Winter time is here

This morning I got up at the usual time and went outside to take care of some early morning business and it is cold.  I mean I have a pretty thick layer of fur this time of year but jeez it was freezing out there.  I ground was so cold it hurt my feet.  It is nice and warm inside the house, sometimes I can even find a blanket to lay under.  I wonder if I could find one to take outside.
I have a life jacket I wonder if mom would put that on and it might keep me warmer outside.  When it is warmer I like to go outside and play ball and eat.  There are some many good thing to eat outside.  Skylar keeps telling me that plums, pears and apples aren't for dogs but they taste so good and they are just laying on the ground.  Now that it is cold I am having trouble find extra food outside or maybe Skylar is just getting better at picking it all up. 
I guess I will have to look for extra stuff to eat inside.  Don't get me wrong I love my kibble and get it twice a day with assorted treats throughout but I just love to eat.  Last week after everyone was gone from the kitchen I smelled this wonderful, delicious smell.  So I reached up on the counter, which is harder than you think for a dog with a bum back leg, and got it.  Oh it was soooo good at first, there was cheese and chicken, yummy!!  Then after I had finished it my mouth started to burn and my stomach didn't feel very good.  That food came back and mom laughed at me.  She told me that's what I get for eating super spicy chicken alfredo pizza.  She said she wasn't surprised because even Hunter only ate a piece and half of the pizza and that kid can put away some food. 
Today there is nothing out on the counter, I checked the trash last night and there was nothing good there either.  I guess I will just have to wait until breakfast  is over and see if there is anything under the table.  They don't really ever leave me much, unless it is veggies and then I get a special treat.

So as the weather gets colder and it is time to enjoy more indoor pursuits, I am finding more stuff to do.  What are you doing inside this winter?

New toys

Yesterday mom came back from this place called Costco.  I know they have my food and treats there but yestday I got something else cool.  TOYS.  I like to think of anything other than a tennis ball as a challenge to kill.  I have killed 3 of them as of now.  There was a fun rope that I have torn up, too!

I recommend these if you can get your more or dad to get these from Costco for you.  I have never been there but it sounds like Petsmart and I have been there and it is pretty cool, too.

Skylar said my favorite is a moose that looks like this one in the picture (or co I am told).  I am in the process of pulling his ears and horns off. 

Soccer

I don't know if I have mentioned this in the past but I LOVE SOCCER.  I play all the time with little balls, big balls, squeaky balls and fluff balls.  I play inside and outside.  Soccer is one of my favorite things to do but I can't decide if I like it more then playing with other puppies or going for walks.  Then I found something that is even better than any of those things.... All of those things together. 
Every Sunday for the last month I got to do just that.  Mom took me to all of Skylar's soccer games at the fort.  I got to play with lots of other dogs, run loose in the dog runs and sometimes I would bring my ball with me and play or I'd get to play with one there.  Mom took some pictures of me having fun (or so I am told), there would be more but she spent lots of time running and letting me chase her, too.  She said that is good for both of us, my leg and her butt.  I am not sure how she hurt her butt or if the running is good therapy for it because she is always telling the kids she has a pain in it.

Taking a bath

My dad said I find the nastiest things to roll in.  I take that as a compliment because I do.  He said it makes me smell horrible.  I think he's wrong I smell great until mom makes me take a bath.  I don't mind doing it when I am at daycare but I hate it when mom and the kids give me a bath at home.  Mostly because Skylar and Hunter yell at each other and fight. 

But it ends well, I love this part:

Barking and why mommy loves me

Last night I barked to go outside at 1:30, I know it was 1:30 because I hear grumbling about it every night when Mom lets me out. I went outside to make sure there wasn't any of those annoying, stinky, funny sounding things that invade my back yard.  (*mommy note: deer)  There wasn't any last night so I just took care of some other business and went back inside.  I just bark once and Mom comes and lets me in.  She always tries to be quiet because everyone else is sleeping but I think she bumps into stuff, maybe she is blind at night. 

I decided to nap in the hallway until breakfast and was having a wonderful dream about eating some awesome dog biscuits when I hear Mom's door open. BREAKFAST?! 

Nope. Mom just says, "Good boy" and goes back in her room and closes the door.

She does that every time you hear all the other dogs barking.  In our neighborhood there are lots of other dogs and they love to talk.  No one gets in our neighborhood without someone knowing.  I don't talk to those guys very often because I don't like to bark.  Mom and Dad hate endless barking.  So I don't bark unless it's really important.  That is not to say I don't talk, I talk to my family all the time.  Dad says I am making old man noises I don't know what that means but I really like to tell my family how much I love them.

Camping with Girl Scouts

Friday afternoon mom came home and loaded up the car and I got in.  I was in the back seat with Hunter and mom and Skylar were in the front.  They said we were going camping, which sounded like fun.  We were in the car forever before I got out.  It smelled great.
We were camping with a bunch of Girl Scouts (whatever those are), they all smell like Skylar and then there was a bunch of little boys there that smelled like Hunter but I don't think they call them Girl Scouts.  Mom let me run around without a leash and smell everything.  There were two other dogs there, too.  Max, the tiny dog, he was a Shitzu and the cutest puppy I ever smelled, she ran me ragged.  I can't remember her name but she was a 4 month old Golden Retriever.  We all ran and hiked and sniffed.  I climbed the side of a mountain with mom and the kids.  It was awesome but I got tired so I went for a swim in Rock Creek, it had water in it and rocks so I am not sure what made it different from any other creek. 
We got home on Sunday and I spent the rest of the day asleep. 

I recommend camping for all doggies.  I can't wait to do it again this weekend.

Swimming in the ditch at DNRC

Yesterday was a blast!  Mom and I got in her car and drove off.  She stopped at this cool place with a trail to run on and water.  She made me wear the dumb jacket (but it turns out to be a good thing later).  We got out of the car and I could smell tons of other dogs and could hear some, too.  I got into the water and it was cold but since it was hot out it felt good.  I could touch the bottom so it wasn't scary at all. 
We walked next tot he water for a while and I fell in a couple of times.  It was weird because if my feet didn't touch I could swim and the jacket kept pulling on me.  One time I fell in and the water wasn't moving so I swam around but then I couldn't get out so I got scared.  Mom grabbed the back of the jacket and helped me get out.  I am not sure I want to do that again, but I still like the water.
Swimming is lots of fun and doesn't hurt my bum leg like running.  I did do a bunch of that while we were out.  My bum leg and my hip hurt a little today but otherwise I think it is getting better. 
I have a new trick too!  If I jump up and hit the handles on the door in my house I can get them open.  That means nothing but the stairs is off limits to me.  I will figure out how to open that gate eventually.