Hot Diggity Dog, It's Summertime!

I can’t help it. It’s an addiction that I find impawsible to ignore – it drains my puppy power packs and leaves me gasping for air with a giddy, tongue-hanging-out-smile from ear to ear. And I’ve tried to pretend that I don’t care, but just a glimpse of that crazy yellow tennis ball makes my heart race! And let me tell you, Rosie may be a half pint, but don’t underestimate her; she can run with (and sometimes under) the big dogs to secure that prize.

That power ball flies fast and taunts all with its irresistible bounce. I can find a cool patch of shade, plop down in the grass and declare a time out, but when that orb goes airborne, I have no choice; my dog body is compelled to follow. Even daddy is not immune to its charm; he throws it, then changes his mind and insists we give it back to him after we catch it! You’re not going to believe this, but then he throws it again! We are all in its grip!

But, it is summertime in Florida and dog, is it HOT outside! So, the first thing I do when I get in the house is slurp up loads of water, then throw my fur-clad condition on the cool, tile floor and breathe really hard until I am ready to fall asleep. At that point, I maximize my comfort by thrusting my short legs out for a big stretch, then roll on my back and drift off to doggy dreamland.

That’s when the RPMs (rapid paw movements) start. Or at least, that’s what mommy tells me. I’ve seen Rosie do this and boy is it funny to watch! Little white paws flying around and even her whiskers are twitching…ha! I’m sure my moves are way cooler.

Someday I may find out how to resist the power of the tennis ball; maybe it lies somewhere deep within my secret super puppy powers. Until then, I will continue to refine my technique to stay a nose ahead of Rosie…or at least in a dead heat!

As seen in the Summer 2010 edition of
The New Barker Magazine

The Scratch & Sniff Tour...of Spring

There are some really cool advantages to being height challenged. When food drops to the floor, my low-riding, high velocity, 4 paw drive shifts in to gear and I can appropriate the wayward nibble in a snap! I’m also just the right height for two year old toddler hands…that are usually holding yummies! It’s convenient for scoring a taste, too! I just go up and give them a big lick right on their face (if I’m lucky, sometimes they taste like peas or carrots - bonus!). If they have a cookie in hand, they seem more than happy to share that with me, too!

One thing I can’t do is reach that door handle. So, it’s a mystery what to expect until the door is opened. Some days, it’s rainy and wet and Rosie will race out the door looking for Mr. Squirrel until she gets wet, then she runs back in the house, shakes off and gives us all a confused look like, “what just happened?” Of course, I have to go over and give her a sniff…yep, wet dog.

Okay, so today the door opens and no cold rain! Immediately, it’s snouts to the ground and we were off! Finding flowers to smell this winter has been nearly impawsible! First there were all these blankets outside covering stuff up…like big ghost-plants which is just downright scary to behold. I barked at them so they knew I had special powers. There was one day I saw these big red flowers and ran up, my dog heart racing with anticipation, and to my amazement and shock…they were imposters! Some kind of people joke, I’m sure, sticking fake flowers in a yard with dead grass. Ha ha. So, I left my signature on one and walked away.

But on today’s Scratch and Sniff Tour, what we happened upon made us stop and stare in disbelief. Tall, green grass…everywhere! Without hesitation, I plopped myself down right in the middle of this jungle and looked back at the Roo who was pouncing after a rogue lizard. As I looked up, I saw a bunch of those feathered upstarts flying overhead…I would deal with them another time; for now, I had snagged the prime spot and I wasn’t about to move!

Ahhhh…spring time is finally here!

As seen in the Spring 2010 edition of
The New Barker Magazine

The Superbowl is Coming!

So, I was sniffing out my tree-mail and leaving my signature, as needed until I spotted Rosie getting all serious, shoving her delicate diva-snout in a patch of grass with purpose. Well, whatever was going on was obviously going to require my personal attention, so I went over to see what was so important. Rosie had discovered a nicely decomposing lizard that had the most intoxicating fragrance. Eau De Decay!

Just as I was about to assimilate the aroma of this claim for myself, Mom decided it was time to move on. Bummer. Later that day, I told Smokey, our new puppy pal next door about our cool find and he was quick to share a few of his own points of interest. After giving him a good sniff, I could tell even at his young age that he possessed a discerning puppy palette for the "good stuff". Smokey was kinda showing off, so I think he's sweet on Rosie, but don't tell him I said that. Growl of Honor.

Smokey wanted to learn how to play football like a big dog, so I showed him some moves and he used those long schnauzer puppy legs to his advantage, but he was still a noob! As the star running back, I was going in for the touchdown and here comes Smokey breaking through and trying to tackle me. Paw-leeeze. Score!! After my very excessive celebration in the end zone, I let Smokey have the football to work practice runs. Rosie was playing referee and gave me two paws up when I scored.

After taking turns slurping water, we each lay in the grass breathing really hard and wondering if another dead lizard might be close by.

Yesterday, Daddy told us there was a Superbowl coming up and Rosie and I are very interested to see just how big a "super" bowl can be! Will it be filled with all the yummy-munchies our Auntie Sheryl sends us? Or maybe even the most coveted treat...cheese or maybe even turkey?

Whatever the contents, we are anticipating that Superbowl Sunday may well be our favorite Howliday of the year...maybe even better than Growl-O-Ween!

As seen in the Winter 2010 edition of

The New Barker Magazine