I'm Thirsty!

Mommy is mad at me again.  Do you see a pattern developing here?  No matter what I do, I always seem to be in trouble. Why?

I have no idea what I did wrong.  Here's how it went down.  Mommy took me for my morning walk.  The temperature is cool these days which feels so wonderful.  Plus it makes for lots, and I mean lots of good sniffs.  I love good sniffs first thing in the morning.  Mommy told me once that a dog expert said smells for a dog are like reading the newspaper.  They tell me who's been hanging around the neighborhood and fills me in on all the news of the day.  In dog language that is. Mommy has to read a big piece of paper that appears in the driveway every morning to get that same information in a way she can understand.

When we got home, I did my usual race around the big room.  Mommy goes to the kitchen to make her breakfast which I know she will share with me because she always does.  I make a detour to a little room in the front of the house that is rarely used except by Daddy or when there's company.  It has a fuzzy rug on the floor and towels hanging on a rack that I jump up and grab when I need a toy to play with. 

I stroll past the cupboard that I know has more good stuff to play with inside if only it's left open so I can get in.  Next to it is a great big, shiny white bowl filled with water.  It's not like the tiny little dish that Mommy leaves in the kitchen for me next to my food.  This one is so big, I have to stand on my hind legs to get a drink.  But the water here is cold and refreshing.  I slurp in big tasty gulps.

"Ginger!"

I hear Mommy's loud 'you're in trouble' yelling voice.

"Get out of the toilet!"

I have no idea what that means but I get down and go to see what's the matter.  Mommy is giving me a stern look, hands on her hips.  I lick my chops, getting every last drop of the delicious water down my throat.  She storms past me,  goes into the little room, and slams shut the lid, closing off my favorite water dish.

I'm disappointed.  I know what to do though.  Sit back, relax and wait for Daddy to go in there.  He'll take that big piece of paper in with him. I may have to wait awhile, but when he comes out, my water dish will be open, ready and waiting the next time I want a good cold drink of water. 

Something's Amiss

Something is up.  There are suitcases filled with stuff in the front bedroom.  They've been there for a while but this morning Mommy started to fuss with them, putting things in, taking some out, walking back and forth across the house from the front room to her closet and back again.  I followed her hoping I'd get a hint about what she's doing. No such luck.

She and Daddy left to go to a place they call Walmart.  Sometimes Daddy takes me there and lets me wait in the car.  I stand guard at the window.  Mommy never takes me there though.  She says I'm a pain in the ass.  Whatever that means. While they were gone, I did some investigating of the suitcase on my own.  I sniffed around, jumped on the bed, but still didn't find an answer.  I had to stop when I heard the garage door go up.  Racing back to my spot on top of the sofa, neither one of them was suspicious of me when they piled the groceries on the kitchen counter.

"Someone's been in the bed in here, " Mommy yelled from the bedroom.  "The pillows are all messed up."

"She knows you're leaving her.  Did you put them back?"  Daddy answered.

My ears perked up.  Mommy's leaving me?  She can't.  She just can't.  Whose lap will I lay in?  Who will I relentlessly paw to get another biscuit?  Who will I snuggle close to in bed at night?  Oh my Mommy is leaving me!  What am I going to do?

"Of course I put them back. Is someone coming to visit while I'm gone?"

Mommy's leaving and a new person is coming.  No!  I want Mommy.

"Come here, Ginger.  Biscuit." Daddy called out.

I raced into the kitchen.  Daddy had dropped several of my favorite crunchy treats on the floor.  He watched me while I gobbled them up. Reaching down, Daddy rubbed me under my chin.  That was so nice.  He tossed me another biscuit.  It tasted so good.

All those yummy biscuits made me think for a minute.  Daddy hands out treats without me having to sit or shake hands all the time.  And lets me ride in the car without complaining.  He plays ball with me.  Mommy never plays ball with me.  Hmm.  Maybe life without Mommy won't be so bad after all.   I wonder when she's leaving.

  

Soft as a Pillow

Mommy calls me the Princess and the Pea.  I'm not sure what she means by that but usually she says it when I climb up on top of the pillows on her bed.  She has alot of pillows, stacked three sometimes four high. I love to climb up and stretch out.  I'm high up so I can keep my eyes on everything.  That's most important to me so I can do my job as a watch dog.

Last night Mommy sat in bed lounging against her pile of pillows, reading her book.  She reads a book every night after I've had enough biscuits to fill my tummy.  I paw at her until I've had my fill.  Even though her book is in her hand, she doesn't get much reading done until I say it's OK with me.

Anyway, she was reading and I crawled up on the pillows and curled up behind her head.  I like to lounge in bed too. She rested her head on my belly.  I rested my head on her shoulder. Oh!  This was so nice, calm, peaceful.

Suddenly the door to the bedroom burst open.  I knew it was Daddy.  Who else would be coming in at this time?  No need for me to be on guard.  I didn't move. One look at us and he started laughing.  I mean a big belly laugh.

"Does she always do this?" he asked.

"Sometimes.  I like having her as a head rest."  Mommy answered.

"You two are stuck like glue."

"We are and we like it that way."

I have no idea what they were saying or if it was even about me. Then Mommy made a joke about keeping a pea under the pillows to keep me away but it doesn't work.  The more cushion the more I like it.  The higher the stack the softer it is for me.  Pea or no pea, I like being comfy.  And Mommy thinks I'm soft as a pillow. 

Play Date

Mommy bent down to get a kiss from me.  She always calls me a good girl after I lick her cheek. I like being a good girl.  Sometimes she says I'm a good girl except when I'm bad.  I'm not sure I understand what that means but she says that alot.

"You're having a play date today, Gingie.  Won't that be fun?" Mommy chirped while she stroked the top of my head.  

I have no idea what a play date is, but Mommy sure seemed excited about it.  The doorbell rang.  I have to be on guard when that happens.  You never know who might be on the other side of the door.

Daddy opened it and in ran two dogs.  One of them I could look in the eyes.  He had a gorgeous mane of white and tan hair.  I thought he was quite good looking.  The other dog was short, pudgy, spotted black and white and not nearly as attractive as the first one.  Their owner, Gary followed them in.  I'd met him before.  He gives good rubs under my chin.

I sniffed the good looking one's butt.  He scooted off toward the kitchen.

"Hey!  This is my kitchen?  What are you doing in here?"  I woofed.

How rude.  He didn't answer me.  The black and white guy, whose name I found out was Chester answered for him.  In fact in between racing around the dining room, he explained that Remy was quite aloof and took a long time to warm up to anyone let alone a hottie like myself.

"I know I'm hot.  I used to have a lot of boyfriends," I barked.  The chase was on.

I followed Remy to my water bowl where I watched him take a big drink.  He must like me after all if he wants to drink out of my dish.  Glancing over his shoulder at me, I knew he was just playing hard to get.  In a pack, the three of us circled the living round and round while Mommy, Daddy and Gary sat on the sofa laughing.  There must have been something really funny on the TV.

"OK.  Play date is over,"  Mommy announced.

Gary, Remy and Chester trotted out the front door.  I reclaimed my domain by curling up on the sofa for a nap so I could dream about when my new friends were coming back again.  I like play dates.  And boyfriends.  But they wear me out.  I closed my eyes and didn't remember a thing until it was time for dinner.  

The Easter Bunny

Lately Mommy's been taking me for a long walk around the block right before bed.  I love it because there are lots of good sniffs then.  A couple days ago I got really scared.  I saw something I'd never seen before and I'm not sure what it is. I put my protective instinct into action and did my part to save the world.

My body stiffened the closer we got to it.  I stopped and got myself into attack mode, ready for a fight. This thing was big and pink with long floppy ears and had big arms wrapped around a great big egg he must have been holding captive.  I love it when Daddy makes eggs for breakfast and he gives me a few bites.  But this egg was huge. Doesn't this pink monster know this is my turf? And eggs are for breakfast?

I barked to let Mommy know I was protecting her.  And to alert the egg I was here to rescue it from the grip of the beast.

She tugged at my leash trying to keep me moving and said, "That's the Easter Bunny. Don't bark at the Easter Bunny.  He won't hurt you."

Who is the Easter Bunny?  And why is he so big and sitting in the yard terrorizing the neighborhood?   A new scent in the grass diverted my attention.

We arrived back home safely and without incident.  I did my job and kept Mommy safe.  But I overheard her talking to Daddy.

"Ginger barked her head off at that inflatable Easter Bunny in the yard down the street." She giggled.

Daddy answered, "That dog is just too darn funny."

I'm not funny.  I'm Super Dog, warding off evil dangers of the world.  And that includes the Easter Bunny, whoever he may be.  And I'll let him know who's boss around here until he decides to give up and move away.

My Day At The Beach

I love riding in the car with Daddy. I stick my nose out the window taking in all the good sniffs. He leaves it open just enough for me. The car is so fun.

The other day when he clipped the leash on and opened the car door, I had a feeling we were going someplace special. Mommy was in her office doing something she calls work. I don't even think she knew we left. Daddy drove the car onto a really fast road with out any stop lights. The trees sped past the window. They looked like a blur to me. Soon we pulled off and were back on the kinds of roads I was used to.

"We're almost there Gin. It's a new dog beach." Daddy said. "You're gonna love it."

I understood the word 'dog'. That means me! But 'beach' went over my head. Daddy stopped the car and I hopped out. The air here smelled different but I couldn't figure out why. Daddy bought a hot dog and gave me a little bite. Yum.

"C'mon, Gin. Down the steps."

I hesitated for a minute and then followed Daddy's lead. I stepped down with one paw. Having my butt higher than my head felt curious. Daddy tugged on the leash. I'd never been on steps before, but I found them quite entertaining after I got the hang of them.

I bounded off the last step sorry my new experience was over. The ground felt warm and gritty between the pads on my paws. A wet black dog raced by me, not even stopping to say hello. How rude. I stopped, securing my paws as I sunk into the abrasive ground. White, foamy bubbles raced toward me, scaring me. Daddy stood and did nothing while the strange alien rushed to us. I feared my impending demise at the hands of this monster. And then it suddenly retreated back to where it came from. Chicken! I inched a little closed and it did it again. This time it touched my paws before quickly sliding backwards. I fended him off a second time.

Daddy laughed at me. I didn't think this was the least bit funny. He reached down and rubbed my chin while praising me. Forward and back. Forward and back came the daring suds. I stood guard protecting Daddy for what seemed like hours. Finally he turned and led me back toward the things called steps. I sprinted up the steps, enjoying the going up even more than the going down. Happy to be away from the beach, I quickly forgot about the savage below.

At the top Daddy bought me another hot dog. He gave me a second tasty morsel before opening the car door. I hopped into my seat and laid down. The beach wore me out. It's hard work keeping my master out of harms way. Usually when we go out I don't have to work so hard. I sure hope I don't have to go the beach any time soon. Now I know why Mommy is always so tired. Work is exhausting. I slept the whole way home.

Start the New Year on a Full Stomach

I didn't sleep much last night. Not to worry, however. I get to sleep all day everyday no matter what. I'm a dog, remember?

Snuggled up in my nice warm bed with Mommy last night, my dreams were interrupted by a loud pop, pop, pop. I sat up, listened and the noise got louder and faster. Mommy softly snored beside me. I knew that this wasn't a usual noise and in order to protect the safety and security of my home I alerted Mommy with a bark. She didn't move so I barked again. And again. To the rhythm of the popping sounds.

"It's OK, Ginger. Go back to sleep."

Bark, bark. Pop, pop, pop. Pop!

"Happy New year. It's just the fireworks. Good girl."

Bark. Bark. BARK.

"Ginger, shut the hell up."

I climbed up on her chest and licked her nose. Mommy reached over onto the nightstand and opened my biscuit bin. She handed me one of my absolute favorite treats. I snatched it from her hand and leaped to the end of the bed.

My stomach now full, I curled up into a ball. The noise outside persisted for another hour. But I didn't mind.

I got what I wanted.

May you get everything you want in the new year. Love, Ginger