One Year Later

December 23, 2007. What a big day for me. Not necessarily all good, but, a big day in any case. Today is the one year anniversary since I was adopted. I am a very happy boy and I am so glad I have a forever home. I sometimes think of my old friends like Elly and Sequoia and wonder how they are doing. I saw them on my video the other day and remember it well.

Last night we had a big party. I’d like to think it was all for me, but I don’t think it was. We went to visit Caroline, Jim, Garrett and Bryce and their dog Ruby. I got a really neat present which is like a three armed boomerang and I have been playing with it a lot since. Ruby and I ran around until we were both exhausted.

In the morning, everything started out the normal way. Breakfast first and then coffee. From there we went to the Vet where I was supposed to get my update shots. First I got weighed and discovered I am now 85 pounds. Then the Vet came in to look at me and said that I had an ear infection.

The next thing I know I am being led into the back room and I am going to sleep again. That’s twice in a row we have visited now and it has ended up with me getting a general anesthetic. When I sort of woke up, Tom and Renee were there and I went and put my head on her shoulder. It cost Tom $259 for the treatment and leaves me having run up just under $1,000 in Vet bills in a year.

The rest of the day is a blur. I spent most of it sleeping and groggy. So that’s why this column was actually written on the 24th but credited to the 23rd. I couldn’t even jump up into the truck myself and Tom had to lift me. I did not like that one bit and growled at Tom to tell him so. I think it was the drugs talking. Once we got home, I flopped down into my blankets and Renee lay down next to and stroked my head while I went to sleep.

Every so often I would wake up and have a little burst of energy and then get tired again. All went well until 11:00 PM and Tom had to put the anti-biotic drops in my ear. I raced around the room. I lay down on my side and hid my ear. I even got so frustrated that I grabbed Tom’s hand in my teeth. Then I squeezed with just enough pressure to get my “point” across. The treatment stopped at that point with only 4 of the 8 drops being put in.

I think tomorrow Tom may try a different tactic to put the drops in all at once. We shall see. Anyway, I must close for now and wish everyone (No political correctness for this dog), a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Two Balls, No Balls, One Ball, Two Balls

December 18, 2007. Well I have now come full circle as it were. I started out life as a puppy with two balls until with the flick of a surgeon’s knife, they were gone. So now I had no balls. When I was adopted by Tom and Renee they presented me with a tennis ball to play with and chase, so now I had one ball. Over the next year, I became rather possessive of that ball. When Tom would throw it, I would go and get it. But, when I brought it back, I had to be coaxed into dropping it.

I even went so far as to come back, drop the ball and as soon as Tom would bend over to pick it up, I would pounce, grab it and run away. Sometimes I managed to keep the ball for as long as 10 minutes before I would let Tom get it. Yesterday, Tom fooled me. I heard him say it was Renee’s idea. I came running back with the ball in my mouth when suddenly, Tom lifted the launcher and there was the ball. It was like magic.

I was so shocked my mouth fell open and the ball rolled out, right to Tom’s feet. Then he threw the other one and I chased it. We kept repeating the process over and over. Boy, did I ever get a good workout because I was constantly running. After 30 minutes Renee arrived from work and we played for another 15 minutes. This was my second workout of the day too. On the way home though, my buddy Oscar arrived and I went running with him for another 15 minutes. Boy was that fun and was I ever tired.

Today when Tom and I went to the park, we did the two ball trick again, but part way through, Tom pocketed the second ball. When I would come back with the ball, he would raise the ball launcher and I would still drop the ball and let him pick it up. What a great training idea for me. Renee was brilliant and Tom can’t figure out why we didn’t think of it sooner.

It has been a busy time since I last wrote and it has been a long time since I did that. November was a month of anniversary’s and remembrances. First there was Remembrance Day on the 11th and we went to a ceremony at Confederation Park. There was lots of people (and rain), bagpipes, bands and airplanes. It was very exciting for me.

On the 13th we celebrated Tom and Renee’s 4th Anniversary together. We went to a big restaurant, where Tom and Renee had a big crab dinner. I guarded the truck for them and got lots of hugs and pats after they came back. The best part though is I got to lick off the taste of the crab still left on their fingers.

On the 16th it was a sad day as we marked the 15th Anniversary of the death of Tom’s Mom. I wish I could have met her. I know I would have loved her and she would have loved me.

Then on the 30th we went to a huge party for Matias sister Micaela. It was a coming out party as she had turned 15. It is like a combination Sweet Sixteen party and a Debutante’s Ball. Instead of 16 like it is celebrated in North America, people from Uruguay celebrate the 15th birthday. I got to guard the truck again. The next morning we woke up to snow. Yippee. I love snow.

Tom and Renee are keeping up their Monday guitar lessons together and Tom has added in private lessons on Wednesday’s to learn to play his electric guitar better. Both of them are getting pretty good. Tom and I have not gone to hockey in several weeks now. When he was playing a game in November, with Karl, there was a bit of an accident. Karl scored his first ever goal and then later fell into Tom’s knee. Unfortunately, it tore the cartilage in Tom’s knee and he hasn’t played since.

The 23rd of December is going to be a special Anniversary Day. That is the day, one year ago, that Tom and Renee drove all the way to Yakima, Washington to adopt me. It has been such a wonderful first year. I love them so much. Tom produced a DVD of some of the highlights of my first year, called “Toby, The Wonder Dog, The First Year”. I have watched it twice now and really enjoy seeing myself on the screen. Unfortunately, I keep leaving nose prints on the glass. Tom sent a copy to Elly too, so she can see what I have been up to.

Tom’s Mom would have been 90 years old on the 23rd. That’s like about 400 or more in dog years. Tom’s Dad will be 89 on the 29th and he is still going strong.

Tom put up the Christmas lights the other day, but he is not going to put the tree up this year. They figure it will be too tempting for me. I didn’t bother it last year, but then, it was up long before I arrived. I think they figure, and rightly so, that I would swipe branches and eat them while they were setting it up.

I will close now and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year in 2008. I know it will be another great year for me.

Happy Halloween

October 31, 2007. Well, a big Happy Halloween to all you ghosts, ghouls, goblins etc. out there. I haven’t written for a long time, mainly because there has not been too much to say. We have settled into our routine of going to the park in the morning where I get a run of between 40 and 60 minutes every day. Later in the day, I sometimes get another run in the park or an evening walk.

I have been doing very well on my commands, although I do like to tease Tom. I go and get the ball and bring it back to him, but, just before I get there I veer away and keep going, so that he has to follow me. I never go too far out of his reach though. Another tease I like to do is to go up to Tom and drop the ball. As soon as he bends down to pick it up, I snatch it away from him and then move farther away.

Lately though, I have taken pity on him and have started to go right to him and sit down on his feet for a good rub and lots of praise. Then I drop the ball and let him get it. I’m sure he appreciates my effort in this respect. It’s to my benefit too, because once he gets the ball back, I get to chase it again and I do so love to run.

There are some things of note that have seemed to occur in the last little while. It is no longer, Helicopter Man and The Chicken Wing Dancers. They seem to have had a falling out. The dancers arrive early in the morning and when Helicopter Man arrives, the dancers leave. I don’t know what happened, but I’m guessing they got tired of being yelled at.

I have met several new friends in the last little while and have had an opportunity to run with Jet, Cedar, Cody, Max, and Oscar. We have had a great deal of fun running around the park.

We continue to walk over and visit Renee for lunch. I really enjoy the extra walk during the day and getting to see her. I’m always so excited when we arrive and wait patiently for her to arrive. My bum almost falls off it wiggles so much when she comes out.

Something else we did one day is that we drove over to the neighbourhood where Renee grew up. We got to visit her old house and school and walk around her old “stompin grounds”. It was a lot of fun and it brought back a lot of childhood memories for Renee. She wanted to share those with me and Tom and I really enjoyed the walk around. Tom doesn’t have to go back to his old neighbourhood because we still live in it.

Another new thing is that Grand Pappy Frank has been allowing his cat, “Mystery” and me to meet more and more often. We have actually touched noses a couple of times in the last few days. I lie down in front of her so that I don’t intimidate her with my size and she responds by slowly moving forward. She’s not afraid of me at all. She always sits in the back window and watches me play in the yard and when we are at the park, Mystery moves to the front window and watches me there. I bet she wishes she could come and play.

Tom now takes guitar lessons twice a week. On Mondays, he and Renee go together and learn on their acoustic guitars and on Wednesdays Tom goes alone and learns how to play his electric guitar better. They are getting much better in their playing and have learned lots of songs.

Tom is also back at hockey and having fun. When he and I go on Thursdays I get a big walk around the outside of the building before he goes in. Then I guard the truck and when he comes back I get another big long walk. I get to meet some of his team-mates on the way out as well.

Karl joined Tom one night and got to play with the team. Tom thought it was really cool to have his son playing on his line. Now he knows how Gordie Howe felt when he got to play with his sons. Karl has since joined his high school team, “The Hornets” and they played their first game last week, before they had their first practice. Unfortunately they lost 4-2. Next week Tom will get to go and see Karl play.

The other day we met up with the old fellow and his little dog that I protected. He doesn’t speak English too well, but he expressed his heartfelt thanks to Tom for my saving his little dog. He kept pointing at me and saying “very good dog”. It turned out that the “Chow” dog that attacked his dog ripped the chest of the little guy open. It took 23 stitches and several trips to the vet and over $500 to repair the damage. If I had not raced across the park to get between them, the little dog would have been killed. He was very grateful for my actions and I am very proud of myself.

It hasn’t all been good lately though. I have had a couple of meltdowns recently where I just refuse to listen to Tom and have charged off across the park. One morning I was misbehaving so much, Tom cut my run short to twenty minutes. We did go out again in the afternoon, so I did get my exercise in.

We haven’t been back to Burnaby Lake since our cougar sighting, but we have done a couple of walks around Deer Lake. People at Deer Lake seem to be friendlier than at Burnaby Lake and they are only a couple of kilometers apart. I guess because there are less joggers at Deer Lake. Lots of people smile at me there and want to pet me. I sure do love that part.

Another thing I really don’t like is the fireworks and firecrackers that have been booming out in the last week or so. They really scare me, but thankfully I am inside and I stay very close to Tom and/or Renee. They’ll protect me.

This morning, Tom and I jumped into the truck and he hooked up the boat. I thought maybe we were heading for the lake, but it turned out he was just taking the boat in for servicing and winterizing. That’s it for boat rides until next summer. The yard looks empty without the boat there though. It works out good though because the boat is gone for Halloween and eliminates the chance of someone throwing a firecracker onto it.

Our best wishes and thoughts go out to Ron and Glenda from the lake. I won’t go into detail here, but they are going through a potentially dangerous procedure and we wish them all of the best. We’re confident all will go well. See you at the lake next summer!

The Protector

September 28, 2007. Maybe I was inspired on Tuesday by being around all those police officers, police dogs and horses. Or maybe it’s just because I am becoming more mature and much better trained. Who knows why it happened? It just did!

I have always been a very empathetic dog. Whenever I hear a baby cry on the television, I go right to the screen to check it out and make sure everything is ok. Even when Tom or Renee sneeze I always check to make sure they are alright.

At one time there were people in the neighbourhood that would have considered me a bully when it came to smaller dogs. That really wasn’t the case though; I was just a puppy and wanted to play. I just didn’t realize how much bigger than those dogs I was. When I pounced on them, it must have hurt. Those days are long past though. Recently when greeted by smaller dogs and little people, I have taken to lying down and making myself smaller and less intimidating.

This morning, Tom and I headed to the park for our usual play time. While on the way we saw a man with his dog on the corner, across the street. His dog was sitting nicely beside him and waiting to go. He didn’t want to play, so we continued on to the park.

Walking up the street towards us was an older gentleman and his fluff-ball dog. They are always on the park at the same time as us, but we have never formally met. They always stand on the perimeter of the park and watch me run. This morning we were in our usual spot across the park and I was chasing my ball. The old fellow and the fluff-ball were standing up on the sidewalk watching.

Suddenly I saw a Chinese Chow-Chow dog approaching. He was free and there was no owner anywhere to be seen. Chow’s can be quite vicious so I was a little bit wary but, I kept playing with Tom. Suddenly the Chow went towards the Fluff-ball, who started screaming and crying. I don’t know if the Chow was attacking him or not, but the little fellow was in distress.

I know I am supposed to wait until Tom gives me the release, but, I just could not stand to hear those pitiful cries and I took off. I went all the way across the park at full speed. As I approached, I saw a little opening between the Chow and the Fluff-ball and I went charging into that opening. I actually bumped into the Chow and knocked him backwards. Then I stood between the Chow and the Fluff-ball while the owner picked him up and walked away.

Once I was sure they were safe, I turned and started back towards Tom, who was calling me. I’m sure he was not happy with the fact that I ran off like that. The Chow came towards me when I turned my back on him, but I turned around again and he backed away. Then I headed over to Tom. The Chow did not follow.

I thought Tom was going to be angry with me, but he wasn’t. He saw what I had done and he gave me lots of pats and hugs to praise me for a job well done. Who would have believed it? Me a protector of Fluff-balls? Will wonders never cease?

Bears Changing Command

September 25, 2007. The adventures continue to come, fast and furiously. After our little escapade in seeing the cougar at Burnaby Lake, the next day we went to Riverview Hospital. Now, I know what you are thinking, but, I don’t have any psychiatric problems, nor do Tom and Renee. Actually we attended there for the annual tree festival. Riverview in addition to being the former Provincial Psychiatric facility is also one of the largest arboretums in this area. There are hundreds of species of trees planted on the grounds.

Teri and Perry from the lake are very active in the planning and presentation of the tree festival each year. When we arrived, I got to get out of the truck and go with Renee and Tom this time. It is the first time that I have been able to wander around something where there were so many people gathered around. There were also a lot of dogs too.

I was really good wandering around and I really enjoyed it. I got to smell lots of trees, wander in some beautiful settings, meet other dogs and more importantly, got to say hello to a lot of people. I got more pats, ear rubs and compliments than I could wag a tail at. That is if I had a tail to wag.

As if the cougar sighting the day before wasn’t enough, when we wandered up to the garden area where blackberry tea was being served, we were warned about a black bear that was just chased out of the garden before we arrived. A cougar one day bears the next. We were also told that a pair of cougars were seen prowling the Colony Farms area, just below Riverview.

You heard the one about the cougar sighting in Vancouver I guess? Yes, there were numerous reports of a cougar sighted in the bush area downtown, but they lured her out with a thirty year old tennis instructor. Bada bing! Sorry, just had to do that, but these were real live cougars and bears that I am reporting on.

On Monday I went with Tom and Renee to their guitar lesson and guarded the truck while they were inside. They learned the beginning of another new song today and they are getting pretty good. This week’s song is the old song by Boston – More Than A Feeling. Over and above that though, this marked the first time that I went all the way there and all the way back with Renee in the truck, without barking once

Tuesday morning after we dropped Renee at work, Tom took me to the park for my usual run. While we were there, I saw a lady who from the distance looked a lot to me like Glenda, so I just had to go say hello. Tom forgot the squeaker and when I went over and he called me back, I came. Then the lady came over to say hello to me and I saw she wasn’t Glenda. I was a little disappointed, but she was friendly too.

Once we got home and Tom had his shower, he started dressing up in something I had only seen in pictures before. Tom was putting on his Police Department dress uniform. This is the first time he has worn it in three years and first time since he retired. It still fit him perfectly and I’m going to take credit for that.

We were going to the Vancouver Police change of command ceremony. I got to see a lot of police dogs walking past the truck, including “Nash” from the lake. He wasn’t trying to eat me today though. There was also a bunch of police horses and motorcycles. After awhile, I got bored watching them all go past and fell asleep in the truck.

When Tom came back he took me for a long walk around the parking lot, where I got to see even more stuff. It was a lot of fun, but soon enough it was over and we headed for home, or so I thought. Instead we stopped at Renee’s work and took her for lunch. We usually walk over, but today we drove.

So all in all, a very exciting few days and I am sure there is more to come during the rest of the week.

Cedar, Onyx, Sadie and Me

September 22, 2007. It has been a busy week for me. Nothing really out of the ordinary, but I have had lots of play and cuddle time with Tom. Every morning we have gone to the park for a run and almost every day I have met a new dog and had some run time. It has been great!

One day during the week we arrived at the park and found a man and a woman and their two dogs. Their names were Sadie and Onyx. They really wanted to play with me and me with them. When our respective owners said it was ok, off we went. We took turns and chased each other around the park. We each would grab my ball and run while the other two chased.

We wrestled and romped and just had a great time. Sadie is the same age as me (18 month) and she is a Doberman. Onyx is only a year old and he is a Staffordshire terrier. I think that is like a pit-bull, but he was really friendly and he and I had a great time rough-housing and just being guys together. Sadie was a little bit more subdued in the wrestling department, she liked to run better.

All too soon it was over and they had to go. It only lasted fifteen minutes but it was a great time and I hope to see them again soon. The best part was that when their owners called them and they headed off to their car, Tom called me and I fell into step beside him and we headed on to our usual play area.

On this day there were lots of distractions for me as well. Three separate motorcycles went past on the street when I was close to it and three times I listened to Tom and left them alone. Another time a guy rode a bicycle right across the park in front of me and again I left it alone. Every fiber of my being wanted to chase it, but I refrained and stayed with Tom.

Later in the day, Tom dug all his hockey gear out of storage and got it all ready for the upcoming season which starts for him next week. We loaded his gear in the truck and headed out and I thought we were going to Burnaby Lake, but we turned off before there and went to the hockey arena. Tom went and did a warm-up skate and I guarded the truck for him.

On Friday we went for a ride in the truck over to North Vancouver. Tom was signing up for a second set of guitar lessons, so he will be going twice a week now for awhile. It seemed funny to come over here by ourselves because Renee usually comes with us. We have done it before, but not very often.

Renee didn’t arrive as usual yesterday though, because she is sick and was lying in bed with a bad cold. I miss her, but I made up for it by cuddling up as close to Tom as I could get. It was raining too, so I spent most of the day inside doing just that. We did go to the park and I did get pretty wet, but it was still fun.

Today, Tom and I went over to the park to play. It was a little unusual because on a Saturday, Renee is usually here and we usually go for a long walk around Burnaby Lake. Not today though. When we got there, two of the Chicken Wing Dancers broke away from their group and came to stand next to the fence no more than twenty feet away from us.

They didn’t do their usual exercises, just stood there. I thought that meant that Tom would stop playtime, but not today. He decided that they could see that I was off-leash and if they wanted to stand there, then so be it. We continued playing. I did a really good job of ignoring them too and stayed focused on chasing my ball.

In a little while another lady arrived with her dog. His name is Cedar and he is a Heinz 57 variety. She let him come and play with me and we both chased each other around the park. He seems to have some sheep dog in him as well because he kept trying to herd me, while I kept trying to herd him. It was a great morning, especially since it had stopped raining and the sun was coming through.

It finally got so windy though that Tom would throw the ball and it would not go very far. He started throwing the ball along the fence for me and it did go farther but one time the wind caught the ball and made it curl over the fence. I could see it there, but I knew I wasn’t allowed to go outside the fence without Tom. He walked over, went out of the fence and got the ball and I sat patiently by the gate and waited for him. He was very happy about that. Another breakthrough in my training.

Well, the surprises keep coming. Here I thought we were going to be missing Renee all weekend and late this afternoon, guess who arrived. It was Renee, sniffly nose and all. Once she got here we went for a little outing to Still Creek and who did we see there? It was Yoko and Fran, our next-door-neighbours and they were in the process of setting up a string of paper Japanese lanterns along the creek. This was in honour of tonight’s Moon Festival, marking the summer solstice.

After a walk around there, we headed over to Burnaby Lake to do our usual walk. The unusual part was that it was the latest in the day we have ever done it. Usually we go in the morning, today it was late afternoon. We did our usual distance and once we got to our turn-around point we saw a fat little mouse sitting by the trail. He didn’t move, even when I almost stepped on him.

Then there were two gorgeous black horses right in front of us. When they had passed there were two more horses, but they were a beautiful chestnut colour. Once they had all passed we continued on the path on the way back. Suddenly, Renee pulled me to a stop and pointed an animal out on the trail ahead.

Who would have believed it? After 4 summers at the lake and being worried about bears and cougars, but never seeing one there, what do you think was on the path? Here we were in the middle of the city of Burnaby and there right on a well used and very busy pathway was a cougar. I kid you not, a real live mountain lion in the middle of Burnaby Lake park.

Well, you want to bet that the rest of the walk was just a little more than a bit nerve wracking. We were looking over our shoulders the whole way. Tom phoned the RCMP who phoned Conservation officers to report the sighting. We finally made it back to the truck safely and breathed a huge sigh of relief. What an adventure!

To Bee or Not To Bee...Stung

September 17, 2007. It has been a busy few days. I’m back to my old habit of barking whenever Tom, Renee and I are together in the truck. I don’t know why I do it and I’m sure that Tom and Renee don’t know either, but I am sure that they are getting pretty frustrated with me. They have tried everything, almost. They ignore me, or pay attention to me, pet me, treat me, and get angry at me and nothing seems to work. I don’t know what we are going to do.

It’s funny too, because I never do it when it is just Tom and I in the truck. For two months up at the lake I didn’t do it either and not even when Renee joined us up there. In fact we did a six hour drive home with Tom, Renee, Karl and I all in the truck and I didn’t bark once. Now I do again and it really came to a head this weekend.

We went to Burnaby Lake for our two hour walk and I barked all the way there and then all the way back, but never made a sound while we were on our walk. Later in the day, we were invited to a barbecue at our friends, Janet and Dave’s new house. There was a huge yard there, but unfortunately I couldn’t go off-leash because it isn’t fenced in and there are lots of strange dogs running around the neighbourhood.

We stayed there until late in the evening and I got to meet little Hannah, who is just 18 months old. She is the same age as me but I am a whole lot bigger. Because of that, when she approached me, I got down on my belly and got as low to the ground as I could, so that she wouldn’t be afraid of me. She talked to me quite a bit too.

There was another little girl there who is nine years old and I took to her like a duck takes to water. We became instant and fast friends. In fact later in the evening, she spread out a blanket and lay down in front of the campfire. I lay down too and let her put her head on me and use me as a pillow. I got a little growly once when she put her head on my back hip, which really hurt me. My hips are very sensitive.

The next morning I got a surprise visit from Karl and his Mom who came to pick up some stuff. We all stood in the yard and visited and then Karl and I started playing. We had fun until it was time for them to go home and for us to head back to Burnaby Lake for another two hour walk. There were nowhere near as many people today because the weather wasn’t great. There were little rainstorms off and on. In just a week, there has been such a change. You can almost see the lake again as the lillypads which almost cover the surface are all dying back for the winter.
This morning, Tom and I dropped Renee off at work after we had coffee. I didn’t bark this time though. Probably too early in the morning and I wasn’t awake enough yet. After we got home, Tom fed me my breakfast and then we had some quiet time.

Then it was time for the park. We went out there and I immediately met a big dog walking past. We exchanged greetings and then continued to the park. Once out there, I saw another big dog playing on the other side of the park, but Tom never gave me my release, so I stayed right with him.

Tom started throwing the ball and I was being very good about bringing it back and sitting down beside him, until this one time. I sat down and I felt a burning, stabbing pain go through my right rear leg. I didn’t know what it was and I yelped and jumped up and spun in a circle to try and figure it out. It turned out I had unwittingly sat on a bee and he of course stung me. Ouch, that hurt.

Tom saw the bee fall off me and killed it. When he threw the ball again, I just laid there. I needed a little break. Tom then massaged my rear leg and got the stinger out, which made me feel a whole lot better. After a few minutes, I was right as rain and all ready to go again. We kept going until I had run for 40 minutes, then we headed home.

Later on we will be heading out to meet Renee for lunch. The weather has cleared up nicely, with the sun coming out and it is quite a comfortable temperature for walking.

New Friends and Old Enemies

September 12, 2007. Boy, has it ever been a long time since I wrote anything. Well, I am back and reporting again about my latest adventures. I’m not sure where I left off, but, since that date, Tom, Renee and I have gone several times to Burnaby Lake.

We started off just going to the second boardwalk, and then the next time we went to the road where the horses go and finally we went all the way to the dam where I met a nice little puppy.

It sure has been hot lately, better weather than we had all summer except for that one stint at the lake. Oh well, enjoy it while I can. There has been a lot of whining in the newspaper and on the news about how the strike may cancel soccer seasons because the grass isn’t cut. There have even been cases where parents have gone out and mowed the grass.

We aren’t sure what they are talking about though. The grass on our park has been mowed three times since we returned from the lake and there have been several soccer schools too. The garbage has been picked up twice a week from the park, and the pigs in the neighbourhood keep dropping their garbage all around the can.

As soon as we got out to the park this morning and Tom gave me my freedom command I took off around the park chasing away crows. It was really fun because they were scattered all over the park and I ran full speed from one corner to the next. I was almost tired out before Tom started throwing the ball for me.

Once I had chased all the crows off so that I would have a clear playing field, I turned around, looked at Tom and then sat down. I sat there giving Tom my cutest look from the distance and waited with great anticipation for him to throw the ball. He did, and I retrieved it quickly. We got in just a few throws before I got a surprise.

This morning marked a meeting of a new friend for me. Her name is Skyler and she is a Labrador/Border Collie cross. Her owner Tara was on the way to school and was very happy to have another dog to run with. We get much more exercise running together than we do chasing the ball. It was a great deal of fun and we ran together for a full fifteen minutes of all out running.

When Skyler went over to the pool area to get a drink from the fountain, I knew it was out of bounds for me and stopped short. Sure enough, Tom quickly called and squeaked for me and I turned around and returned to him. When Skyler came back we continued running.

Today also marked the return of an old enemy. I’m speaking of “Garbage Mouth the Garbage Man”. Who would have thought that this guy could be in management with his attitude? Although, maybe he’s just a strike breaker, who knows?

It wasn’t two minutes after he left that an old lady came walking up the street carrying a big bag of garbage. Tom wanted to say something to her, but we were too far away. She at least had the decency to drop her garbage in the can rather than beside it.

While this was going on, an old fellow came up behind us to watch me run. I went up to the fence and sat down and he spoke to me, just saying hello. I sat there for a couple of minutes and just listened. I didn’t bark or anything. I sure have matured, because there was a time I would have barked at him or tried to go around the fence to say hello.

Then it was time to head for home, but my adventures were not over yet. We were walking home off leash because there was nobody around. After we made a deposit in the garbage can ourselves, I was sitting at the corner waiting for my release command when what should appear and stop right in front of me at the stop sign? It was a little motor scooter. Every instinct in every fiber of my being was telling me to chase that thing.

Instead I sat there and watched him drive away. I’m not sure why I didn’t chase it, but, just maybe all my training is starting to pay off. Or, maybe it was because I am just so darn tired and didn’t have the energy left to chase it. I’d like to think it is just because I have matured and know that good dogs don’t chase things they aren’t told to chase.

Free From The Cone Heads

September 3, 2007. I am really starting to heal quickly. I am nowhere near as itchy today, so the medication must be killing off those pesky fleas. My bald spot has nice light layer of white peach fuzz, so I no longer look like an old man who has lost his toupee. I still look rather funny though, almost like an alien being has planted a crop circle on my head.

Now if we could say the same about Tom and Renee. Tom woke up with a very bad migraine this morning, to add to all his other troubles of the past few weeks. Poor guy. Even Renee is not feeling too well this morning and stayed in bed much later.

Early in the afternoon, both of them were feeling a little better and we went across to the park. Because of my cone head status, I couldn’t play fetch, but Tom and Renee let me off-leash and I was able to run around like a maniac chasing those pesky crows. Thankfully, they didn’t chase me back this time, but having this big radar cone on my head may have concerned them.

It felt so good to be running free after being cooped up for two days. It was a little different though because I had to run head up and the cone kept bouncing up and whacking me on the chin. It did act like a big hood scoop though and funneled a lot of air up my nose. I was pretty tired after that and we went for breakfast and coffee.

Then Tom surprised both Renee and I by driving out to my old stomping grounds at Burnaby Lake. As soon as we made the turn I knew where we were going and voiced my approval. I was very excited to be going back. It’s not quite as good as the lake where I was free, but it ranks a good second place.

Despite Tom feeling awful with his migraine, he still took us for a one and a half hour walk through Burnaby Lake. It felt good to be back here. Not to mention that they let me walk the whole walk without the cone on. It felt good to be free of that thing, even for a little while.

Unfortunately, by the time we returned home, I was feeling really itchy again and started to scratch. At that point, I became one with the cone heads again. What is it that the Borg in Star Trek used to say? “Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated”. Well, it is true and I have been. I will live among the cone heads for the time being and study their customs, before breaking free in a few days time and returning to my own people and self.

I did take matters into my own paws though. I have managed to escape from the cone a couple of times, but this evening I think I made my escape permanent. I also have a good judge of character. There is an old crook Tom used to chase around in his days as a police officer, who is now in a wheelchair.

He kept cruising back and forth by my yard and it drove me mental. I went charging back and forth and finally blasted between the tree and the fence. That caught both edges of the cone at the same time and caused it to explode open. It appears to be beyond repair, so I am free!

Holy Cow! I'm In Hospital

September 1, 2007. Renee arrived last night and I was so happy to see her after a week, that I almost wiggled my bum right off. That was in-between scratching that pesky itch though. Renee helped me scratch my itch and discovered I was bleeding from a cut on the top of my head. I don’t know how I got that though. Did I run into the motor from the boat? Did I bang it on the picnic table? Oh well, back to greeting Renee.

After she got here we went out to see Caitlin and Matias new home and to visit with Shelby again. She is just so darn cute. She was much braver tonight, coming close to me and playing. Of course that was when I wasn’t scratching that pesky itch. After meeting Matias sisters and his parents, it was time to come home.

There I jumped into bed to cuddle with Tom and Renee, well; I did after I deal with this pesky itch. I scratched and I chewed and got Renee and Tom to scratch me too. Finally I fell asleep.

In the morning we were getting ready to go for a run on the park, but I stopped again to scratch that pesky itch. I must have scratched too much though, because the next thing you know, my face was bleeding. At this point, plans were suddenly changed. Into the truck we went and took a ride.

We ended up at the vet, where I got a quick checkup. The vet looked at me and said that I could possibly have a food allergy and recommended that I stop eating my new food. Darn, I really like that too. I have gained ten full pounds this summer and I now weigh just less than 75 pounds.

The vet also said that it could very well be “hot spots” caused by swimming in the lake. He wouldn’t know for sure, until he had a chance to shave the itchy spots and examine me more closely. He did say that it was for sure, not fleas. This means that I have to stay here until about 6:00 PM and have a snooze.

Well, the next thing you know I was being led away from Tom and Renee into the operating room, where I got a little injection and now I am getting so very tired. So I put my head down and was just beginning to contemplate what was going on, when shjdcb ,mm, zzzzzzzzzzz…

Before I knew it, I was awake and there were Tom and Renee to pick me up and take me home. Hey, what the heck is this cone thing wrapped around my head? Why do I feel more of a breeze on my head? What did they do to me?

It’s a good thing I can’t look in a mirror, because I think I look pretty silly right now. Apparently I got shaved in several spots, like the top of my head, my legs, my butt and a spot we won’t mention. Oh yes, and my big wet beard is gone too.

Thankfully, the diagnosis, while bad, was nowhere near as bad as it could be. I didn’t suffer from “hot spots” as feared, just a massive infestation of fleas. Apparently, the fleas in the Vancouver area have reached “epic” proportions this year. I didn’t have them until I came home and apparently my “Revolution” flea treatment did nothing to even slow them down.

Grand Pappy Frank’s cat Mystery is completely infested with them and also needed at visit to the vet. The neighbours 4 cats are similarly affected, even young Shelby has them. Not much can be done at this point other than to wait for them to die out in the winter.

I ended up on anti-biotics to deal with my, self inflicted wounds and prevent infection. The vet also gave me a treatment of Capstar to kill all the fleas on me and then he put me on “Advantage” flea treatment to see if it will work better than the “Revolution”. My embarrassment doesn’t end here though, on Tuesday I have to make a trip to the groomers where I will be getting a puppy cut. Oh, the shame!

Aussie Tourists

August 31, 2007. We have been home almost a week now and it has not taken me very long to settle back into city life. There has not been a lot to report on so far, just that we have settled back into our old routine of going for a run in the park in the morning and then a walk in the evening.

The Chicken Wing Dancers and Helicopter Man have been conspicuous in their absence but, this morning we noticed that they are back in full force. This delayed our morning trip to the park as the outfield fences are no longer up and Tom doesn’t want to take a chance on giving Helicopter Man an opportunity or excuse to kick me.

Yesterday, we did meet up with the old Asian couple who love to stop and talk to me. I got a good ear rub from him and also a cookie. They were happy to see me and wondered where we had been for so long. Tom told them about my exploits at the lake and then we continued on.

Yesterday on the park, my grasp of commands has almost returned to pre-lake levels and I aced my “stay” command at intersections during our evening walk. Tom still has not completely healed from whatever illness took hold of him at the lake and is still somewhat weakened. But, he is bouncing back.

Tom found out where he can buy my “new” food in cans, so I will have a ready supply of that. It’s a good thing too, because I love the new combination and continue to relish two meals a day. I’m sure I have filled out a little since switching diets as my harness fits just a little bit more snugly. We will get down to the vet this weekend and do a weigh in.

We have seen a legion of strange things since I became part of the family. Today was no exception. While we were out on the park and all the way across it, a family of three rode up on their bicycles. They all left their bikes sitting at the street corner. The boy ran across the park to the kids play area. The man began a long slow jog around the park, taking him right past us. Finally the woman started jogging around the park but going the opposite direction to the man.

Meanwhile, their bicycles, all of the expensive variety are left on the street corner, unattended and unlocked. They were easy pickings for any thief in the area and people complain all the time that their bikes were stolen. The bikes were still there when we went in from our run and the three people were nowhere in sight. They didn’t return to their bikes until almost 45 minutes later. Amazingly, the bikes were still there.

I think the three were Australian tourists judging from the accents we could hear. Oh well, on the bright side, they will go home and tell everyone how “safe” Vancouver is.

It is much cooler today and it has clouded over. It just might rain, following the trend we have seen all summer long, a few days of sun then a week of rain. Today is a special day too, because Renee comes back to us and there is talk of us going to see Caitlin and Matias new place, which would mean I would get to see Shelby again.

There also seems to be some disgusting pigs that live in the area. Yesterday, city management staff picked up the garbage at the park. Today when we came out for our run, there was a mound of garbage bags left. They didn’t even bother to put them in the garbage can. Some people, I tell you.

Country Dog To City Dog

August 28, 2007. Well, it sure did not take me long to readjust from cabin life to city life. I am right back into the swing of things. I’m still eating heartily though, now that Tom discovered the magic recipe for my food. Everyone seems to think I have filled out some, so we will have to go down to Petcetera and get weighed.

We did go there yesterday, but, I had to wait in the truck because Tom couldn’t hold me and carry a 50 pound bag of food at the same time. Maybe we will walk down there later.

I am back patrolling my territory and yard and greeting passersby. I have been lounging in my favourite spots and soaking up the sun and feeling the breeze ruffle my fur as I sleep. The park has sure changed because of the city strike and it is more like running in a meadow. It makes fetch more fun though, because I have to search and find my ball.

This morning I ate my breakfast and then after a two hour wait, Tom and I went out to the park for a run. Today we did a full 45 minutes out in the park and there were lots of new smells for me to explore. One thing I have noticed during our first two days home is that both days we have gone to the park; there has been no Helicopter Man and no Chicken Wing Dancers.

My reaction to commands has improved just since yesterday and I had plenty of distractions today. There was a lady pushing a stroller with a young child across the park. Richard rode by on his bicycle. There were all sorts of crows on the field and flying. A man walked right across the park in front of me and there were three different people with three different dogs.

Not once did I wander away from Tom and when my concentration wavered a quick command brought me back on task. At the end of our run, Tom allowed me to walk home off-leash (we didn’t do this yesterday). While we were walking, a car pulling a trailer went by. I made no attempt to chase it, even though they drove me crazy up at the lake. Up there I even chased and caught two of them.

I still have to rework my stay command when I get to an intersection, but with a little practice, I think it will come back quickly. It is difficult though because I had two full months of almost total freedom up at the lake. I did love it up there very much, but I am still happy to be home. I can’t wait until next year though.

Home Sweet Home

August 27, 2007. The past few days have been full of adventure and exposure to new things. The other day we went out in the boat but, Karl did not get in with us. I was very unsure of why that was and then Tom threw him a stick with a rope attached. Karl had this big white thing on his feet. Tom started moving the boat and the rope got tighter. Karl yelled “hit it”.

My brain registered that and I thought Karl was in trouble and at the same instant that I heard that, Tom made the boat go fast. The rope tightened and it pulled Karl off the dock. There he was, behind the boat, 50 feet away and standing on the water of all things. Wow!!!

We kept going like that and Karl would move back and forth behind the boat, which ignited my herding drive, so I started barking and running back and forth, until Renee held me. Karl kept doing that and then started jumping in the air. They apparently call this wakeboarding.

The next day, they did the same thing with the boat, only this time I stayed on the beach with Renee while Tom and Perry were in the boat. This time, Karl was behind the rope and lying on top of one of those big rubber things that have been on the beach all summer. This is called tubing.

Well, let me tell you, I liked this a lot less. I was barking and running back and forth across the beach because I could hear Karl screaming. I was sure he was being hurt, but I couldn’t see him, nor could I get to him, which frustrated me no end. They called this sport tubing. Renee doesn’t like it either, which is why she stayed on the beach with me.

The next day, the weather was very good, but Tom was really sick and so we didn’t get to take the boat out. Because of this for the first time this whole trip, we did not do a morning or an evening walk. Tom and I have done well over 500 kilometers in walking distance this summer, although, I have probably done twice that with the amount of times I run back and forth and take side trips into the bush.

Saturday, it was time to pack up and go home. It looks like we picked a good day as the weather was a mixed bag of everything. It was sunny in the morning, then windy and cloudy. There was thunder and lightning, and then it started to rain. It was considerably cooler too. Probably a good thing because everyone was working very hard.

We were going to do a weenie roast on the beach, but the heavens opened up and we couldn’t. Tom barbecued them on the deck and we had our dinner feast while watching “The Shaggy Dog”.

In the morning we woke up and it was still pouring rain. Everyone was a little tense and anxious, but they set to work doing the finishing touches on loading and closing the cabin. Too soon, it was all done, we jumped into the truck, Tom hooked up the boat and we were on our way. Goodbye to the cabin and my little slice of doggie heaven.

All the way home I rode with my front paws over Karl’s legs and my chin resting on my paws. I’m sad to leave the cabin, but, I’m happy to be going back to my “forever home” and wonder what new adventures I will face. Unfortunately it meant leaving Karl at his home and Renee at her home and now it is just Tom and I again. Grand Pappy Frank is still here too and I am very happy to see him.

Later on this evening, Caitlin and Matias arrived and they brought wonderful news. I have a new cousin! Caitlin and Matias moved into their own place while we were away this summer and so they went and bought themselves the cutest little puppy you ever did see.

She is tiny, just 11 pounds and is 7 and a half weeks old. She is a cross between a Rottweiler and a terrier. Her mother is 120 pounds and her father is 90, so she will not be tiny too long. In fact she will be huge. Her name is Shelby and she is adorable. My cousin! I was very gentle with her but she was a little bit afraid of me.

That didn’t last long and we started to play together until it was time for them to go home. I will post a picture of her when Caitlin sends one. We forgot to take pictures while she was here, because we were so excited about her arrival in the family.

I slept next to Tom last night and in the morning the sun was shining and all is right with the world. Tom is still sick, but was finally feeling good enough at noon to take me to the park for a run. Because of the city workers strike, the grass has not been cut in 6 weeks and it is very long. Our game of fetch turned into more of a game of search and find, but I got a good run in and now I am pooped.

The Return of Glenda

August 22, 2007. The days are winding down very fast now and it won’t be long before I have to learn how to be a city dog again. We did our morning walk today and it looks like the weather is finally going to improve again. The big machine over at our neighbours started up and they knocked down a whole bunch more trees over there. On the way back from our walk, we stopped and watched it for awhile.

Then it was time to go into town again, but this will be the last planned grocery trip. The next time we go into town we will keep going until we get to our city home. Karl drove us around town as he continues to learn to drive and then he drove us back to the cabin. When we were in town, Renee bought four grooming combs for me. She’s loves grooming me.

After returning to the cabin we got a big surprise when my good friend Glenda pulled in right behind us. I am so happy to see her again, once more before I go home. She has some friends with her too and I made sure to introduce myself to each of them.

Tom isn’t feeling well again and is lying down. He made me my dinner before he did and now Karl is making dinner for them. It sure does smell good, ground beef tacos, mmmm. Too bad I don’t get any, but I did have my own dinner and a nice big bone to gnaw on.

After dinner we walked over to Perry’s Place because I have a gift and a card to give to Teri to say sorry for jumping on her last night. Everyone was sitting around the table playing games and they were shaking up dice in a container. The sound drove me mental and first I lost my mind and jumped up on the table next to Tom. After that I moved to the other side and jumped on Teri. My nails are really long after the summer up here and I scratched her with them and tore her shirt. I was really sorry about it, especially after my time out and so we got the gift for her.

When we came back from there, Glenda and her friends came over and we went down to the beach and had a campfire. Everyone was really tired though and the campfire ended at 10:30 PM, much earlier than they usually do. It was kind of cloudy too, so we couldn’t sit and look at stars either.

It was a pretty long and rough night for Tom who was really sick all night and kept running up to the outhouse. Karl had a bit of it as well, but his ended about midnight and he was able to sleep. Not Tom though, it was almost every hour on the hour that he had to run up there. Renee and I are worried about him. He finally passed out at about 4:30 AM and managed to sleep until 9:00 AM.

The Rain of King Karl

August 19, 2007. The last couple of days have been very much quiet and routine. Renee has been brushing me a lot and I am almost starting to look like a “city dog” again, rather than the “Wild Bush Dog of Barriere”. I have really gotten to like being brushed and combed by Renee and I will lie for hours while she does it. There is tons of fur coming out of my mats.

Yesterday we went to town to get groceries and after we came back we went

and visited with Teri for awhile. Suddenly Perry arrived, so we went home. When we got there I could not believe my eyes, or my nose, there was Karl. Yippee, he is here, and we are all so happy.

My bum almost fell off because I was wiggling so hard. I am just so happy to see him again. I jumped on the couch and gave him lots of cuddles and loves.

Once we had our dinner, we went out for our evening walk and before we got halfway into it, there was a great crash of thunder and the wind whipped up really hard. There was trees crashing in the bush and then the heavens opened up and the rain came down. As we were walking past Perry’s, we heard the big birch on his property crack and thought for sure it was coming down, but it didn’t.

Later on we sat down to watch movies. Tom and Karl watched the Russell Peters DVD and were laughing a lot. After that we all watched the movie “Wild Hogs”. It must have really caught Tom’s funny bone, because he was laughing hysterically, especially during the “sprinkler dance” scene. We had a lot of fun.

At 3:00 in the morning I heard something outside and started barking frantically, waking everyone up. I don’t know what it was, but it scared me. Tom looked around with the flashlight, but could not see anything. I wonder if it was a bear? I crawled up into bed next to Tom and I felt much better.

At 5:30 in the morning, I again w

oke everyone up with my barking. This time it was for a different reason. I had a very upset tummy and just had to get outside. Tom remembered the last time this happened and this time he let me out. I ran out into the bush and after awhile I felt better and came back inside. This happened twice more.

Once we got up for the day, it was raining hard. It rained almost all day, but there was a short break in the afternoon and we went for our “morning walk” then. We only got a 2K walk in though because it started to rain on us yet again.

People next door were doing more construction renovations on the cabin and the hammering sound bothers me. Renee did more combing and brushing on me, and I was pretty good, even though I was cooped up most of the da

y.

We had a campfire tonight when the weather broke for awhile. Perry and Teri came over and so did the couple who are next door working on the cabin. It was a great time and the fire was really warm. In fact it was so warm that a few times my fur was smoking because of sparks that landed on me. They didn’t bother me at all, but they sure made everyone at the campfire jump.