Boating

Russ here.

I am seriously annoyed at my Mom.  She has been having a grand time on the boat--cruising, picnicking, hanging at the beach and tubing.  She left we Cardis 4 at home all weekend, and she (and my other mom) are going out again tomorrow.  

I need some help coming up with something truly dastardly to show Mom how mad I am at her. Your suggestions would be more than welcome!

Russ out!

Water Bowl

It has already been determined that Ella is a Water Puppy.  In fact I think she is a Labrador in Cardigan clothing.  Yesterday, she was mad because I wouldn't let her spend the entire day outside. So my punishment was she repeatedly emptied the water bowls.  

Here's how it played out.  I would fill a bowl with water and she would immediately jump in it and splash all the water out. (A trick she learned from Shaker I might add.)  The first time it happened I cleaned up the mess and refilled the bowl.  But the darn puppy jumped right back in the bowl and emptied it again.  So I repeated the clean up but didn't immediately fill the bowl.  I locked her in a crate and gave the others water.  Then I picked up the water and released the prisoner.

About an hour later I refilled the bowl thinking she had learned her lesson.  WRONG!  She did it again.  So I spend most of the day individually watering dogs and picking up water bowls.

At the end of the night, she finally wore herself out but she wasn't about to give up the her personal pool!

Which Would You Choose?

Our morning dog ritual goes something like this--get up, go outside potty, then open the bedroom door so the dogs can run down the hallway at mach 10 to make sure all the cats are in the basement.  (You see cats are supposed to live on the lower level but when the dogs are contained in the bedroom well they're cats!)  Once we have completed this cycle, I start the coffee and make food bowls.  

So this morning, we went through our ritual and set the food bowls down.  Russ, Music, Shaker and Ella dug into their chow.   Then out of no where, Stinky Kitty (guess where she got her name) jumped over the dog gate and landed on the kitchen table.  Well 3 of my 4 Cardis  immediately abandoned their chow to converge on the naughty kitty.  Guess who went straight for Russ' food bowl?

Shaker, of course, you see he had finished his chow in 3 easy inhales and he knew that Russ takes his time eating breakfast.  Shaker has 2 gulps down his gullet before I could get 3 steps to stop him.  

So let the record reflect when it comes between food or herding cats--Shaker will choose FOOD!

Look What Mom Got Me

Hey it's me Ruff Ruff.

Look at what Mom got for me.  I wonder if it comes with a driver?

How cool is that!

Ruff Ruff out!

Mud Puppy

Ella is a mud puppy.  She never met a pool, pond or puddle that wasn't her best friend.  By the end of the day she is a full blown mess.  Now my normal response to a seriously dirty dog is to dip them a few times in warm water, soap, rinse and repeat.  But by the 5th bath with this little dirt devil, I was over it and decided to examine the outcome of just letting well enough alone.

Okay so I stop giving her baths unless the mud is caked and believe you me it has been many times!  Well the darnest thing happened, she would magically clean up.  Her ruff would return to white and her feet and such too!  I am thinking this is pretty cool until today.

I am doing a bit of cleaning and I notice that the rungs of my banister are filthy.  So I bust out my bucket, Murphy's Oil Soap and start to clean my white wood work.  As I am scrubbing I realize that Little Miss Thing has been taking her wet muddy self and wiping it all over my WHITE wood work!

Memo to self: put some shammies by the dog door!

Ella Mambo

Ella doesn't have a serious bone in her body.  She has the greatest puppy smile. When she actually comes to her name she does her own version of the Mambo--front going one way, rear another and tail dancing along.  I just to watch her bound toward me--well that is after she decides that I am worthy of her attention.

Champagne Cork

Okay it's raining folks so I should be doing indoor tasks like cleaning out the refrigerator but well catching up on blog post is important too.  Right?

Yesterday while I was planting the garden, Shaker was playing in the pond/water feature.  It was  a hoot watching him a wee of time splashing and fishing.  So I am watching him and he comes up with something that I didn't immediately recognize.  I said, "drop it" and he dutifully dropped a champagne cork.  

I had two thoughts--1) Good that we found it before we turned the pump on  and 2) Would someone tell David we found  the cork he ricocheted off the tree into the pond?

Country Dogs

Who said you can't take a city dog to the country?  Well I am here to tell you it can happen.  

Let me first say that Ella and Shaker took to country living like fish to water.  They love playing in the pond, pools, dirt, mud puddles and well you name it.  Many times Ella has been voted the dirtiest puppy with Shaker not far behind.

But Ruff Ruff well let me go back...  Ruff Ruff was a rough and tumble in the mud kind of puppy until his first dog show.  From that day on, he has not wanted to get dirty or wet.  Darnest thing I have ever witnessed.  But finally yesterday, he started really tearing it up in the yard.  He actually got his underbelly and feet dirty!  I was so happy to see him rolling in the yuck that I stopped working just to watch him get DIRTY!  

Dog Door

Russ here again.

Mom says that it is a lot of work to take care of 3 acres, so I helped her out and made us a doggie door.  Aren't I wonderful?

Ruff Ruff Here

Hey its me Ruff Ruff.   Mom is calling me Mr. Insufferable today, but I don't get it.

I have a tale to tell today!  My other family woke me up out of a good sleep.  My buddy Alec said, "Hey Ruff Ruff let's go play."  Well I never give up an opportunity for a good play session, so I got up and went with him.  I left my peeps snoring--Shaker and Ella had their feet pointed to the ceiling!

We went in Aunt Cindy's truck and she prettied me up.  My Mom said I didn't need a bath because I had one last week before the wedding and I don't like to get dirty like my brother and sisters.  (I did have some pee on my foot, because Shaker is an idiot but that is another story)

So any who, me and my buddy Alec were on our A game.  I really trained him well--he knows just what to do to make me look good.  But I do have to talk to him about getting some cream colored pants to compliment my beautiful brindle coat.  Anyway after a whole bunch of running around the ring with some very good looking dogs the judge pointed at me for Best of Breed.  Wow!

Then me and my buddy Alec went back to the herding group, and you'll never believe this--we won a group 3 in the herding group.  I didn't know it at the time but my Mom was there watching.  She was hiding because I act all goofy when she is around.  She was very proud of me and I got carried all over the place.  Mom said it was a great Mother's Day present!

Today, I am training my Mom to feed me on demand as I have to bulk up, and I have trained her to take me to the yard on demand as I have to stay buff you know.  Well it is just about time to make Mom do something again.

Ruff Ruff out!

Music

My Princess Music was naughty!  Ordinarily she likes to sleep in and I do mean sleep in--9:30 or 10 most mornings.  But this morning...

Kathy was rudely awakened by Music nipping and snarky barking at her.  I awoke and told Music--NO!!!  But she kept doing it.  It was then in my early morning sleepiness I realized she was "asking" to go outside.  Holy smokes!  We let her know that this was not an appropriate way to ask for anything.

Let's hope we do not have a repeat preformance.

Ella

Hi everyone it is me Ella (aka Ella Bella).  Mom thought I was going to be a quiet one, but seriously she named me after Ella Fitzgerald.  How did she think I would be quiet one after a name like that?

Just so you all know I am going to be the top dog soon.  I have learned how to make Shaker put his head down by just looking at him.  I am well on my way to making Ruff Ruff my servant, but Music she is a harder sell.  Yesterday we had a stare down contest and then Music snarled at me.  Mom said I had it coming but she doesn't understand that I am working on my top dog status.  (Moms  can be soooooo stupid.)

Oh also, I completed my puppy education with flying colors.  I only had to take puppy education one time not like someone else in my house!  I got a really cool toy for graduation and Mom got poop bags. 

And I love to play in water.  I don't care if it is a water bowl, pond or swimming pool.  If it has water in it I in!  Mom is always saying, "Ella, How did you get so dirty?"  "Duh Mom I was in the water and then rolled in the dirt."  Moms are really stupid.

Mom also says that I am greased lightening so she is working on a "wait" command with me.  Ha I totally ignore her and wiz right between her legs unless the obedience instructor is watching.  Then I do it right every time.  Like I said, Moms are sooooooo stupid!

Wedding Day

Hey it's me Russ.

My Moms got married on Saturday and we got invited.  But you know what noone behaved themself besides me.  Yeah I need to say that again.  I was the only one who was a good puppy dog. 

It all started when Aunt Cindy, Aunt Sherilyn and Uncle Rus came to find us and they were carrying pink bows.  Now I'm a boy dog, but I thought to myself--"what the heck it's for my Moms".  Music was a pill and didn't want to put the bow on and she didn't want to leave her Princess Pillow. 

So we got our pink bows on, then the music started and we headed out the door.  Ella wouldn't walk so Meredith had to carry her.  Jesh what a naughty puppy.  

Well we all got to our seats with Music pouting, Ella in Meredith's lap and then Shaker started barking.  Barking, Shaker was barking at squirrels, and other dogs.  For goodness sake, Shaker barked while the pastor was talking.  Good Grief!

Well we scooted out and then they stuffed us  back in the bedroom.  Can you believe we didn't get to go to the reception.  I heard they had ribs, pulled pork, and cake, but how would I know we weren't invited to the reception!

Well--Russ out!