**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.

Chapter Two: Pawprints and Memories

We parked the car, got all of our stuff together, and headed to the beach.  I was really excited.  I hadn't been to a real beach since our trip to North Carolina two years ago. 

My mom said that Assateague Island has 37 miles of pristine beaches.

As we were walking towards the beach...

Ew.  Really?  Those horses have no etiquette.

Hello???  Horses?  Are you coming back to clean that up?  If a puppy left a pile like that in Baltimore City, we would be fined a ka-jillion dollars.

My mom wasn't lying about the beach, though...

 It was big, and wide, and beautiful, and wonderful!

And it was teeming with all sorts of wildlife,

Like this little froggy that I rolled on,

and birdies.

Here, birdie, birdie, birdie...

Hunting birdies is hard when you're still attached to a walking leash.

So... dad, when are you going to let me off this leash?  What?  What do you mean "not a chance"?!?  I know it is against the rules for me to be off-leash here, but don't you always break the rules?  Why do I have to stay on a leash when the horses get to roam free?  Can anyone say "species discrimination"?  So unfair!

According to my mom, she said that I had to stay on the leash for my own safety.  The wild horses might hurt me if I ran up to them, so it was best to keep me under lock and key.  Besides, we can still have fun even if I'm tethered.

I had lots of fun racing through the waves with my mom, and then my dad had an idea.

My dad suggested that we should go swimming.  I love swimming -- anywhere, anytime.  You want to swim?  I'm your girl!  But that morning, I just wasn't so sure.  It had been a few years since I swam in the ocean, so the waves were kind-of scary.  Plus, the water was really cold.  So, I decided that no, I most decidedly was not going in the water.  But, as soon as my dad ran into the water, I immediately changed my mind.  I started screaming, flailing, and spinning.  And, before my mom knew it, I flew so fast that I ripped the leash out of my mom's hands (it was looped around her arm), spun her around, and leaped "frog-like" through the waves until I got to my dad.

Then, almost as suddenly as I jumped in, I realized that I had left my mom on the shore (plus it was really, really cold), so I raced back out of the ocean and ran smack into my mom.

"cold, cold, cold"

 My mom was a little freaked out about my off-leash tryst because about a half-football field away from us were:

Five wild horses chilling out on the beach!

Sorry, Mom, I didn't mean to scare you, but I promise that they wouldn't eat me.  Once my mom calmed down and realized that, no, the horses are not interested in eating me, I took advantage of the opportunity and took some pictures with the ponies.

 Dad, make sure to get my good side!

See, Mom, the horses aren't scary at all!

All in all, it was a great day.

Making pawprints in the sand, making memories...

Isn't that what life is all about?


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Some believe that the horses arrived on Assateague's shores when a Spanish galleon ship (with a cargo of horses) sank offshore.  Others believe the horses arrived by early colonial settlers that allowed them to graze there." - Assateague Island National Seashore

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chapter One: This Way to Assateague Island

On Friday night, my mom and dad realized that for the first time in years, they didn't have any work plans for the weekend.  So, they decided to take an impromptu day trip on Saturday. 

I wanted to know where this "trip" would take us, but my mom said, "We can't tell you.  It would ruin the surprise!"

I'm so excited!  But I'm a little nervous about the "surprise" part. The last time there was a "surprise" trip, we ended up getting lost, and our 1 hour trip turned into a 3 hour trip. 

I was trying to read the road signs to figure out where we were headed.

Berlin?  Are we going to Germany?

 Nope.  I was wrong.  We were going to Assateague Island!

This is a picture of the marshes as we were driving onto the island.  Such a pretty place full of birdies.  Anywhere that has wildlife gets an A+ in my book!

Further along the road, we came across this sign:

 Haha... I think someone forgot their Starbucks on the morning that they made that sign.  Horses aren't wildlife! 

Whoa, whoa, whoa...

Did I really see what I thought I saw?

I can't believe that I just saw wild horses hanging out on the side of the road!?!

There were more horses in the parking lot!  Wow!  Ok, maybe the sign was a "little bit" right.

I'm having a really weird case of deja vu.  Here I was dreaming of wild horses, and then we visit a place with wild horses.  Mom, are you sure we're in the right place?

Apparently, about 300 wild ponies wander the beaches, inland pine forest, and salt marshes of Assateague Island National Seashore.  The land and water boundaries of Assateague Island total over 48,000 acres in Maryland and Virginia. 

So long, farewell, Bar Exam!

My mom took the Bar Exam last week.  She said it was the single most difficult and exhausting thing she has ever done in her life -- and I believe it.

Maybe if I put my head on your book, you'll have to take a break?

 Preparing for the exam was a full-time job.  She studied all the time.

This sock is not quite as fun as my mom.

  My mom had to "schedule" playtime with me every few hours. 

This is us sleeping on the couch in the office.

My dad and I barely saw her, and we often had to sleep alone because she would work so late.  By the fifth week of studying, I refused to go to bed without her.  I cried a lot.  I laid under her chair, or on the futon in the office, or sometimes just sprawled out in the hallway.  Either way, it equated to many sleepless nights for me and many lonely nights for my dad. We were a sad bunch, and all missed each other a LOT.

Then, one morning last week, no one else was in bed when I woke up. 

I came downstairs just in time to see my dad hand my mom a lunch bag and say, "Don't worry.  You've done everything you could possibly do to prepare.  You're ready for whatever they throw at you."  

My dad makes my mom the best lunches ever!

At that moment I realized the miraculous truth!  Game day!

And even though we were throwing my mom into the lion's den, all I could think was:  

Today is the day I get my mom back!!!! 

(dance a little jig)

Dear God in heaven, 

Thank you for helping me, my mom, and my dad survive the Bar Exam. 

Kisses, Laila