More Than a Cute Face

I saw something about this on tv and then I found this article...it's so sweet!

These support dogs traveled from Chicago to Newtown, CT to help people overcome their grief from the tragedy last week. Dogs really do bring people comfort, joy and hope, even during some horrible moments.  The dogs also happen to be golden retrievers, which goes to show how these lovely furry creatures really are some of the best pets to have!

Read the article here - it makes me want to train Minnie to become a support dog...maybe in about 5 years when she calms down?

This photo is from the Lutheran Comfort Dog Facebook page -
check out the details here!

Squinty Minty

Sunday I was just laying around, watching Friends reruns and Lifetime, when I noticed 2 things about Minnie: 1.) She wasn't pestering me/getting on my nerves and 2.) Her right eye was half shut and she kept blinking it. As the day went on the eye got worse...then yesterday she couldn't open it at all! We knew she especially wasn't feeling well when she voluntarily put herself in her crate in the middle of the afternoon.

So last night we took Minnie to the vet and it turns out her eye was scratched by something and then it got infected. Poor little girl!  So for the next 10 days she gets eye drops and medicine...and she gets to wear the Cone of Shame!

Although we feel bad for her and know she's not feeling well, it is pretty funny watching her try to do normal stuff with that cone around her neck - especially when she keeps crashing into the walls. She also found out that she can't chew any of her bones because she can't get her paws around the cone to hold them.  Of course I feel bad for her, but she just looks so funny wearing her "bonnet!" 

I have no idea how long this cone is going to last, but it's probably good she's wearing it because she keeps trying to paw at her eye. I don't really feel like paying $112 again for another vet visit/medicine, so Minn is going to have to put up with that dang cone!

I am a sad, sad girl with a squinty eye and a stupid cone around my neck!

Scaredy Dog

Lately Minnie has been acting weird. It all started when she decided she didn't want to eat her food anymore, and now she creeps around the house looking sad. This week she seems like she's afraid of everything (including me, and I am ALWAYS nice to her!) I think she's probably going through a phase...I remember reading something about that in one of the puppy books we got before adopting Minnie. I hope she snaps out of it, because I don't like this mopey business! 

On another note, after I finished singing Minnie's praises a few weeks ago, I was informed that she chewed a hole in the rug - right as I was hitting "publish" on the blog! I can't really be mad because she hasn't destroyed anything else around our house, but Minnie...why'd you have to do that RIGHT when I just wrote about how great you are? Oh you sneaky little pup. 

I was going to get the rug fixed but I decided it's going to stay put for awhile...the hole gives it a "vintage" look! 

This weekend I hope to take Minn on some good, long walks. Hopefully that will put the pep back in her step!

Minnie looking sad (or maybe that's just her face?)
PS I had to tell her to SIT about 15 times for this picture....what happened to the days when she would sit on command?  She's in her rebellious preteen phase, I tell you!

P.S.

This happened last night, guys. Why do I let them do this to me? 

WOOF.
-Minnie

According to Minnie

Hi humans, it's me (Minnie) again!  Well, it is that time of year again that everyone calls "the holidays." Now, this may be my second time around during "the holidays," but I will tell you - this year is MUCH different than last year.  For one thing, last year I was brand spanking new (my parents adopted me right before Thanksgiving) and I was kind of a big deal.  Every day for about a month, people were stopping by my house, wanting to see "the new puppy," giving me treats, giving me presents, giving me pets, giving me attention....man oh man it was great!  

These days, I am just old news.  That's right. Have I gotten a single surprise visit from one of my parents' friends? NO. Have I gotten delicious treats and fun toys, just for being a new puppy? NO. Here's what happens when people come over and I go to greet them - they tell me to CALM DOWN and quit jumping on them! What the heck? I'm just trying to let them know that I love visitors and I appreciate them coming over to visit me! (Even if they aren't coming over specifically to see me.)

Just because I weigh more than 6 pounds, my fur isn't fleecy anymore, my breath is a little pungent, and I can knock people over doesn't mean that I don't have feelings! Just to show everyone how bummed out I am, I have taken to not eating my food until I can't hold out any longer. That will show them!  Right?

And another thing - no one better try and dress me up in stupid Santa hats, reindeer ears, or elf costumes this year. I am a proud golden retriever with model-esque looks - I don't need to be made into a joke!

Now I will conclude my bitter sounding note, and go back to piling up logs by the back door and burying my bones in leaf piles. Next blog will be a happy one, I promise!

Love,
MINNIE

Me and Jack this past weekend...he calls me a "pest." Whatever!

1 Whole Year!

As of this weekend, we have had Minnie one whole year!  So much has happened in the past year - and it seems like everything happened so quickly (especially since doggy time is accelerated!)  Here are some "Minnie - Then and Now" tidbits:

• Then: Minn she was 6 pounds when we got her. Now: (we think) she is 60. You go girl!

• Then: She would freak out at the vacuum and hide. Now: She still hides under the bed when she hears it cranking up! Sidenote: A new habit that's happened in the past week is that she looks out our bedroom window every morning when I'm pulling out of our driveway and heading to work. It's so sweet! (And also kind of freaky - how does she get from the back door, where I pet her goodbye, to the complete other side of the house so quickly??)

• Then: She would cry for every person that walked through our door (whether she'd met them before or not) and act like they were her long lost best friend. Now: Still does all of that!

• Then: Hated getting a bath. Now: We can't get her out of water!

• Then: She was very timid around bigger dogs (especially Sunny next door). Now:  She likes to pester and annoy big dogs (and also, Sunny is her BFF now).

• Then: Did a funny "squeak yawn." Now: Still does it!

• Then: Escaped out of the backyard by digging under the fence. Now: Digs holes and hides her bones!

• Then: Had this fleecy, puffy fur that was the softest fur I ever felt, and NO shedding. Now: Has her "big girl" fur (still soft though) that SHEDS EVERYWHERE.

• Then: Pulled so hard on her leash I felt like my shoulder was coming out of its socket. Now: Still does that, but now that she's 10 times bigger, it makes my shoulder feel even more awesome!

• Then: Let me dress her up in silly outfits. Now: Still lets me!

• Then: The cutest puppy I ever saw. Now: The cutest AND sweetest dog I ever saw!

Where would we be without our Minn-Pup??

It's Been Awhile...

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but that doesn't mean I don't have a ton of Minnie stories to share!  Last post we were about to leave for our trip to Minnesota. I have so many pictures that I don't even know if my computer can hold all of them!  In the mean time, here is a picture of Minnie while she was "helping out" on an office project.  More pictures/stories/fun to come!

PS Minnie turned 1 on Sept. 20 - yes, we are "those" people who had a birthday party for her.  How could you not celebrate that cute fuzzy little face???

A Note From Minnie

Hi Humans,
Minnie here.  I am taking over the blog today because my mom said she didn't know what to write. What is she talking about? How can you run out of things to write about lil ole ME?  I am one cute, sassy, energetic girl who leads a very interesting life, THANK YOU!


I must say that life is pretty good for me these days.  My days normally consist of zooming around my yard in the morning, taking a morning nap in the kitchen, taking an afternoon nap under my dad's desk, taking a mid-day nap under my mom and dad's bed, chewing on my bone, playing fetch, and then taking an pre-bedtime nap in the family room. What can be better than that? 


Now that I think about it, I feel like I might be getting ripped off in the walk department - I can't even remember the last time I went on one! My mom says it's too hot for me and that I start panting too much, but so what! A girl needs to keep her figure trim and slim, I say!  That's why I've been running laps around the backyard in the morning. I call it my morning constitutional. If no one is going to walk me, then I have to take matters into my own paws!


Guess what? In a couple weeks I get to go on vacation with my WHOLE family!  I don't have to be left behind this time, HURRAH!  From what I hear, I'm going to get to swim in this giant thing filled with water called a lake.  And I'm going to get to run on some mushy stuff called sand. AND I'm going to get to play with my cousin Jack all week long! Oh I just can't wait!  


As for now, I'm just going to have to keep staying on my best behavior so my parents don't change their minds about taking me along.  I will try not to dig in the trash so much, run the other way when my dad is calling, and jump on people. But I love people too much to contain my excitement!


I hope everyone is having as great of a week as I am!


Love,
Minnie


P.S. - Go Cardinals! (Whatever that means. My parents say it all the time so I thought I was supposed to.)

Fearless

I have been slacking on the updates lately so I'm trying to remember what's happened in the past two weeks!  Unfortunately for Minnie, it has been extremely hot here, so that means less walks/fetch/outdoor activities. The ground is even too hot for her paws - she kept picking one paw up at a time when she was standing on the driveway. Poor pup! 


However, whenever she gets the opportunity, Minnie LOVES swimming in the pool!  We actually raced (doggy paddle) across the pool, and she beat me! She'd probably be an even better swimmer if she quit trying to drink all of the water while swimming. She threw up a couple times after taking a dip, so hopefully she learned her lesson!


Minnie has also discovered that she has flying skills. One night I was in the bedroom and she zoomed in from the hallway, bounced off the bed, flew in the air, and landed on the dresser. Even though she was definitely NOT supposed to be up there, it was pretty funny/strange seeing a 50+ pound dog standing on a dresser! I think she freaked herself out a little though because she hopped down pretty quickly.  We're pretty sure Minnie thinks she's a cat. 

Over the past few months we've come to find that Minnie's not really afraid of anything, which is good I suppose! She used to be a little afraid of the vacuum and she's still slightly afraid of the dust buster, but besides that, she's not bothered by loud noises or new situations. Although we call her a cat, she's definitely not a scaredy cat!

Sunbathing Pup

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Personality Plus

One thing about Minnie that ceases to amaze me - her funny little personality quirks!  She definitely has some strange/amusing/hilarious/annoying/crazy/awesome habits that keep Husband and I entertained every day.  Here's some of the highlights:

• Loves getting her picture taken
• Sleeps on her back with her paws in the air
• Pushes her bed around with her nose into a whole different part of the house
• WILL NOT STOP LICKING PEOPLE (especially me)
• Stands on the patio table like a cat
• Cries when she's left out of a room
• Barges in the bathroom and cries when you shut the door on her
• Sticks her head in the trash (this one is definitely an annoying habit)
• Zooms at top speed in the backyard
• Barks at butterflies
• Digs holes to China in the backyard
• When I first see her in the morning, she runs at me at top speed, almost knocks me over, and then sneezes on me
• Rubs her whole body on my legs to make sure she's got a good coating of fur on them before I go to work
• Sticks her head out the window in the car and lets her lips flap in the breeze
• Lets us dress her up in silly stuff! (See below)

And Then There Was One

Minnie is currently down to one toy.  After lavishing her with an overabundance of chew toys, squeaky toys, ropes, and other stuff, Minnie has one bone remaining. I feel like a controlling mom who took all her kid's toys away, but we were left with no choice - Minnie ate each and every one of them!  She even ate her bed, which is sad because it actually belonged to the original golden retriever in my life, Bea :(


Now that I think about it, I guess Minnie actually does have one rope toy left, but it smells so horrible that we don't really encourage her to play with it.  And Lamby is still kickin' it, but after she ate Lamby's ear off, we rescued her from Minnie's jaws of terror and put her away for the time being.


So the one thing Minnie hasn't been able to torture is her beloved peanut butter filled bone.  That's not saying she doesn't TRY to torture it though.  She grinds it, drops it, flings it, leaves it out in the rain, and buries it.  I think the bone will survive though, because her cousin Jack hasn't seemed to destroy his bone yet either, so I think it is safe.


Does a bone even count as a toy though? I mean it's not like we can make her wrestle her with it, or play fetch with it.  I feel a little sad for Minnie. If she would just learn to treat her belongings with loving care, she'd have more toys to enjoy!

THE bone. When the peanut butter is gone, we fill it back with more!  Which usually leaves us with peanut butter streaked floors. Oh well. 

Obsessed

Sometimes I ask myself, Jill, why do you torment yourself by looking at pictures of golden retriever puppies each and every day?  The result is always the same - every time I peruse golden pics, I always, ALWAYS want another one.  


Now you may be wondering, but don't you already have a golden puppy?  Isn't precious Minnie enough for you, you greedy jerk? The answer is yes, of course I still love my Minn, yes I am a jerk for feeling the need for more puppies, and yes I am being ridiculous, but I JUST CAN'T HELP IT. Why do goldens have to be so dang cute? Sometimes I even wish goldens were less cute, so I wouldn't feel the need to buy every puppy in the world. There is just something about those tiny faces, fuzzy butts, and wiggly tails that makes me want to cry!  


I am obsessed with golden retriever puppies, and I am not ashamed.


I advise you to view some of these photos so you know what I'm talking about, and so you don't think I'm a huge weirdo (which you probably already do).  Even if you have a heart of stone and a love for cats, I guarantee you will want a golden retriever puppy after looking at these photos. Now go!

Basil the Golden

Timber the Golden

I am also posting another picture of Minnie to reassure you that she is still the #1 golden in my life!

Gone Fishin

Minnie had herself another new adventure this past weekend!  Husband decided to take her on a fishing trip...I thought it was going to be a rough time (since she can't sit still for more than 4 seconds), but apparently she did all right!  From what I hear, she had a great time jumping out of the boat and swimming, trying to eat fish, and destroying the rope that ties the boat to the dock. Way to go Minn!  When she got home, she was completely wiped out - she even let us pick all of the ticks off her!


On another note, we took Minnie to the vet and got her some new medicines and food that will hopefully help her stomach issues. The only thing we've noticed so far is that she has been zooming around the yard/house like crazy...then we noticed the bag of food says "high energy diet" on it!  Like she really needs that!

Making sure the water looks safe before she jumped in!

So sleepy on the ride home

Needed a more comfy spot, so she crammed in between the seats!

Minnie's Musings

Hi people, it's me, Minnie! My mom is letting me write this post today because she says that I have so many things happening on my social calendar that she just can't keep track of them! So today I am taking over the blog, and I just can't wait to tell you about what I've been up to!


First of all, this weekend my mom dragged me on TWO walks that I did NOT enjoy. You might be thinking, but Minnie always loves a stroll, tugging her mom down the street, and jumping up on people she sees!  Well let me tell you, I still love all of those things, but I DON'T love them when the temperature is over 90!  I kept panting as fast as I could, I tried only walking in the shade, and I even stopped a couple of times, but my mom didn't seem to notice! I want to ask everyone out there, how would YOU feel if you were sporting a rather thick (and beautiful, I must add) coat of fur when it's summer? It is not fun!


Although my walks were not up to my normal level of fun, I did get to go into a Farmer's Market with my mom, where I got to sniff all kinds of fruits, vegetables, cookies, and pies. My mom bought a huge bunch of bananas because I decided I had to lick them. Well do you blame me? They smelled good!


I also got to go to a pool this weekend, but no one let me swim!  Apparently last week all of my fur clogged up the filter or something. Whatever that means! I was just trying to cool off!  I'm still a little scared of the water anyway. But don't tell anyone!


Yesterday was my cousin Jack's 11th birthday! And guess what? We got to have CAKE! I never had doggie birthday cake before. I licked my slice up in one slurp.  Jack took a little longer eating his, so I ate the rest of it for him. It looked like he needed help! I also gave him a cheese and bacon flavored bone, but he didn't want to share it with me. No fair!


Also yesterday my dad turned on this thing called the "sprinkler." I don't know what it does, but it sure is fun! I tried to bite, chew, and leap through the water coming out, but it kept moving around! Then after playing in the sprinkler, I got a bath. I wasn't really happy about that because I look a little silly with my fur matted down!  But I did get a lot of tastes of my shampoo, and it sure tasted good!


I also got to go on quite a few car rides this weekend. Man do I love riding in the car! I love to stick my whole head out the window and feel the breeze, but my mom and dad always yell at me to get back in the car.  I just wanted to feel the wind in my ears, sheesh!  I really love to jump around in the backseat and try to climb in the front seat with my parents. They don't let me come up there with them though! I don't see why not! I am a very fun girl!  People even like to wave at me when they pull up next to us on the road. I wish some of those people would toss me some treats, for crying out loud! It's not easy trying to let your lips flap in the wind when your mom is yanking your collar to get you back in the car!


Anyways, I gotta go get ready for my vet appointment tonight. I just love going to the vet because I get pets, kisses, and TREATS!!

Me and Jack at his birthday party!

Nonstop Panting

This weekend is supposed to be hot. I mean HOT. Tomorrow's high is 99 degrees. I know last summer it was over 100 for basically the whole season, so 99 isn't that bad I guess, but it's still only May!  The reason I'm mentioning the weather report is that I know what Minnie's going to be doing a lot of this weekend: panting!


My poor pup started panting a ton back in March when it was like 80. She doesn't know what's in store for her!  And more panting = more drooling.  And more drooling = even grosser floors than we already have!  I just feel bad for Minn because she won't be getting a lot of outdoor playtime this weekend, even though it's a 3 day weekend and Husband and I will be home the whole time.  When we take her on a walk, I guess we'll have to do it at 7 am so she can bear being outside!


Wednesday was my birthday and Minnie gave me a special treat...she ate a pile of poo outside (SICK) and then licked me!  Thanks Minnie! She also sported the Cardinals hat for 5 seconds so Husband could get a picture and send it to me. What a special lady! Haha.

Go Cards!

I'm staying on the porch where the temps are cooler!

Whoops

Ok, talk about major slacking on the blog updates! SO much has been going on lately that I honestly forgot about writing in the blog! But that doesn't mean Minnie has been neglected, of course!


In April, Husband and I headed to San Diego for an entire week - an entire week without Minnie! Husband's sister watched her for the week, and let me tell you, I was so nervous about leaving her for the first time! Not nervous about Sis-in-law watching Minnie (she and her husband are major dog lovers, and in fact they have a golden of their own, Jack!) I was just nervous that Minnie would miss us too much! However, I had no idea that I would miss Minnie as much as I did! I'm pretty sure that at least 3 times a day, Husband and I would whip out our phones to look at pictures of Minnie and saw, awwww remember this one?


Minnie, on the other hand, had the time of her life! We got numerous texts from my SIL throughout the day (we called them Pupdates, ha!) so we were always updated on Minnie's adventures. I'm pretty sure she missed us for about 10 minutes total. She went on hikes, played/wrestled with Jack, raced up and down steps, protected the yard from the neighbor dog, and basically had a blast. In summary, WE missed Minnie...SHE did not care. Ha!


When we returned from our trip, Minnie actually seemed a little down for a couple days! She moped around the house (I think she was looking for her playmate!) and put herself in her crate promptly at 10 pm! Poor girlfriend. After awhile she got used to us again...I think she was afraid we were going to leave her again!


After a glorious week with Minnie, I left for another week long trip, so I was Minnie-less again! Husband stayed home this time, so luckily our furball wasn't ditched once again! I missed her a ton! Now I'm back for a LONG time, so I won't have to go on missing my girlfriend!


A couple of other things...Minnie went swimming for the first time on Sunday! That was a hilarious situation. We have a video which I will have to post on here. She was scared at first, but she got the hang of it right away! Next she'll have to learn how to not drink the water while swimming!


We also decided to invest in a choker collar - seems mean but it was a GREAT choice. Minnie has a tendency to pull HARD at the leash, jump on every person she sees, and take off running after stuff. It was getting to the point that she was too strong for me to walk her! The choker collar made a difference right away, and hopefully she'll get the hang of it so that we won't have to use it anymore! You go girl!


Here is a picture of me holding Minnie on Mother's Day (she's almost 8 months here)...and as a reminder, the first time I ever held her! Man has she grown!

I Can't Help It

It is true that Minnie is rather cute and energetic at the ripe old age of 6 months, but I can't stop looking at pictures from her "baby" days! It just amazes me how much she's grown since we brought her home! I promise, the next post will be about Minnie's current doings...but for now, here's a picture from back on Thanksgiving. WHAT A PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL! We found that bandana she's wearing in the picture the other night - I don't think her nose would even fit through it now! Aw!

The little furball...this was after she threw up on me in the car :(

Neglectful Mom

Lately I feel like I've been a neglectful mom to Minnie. I've been incredibly busy the past couple weeks, and it seems like I get home later and later each night, which means less Minnie time :( Thankfully Husband has been an immense help and has been up to the challenge of taking good care of our precious pup.  Minnie - I promise we will go on a walk next week! Husband - I promise I will be around to do more work around the house!


I've been coming across some random photos of Minnie this week - here is one from Christmas when she posed next to a gift bag featuring a pup that looked like her - she was forced to wear her silly elf outfit, of course! I guess I didn't realize how much Minnie's grown over the past 4 months we've had her - but when I look at the pictures, I can see she's come a long way!

Minnie! They trapped your people in a gift bag!

Rub-a-dub-dub...

...Minnie loves the tub!

Happy Tuesday!

Losing Track of Time

I was sitting here browsing around on Pinterest when I realized that I haven't written in quite some time!  And I'm sure everyone's just itching to know what Minnie's latest antics are, right? :)


Our furry friend is finally feeling up to par, after a few weeks of tummy troubles and vet visits. We switched her food to ProPlan which has seemed to help a lot. We've also been watching her more closely in the yard - since we noticed that a slug, in its entirety, traveled through her system the other day. Sickening! But overall, Minnie's doing just fine and we are thrilled about that!


A couple of funny things did happen over the past couple of weeks though, so I felt the need to share!

• Minnie's new thing is running to the back of the house, barging in the bathroom, and climbing in the tub!  One day we couldn't even find her because she got in with the curtain closed. What a silly!
• She also figured out how to jump on the bed - by taking a flying leap off the bench in front of our bed. I was actually still in bed the first time this happened. It was quite a surprise!
• She has been demonstrating her army crawl skills by somehow scooting under the bed and coming out the other side...even though there's a bunch of storage bins under there!

Minnie turned 6 months old last week...can you believe it? See photo below...she was 6 pounds when we got her, and now she's nearing 40! WHY DOES TIME GO SO FAST????


Ok, enough of my lamenting about losing track of time - I'm off to see what the pupster is getting into now! (Hopefully not the trash again....)

Doing Much Better

So Minnie really does have a little stomach parasite (it wasn't from eating crap in the backyard like we thought). However, it's a good thing the vet could detect it, because it's an easy fix with a bit of medicine. So Minnie is on the road to recovery!  She's already acting more puppy-ish and playful, so we know she'll be fine. What a relief!


Minnie came to work with me on Friday - that was....interesting. She climbed all over me in the car, had her face an inch from mine, put her paw on my shoulder, and then tried to hop in my lap (while I was driving). Then we got to my office, and she would not. stop. CRYING!  I don't know what the deal was! Maybe she didn't like being closed in my office with me? Or maybe she had to go to the bathroom (since this was before we knew she was sick). All I know is, I won't be taking her to work with me for quite awhile!  She even barked when my coworker came in the front door - I guess she felt the need to protect us all from intruders!  

At work with my mom!  Looking happy here...
even though I wasn't!

Sick Puppy

We have a sick puppy on our hands! Poor Minnie! She's been having tummy troubles since Wednesday and it's not really getting any better. We're taking her to the vet today though, so hopefully we can get the problem straightened out ASAP! I don't like seeing my furry friend looking all sad and glazed-eyed!  She is just not acting like her normally peppy self, so I know she's not feeling well. I feel bad that I dragged her on a 2 mile walk on Saturday...I thought she was doing better at the time so I made her go with me :( Get better soon, Minnie!!!

On my walk Saturday I felt like this.... 

...but today I feel more like this :(

Memories....

Today Husband sent me this picture while I was at work.  I can't believe it's only been 3 months since we've had our precious pup, but she has grown about 5 times her size!  

This weekend wasn't super eventful. Minnie went on a walk and played with her 10 year old cousin, Jack.  And by play, I mean she tried to get him to chase her while he just stood there staring at her, like leave me alone you crazy puppy!  Then Jack would bark in her face and she'd run and hide under the chair.  Silly!  After the play date, Minnie slept most of the day.  Then she went and put herself to bed!  At least she doesn't need us to play with her before bedtime to get her worn out!

Doggie Bag

Anyone have plans to travel this weekend?  Looks like Minnie's ready to go somewhere...

Happy Friday! (Finally!!!)

Weekend Adventures

This past weekend Husband and I decided that Minnie was ready to go on a hike! So we packed up her gear, heaved her into the car, and set off for Castlewood State Park!  Now since it is February, it was a little cold, but that didn't keep people away.  In fact, I don't think I've ever seen the trail that crowded before...even in the summer!


Minnie REALLY enjoyed herself on the hike...she got to sniff a lot of new things, met some other dogs, jumped on some new people, and took a little stroll in the Meremac River!  Oh Minn. I think she would've went completely in if we didn't pull her out!


The following day, we took Minnie over to my parents' house, where she had a blast playing in the backyard, shoving sweetgum balls into her mouth, and exploring their house. She also stuck her nose in the firepit...RIGHT ON THE FLAME! She didn't yelp but you could tell she was feeling it afterwards...she kept pawing at her nose and rolling around in the grass!


So far this week Minnie's been pretty calm - I think she might still be worn out from all of her adventures this weekend!  Husband's been working with her on some of the tricks he's learning from the book I got him for Valentine's Day - 101 Dog Tricks. Romantic gift, huh? Haha. I also got him some other items that sort of qualify as gifts for Minnie, including a doggie backpack, a collapsible travel water bowl (came in handy this weekend), a reflector vest for late night walks (safety first!), and of course, the book! I'll post some pictures soon of Minnie wearing her backpack, it's hilarious!

Pup and I at the park. Scenic view!

So we saw this little hideaway in the tree
and decided to shove Minnie in there for a photo
op...does that make us evil parents?

Minn hiding in the bushes, what a silly lady!

Post Op

I'm going to backtrack to last week when Minnie had her surgery. We dropped her off at the vet (SO sad), and she looked back at us and went WOOF as we were walking out the door! I wanted to run back and take her home with us! Fortunately though, Minnie's surgery went great, and it only took her about a day to recover. She was SO sleepy/drugged up when we picked her up, it was funny and kind of pathetic at the same time! We knew she wasn't feeling well because we put her in her kennel, opened up the door to let her out awhile later, and she didn't budge! Poor girlfriend.


Minnie's doing great now though, and we are planning on taking her on a hike this weekend if the weather stays ok! 


On a side note, Minn's picked up a funny little habit...she keeps scooting her food/water bowls all over the kitchen! I think she's doing it because she's mad at us. She's like, I'll show you guys...I'll act silly and then you'll play with me!

She's the only dog I know that cries tears of joy when she sees the vet!

Minn took over the wheel...

Right after her surgery - how sad is that face?

Sad, Sad Baby

Minnie's surgery is tomorrow, and I REALLY think she knows something is up! For the past 3 days she's been moping around the house, half-heartedly bringing toys up to us to play, and wandering around in circles and crying. I feel so bad for her! I keep calling her the sad, sad baby. Poor Minnie. Although I keep telling Husband that Minnie's sad because she knows her surgery is coming up, it's probably because we've been really busy and haven't had a lot of time for playing with her. Boo.

Minn's [human] grandparents visited her this weekend and she had a good time climbing all over them, licking their hands, and swinging all of her toys in their faces. I guess that's the only time she wasn't acting sad this weekend!

No pictures to post for now...I'm sure I'll have some of sad post-surgery Minnie to post tomorrow! :(

The Day is Looming...

Yesterday I made an appointment for Minnie to get fixed next Tuesday - yikes! Today we're going to the vet to get blood work done so they'll be able to tell if she can handle the anesthesia. I know having the surgery isn't a big deal, but I also know I'm going to be worrying about her all day!  I just don't want to see her all sad/in pain afterwards. I'm sure she'll recover quickly and be back to her silly antics in no time!  


As Minnie keeps growing, you can definitely tell she has her own little goofy personality. She is so particular about certain things that I never imagined dogs cared about!  For example, when we let her out of her kennel in the morning and she's on her way to the back door, she always stops, picks up a toy, flings it backwards over her head, and continues on out the door. Weirdo!  I love it though...she makes things super interesting at our house!

Minn at the farm - looking quite proud!


Note about the picture above - She busted out of her baby collar a couple weeks ago, so she's now sporting a collar that belonged to her Aunt Bea!

The Pupdate

My furry friend came back from her trip to the farm yesterday, and let me tell you, I missed her a ton!  From what Husband says, however, Minnie had a GREAT time! I could tell she must've had a blast, because she slept the entire day yesterday!  She also greeted me with a lot of crying, rolling around, jumping, licking, and slobbering.  So I guess my biggest fear did not come true - she didn't forget who I am!  Although she was only gone a day, I swear she looks bigger. She was also a whole lot stinkier. But a nice trip to the tub with her Viva la Dog Spa shampoo took care of the stench!


Here's a photo of her from the weekend - it is NOT Photoshopped! She's really smiling!

Missin' Minnie

Today Husband is taking Minnie to the farm, and I am not going with them. Man, am I going to miss that pup! (And I suppose Husband too!) For the 2 months we've had Minnie, I've never been away from her for more than 10 hours. They will be returning tomorrow night, so it's a pretty short trip, but I am afraid the following things are going to happen:

• Minnie will forget who I am 
• She will grow huge and won't have her puppy looks anymore
• She will go swimming in the icy cold lake (even though Husband swears he's not taking her near it)
• She will get filthy and stinky (I am 99.999% sure this will happen)
• She'll get eaten by a coyote
• She'll wander around looking for me, crying hopelessly (Actually I kind of want her to miss me!)
• She'll roll around in cow poop (Probably will happen also)

Anyways, I can't speculate about everything that's going to happen during the next 24 hours, but I guess I'll hear all about her adventures tomorrow night! Have a good time on your first overnight excursion, Minnie Moo!

Minnie Recommends...

The day we got Minnie, she wasn't too interested in her toys. Or bones. Or treats. Or even food. But there was one thing she immediately focused her attention on - her Lambchop toy. She LOVES her Lamby!

Since day one, Minnie has carried her Lamby around everywhere. At the beginning, Minnie was so small she couldn't even get the squeaker sound to work on Lamby! Now Lamby resides in her kennel, so she can snuggle with her at night.

You'd assume that with Minnie's increasing "puppyness" (aka ripping up stuff and teething), Lamby probably wouldn't last long at our house. That is not the case! Minnie treats Lamby like she's her baby. Not a thread has been ripped off dear Lamby's body!

So Minnie's recommendation for this week is the Lambchop toy (size small) available at Petco. I think it's even on sale this week! You can find it by clicking here.

Lamby all clean and white

Minnie's true love