The weather's been so nice lately we've been spending more time outside. It's been nice to see more of the neighbors, too. Mr. S. told us how nice we looked, and he also told us his daughter would be home for Easter and she'd be bringing Stella-her yellow lab, with her! We can't wait to bark...at her, uh, oops, I mean see her! I hope we don't scare her like we did last year.

I don't think Aunt Pat minds being outside instead of at the computer. She's had us help her with the Spring cleanup. Chloe and I have been taking the sticks away from her and chewing them up, err, breaking them down into smaller pieces in order to discard them. Plus, I've been nudging her to throw the stick to me and to rub my tummy when I think she needs a break. You don't think she's put us to work because she's upset that we pulled her away from the computer and from some Spring Training baseball games on television?

No, of course she wouldn't. Aunt Pat has told us she wants us to get some more exercise and to enjoy the sunshine while it's here. Even though it's nice now, we could have a snow storm at any time. Daddy and Aunt Pat are keeping the snow shovel by the back door just in case. If they put it away, I know we'll have a snow storm!

Happy Spring!

Yesterday was the first day of Spring!! At least that's what the calendar said. We found snow on the ground when we went outside yesterday morning! At least most of the snow melted by the time the afternoon rolled around. It was still cold, but the warm weather will be back.

We know Spring is here. Aunt Pat checks the garden every day to see what flowers are coming up. Pretty soon she'll be planting vegetables again. Yum! Chloe and I had a lot of fun helping Aunt Pat pick her beans I hope we'll get to do it again this year!


Katie, Chloe and I can smell the changes in the air. We can hear and see the geese returning; there have been more birds for Chloe to chase; and the neighbors are starting to come out into their yards. Mrs. G ran out of her house and over to the fence the other day to say hello. It was so nice to see her after we've barked at her when we've seen her inside. She told us how much she enjoyed watching us, and she was very happy that Katie's surgery had gone well.

She also warned us about some road construction that's in our future. We've barked at some trucks that have been in the street lately, but it looked like they were cleaning the drains. Katie won't be happy if they make a lot of noise. Loud noises, like thunder, frighten her, but I think she'll just be annoyed when they come to tear up the street.

My New Trick!

Our new trick, actually. Chloe picked up on this one real quickly, and has shown me a thing or two! We know how to take the facial tissues out of the box one by one, and can take it to our humans! Well, we still prefer to chew/eat the tissues, so we need to practice some more. Aunt Pat found her tissue box on the floor near her garbage can the other day. As you can see, there are some chew marks on the box, so Chloe and I need to work on our tissue pulling technique. It can be hard to stabilize the box as we're pulling the tissues out, which is why many times it ends up on the floor.



Katie, always the good girl, would rather relax or play with her toy.

Friday the 13th? Bah...

Who's afraid of a day? We aren't. Yesterday was Friday the 13th, and nothing bad happened. Thirteen isn't a bad number. It comes after 12 and before 14; and there are 13 stripes on the American flag in remembrance of the original 13 colonies. Nope, we're not superstitious here. Just because there was Apollo 13- a space mission that didn't go too well, and many Friday the 13th movies with some psycho killer on the loose doesn't mean anything. Katie spent most of the day hiding..er, relaxing in the dog bed in Aunt Pat's room. It was business as usual for me and Chloe.

None of us were too happy that Aunt Pat closed her door so we couldn't sleep in her room Thursday night. She'd gone to the doctor for a procedure and wasn't feeling well. We're not a bother. Katie and I stay on the floor, but Chloe has to be on the bed. I'd love to join them, but I haven't figured out a way to get up there. I'm way too heavy for Aunt Pat to pick up, and the bed is too high off the ground for me to jump onto. I send telepathic messages to her to "Get doggie stairs", but it hasn't worked...yet. I know Chloe's a bed hog, but she will scoot down to the end of the bed and give Aunt Pat more room.

Chloe made sure we didn't let our fear of bad luck get the best of us. She was pretty excitable all day and pestered, err, distracted us with her antics. Chloe loves to play with our toys. Unfortunately she always wants to use the toy either Katie or I are playing with, at the time Chloe wants to play with it. Most of the time we're very patient with her. Katie will growl on occasion. But, yesterday morning I wasn't finished playing with my ball so I had to let Chloe know very firmly that it was mine. I know my growl and bared teeth scared her, but Chloe has to learn that she can't hover around and take toys away. She's been better today. The weather was much nicer today, so we spent more time outside.

What's In A Name?

A name can mean a lot, if you believe what this article says. It says dogs named Heidi are "loyal and sweet, but relatively low energy...prefer nap time over everything else. They definitely love their treats." It's a German name meaning Honorable, and noble and kind. I must say I do look rather noble and honorable in the photo above.

Kind? Yes, I'm kind, especially to Chloe. She likes to play with every toy either Katie or I are playing with. She'll hover nearby when the humans play indoor fetch with me or either Katie or I are chewing up, er on a toy. If I stop playing or chewing for a while, she'll take the ball or toy right from between my paws. I don't think too many other dogs would put up with that!

Anyway, the article says that dogs named Chloe are often "large breed with very loving and loyal personalities." It's a Greek name, meaning Verdant and Blooming. She does have a big personality. Chloe barks at the birds, squirrels, rabbits and neighbor dogs. If she sees the G's or the S's in their kitchens she'll sit at the fence and bark. Chloe's also the first one up in the living room to check out a noise outside. She's also very very affectionate. She gives out more kisses than Katie and I put together! She certainly isn't a large breed dog, but she certainly thinks she is...especially at night when she becomes a real bed hog. Daddy or Aunt Pat get squished into a little part of the bed while Chloe sprawls over the rest of it.

Dogs named Katie "...are just downright sweet good dogs." It has Celtic/Gaelic origins and means Pure and Virginal. That's our Katie. She's a very sweet dog, very sincere and smart. She doesn't mince words, er, barks. The humans know the intruder bark, the "I've just gotten a pee pad so please come clean it up", the "Please take me upstairs bark" and the "Hurry it up...."bark. I think Katie's polite because she is motivated by affection, like the article states. But, sometimes a nice piece of deli turkey, a cheese cracker or a biskee provide motivation!

Happy Blogoversary!

We're thrilled that the Lollypop Farm telethon was a great success. They surpassed their goal by $10,000.

Yesterday was the first anniversary of our blog!! Time flies when you're having fun! So much has happened this past year-Katie's illness and surgery; new toys to chew up; breaking lamps; the squirrel chasing-Mrs. G. likes it when we scare the squirrels out of their yard when we bark at them. She and Mr. G. don't like it when the squirrels dig in their flowerbeds. We've done so many fun things it's hard to count them all.

We're posting some of our favorite photos for your enjoyment. Some of them you may have seen before, some are new.