About time!

So, my first holidays have passed and I've heard several pointed comments about my lack of blogging. OK, so I've been busy . . .

Mom has had her hands full, what with my constant growing, eating, barking, ball chasing, and yes, trips to the vet. I've been a bit ashamed to post a photo. Shortly after my last blog Mom discovered that the little wrinkles on my forehead were really quite naked--and getting more so. Not only did my skin show through my wrinkles, but I was going bald! During a trip to the nice vet people at A.P.A.W. (All Paws Are Welcome, of course), they quickly diagnosed me with Demodex mites. Which they say I got from my Dog Mom. She probably didn't know she gave me mites, cause she had her paws full with a new litter of pups. But I've had a really good case of them. My fur fell out!

So, all of that led to weekly "dips" at the vet every Friday. Which I prefer to think of as a dog spa. Mmmm, friendly people who greet me at the door, a medicated bath, air drying in a nice warm place, and fresh towels and puppy blankets in my crate when I get home. Once they even gave me a red and black paw-print bandana to tie around my neck 'cause I looked so naked! Of course, there are nice chewy vitamins to take with breakfast, too. They taste good, but somehow I keep forgetting that as I gulp them down so I can get to the kibble.

After all that, my fur is starting to grow back on my face and around my eyes. My elbows, belly, knees, and neck are still a bit naked, but these things take time. Dad says I have a cookies-and-cream complexion, since my white skin is showing through the thin black fur!

But, I am growing up to be a big Black Lab. I had playtime with Luna for Christmas. I chase cats on the stairs daily. I love tennis balls. I'm pretty well house broken. I'm getting the hang of going for a walk without grabbing the leash in my mouth, sitting down on the sidewalk, or trying to pull my head out of my collar. And I'm still attempting to play with Murray and Daisy, the old dogs in my house--but they're pretty standoffish and either ignore me or growl. I'm ever hopeful that they really don't hate me. (Sometimes I'm pretty hard to take, what with the jumping and barking and teething and running into walls while playing fetch.)

I do like my family and I'm glad to have a good home. I promise to write more, and even post a photo or two when more fur grows in!
Hawkeye