Beavers!

Marty and my great-grandhuman went to dinner at H.Bill's house to play with his new littermate today.  I wanted to go, but I did not want to ride in the car and Marty says it is too far to walk.  When they got back, Marty wanted to play on her computer (and she wasn't updating my blog), but I know she needs more exercise and clearly I should be the top priority at all times, so I waited until my Aunt Becky called and then I shamed her into taking me swimming at the little house.

Marty was not being sufficiently reinforcing for me to give back the bumper, and she was getting frustrated, and then something AWESOME happened.  I looked out into the water and I saw a LIVE BUMPER!  I swam out to retrieve it, and Marty threw the bumper in the other direction to see if I would be distracted, but I was NOT.  Unfortunately, the bumper made a giant splash and disappeared JUST as I was getting ready to grab it.  I looked for it for a long time, but I couldn't find it, so I decided I'd go ahead and get the bumper that Marty had thrown.

After I brought that back, I saw the LIVE BUMPER again, so I went back out to get it, but it splashed and disappeared AGAIN.  Marty tried to convince me to come out of the water, but I did not.  She tried to convince me for a long time, and she broke the string on one of my not-live bumpers and lost it.  I lost the other one because I had it when I went to grab the LIVE BUMPER and I don't know where I left it.

I didn't actually fetch the LIVE BUMPER at all, and Marty caught me and dragged me up to the house and hosed me off (but she's nicer about it than Lyle is) and now I am on swimming restriction indefinitely.

Mr. Tripoli Is Babysitting Me

Marty and Lyle came home early and I THOUGHT we were going to the farm, but we got in the car for a long time and when we got out we were at Mr. Tripoli's house.  I went right in to say hello, and guess who else is here?  SOPHIE!!

I played ball outside for a long time. Sophie and Mr. Tripoli were outside too, but they didn't get to fetch.  Even though they are allegedly retrievers, they do not have a proper appreciation for what to do with a ball.






Eventually, Marty decided I was too tired to keep playing.  The crazies and my grandhumans left to go to a party for Sophie's humans, and we are home alone.  Mr. Tripoli is in charge of us!

Swimming For An Audience

My great-grandhuman is visiting us at the little house tonight, and he wanted to watch me swim.  Even though I swim at the farm all the time, he had NEVER come to watch.  At the little house, you can see me swimming without having to walk to the lake.  Lyle is really getting good at throwing the bumpers WAY out there.



I was so awesome that our neighbors came out and turned all their chairs around so they could see me too.  They were very excited to see how awesome I am and they stayed and watched me for a long time.  I was swimming so well, people from the OTHER side of the lake stopped their cars to watch me and take pictures!

Eventually I had to come in because Lyle was making me chicken to share with my great-grandhuman and it was done.  I didn't have to get a bath, but Lyle SPRAYED me with a hose.  I did NOT like it.  After that Marty rubbed towels all over me and my great-grandhuman said he was impressed by what a good swimmer I am!

After dinner we went downstairs to watch the fake humans and I snuggled with my great-grandhuman.  I am not sure he has much practice at snuggling puppies, but I am trying to teach him.

Swimming At The Little House

Since the measle outbreak, I have not been allowed to do as much swimming as we all know I should.  I've been protesting, but it hasn't accomplished much.

Today when Lyle came home to check me at lunch (part of my protest was refusing to go outside this morning) I tried to pull him into the water, but he said that he had to go back to WORK and that we couldn't play.

When they finally came home, I convinced them to let me swim and it was AWESOME!  I have only been swimming at the little house one other time this year.  The water has hardly any disgusting stuff (more's the pity) and it's BIG.






The only downside to swimming at the little house is that the crazies insist on giving me a bath afterwards.  I don't really hate baths, but I don't understand why we have to do it either.

Dragged Down The Highway

Marty and Lyle came back from their adventure with H.Bill and his littermates and decided that they hadn't spent enough time on the bike.  So they attached me to it with a stick and made me go along!  Even though it was late and I had been playing fetch and was tired and hot.

There is a clip on the stick that gets snapped to my allowed-to-pull harness, but it tried to pull my harness off of me sideways, so Marty just snapped the clip to my collar.  I decided we should stop, and Marty and Lyle were still going, so I THREW myself on the ground (like I do) and I got DRAGGED behind the bike until my collar slid off.  Marty was not very sympathetic.  They put my collar back on me and started up again. 

I ran along for a little while, but then I smelled a really yummy smelling dead thing, so I threw myself on the ground again, got dragged, and popped my collar off.  This is a good way to get Marty and Lyle to stop.  I need to remember to tell H.Bill next time I see him.

After the stop for the dead thing, we went back to the house.  I *almost* threw myself on the ground one more time, but Marty yelled at me, and I figured I had better behave until we got home or she might make us turn around and go farther.






I don't know why they think this biking thing is fun.  I think it is stressful and tiring, and I needed a nap to recover.

So That's What This Is For

After one of the first hot days at the farm Marty bought this giant blue mat that stays up there.  We practiced "office hours" on it for a while, and I am happy to go lie down on it for treats, but I never really saw the point and mostly just saw it as an obstacle to my living room floor access.

The farm gets really hot because we don't have air conditioning there and it's such a good place for fetch.  The obvious solution is for the crazies to take me swimming more, but sometimes they won't, so I just lay on the floor and pant and wheeze. 

However, I have just realized that laying on the blue mat helps me cool off faster.  It stays cold, and so I am not as hot.  I really wish someone had told me this before the summer ended.

Compostable Me

Everyone's been really busy doing "projects" up here this weekend.  I'm just hanging out. 










Yankee's Uncle Brian says they composted an entire HORSE where he works, but I don't think Marty would REALLY compost me.