Squirrely College Park

My mom and dad had to pick up my dad's cap and gown and graduation announcements last week. 

Oh, did I tell you that he graduated from his Masters program in July/August??  Congratulations, Dad!  

So we took a detour to my mom and dad's alma mater after our hike last week to pick them up.  

I came along, which was really fun.  My mom and dad met in college, so I got to see where they went to school -- and my mom even took my picture in front of Testudo for good luck.  By the way, why do people leave trash for Mr. Testudo?  Do they think gum wrappers and empty coffee cups will really help them pass a test or get an "A" on a paper?

Anyway, the best part of the trip, in my opinion, can be summed up in one word:

SQUIRRELS!

There are literally squirrels everywhere.  

Grey ones,

and black ones.  

Who knew squirrels came in different flavors?  My mom had mentioned these legendary black squirrels, but I didn't think that they actually existed. 

 I watched them hop around looking for food, totally unsuspecting.  My mom said that the students feed the furry things.  Silly move.  A squirrel actually came up to my mom and begged for some food.  It wasn't scared of me at all.  Foolish squirrel.  If you lived near me, your days would be numbered. My puppy friends would nibble your fluffy tail for breakfast. 

Here, squirrely, squirrely....

I stood around very politely for a long time, but then something caught my eye.  Oh my gosh.  There are five squirrels right over there.  In one spot!  Mom, did you hear that?  Five. Five as in one-two-three-four-five!  Wow!

My mom gave me a little bit of slack so that I could walk around the grass and sniff around, and then . . .

Must. Get. Squirrel.

... my self-control was gone.   

What is the popular saying?  "Give an inch, take a mile"?

*Do Not Disturb*

My bunny and I really need our beauty sleep.  My mom thinks it is cute when I take my bunny to bed with me and use it as a body pillow.  She wanted to take a picture, so she told me not to move and ran off to get the camera.  I was tired, and the flash hurts my eyes.  So I thought of the perfect solution: 

I stole my mom's eye mask.  Sweet dreams, bunny.

Hiking with the colors of fall

I went on a super fabulous hike with my Vizsla meetup friends this past weekend.  My friends Khan, Colby, and Tia came -- and I met two new friends named Winston and Phoebe.  We all had a great time.  The weather was perfect, and the leaves were beautiful.  We saw two mountain bikers.  I thought they were fascinating and started doing zoomie circles around our group as soon as they left. 

We hiked, ran, played chase, swam, and then -- just when everyone thought that the hike was about to be over -- we decided to stick around near the stream and bring out my favorite thing in the whole wide world. 

Zoom!  Chasing the leader with the flying squirrel!

Yup, you guessed it:  My flying squirrel. 

 

At first my mom got it stuck in the tree.  My dad saved it.  And then, my dad got it stuck in a tree.  That is the hazard of playing frisbee in a forest, I guess.  Anyway, I was awesome at sneaking in and getting the flying squirrel every time.  And by every time, I mean EVERY.  TIME.  I wasn't about to let those big boys grab it. 

Full steam ahead!  Girls rule, and boys drool!

 At some point, Phoebe snuck in and snagged it before I did.  I didn't even see her coming!  If she was a super-hero, her superpower would be speed.  Come to think of it, maybe she is a superhero.  She is super-hero fast.  And awfully good at playing with the flying squirrel.  Anyway, Phoebe snagged the frisbee, and then Tia snagged it from Phoebe, and then the boys gained control of it.  And then, I didn't stand a chance.  I was the total lightweight of the group. 

Winston and Phoebe playing tug, as I wait patiently for one of them to drop it.

 Hey, Winston, can we play “flying squirrel” with the flying squirrel? Pretty please.

Such a fun day.

Sing Along

Happy Birthday to me,

Happy Birthday to me,

Happy Birthday dear Laila...

Lookin' good for three years old, don't you think?

Happy Birthday to me!

Hey mom, you are going to bake a cake for me, right?

For you, mom

I found a flower on the floor of the living room.  It must have fallen out of the vase over the fireplace.  I picked it up and ran over to my mom.  Entire-body wiggle, wiggle, wiggle while I shoved the flower in her face!

Mom!  Hey mom!  I found this flower!  Isn't it awesome!   

I found it just for you!  Aren't I the best redheaded daughter in the whole world?

(Don't worry.  No flowers were harmed when taking this picture.  My mom caught me before I nibbled it.  Bummer.)

Raccoon alarm clock

Why is my dad ignoring me? 

 I think it's kind of rude that he is gone all day, and then comes home and falls asleep on the couch.

Now, I get that he works 40+ hours a week, and that he is studying for the Maryland Professional Engineering Exam, and that he is exhausted beyond belief, but does that mean that he is allowed to nap when I want to play?

Incoming!!!!!!!  Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!!!!!!!

 Maybe if I shove my raccoon in his face, he'll wake up and play with me.  Hey dad, hey dad, hey dad!!!!   Are you awake yet?  Are you awake yet? 

Political Pup

One of the coolest things about being a city pup is that famous people come to visit my neighborhood all the time!

Yesterday, my mom came home from a busy afternoon of meetings.  One of the ladies that she had met with mentioned that former President of the United States Bill Clinton was going to be speaking at a park in South Baltimore at 3:00pm.  She thought it was Riverside Park, which is one of my favorite parks.  Well, it was 3:30pm by the time my mom got home, which wasn't enough time to take me on a walk and also go to the rally, so she popped into the house, grabbed me, and we ran down the street toward the park.  As we got closer to the park, it was obvious that we were going to the wrong park:  no security points, no secret service vehicles, no crowds.  Just life as normal.  Oh, well.  We must have been mistaken.  My mom figured that they were probably going to hold the rally at Fort McHenry, which was too far to walk to while wearing a nice suit.  On our walk home, we saw a bunch of neon-green flyers on the ground.  My mom picked one up.

"Bill Clinton to speak at Federal Hill park on Thursday, October 21.  Gates open at 3:00pm."

She checked the time:  3:55pm

Shoot.  She hoped that it wasn't too late.  Maybe we could still make it if we hurried!

When we got to the park, it was obvious that we had come to the right place.  

Who cares who is running for office!  Famous people are coming!

I mean, look at the park!  They even set up a huge stage and even a spot for media.

Former Mr. President wouldn't have minded a few licks and wiggles.

For some reason, I was not allowed in the media box.  I could have gotten some up-close and personal shots of the former Mr. President, but I guess having red hair is a bad thing.  Discrimination, I tell you.

Luckily, even though we showed up an hour after the gates opened, none of the speakers had shown up yet.  So, we waited. 

Line up, people.  Kisses for free!

While we waited, lots of people stopped to say hello:  

"what kind of dog is that?"

"she's beautiful!"

"can I pet her?" 

"how old is she?  I bet she's just a puppy."

"I bet she's fast when you let her off-leash." 

"she is the calmest Vizsla that I've ever met!"

"do you want me to take a picture of you and your dog?"

How nice!  Yes, please!

A proud momma with her political pup.

An older gentleman who owned a Vizsla for 14 years before he passed away offered to take a picture of my mom and I.  Thank you, Sir!

Lots of Political Babies.

A lot of parents brought their babies to the event.  The babies liked me a lot:  "Goggie!"  I was so good and sat like a statue as they patted and prodded and mispronounced my name.  The older ones got kisses -- especially the little girl with the lollipop.  I liked her a lot.  She tasted like strawberry.

And then finally, he arrived...

Former President Bill Clinton speaking, with applause from Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, and U.S. Representative for Maryland, Elijah Cummings.

Yay for famous people!  

Ok, mom, we saw him.  Now we can go.  It is C.O.L.D.  

Chatter, chatter, chatter.

We did a stop at the "super secret" dog park on the way home, and I found out that Tucker, another South Baltimore Vizsla, has been coming to my park without me even knowing about it!  I met him when he was just a puppy, so hopefully we can play at the park together soon.

**Squeeze**

Dad, I know you love me, but...

if you squeeze me any harder, you're going to pop out my insides!

Carb Overload. Again.

My dad took my mom out for a quick trip to see his new office earlier today, so they left me home to guard the house.  I hate guarding the house.  It's lonely, and so naturally, I went looking in the kitchen for some munchies to pass the time.  

When my mom and dad got home, my mom decided to make a sandwich and checked the top of the refrigerator for the bread.  

Mom:  "Hey, Jeff... have you seen the bread?"

Shoot!  The bread! 

Guilty as Charged.

I immediately darted into the living room and tried to sit on the evidence.  But no, I wasn't quite fast enough. 

This time, it was my mom that left the bread on the counter.  Didn't she learn a lesson from last time? 

Mud Art

My mom found some old pictures on the computer.

Last fall (2009), I got down and dirty playing frisbee in the mud after a heavy rainstorm. Mud, mud, glorious mud!  I got muddy, gloriously muddy...

from the tips of my toes...

 to my trendy outfit.

"Wait, bath?!?!  Did you say bath?"

My mom said that I was so dirty that I needed a B-A-T-H.  She tricked me into coming into the bathroom, closed the door, and started the water.

"Nooooo way!  I'm out of here!"

Oh no, I was not having it!  No bath for me.  Didn't she ever hear that dirt is good for the soul?  I was so out of there!

*turn and pull*

(Did I mention that I can open doors?)

(See all of the dirt that I left in the tub?  Gross.)

My mom caught me.  I guess I wasn't quite fast enough.  Well, at least I got a fun rub-down after my bath.  Plus, now I smell like a beautiful flower, probably lilac and lavender or something.  

You should have seen all of the dirt all over the shower, walls, and the floor!  And the mud-water in the tub?!?!  It was everywhere!  I can't believe all of that was on my body ten minutes ago. 

Now, that's what I call a successful day! 

Homemade Frosty Paws!!!

 My mom started making homemade frosty paws earlier this summer.  

Homemade peanut butter frosty paws frozen in mini-disposable cups.

 She has made a couple different varieties, but the simplest has been the plain peanut butter frosty paw.

(Mix 32 oz. plain yogurt + approx. 1 cup peanut butter.  Blend all together and freeze in either 3 ounce paper cups or ice cube trays.)

Yummy!

My mom holds the cups and lets me lick it.  If she gives them to me, they don't even last a full two seconds -- I swallow them in one bite.

"Frosty paw?  Yes, please!"

That was delicious!!!!!!  Can I have another one?

Feeling better

I'm happy to announce that I'm ten thousand times better!!!!  No surgery!!!!

But, ummm... I'm a little embarrassed to report that the "foreign body" causing the partial blockage was in fact one of my, umm...

((((earmuffs))))

panti-liners.

I blame Mother Nature.

Super Sick -- Blockage?

I was super sick on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I'm out of the woods now, but it was pretty scary for a little bit. 

 I woke my mom and dad up at about 5am on Tuesday by screaming at the backdoor to be let out.  My belly didn't feel well.  And then, I threw up seven times in five hours.  Weird yellow stuff.  By 10am, my mom was scared, so she called the vet, and they said to come in right away.  It was an emergency.  We couldn't wait until my dad got home from work at 5pm -- we had to go NOW! 

My mom called my dad to let him know what was going on, and he told his boss that he had to take a long lunch and came home to take my mom and me to the vet's office.  I threw up again in the car.  And then again in the waiting room at the vet's office.  I was really, really sick.

The doctor did a quick exam.  I weighed only 36.4 lbs (I'm usually 38.5), so that's not good.  I was really dehydrated.  My belly is obviously unhappy.  And what's that... she feels a weird mass in my belly?  She wants to do an Xray????  Oh, please mom!  Not an Xray!  They are cold!

The next thing I know, the vet is pulling me out "the door."  You know -- the bad one.  The good door is the one that you get to walk through when you leave the vet's office with your mom and dad.  The bad door is the gateway to thermometers, Xrays, MRIs, surgeries, saline solutions, stitches, and eek... shots.  I don't mind going through the "bad door" when I'm with my usual vet or vet tech because they always have the most delicious treats, but because this was an emergency, this was a different vet.  I don't know her, and she doesn't have the delicious treats.  But to be honest, no amount of treats is going to make it less scary.  I didn't feel good, and I wanted to stay with my mom and dad!

The Xrays themselves weren't that bad, though.

 The initial Xray did not immediately show any blockages, but looked suspicious.  The doctor asked my mom what sort of string I may have eaten.  String?  I don't remember eating string?  Apparently, my intestines bunched up in an odd pattern which spelled trouble.  The vet wanted to do a barium treatment with progressive Xrays every 2 hours to chart its progress through the intestines.  This meant that I would have to eat a barium "milkshake" (a chalky liquid) that adheres to the intestines, revealing potential problem areas such as tumors, ulcers, and polyps.  If there was a blockage, it would light up like the fourth of July.

My mom agreed, so they did the barium films.  The first few looked normal(ish).  But, then...

The vet told my mom and dad that the films (especially the 7pm film) showed a large "foreign body."  Not a full blockage, but still might be a problem.

The vet's best guess is that it is some kind of fabric, but the barium seemed to have helped to move it through my intestines.  As of 7pm, the "item" had reached my colon, so it looks like we're almost out of the woods.  The vet discharged me Tuesday night at 7:30pm with a bunch of drugs, and I had to return to the vet's office for another Xray on Wednesday morning to make sure that the situation is "progressing."

I was so happy to see my mom and dad when they came to pick me up last night from the vet's office.  I had definitely gained weight/volume from all of the saline and barium that they had pumped into me.  The initial excitement burned out fast though, and I was back to feeling sick within a few hours of being home.  No throwing-up sick, but just "ick-I've-been-through-hell-and-feel-awful" sick. 

When it was time to go to bed, I refused to go to upstairs.  I curled up in my donut bed in the living room and wouldn't budge.  My mom spent the night on the couch so that she could stay right next to me and hold my paw. I think she was afraid to leave me alone.

Crabby Soup

There were some crabs left over after the massive feast at my grandmom's house, so she let my dad take them home.  My mom and dad made crab cakes with most of the crab meat, and then decided to make some soup.

Soup, please?

 The soup smelled really yummy, so I tried my best to see if I could get a taste.  I was so patient the entire time they were cooking the soup.  I tried my cute "sit on the floor without making a peep" trick.  I tried "moving closer without making a peep" trick.  I tried my "little ears."  I tried showing my mom my tricks:  spin, sit, stand, hind-legs, down, around.  Anything, anything for a taste of that deliciousness that I was smelling...

And then I had my chance.  My dad was in the kitchen getting water, and my mom ran upstairs to get something.  The soup was unsupervised on the dining room table.

I popped up on my mom's chair to take a look, and...

??????????

What is that thing in the soup?

Aiiee!!!  Alien!!!!!!

Oh my dog!!!!!  Run away!  Run away!!  There is a monster claw in your soup!!!!

Crab Happy

I love visiting my human grandparents' house.  They always have food that they are willing to share, and I, of course, am always willing to try whatever they are cooking.  Their dogs don't always like me, but that is a minor issue compared to the glorious food and pets that I get from everyone.  Bring on the loving!

Two weeks ago, my human grandmom called to ask us if we wanted to come down to visit.  My mom's aunt, uncle, and cousins were visiting from Pennsylvania.  We already had a really packed weekend:  a Vizsla Meetup, a wedding, plus my mom had just finished her bar exam on Friday.  So, my mom told my grandmom that we were really sorry, but it was just a little too much for one weekend.  

But my human grandmom is a smart cookie.  She knows that if she mentions crabs, my dad will get up out of a bed, pack up the car in the dead of night, drive the two hours down to Southern Maryland before the sun comes up, sing the alphabet backwards, juggle hula hoops, and generally do just about anything for Maryland crabs.  He loves eating them that much.  So, she did what every good grandmother does: 

"Oh, that's a shame.  We were thinking of having crabs."

They look scary, but my dad says they taste delicious.

Then I heard my mom whisper to my dad:  "They are going to have crabs."

My Dad:  "Crabs?  Crabs???  Of course we'll be there.  Tell her we're coming."

So, my mom made sure to take it easy so that she didn't get any migraines, and we jumped in the car on Sunday morning and headed South for the day.
 

The first thing I did when I got to their house was greet everyone with licks and wiggles. The second thing was to burst through the back door to the back yard to play ball.  The third thing was to play volleyball in the backyard by myself (fling the ball in the air with my front paws, bounce on nose, repeat).  The fourth thing was to leap into the swimming pool while my mom was asking my grandpa permission (sorry grandpa, I didn't want to wait).  The fifth thing was to play frisbee with my Uncle Mark.  The sixth thing was to play football with the kids, trying to make interceptions and tackle the other players to get to the ball.  After each interception, I ran a victory lap around the field before dropping it back in front of the quarterback so that we could do it again. 

Then, the crabs arrived, and it was time for dinner.

Beer and crabs -- the true Maryland past-time.

I had to have a "time out" inside while everyone was eating crabs so that I didn't accidentally eat a broken shell if it fell on the ground, but I was so exhausted from all of the ball playing, frisbee catching, and swimming that I didn't care.
 

After they were done eating, I was allowed to come outside again.  It was awesome because all of the best food was still out.

"Puh-lease, can I have some watermelon?"

I worked hard for my food, too.  I did lots of tricks:  sit, stand, twirl, down, through the legs, around, up on my hind legs... you get the idea.  The more stubborn people got "little ears" until they gave in and shared some of their yummies.  And before I knew it, my belly was full of watermelon, strawberries, carrot sticks, potato chips, hamburger, and all of the Charlee Bear dog treats that my mom had brought to keep me on my best behavior.  Ahhh...

What a great day!  Mom, when can we visit again?

Bunny dream

Zzzzz...

Sometimes I dream that I'm a bunny rabbit.

Planet of the Giant Squash

My mom and dad brought home some vegetables from Pop's garden, including this big guy:

The squash was 16 inches tall -- almost taller than I was! 

Looks kind-of weird.  My mom said that I couldn't nibble it, but I wanted to see how heavy it was.

Ughh... so heavy!

I think the squash weighed like five billion pounds.  Mom, you can have it back so that you can bake your zucchini bread now.