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:

Only Child

I am a happy-go-lucky kinda dog. I love everyone - canine or human. When we are on our walks I love to run toward any other body I see (with a few exceptions of crabby dogs in our hood). At the dog park I sniff and sniff until I can't sniff anymore...however...I LOVE being the only puppy in my house. Mom keeps talking about getting me a baby brother or sister, and I wish she would just realize that we are very happy with just the two of us. I wish someone would tell her to STOP looking at other doggies online! I get all the attention - and let's face it - at 105.5 pounds I take up a lot of space!

Our bed barely fits the two of us, so I don't know what she is thinking by adding another fuzzy body to the mix! She did put the blow up bed in the room on the floor. I lay on it sometimes since it makes funny noises when I lay on it. But it is no where near as comfortable as our big bed! Maybe Mom is going to move down to the blow up bed soon. That would be nice because then I would have more room in the big bed.

Here I am all snuggled up last weekend. I am very tolerant as I let Mom baby me a lot. Secretly, I love it. Shhh...don't tell her that.

Christmas Goodies!

Boy did I ever have a fun Christmas! I even got presents from people Mom works with! Treats and toys aplenty...I love the boxes the best!

I think my very favorite gift was a handmade fleece blanket that Jill gave to us. Mom and I snuggle up at night in front of the fireplace and we both fit under our binky!

Little Barkley Bunting wants to go a'hunting:

Jingle Bubs Jingle Bubs Jingle All the Way!

Dog Park Fun

I love the dog park! Every day when Mom gets home from work I knock her over trying to get into the car cuz I know it will take me to the park! I cry all the way there (3 minutes) since I know what is awaiting me...sniffs aplenty and fetching galore! I can't figure out why she makes me take a bath most of the time when we get home though...