A new meaning of "Eat and Drink"

Here I am swimming in a local lake! I gulp as I paddle - what a refreshing way to stay cool! Mom let me off the leash after realizing I wasn't gonna swim to the other side of the lake...

This is completely unrelated, but Mom made me post a picture of the U2 concert she went to on Saturday night. She can't stop talking about Bono. I have to admit - it looks pretty cool. I would have had FUN running around that place!

Beat the Heat

I miss winter these days...it is so darn hot out that even I don't want to play outside! All I want to do is lay over the air conditioning vents. Last night our a/c wasn't kicking out cold air - Mom kept hosing me down.

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?