I'm a Calendar Dog!

I am proud and so excited to tell my followers that I am one of the labs that got their picture in the Lab Rescue 2011 calendar--not once, but TWICE (i.e., bark, bark). I have the center puppy picture in March and the bottom left picture in December. First, I want to thank the Lab Rescue of the LRCP, Inc. organization which this year has rescued 750 labs and placed them in loving homes! And a special thanks goes out to their “pack mama” Carol. Please see their web page www.lab-rescue.org.

None of this would have been possible without my human godparents, Mike and Jordan. Mike rescued me from a cold Georgia night in November ‘08. Mike and Jordan became my foster parents and drove me 10 hrs to my forever home in Bowie, MD. Jordan and Mike also took the pictures that my human Dad e-mailed the calendar people. So, as we all celebrate the holidays with visions of new bones dancing in our heads, please remember the dogs who are still wishing for a good home. Adopt.
Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Hawkeye

Do Fence Me In

It’s mid-way through my second summer and it looks like this is going to be my best one ever! My people parents fenced in the backyard of our home, which has eased my access to the outdoors. Before the fence, when I went out I was tethered to the deck so I would not get lost. While it was a 30-foot line, it still prevented me from smelling and digging in parts of my yard, and only one dog at a time could go out. I wasn’t always so good at taking turns.

My parents are glad the tether is gone, as sometimes I would run around and get all tangled around trees and make them come out in the rain to untangle me (big laughing dog smile). But most important, in retrospect it prevented Murray and me from being outside at the same time. The paw-full of you that follow this blog know that my biggest gripe about Murray was his steadfast refusal to play with me. But the fence has changed that! We now almost always go out at the same time and things are OK. We pee along the fence, standing next to each other like boys do. What started as exploring the backyard together has turned into running around together. Murray has gotten a little quicker despite his years and is back in shape. I have become more lithe and muscled as I have been running laps around the crepe myrtle tree, and up and down the hill to the woods. I’ve also been known to take a flying leap onto the hammock. We play Frisbee, too, and have figured out how to haul around large chunks of firewood from the woodpile.

And get this: Murray and I treed a big gray and white cat together! The marauding cat had the nerve to get into our backyard, so we ran after him all the way up the hill into the woods at the back of the yard, where he climbed a tall tree with his claws and sat there swishing his puffed-up tail at us. (Who knew they could do THAT?!?) We stood our ground and barked and bayed and wagged—he wasn’t coming down that tree anytime soon. Well, except that the tree was close enough to the fence that he just hopped over it after awhile and ran away . . . But this was a success by dog standards. He hasn’t been back, so nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah.

While I still have my doggy wading pool from last year, I now get to play in the water stream when mom waters the flowers with the hose. Any time the hose is on, I come running. And I had a bath in my pool the other day, which I enjoyed immensely since it has been so hot.

All in all, a totally AWESOME summer and still 2 months to go! Hope you’re enjoying yours.
Hawkeye

Spring!

I'm beginning to get this "seasons" thing. First it was cold, then it warmed up, then it got hot, then the leaves fell. And then it SNOWED--lots of snow! And now it's getting warm again, with bees in the azalea bushes by the front door and the grass has been cut. So, folks, is that all the seasons? If so, swimming pool time is coming up soon, and I can hardly wait. My webbed feet are ready to paddle.

Almost every morning there are new smells to check out when dad or mom opens the door to the deck. I am spending more and more time looking outside at all the wildlife that passes through my yard. My bark is quite loud enough to keep trespassing cats at a good stand-off distance. All of us are glad of new things we can do and watch now that spring is here.

One thing I need to share with you isn't so good. As some of you know, my sister dog Daisy died on February 20, at the people age of 14. Although I knew Daisy for as long as I can remember, it was only for ~ 1 human year. So here is a link from Jordan celebrating the fluffy life of my sister Daisy:
http://jordansometimes.blogspot.com/2010/02/daisy-may.html
Daisy never really warmed up to me. My parents say it’s because my first week living with her, I pulled her by her tail all the way across the kitchen because she would not play with me. Being a puppy then (still am, I’m told) I was not aware that dogs can lose their “playing” legs when they get into double digit years (whatever that is? Sure as heck was not lectured on at Petsmart School). Anyway, most of us regret at least one thing we did out of a youthful mixture of enthusiasm and ignorance. And I regret that. Sorry, Daisy.

So that leaves me with grumpy old Murray. I've seen way too much of his snarling behavior lately--such as when I take his smoked pig ear treat, or try to eat his dinner. Can't imagine what gets into him . . . and Mom says she didn't know he could snarl like that, since he never did it until I came to live here. (I think she favors older siblings.)

So, how's your spring going? Stop by and say hello if you're out for a walk or would like to bring me a Milk Bone or two.

How I Helped the Hawkeyes Beat Penn State

So, it's fall now and dog life continues. If you have been reading my blog from the beginning you know how I got the name of "Hawkeye". If you haven’t been following me all along, here’s how: the first night in my new home my parents’ college football team, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, were on TV and beat rival Minnesota 55-0. So that very night they changed my original puppy name of Astro to Hawkeye.

Since then, the Iowa Hawkeyes have gone 4-0 in football. When last week’s Iowa vs. Penn State game started I was having a nap in my crate upstairs. Penn State was rated #5 in the country, while the Hawks were not even voted in the top 25. (Silly sportswriters--what did they know!?!) The Hawks were trailing Penn State 7-2 when I was coming down the stairs to go out. On my way down, the Hawkeyes blocked a Penn State punt and returned it for a touchdown! After coming in I joined the family to watch the game on the big TV. Iowa went on to WIN 21-10 in a huge upset. So there you have the story of how I helped the now-ranked #13 Iowa Hawkeyes keep their winning streak alive. I'm a good luck charm!

Other than that, I've been doing regular dog things. I had a birthday (I'm a year old, as of September 17), graduated from intermediate dog obedience school--although Mom says I'm not really more obedient, I've just practiced more--and I've grown bigger and stronger. I now weigh more than 60 pounds. (I know. I really need to change my blogger photo to be more accurate.) But some things never change. I"m still a bit skittish when I hear the sound of garbage trucks and school buses. I still have to dig in the couch cushions because you never know what might be under there. And I LOVE to rip through rather expensive tough dinosaur chew toys. They're even more fun when torn to shreds and you can trot around the house with various dino parts in your teeth and throw them into the air. I have perfected a great game of throwing my own tennis ball and then chasing it when no one else will play. And today all three of us dogs treed a cat! (How exciting!) This was an outdoor cat creeping through the backyard, not one of the "usual suspect" cats that live in the house with us. Oh, joy! And barking! Even if we were only looking through the back door.

More later.
Hawkeye

Too busy to blog . . .

I know it’s been 3 months since my last blog posting, but I have been very busy. First I was going to elementary dog obedience school, graduating in mid-May. (Insert scanned picture of my graduation). While my class only met once a week, I had homework assignments that took up a lot of time. Like practicing with my parents: stay, sit, down, come and drop it! I also worked on extra credit like: find mommy, find your bone, and crate. Can you believe they signed me up for the intermediate course? What more could I possibly learn!?!

A week after I graduated, I was collaterally affected by my human sister Jordan’s wedding on 24 May. She and her fiancé Mike brought both of their dogs, my BFF Cori and his sister Luna, to my house 1 week before the wedding. (Insert scanned picture of me playing with my dog cousins). Luna likes to play rough. But unfortunately for her I had been watching the Capitals vs the Penguins hockey playoff games. So if Luna was giving me a tough time I just body slammed her against the cabinets in the kitchen.

I also had to spend time in my new, blue wading pool. Even though I’m originally from Georgia, I didn’t recall it being HOT. (Maybe because I lived there in November?) Anyway, it is HOT here, and that has particular meaning for a very black dog like me—we heat up faster! We need to be cooled off in a wading pool. I learned right away to check the water with one front paw, then add one more, and then hop in with both back feet. That’s why us Labs have webbed feet—we were made for water. Within a few seconds of going out the back door I sit in the water, stick my nose under and blow bubbles, and then stand up and dig at the bottom of the pool so the water flies out! Pools are lots of fun, and you can shake water all over the deck if you really try.

Now you know why I have not been blogging.

A Typical Day in My Life

I used to wake up before my mom and dad, but since something called “daylight savings time” they now get up before I do. Mom or Dad opens the door on my crate right after the alarm goes off and the radio man starts to talk . . . and then I step half-of-the-way out and stretch my front legs. Then I step all-of-the-way out and stretch my hind legs. This is when I routinely get complemented on how much I gave grown overnight and get my leash connected to my collar.

Next, I lick whomever opened my crate door and then get up on the bed and lick whomever didn’t. Then it’s time for me to go OUT. On the way, I take a quick chew on the nearest toy, and when the bedroom door is opened I stick my head out into the hall and reconnoiter for cats. If any cats are lingering, I stare them down until they cower and slink away. (For this story, I’ll ignore the times when they fluff up their fur and hiss at me.) When my counter-cat mission is completed I make a mad dash down the stairs, pulling my person behind me. I stop at the front door and walk out on the front porch, hoping nothing scary like a big truck, a snow plow, a school bus, or a jogger is going by.

When the coast is clear I head out into the yard and, having done so much since waking, I pee right away on the grass. Then I walk into the driveway and look for the morning paper. When I see the paper, I approach it from my right side and turn my head 90 degrees towards it so my parent knows where it is. (I have no idea how they found it before I came to live here.) After that I walk around our yard looking for things to smell and sticks to nibble on. Then it’s to my secret lair, where I poop on groundcover vines. (Well hidden, but I still hope it will keep away outdoor cats and other dogs that may stop by.)

Then it’s another mad dash to the front door. Once inside I get my leash off so I can go into the kitchen where my big brother and sister have been sleeping. Once in the kitchen, I serpentine wiggle towards the laundry room where my food dish is—every inch of myself is excited about breakfast! I get 1.25 cups of puppy food and a puppy vitamin each morning. Then the laundry room door is closed so I do not steal food from my siblings, as they eat slower than I do.

When they are done eating, I am let out of the laundry room and then sprint to the community dog water bowl for much lapping and splashing—this always results in puddles. (No water in the bowl? I just dig in the metal bowl and make a ruckus until they pour more.) After that, I sit by or under my parents while they eat breakfast and read the paper that I found for them. Following their breakfast I get leashed and go OUT again for a post-breakfast voiding. (That’s British-speak for going to the bathroom). Next, I say goodbye to mom and dad takes me upstairs into my bedroom where I pretend to get tricked into going into my crate by chasing a yummy treat he tosses in for me.

I nap and chill in my crate till my dad comes home and we repeat the stretching and going OUT like when I wake up in the morning.
Next it’s into the kitchen and family room area where my big brother sniffs me (he must be losing his sight) and then tells me that although I am getting bigger he’s still Top Dog in the house. Next I go to see my dog sister, who still has not forgiven me for pulling off all the fur from the tip of her tail when I was a little puppy.

After that its PLAY time for me and dad. We play fetch, and tug, and slobber until his glasses need cleaning. Then dad gives me a CHEW toy and we watch a show he recorded for me while I was asleep (luckily I like Sci-Fi TV shows) and then we watch NCIS on the USA network (Abby is my favorite cast member, as she saves military dogs from bad things). I like to chew my toy cuddled up by my dad while he pets me in between playing with his BlackBerry and keeping track of the TV.

When mom comes home all three of us dogs bark like crazy as it means time for DINNER. Mom feeds me while dad feeds my big brother and sister. After we are done with dinner and “have taken care of business” outside its time for a short evening nap. (I strongly suspect that the people eat their dinner during this time.) After my evening nap there are hours of uninterrupted playing, walks, watching TV, chewing on toys or playing tug, going OUT and, if I’m lucky, chasing cats!

My day ends with one last trip OUT and then its upstairs to play seal. (You don’t know about the seal game? It involves a tennis ball and squirming around while writhing on the bed.) Then I let them trick me again with a yummy treat, and I get into my crate for a good night’s sleep. I am very lucky to have typical dog days that are so filled with fun and love!