two sisters were found in a foreclosed trailer. Can you believe someone would just leave little puppies behind? She is in foster care now and up for adoption so if you know of anyone who wants a sweet little girl that has a lot of love to give she can be found at Ruff Start Rescue: http://www.ruffstartrescue.com/animals/detail?AnimalID=2984029 Her sisters Lucy and Lizzie are there too!
Here's one more pic of us snoozing after a long day of play!

My Liebchen

We watched a documentary on the movie Born Free last night on PBS. You can watch it online if you want to:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/elsas-legacy-the-born-free-story/introduction/6139/
Mom and I watched it with fascination. I even saw her get teary-eyed a few times (nothing new there). She kept telling me that I looked like Elsa, the lioness. I will admit that there is a resemblance...especially when I POUNCE! I also noticed that Elsa's mom called her "Liebchen". Mom calls me that too! I guess it is a German term of endearment. You can be the judge if we look alike or not: