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

Exploring the world . . .

OK. so I'm growing by leaps and bounds. Every time I stretch after a nap, someone says, "Oh, you've grown." I certainly feel bigger. . . but Mom says I have to watch that eating from the other dogs' breakfast bowl . . . and the cats' bowl, too. Way, way too much on top of my half-cup of puppy food! So now all those other bowls are sitting on the kitchen counter and I'm put in the laundry room while everyone else eats. Oh, well. This manners thing is weird.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I got to spend a couple of hours napping in my crate while everyone else went to dinner somewhere. I'm missing my playmate Luna, who is now visiting Mike's parents. Somehow, sneaking up and pulling fur out of the tail of a sleeping Sheltie just isn't as much fun as wrestling with another pup--although it surely does get a reaction!

This morning I woke up early to play with Dad, went for a walk, and met the neighbors. The sun is out, there are leaves to chase, and the world is a pretty good place. Mom says I need to get out and meet people, and I'm all for that!
Hawkeye

Hawkeye's First Blog

Welcome to my new blog! I am a 10-week-old Black Lab (and maybe something else?) who has had some interesting experiences in finding my "forever home". Here's my story so far . . .

This is my third day in Maryland, after a long car ride north from Georgia. Maybe I woof with a drawl, or maybe its just high pitched puppy barks.

In the last week I was given away by the side of the road, picked up by a young girl whose grandparents said she couldn't keep me in the house, and left in the front yard in a milk crate with a blanket. A nice young man named Mike saw me, and asked if he could bring me to his house since it was going to be below freezing that night. However, he and the friendly woman at his house already had a puppy, and they set about finding me a kind new family. They called and e-mailed their friends and family, and someone in Maryland said they'd be happy to take me. I visited the vet and got shots in preparation (oh, darn!) and spent my last days in Georgia learning that carpets are not better than grass when duty calls . . . There were tummy rubs, chew toys, and rough and tumble games with the other dog, Luna. Fun times--until Friday night when my new family in Maryland said they didn't want me after all. That's sad.

On Saturday, Luna and I got in the car with Jordan and started north to visit family. The plan was to find someone else I could live with. More calls and text messages on the way to Maryland, but still no home for me. Hey, I'm little and no one explained all that, so I didn't worry too much. I rode in my crate like a trooper, with stops to eat, play and go out, and life was good. Finally we got to Maryland. Jordan scooped me up in her arms and handed me to her mother, who said the words I'd been waiting to hear: "Awww, we'll take him." Much licking and snuggling, and barking and jumping. (No one told me ahead of time that my new home would have an aging Sheltie, a slightly younger golden retriever mix, and two stuck-up cats.)

So, that was Saturday and today is Wednesday. We're all doing well and I'm becoming a true Yankee. We shopped at PetSmart, and I got to go along. I kept my crate, my puppy kibble tastes exactly the same, and I've already got the hang of walking on a leash and not peeing under the table or in the other dog's bed (at least some of the time).

Oh, and my new name is Hawkeye, in honor of my Mom and Dad's University of Iowa alma mater. Their team was playing football the Saturday night I arrived, and beat Minnesota 55-0. (Good thing the Iowa Hawkeyes won, as I sure would not have liked being named after a Minnesota Golden Gopher!)

My paws are tired of typing, but I'll be sure to keep you posted on how life is going. Bookmark my blog.

Hawkeye