Get Well Day

Appropriately enough, my dog days calendar had this little cartoon today:

Yep, I am now accepting sympathy cards and care packages during my recovery :)

24 hours post-surgery, things are going well. I'm such a strong, big dog - I don't even bother my stitches, and I haven't thrown up or anything!

Spay Day

Today is the day of my spay. I knew something was wrong when we all got up early.. We never leave the house together as a family before 8am! Here I am with Mom getting ready to go to the hospital. I don't look that happy because I didn't even get to have any breakfast.

Don't worry, though.. Surgery isn't all that bad. I came home feeling really sleepy, and I've been recovering on this red blanket that I used to love as a tiny puppy.

I'm still not quite sure what to do with myself. Times when I don't know what to do with myself are the times when I like to sit on someone's feet. It's very important to have good feet in puppy life.

Here I am with my Get Wellephant. Maybe you can't tell that he's an elephant from this picture, but just look at his front paw in my mouth, his trunk sticking straight up into the air, and his pom-pom tail right in front of my paw. His pretty pink ear is facing you, and his eyes are looking at the same thing that mine are looking at - Daddy!

I love Get Wellephant already; he's super soft on my great big teeth. If only I could stay awake to play with him more....

Happy Camper

Today was my first day at doggie day camp! I passed inspection and can return anytime to play with my new friends.

Don't you think this would a be a great album cover if I start a new band together with all of my camper friends? I'd have to be the singer, since I'm right in the front and have the best pitch for everything from whimpers to barks.

The only problem with having so many friends is that you never get a chance to rest with everybody around. Mom and Dad really missed me today, so they picked me up at lunch time, and by the time we got home I was ready to pass out in front of the fan. I'll be having some serious relaxation all afternoon today!!

Summer Fun

Hi! I want to post a couple of videos of the Summer fun I've gotten to have this year so far, so that you can all see my future as a dog-Olympics swimming champion.

I also want to say a big hello to my friends in class in Missouri!! Your teacher told me that you like to look at my blog sometimes, and I think it's really neat that you and I can keep in touch even though we live so far away from each other. You know, kids are my favorite kind of people - you have lots of energy, just like me, and I can jump high enough to lick your faces! I wish I could go to school with you, because you could play chase with me all day. That's what you guys do at school, right? Play?

I'm starting school again soon, but only the doggie kind. We don't use pencils and paper for learning, but if they gave me some at school I would find a way to play with them! Mom and Dad said that I have to be ready to spend the night at puppy camp soon. Sleeping away from home without my family might be a little bit scary, but I think it will be a lot of fun to meet new dogs. The more friends, the better! Plus, then Mom and Dad will be able to spend time with my Grandma and Grandpa from Missouri when they come to visit - I can't wait to meet them. Maybe they'll give me people food just like my other Grandma and Grandpa..

Speaking of my Grandpa from NJ, here I am with him, playing at the side of the pool. This is what I do with the hose, too - I bite the water!

I want to leave you with just one more video, of one of the ways that I have fun while I'm at my house in Connecticut. I think God gave dogs tails because he knew we would always want a friend nearby for chasing..

I hope you're all having a fun Summer, too!

I Almost Forgot..

I almost forgot to tell you about my graduation from puppy class!!!!!

I was so proud when they gave me this puppy class diploma, and I told Mom and Dad that I needed to have a whole photo shoot with it to be sure that we got my best side. They left it on the table when everyone came over on the night of my graduation, so that all of my new friends could see how smart I am. All the guests thought they were coming over for a housewarming, but I know the truth.. I even got presents at this party, so it must have been for me!

Here's my favorite gift from the party a few weeks ago - his name is Slinky Dog, and he rattles around my nose when we play tug together:

Thanks to all of my new friends for celebrating my graduation with me! They should make bumper stickers for our car, "Proud parent of a Bandilane Puppy School honor student.."

Vacation

You guys must really be wondering where I've been!! A whole month since my last post!!!! I do apologize for the long silence - I've just been so busy with all the growing up that I have to do.

Last weekend we went on a vacation to my Gramma and Grandpa's house in New Jersey. I've basically been sleeping ever since we got back to Connecticut, because there's always so much to do in New Jersey, and I don't want to miss a thing!

Here I am in my life jacket. Mom and Dad got it for me, because my grandparents have a pool outside. I only jumped in once (well, twice if you count the first time that I tumbled in by accident..) - I can swim, but I just don't know if I like to yet. It sure feels nice to cool off on the top step of the pool with some floating toys, though. The life jacket was handy for that first (accidental) dive into the pool, but I don't think I'll need it again until I'm on a boat someday. These little legs can take a girl far..

It's so strange to be in Gramma and Grandpa's yard - I don't have to be on a leash! The first time I went out there, I had to wonder what to do with myself and where it would be okay to do business, since nobody had me tied down. Once I got used to it, though, I did really great and even improved my skills of coming when called.

This weekend I'm off on another adventure - this will be my first time in a hotel! More news coming soon..

It's Not Punk Rock 'Til the Punk Rockers Say It's Punk Rock

Daddy says that when I grow up, I can make all kinds of noises with guitars like he does.  He's already helping me to learn how to operate distortion pedals!

At first, I wasn't sure what was going on when Daddy plugged in his new amp and started playing, but I am now able to sit right at his feet while he plays.  Daddy says that even though he could never love me less or more, he really loves that I don't run from his playing anymore.

Other than learning to rock out, I have also been learning a lot of new tricks!  I know how to sit, lay down, wait/stay, leave things, and I'm slowly learning to give, though that's the hardest one...  This week, we started working on shaking hands, but I haven't quite gotten that one down yet.

I'm also learning to be by myself longer, whether it's napping in my crate, laying in the kitchen, or playing in my "play yard" in the living room.  I don't really like being by myself, but it does allow my Mommy and Daddy to do things they want to do like go to concerts which they did on Friday night.  Daddy said that I have to tell everyone that Electric Six rules.  That's where the name of this post came from.  Anyway, I think it all comes back to my personal motto: "Play Hard, Nap Hard."

My senses are also getting a lot stronger.  I smell and hear things that I never noticed before, which makes my walks take longer when I stop to smell things every few feet.  Mommy and Daddy also have a harder time hiding food from me, even though I can still barely get up to the coffee table.

Also, my teeth are getting bigger, which means that daddy doesn't let me chew on him as much.  I don't like that change very much, but he did give me a deer antler that he bought from my training place, and I love gnawing on it!

And, of course, there are always new toys...

In two weeks, I'm having a big party.  Mommy also said something about it being to warm our house, or something like that, but I think the house is warm enough with the hot summer days, so I don't know what that is about.  All I know is that there will be lots of people coming to see me, and I can't wait!

There will be more adventures before then, though, so stay tuned...