Friday 30 November 2012

Relatives

Recently a new member was added to our family. Our humans, Katie and Todd, have now increased their family with one Australian bulldog by the name of Bruiser.
For a long time we were not allowed to meet him because he was just a baby and hadn't even had all his shots yet.  Apparently, until one has had all ones' shots one must avoid the company of other dogs.
A couple of weeks ago, however, Bruiser was brought over to meet us.  What a strange person he is!


He is like a little barrel with a curly tail and a squished up face.  He likes to swim, so his humans have provided him with a swimming pool. He lies in there on these hot summer days.  Am sorta jealous of that....I wonder if Santa might bring me a swimming pool?

Also he can skateboard.  This impresses me. I don't believe I am genetically suited to skateboarding because of my long legs. I think I would end up in a tangle but Bruiser just jumps on and off he goes....zoom.

He has one annoying habit, however; he likes to run under me.

I don't like it.

One minute I can see him and the next minute he is gone and then he pops up behind me.  Grrr!
All I can do is jump!  High!  Straight up! It's very annoying!

Heidi thinks it's hilarious. She runs around barking and that makes Bruiser all hyped up and then he starts zipping round, in and out and through my legs. Grr!

But, it seems he is family so what can one do?




Christmas is here again.

As you can see we are helping Mum make the house ready for Santa to come. There is a lot of shiny tinsel and lots of Christmas balls and, of course, the special tree.

Mum has delivered the annual Christmas lecture about the "Rules pertaining to Christmas Trees" complete with the associated by-laws which relate to parcels and dangly ornaments.
We paid strict attention to this lecture because we want Santa to know what good dogs we are. Last year we must have been amazingly good because at Christmas time we received an absolute bonanza of goodies.  I am still chewing on the remains of an enormous doggy candy cane that the Big Man brought for me.  I keep it out in the yard because Mum won't let me bring it in. She claims to be offended by its delicious aroma.

So, here we are being reindeer.  Heidi doesn't mind wearing the stupid glittery horns but I allowed myself to be photographed and then swiftly removed them. Dad suggested Mum put the glittery angel's halo on me but she said that would give the world a false impression of my personality. Huh? I don't understand that comment.


We have a tradition in our family that everyone has a Christmas ball with his or her name on it. They hang on tinsel near the stockings. This year we have added a new one for our new cousin, Bruiser.  He is a bulldog person who has a tendency to run underneath me causing me to perform my world famous vertical leap.  Dad says I am like an elephant with a mouse. I don't understand that comment either.

Anyway now the Christmas tree is standing in the corner of the lounge room looking beautiful (and out of bounds) and Mum has moved on to the family room with her decorations box.  Dad has decided it is time for lunch so, while he organises some food, which he will (hopefully) generously share with us, we are taking the opportunity to have a play.


Wednesday 21 November 2012

Summertime

Summertime where we live is hot and sticky and stormy.

We don't mind the hot days because have the machine on the wall that keeps us cool.  Mum says if we didn't have that machine, we would have to pack up and move to the cool side of the world every summer.
Hmm.  Could be interesting, I suppose.

Summertime is also when Christmas happens.  We like Christmas even though there are a lot of rules to be followed concerning Christmas trees and parcels. Christmas means lots of visitors and treats.  Christmas is a good thing.

But, the thing we don't like about summertime is the storms.....big, loud, flashing, crashing, scary storms.  Heidi just abandons everything and goes to hide.  Her preferred hiding spot is the walk in wardrobe in Mum's bedroom but Mum has become very quick in closing the door and diverting Heidi to the garage where our cubby crates are.

Over the weekend we had the biggest, loudest, flashiest, crashingest, scariest storms ever.  They started in the morning and went on and on and on.  At first there was just the thunder....boom, rumble, rumble, boom.  That was enough for HoHo.  She was off! She tucked her tail under and raced off down the hall towards Mum's bedroom.  However, in a brilliant piece of double-teaming, the humans foiled her plan. Dad appeared out of nowhere...well, actually, out of the bathroom....and slowed Heidi down, giving Mum time to get ahead of her and close the door.  Rats!  Plan B!  Zoom!  Off to the cubby.  Safe and sound, she stayed in there for the rest of the day, only emerging for dinner and an extremely quick bathroom break. So it was all up to me...again.

Now, in circumstances such as these, I feel it to be my duty to stay as close as possible to Mum and Dad to take care of them.  I think that if I sit on them or, at the very least, sit beside them, they are going to be safe through the storm. I am prepared to cuddle with them as long as it takes to make them feel secure.  You should feel the shuddering and shivering! Someone is very scared.
So, on Saturday, that's what I did. I sat with Dad for a while and then I sat with Mum for a while. If either of them moved I went with them.  There was no way they were going to be alone while those storms were crashing and flashing. Gee, I am a brave dog.  I did have to take a dinner break and a bathroom break (made Mum come out with me for that...with an umbrella) but I guarded them both for hours and hours.

And then....when the storms had moved away and everything had calmed down and Heidi had boldly gone out for the quickest bathroom visit on record, Mum and Dad decided it was time for everyone to go to bed.  So while Dad was in the bathroom, I thought it was only fair that I have some sort of trophy for my exceptional protective display.  I "borrowed" a pair of socks from the washing basket....(ha! they think they can hide things in there)...and took them to my cubby crate.  Tee hee.

Mum found them this morning.  She gave me "the look" that means I could be in trouble, but then she just said, "Oh, Trudy," and took them back to the washing basket.  I guess that means she's glad to have me here to take care of her.



Thursday 1 November 2012

Home again.

Well, we have been back home now for several days and everything is back to normal.  We were extra specially good for a few days just to make sure we didn't get sent back to Kennel.  Not that Kennel is a bad place....it just isn't home.  Home has Mum and Dad and schmackos and our cubby house beds and our toys and Otto the Rat next door and lots of normal smells that just aren't there at Kennel.  We are very relaxed and happy.

BUT......this morning a big box arrived with Post Office Man. It is in the hall. Mum hasn't opened it yet.  Heidi read the writing on it.  (Heidi is a very talented dog.).  It says DOG CRATE.  What the....?
What do we need a dog crate for?   We have our dog cubbies already. They are very comfortable and are great places to hide away when the nasty storms come round.  Mine is ever so slightly shredded in the front. You see, I got a bit frightened by a lightning storm and had to rip into something to release my fear......but it's still good....nothing that would warrant a DOG CRATE!!

Stand by for more information.  I am off to try to open that box.