I think I'm a napkin.

This evening, my human and I were out for a very long walk when we encountered Sinbad, a Labrador retriever-chow mix who very much resembles a female lion. The humans have often wanted to meet this dog up close, but it was Tall who finally got her chance.

Sinbad was out for his evening walk and apparently had been very excited because he had strands of white drool hanging from both sides of his mouth. We sniffed each other and I stood on my hind legs to reach his face and pay my respect by licking his muzzle. Unfortunately, there were several white blobs on my top knot after I got back on all fours. Basically, I was Sinbad's napkin. Lucky me.

My Family Tree

My American Kennel Club registration and three-generation pedigree arrived in the mail yesterday. The humans were excited about the pedigree and couldn't wait to see the names of my ancestors.

Apparently, out of the 14 relatives listed on my pedigree, only one of them — my great grandfather — was not black. He was a white standard. Maybe that's why one of my littermates had a white spot on his chest.

The humans also told me that everyone listed on my pedigree holds the CH (champion) title. Tall in particular seemed impressed by this. Now she wants me to be a champion, but am I not one by default? Hmm.

My first time . . .

. . . in the ocean was really cool!

Wait, what did you think I was going to say? Get your mind out of the gutter, Human!

On the spur of the moment, my humans decided we were driving to the beach today after puppy class. I'm glad we did. That sand stuff felt glorious between my furry little toes. And that water! It was wonderfully refreshing and very playful. Those waves kept teasing me and I fell for it every time; well, I fell for it until I realized I couldn't catch anything. Oh, and there were lots of other dogs there too.

I hope we go back soon. Here's me having fun at the beach:

Puppy Love Class

The humans enrolled me in training at a place called Best Paw Forward, and today was my first day of puppy class.

There were nine other dogs in my class and we got to play together in the middle of the room for like five minutes. That was my favorite part. The rest of the time involved the humans clicking some plastic thing when I did stuff like sitting, lying down, and looking at them. (By the way, the click meant I got a treat, which was awesome.) I thought this was weird, but oh well. I'm not one to turn down free food.

I'm anticipating a busy week in the training department. The HIC (human in charge) of the class instructed all the other humans to practice up to 50 times a day, every day, until our next class. I guess there will be no rest for the weary this week.

From the notes of my pet sitter . . .

"She did very good on her walk this morning! Good luck with puppy class. She'll be the best in the class. She's doing so good for being so young!"

The humans get so excited to read Anna's notes, but this one practically made them coo. Also, they got the surprise Anna made for them. She took some photos of me last week and had prints made of the really good ones. They seemed very pleased by this.

I love him.

Last night, Short Human came home from work and announced that she had just seen Ronin and his human out for a walk. So, the three of us went out to look for them.

The humans knocked on the door to Ronin's house and he got to come out and play. It was awesome. We're totally in love. Tonight, we have a play date at a local park. I'll fill you in later.

For now, here's a photo of us together. Ronin's a five-month-old Irish terrier. Isn't he dreamy?

Ocean Chews

The humans are on a roll when it comes to providing interesting, natural treats.

Today I was presented with an ocean chew. I didn't know what that was either, but it sure did taste yummy. Well, friends, I must tell you that an ocean chew is a sting ray tail segment. I'm not even kidding.

Much like the deer antlers, the sting rays who lost these tail segments to us dogs are not endangered and are used as food and for their leather-like hides. Pretty cool.

I chomped on this thing for about an hour and am longing for another one. Hint, hint.

P.S. All you old-timers will be happy to know that ocean chews are naturally high in chondroitin for joint relief.

The Ultimate Den

Oh how I wish the humans would buy me this Browning Passage Pet Cave.

Talk about home sweet home!

My Pet Sitter and Me

I'm very excited because today, I get to see Anna, my pet sitter, three times rather than the normal two! One of the humans has jury duty today and the other can't drive home at lunch to let me out. I love it when Anna stops by because she likes me so much.

However, I hope Short Human doesn't get stuck at jury duty more than one day. I'll miss seeing her at lunch.

Another Grooming Victim

My big sister, Hedwig, was also a victim of the humans' grooming frenzy today. Hedwig used to have long hair, but Short Human gave her a buzz cut. If you ask me, she's still beautiful. I just hope they don't do the same thing to me.

Almost Inappropriate

I probably should be embarrassed to share this photo, but I had so much fun meeting another poodle that I don't even care what people might think. Judge me if you will.

Flea Crazy

This morning, Tall Human found a flea on my belly and all hell broke loose. After muttering over and over to Short Human that she "ordered Frontline Plus last week" and "it should be here any day," we high-tailed it over to three pet stores. Unfortunately, Petco was out of the low dosage, one Petsmart only sold it through their vet, which was closed, and the other Petsmart vet didn't carry it. But that didn't stop them. The humans managed to score a monthly dose from Sophie's mom.

Before they'd give me the meds, Tall insisted on brushing my entire coat, washing me, letting me air dry, and then brushing my entire coat again. Finally, satisfied that I was as clean and tangle-free as I was going to get, she gave me the meds.

As if all of this wasn't bad enough, Short was running around outside spraying some flea and dust mite concoction she made from powder the vet gave her. Apparently, fleas are a pretty big deal around here.

I've been very naughty.

I'm ashamed of myself. Minutes ago, Short Human took attempted to take me for a walk and how did I repay her? By pulling her pants down for everyone on Plaza Terrace Drive to see.

What can I say for myself? I get that crazy puppy energy around this time every night. When we were walking, I just wanted to jump all over her. Immediately after pulling her pants up, Short grabbed me and rolled on her side into the grass, holding me tightly. We stayed like that for a while, at least until I calmed down. I can't imagine what the neighbors must have thought.

Deer Antlers: Mmm Mmm Good

The humans presented me with a new, somewhat odd treat today during our road trip to Blue Springs. This treat is 100 percent all natural, long lasting, rich in minerals, and ideal for teeth and gums.

I'm sure you'll be surprised to know that the treat I'm writing about is a piece of deer antler. I'm not even kidding. The humans gave me a deer antler to chew on.

At first, I was mortified that these hippie-like humans would give me such a thing, but when I found out these treats came from antlers that were already shed, I was okay.

For the record, I highly recommend these treats. My humans bought the large size for me, and it's just perfect.

Road trip! Woof!

Today, the humans took me to Blue Springs State Park. We didn't get to see any of those sea-cow manatee things, but there was a really big alligator sunning itself on the bank. That was scary!

I enjoyed running around, playing, and sniffing all the different scents, but most of all, I enjoyed splashing in the water a bit. This was my first time getting in water (besides taking a bath) and it was totally cool! That's something I definitely want to try again. Maybe next time I'll even swim, assuming there are no alligators, of course.

The BARF Diet: It's not gross!

The humans started me on different food today. They did this after learning about the BARF Diet a few weeks ago from my vet. I know BARF sounds really bad, but it's an acronym for biologically appropriate raw food. Some people also call it bones and raw food.

My vet suggested the humans do a little research about raw foods and gave them a sample of Dr. Billinghurst's BARF Diet for me to try. I gobbled it right up. Seeing this, Tall Human decided to do a little reading and she liked what she read. Apparently, there are countless benefits of BARF like:

• Better breath and cleaner teeth. (Let's be honest. Who couldn't benefit from that?)
• An immediate reduction in skin problems and a healthier, shinier coat. (I'm already beautiful, but everyone can stand a little improvement.)
• A normalized immune system. (Kiss those infections bye-bye.)
• Less problems with degenerative diseases. (Yay! Here's something positive about becoming an old dog.)
• Reduction of stool volume and odor. (Hallelujah!)
• Greater mobility for dogs with arthritis. (Again, this aging thing suddenly sounds a little better.)
• Increased lean body mass. (Say good-bye to those doggy love handles.)

So, as you can probably tell, we're all pretty excited about this new diet. I just hope my humans will be able to keep up with me.

Oh, and by the way, I'm currently enjoying Dr. Billinghurst's chicken BARF patties. Next, I hope they get the combo: beef, lamb, and chicken. YUM!

My Human's Birthday

Today is Short Human's birthday!

To help make sure you have a wonderful day, I promise to not poop or pee in the house. I'd like to say I won't jump up and goose your toosh, but we both know that's not going to happen. It's just too darn fun.

Happy birthday, human!

Love,
Dixie

A New Park

Tonight, the humans took me to a new park. This park was really cool because it's an urban wetland. How many of you dogs can say you've been to an urban wetland? I bet not many!

I'm not sure how far we walked, but I exhausted myself. Plus, I got to meet six cool dogs and they were really nice to me even though I'm a puppy. (Too bad Sophie from next door doesn't feel the same way.)

After we left, the humans drove around for a while, with the windows down, looking at houses. I loved the fresh air blowing into the back seat. They're pretty cool for taking me all over town.

Ear Infection, etc.

Tall Human took me to the vet this afternoon and the vet confirmed it — I do in fact have an ear infection. This is my first ailment and it's pretty painful. Oh, and as if the ear infection isn't enough to deal with, I also had a pretty big pustule on my tummy. I'm having a rough week in the health department.

Now, the humans have to put 5 drops of very cold liquid in each of my ears daily. This is uncomfortable as heck, so I give them a hard time. It's funny to me that it takes two of them to hold me down and even then they aren't so good at it.

For their sakes — but mostly for mine — let's hope I'm not prone to ear infections like most poodles.

More Leg Room

In the wee hours of the morning, Tall Human opened the door to my crate. Normally, I bolt out because I have to pee, but I think she mistook my sounds of getting comfortable for wanting to go to the bathroom. This time, I didn't bolt — I just stared at her, blinking sleepily.

Boy am I glad I didn't bolt because Tall got to see me spread out in my crate. I think she realized it was time to give me some more room. A growing poodle needs that, you know. Anyway, when Short Human and I returned from our early morning walk, Tall was putting my crate back together. Now, I have much more room. Ahhhh . . .

I guess I'm finally being rewarded for not having many "accidents" in the house. My last one was more than a week ago and it was their fault. Actually, all of my "accidents," as they call them, have been their fault. Shame on them.

A New Take on the Kong

This morning, I heard Tall Human telling Short Human she had an idea to get me interested in my puppy Kong. I wasn't so sure about this because it was too cold to play with the last time they gave it to me, but I decided to keep an open mind.

A few minutes later, Tall called me into the kitchen and put the Kong up to my nose. I couldn't believe what I smelled. She had stuffed my Kong with my absolute favorite treat: Baa-Baa-Q's. This time, Tall knew what she was talking about.

I tossed, pawed, pushed, and bounced the Kong all over my exercise pen to release the delicious morsels. I managed to get a few out myself, but Tall eventually had to help me get everything out. Normally, I would be embarrassed that one of them had to help me, but not today. This was my first real experience with the Kong so I won't beat myself up about it. I'll be better prepared next time.

The Curious Incident of the Dog With a Carrot

Tonight Tall Human gave me a carrot piece (appx. 1" x 1/2") under the misguided assumption that I would find it to be a tasty treat. She couldn't have been more wrong. She's still cleaning up all the pieces. Heh, heh, heh.

Too Hot to Walk

The humans took me to Lake Eola today for a walk. Normally, we make it around twice but today we barely made it around once. I was really hot and had to stop a lot to rest. Short Human understood that I was hot and kept giving me water and pouring some on my coat, but I think Tall Human is a little daft because she seemed frustrated.

Seriously, I'm a black dog. And we live in Florida where it was above 80 degrees yesterday. What did she expect?

My First Grooming Appointment

So, I went to the groomer today and it went pretty well. I heard the humans tell the groomer to cut my coat short before they left, and I knew she was going to be in trouble when they returned because she totally ignored what they said.

The grooming session itself wasn't horrible, but I would have much preferred playing outside or taking a Saturday afternoon nap.The humans came back for me about four hours after dropping me off and when I was allowed to go greet them, they looked weird. Short Human's face got all red and she didn't say a whole lot. Tall Human kept saying over and over, "She looks like a poodle." Well duh!

After we left, I got the full scoop. It turns out that Short didn't like my new hairstyle at all and they were both upset with the groomer for not doing what they asked. From what I could tell, it sounded like I wouldn't be going back to that same salon ever again. Oops!

More Food (FINALLY)

I confess, I've been annoying/worrying my humans. Earlier this week, I vomited twice in one night and pooped out a bunch of bark the next day. They didn't seem pleased at all.

They mentioned my "annoying habit" to the vet when we were there and she told them to start feeding me more. I was embarrassed for them. It seems like common sense to me, but then again, I'm just a dog. I was trying to tell them I was hungry, but they only heard when the vet told them.

Now that they've increased my portions, I've stopped eating bark and leaves except on special occasions. However, I will not give up trying to sneak a delicious earthworm that has dried on the sidewalk. That's just asking too much.

My First Vet Visit

Last night, I went to the vet for the first time since coming to live with my humans.

I'm growing like a weed. I now weigh 13.8 pounds as opposed to the 10.1 pounds when I arrived in Orlando. The vet told the humans that I'm thin, but not too thin. I prefer svelte.

The vet and her helper poked and prodded me, but I didn't mind too much. What I hated most was the helper holding me still so the vet could inspect my ears. I don't like to be restrained. It's not my style.

In addition to all the pets and attention I received, Tall Human took my favorite treat, Baa-Baa-Q's, and gave me lots of them, so I'm already looking forward to my next visit.

Overall, it was a good trip and I was pleased with the vet and her staff. I think the humans did a good job of finding a qualified vet.

I "Heart" Ronin

During our morning walk, we ran into the humans' neighbor and his four-month-old Irish terrier, Ronin. I get really excited to see Ronin. He's very handsome and he loves to play with me.

We had a lot of fun playing this morning. At one point, I was pulling on Ronin's loose puppy skin with my teeth. Then he flipped me on my back and began stretching my lip farther than I ever thought possible.

I'm hoping Ronin will be my boyfriend. He's the best.

iQube: An Amusing Toy

As many of you may know, poodles are known for their keen intelligence. That's probably why my humans are so into exercising me physically and mentally.

Today, they gave me a toy called the iQube . Basically, the iQube is a plush cube with six openings on each side. The cube holds four squeaky balls that I'm supposed to retrieve. I'm pleased to say that I had removed my first ball within one minute. Not bad for a little pup, huh?

The toy will amuse me for a while, but I'm sure I'll soon tire of it. How many times can they really expect me to get excited about pulling balls out of a cube? Maybe I'll feel differently if they stuff it with some lamb lung or something. Now we're talking.

All Through the Night

Last night, I decided to throw the humans a bone and let them get a full night's sleep. That's right; I didn't wake them up to take me out to pee or poop.

Trust me when I tell you this was the icing on the "housetraining" cake too. I've been here almost two weeks now and have made progress everyday. When they first brought me home, I went out anywhere from every one and a half to three hours, which ended up being about three or four times a night. I think the humans were beginning to wonder if they'd ever get a good night's sleep again.

Today, I am the golden dog.

The Brushing War

Until today, I've had fun nipping at Tall Human when she's tried to brush me. It's not that I don't enjoy being brushed or that it hurts, but rather that I like to make her jerk away. It's fun!

Pretty much every day, Tall pulls out the slicker brush and brushes a different part of my coat. I think she does this because I don't give her such a hard time if she does a tail here and a leg there. I just can't fathom sitting sill to have my entire body brushed. That would be maddening.

Unfortunately, someone gave Tall a tip on brushing me and now she fancies herself an expert. This person (a groomer?) told Tall to brush me on top of something — a table or counter — which takes the control away from me. But worse than that, this groomer told Tall to keep her hand around my muzzle so I can't nip her or mouth the brush. It's a travesty, I know.

So, after some minor squirming and wrestling, she was successful in her attempt to brush my entire body. Oh well. At least I look pretty.

Home Alone

The morning started off differently than every other that I've spent so far with my humans. After my breakfast and morning walk, they both left. I wasn't really sure what was going on. Short Human put me in my crate, turned on the radio (I like NPR), and opened a window shade. However, she didn't latch my crate's door all the way. I kept quiet about it because I thought I might want to run around in the house a bit before Anna arrived at 9:30 a.m.

Needless to say, Anna was shocked when I greeted her at the door. I heard her call Tall Human and they talked about me getting out. I was a little bummed that she tattled on me, but I guess that's her job. Regardless, she blew any future chances I had of leaving my crate on a weekday when the humans are at work.

My First Really Long Walk

Today the humans took me for my first extended walk. We drove downtown to Lake Eola and walked around the lake twice, which equaled 1.8 miles. Needless to say, the distance plus all the interesting things to look at (e.g., swans, children, joggers) really tired me out.

Oh, let me give you some advice. Don't try to play with a big black swan who's just laid eggs. It's not a good idea at all.

My Puppy Shower

Today, about 20 people came to meet me and shower me with love, attention, and presents — everything I deserve. The humans had set up an Amazon wish list, so I got a lot of cool things like food bowls, a Bad Cuz, and a Lupine collar (for when I'm a big girl).

Oh, I also met a small human for the first time today. I was delighted by this one's energy and willingness to play. Too bad one of those doesn't live here with us. It was a fun day, but I was exhausted by all the "puparazzi" and totally crashed after everyone left.