Merry Christmas! 

I love(d) my gingerbread man and the cookies from The Momma! Yum, yum, yum! 

I'm not so sure about my "gift" from MommaBear. Little white flags all around my yard that make a funny noise when you get too close to them. How are we going to play ball now? How am I going to sneak over to Sparky's yard if I can't go near the buzzing flags? And, most importantly, where am I supposed to pee if I can't get to the bushes?? huh?? What were you thinking, MommaBear?  She says it's for my own safety, but they are stressing me out! But, I guess she knows best... 

I think I need a cookie.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I have been a good boy all year! Well, not all year, because I was only born in February, but since then, I think I have been pretty darn good... well, pretty darn good for a puppy anyway. 

This Christmas I would like a new string toy. Again.

And, maybe some new treats. 

MommaBear said we are not having a Christmas tree this year. Something about being worried the puppy might pee on it. Are you bringing us a new puppy? Certainly, she doesn't mean ME??!! Anyway, she said you would know where to leave our presents. 

I can't wait for Christmas!! 

Love,

SNOW! 

Or, To Quote Bambi, "What's All That White Stuff?"

So, I head out this morning for my daily constitutional and it's raining. Daddy doesn't even come out with me anymore for this early trip. He says he trusts me, what ever that means. I don't like the rain that much, although sometimes I get a good towel back rub out of it. Yes. That's always nice.

But, the next trip out was wild! MommaBear called it "snow". White, wet stuff falling on me, but it was different than rain. And it's all over the ground. MommaBear made balls of it and threw them for me to catch, but every time I ran for one, I couldn't find it after it landed. Weird, huh? Well, a couple times I did get it, but when I picked it up in my mouth, it just sort of fell apart. But it was fun, just the same.

I wanted to stay out and keep playing but MommaBear said her toes were cold. My toes weren't cold. Daddy took me out to play later for a while, but I could have stayed out even longer!

And to think, yesterday I took a dip in the pool!!

Special Visitor!

 

My Very Favorite Uncle Alex came to visit me!!! 

Such a great evening! He used to be here all the time but now goes to some place they call "College", whatever that is. All I know is that I hardly ever get to see him and I miss him. But, today, he came and even played ball with me outside. He taught me a new ball game.. instead of chasing just one ball, he let me chase two of them! They are small enough that I can carry both of them in my mouth at the same time, but sometimes it's hard to drop them for him. We played a long, long time! It was tons of fun. I miss you, Uncle Alex.

Play Time! My Favorite Time of Day!

I'm almost 8 months old already. Where has the time gone? I love it here at my home. It's so comfy and I have lots of spots to nap and toys strategically placed all over the house for when I decide I want to play.

The guy on the bed with me is my friend, "Ducky". He's really a dinosaur but he "honks" when you play with him so MommaBear and Uncle Alex nicknamed him Ducky. He sounds a lot like the big birdies that fly over our house sometimes. I wish they would come and play with me! Ducky never flies away so we play a lot.

I used to have another fuzzy friend named "Peggy" but I haven't seen him in a while. He's a baby dinosaur, and Uncle Alex thought he looked more like a Pegasus, so that's how he got his name. MommaBear said I was too rough with him and ate part of his nose so he is up on something she calls a sewing pile. She said he will need stitches like Ducky has on his head. Ducky and I miss Peggy. Hopefully he will be able to play soon! (Besides, it wasn't his nose... but some funny bump on his face.)

I also love to play outside, especially lately since it has been cooler out. I like to run around in my yard and tease MommaBear with my toys. She got me some new balls today and I can't wait any longer to go out and play with them. I don't care if it IS raining!! I'm a Labrador, after all. I love water!

I Was Framed, I Tell Ya!

It's all circumstantial evidence. The torn carpet pieces by the back door, carpet threads caught in my toe nail... but it wasn't me. Honest. I was just laying by the back door, minding my own business, protecting the house from rabid bunnies and low flying geese. Just doin' my job.

I must have dozed off, since the next thing I know, I wake up and the carpet is all torn up and there are pieces all around me. I barked to get MommaBear's attention and let her know what happened but when she saw the mess she assumed that it was me that did it. And you know what they say about "when you ass-u-me something". Well, I tried to tell her I was innocent. I even used my  cutest 'sad puppy' face - you know, the one with the droopy sad eyes and wrinkly forehead - but she wasn't buying it. She said she knew all about that cute little face and it wasn't going to work on her. And that she had 2 boys and knew that the harder they claim their innocence, the more guilty they are. She said a whole bunch of other things, too, but after a minute all I heard was "waah, waah, waah... waah, waah..."

Oh well. I know MommaBear still loves me and I haven't eaten the carpet since... well, not that particular spot, anyway. (Shhh)

Growing Up Copper

3 months old

7 months old

So, I'm growing up and I think some one needs to tell MommaBear that we might need a bigger couch soon! Does she think I'm still a little puppy? I'm 7 months old already. I'm not a puppy anymore. I'm a big doggy! But everyone keeps calling me "the puppy". All I know is this couch seems to be getting smaller and no one is doing anything about it. And then they push me and move my feet around when I'm on there first and I'm all comfy just because they want to sit down too. I guess it's nice that they want to snuggle with me all the time. My Daddy lets me lick his face and then he rubs my tummy. I used to be able to fit on his lap and now I can only fit half of me on him. I think he's shrinking with the couch.

We had lots of rain last week. Daddy called it a hurricane, whatever that is. MommaBear and I went out in it one day and I got to run around in the water that was all over the grass. MommaBear said I was crazy, but she was out there with me so what does that say about her? She played in the water too and made little roads for the water to go in. I tried to help but she wouldn't let me. I don't know why. I can dig in the dirt, too. And I'm pretty good at it if I do say so myself. Anyway, after we played in all the water we went inside to dry off. I love that part - complete body rub with a nice dry, fluffy towel. Then we had a snack and she put my big brown blankie on the shrinking couch and zzzzzzzzzzzz...........

I Was (AM) A Cute Puppy!

Look at that face! Who could resist me? And I can't believe I actually fit under that chair! Now I take up the whole couch when no one is home, but I love to share with my boy and climb up on his lap. Good thing he has a big lap! 

I was born in February at an Amish home in Lancaster County, PA. My owner took good care of me and all my brothers. We had a nice barn with our mommy, with fresh straw to play in. I don't remember too much since I was just a little pup, but then one day a nice lady came to see us and she thought we were all too cute. Which, of course, we were! A few days later she came back with a handsome man and the next thing I knew I was headed "home". 

The first day I cried. A lot. I had never been in a real house and I missed my brothers and my mom, but my new Momma and Daddy hugged me and snuggled with me and it didn't take long before I knew this was where I was destined to be. And the really cool part is that there was a second Momma! I had hit the jackpot! 

And talk about a jackpot! I have toys, food, toys, and a pool! Although, the first time I was in the pool I didn't like it AT ALL. Now, that I am bigger, I love it! When ever anyone puts on a swimsuit I know we're gonna have some fun. I am a Labrador, after all. 

Well, my boy is up so it must be time to play... gotta run... 

Best Friends on Earth and in Doggy-Heaven.

Missing Old Friends

Tears still come to my eyes when I think of these two, as well as their predecessor, Jazzy-Dog. All three were some the best friends my boys and I could ever have. We miss them terribly. We're happy to have Copper with us to help fill that void that creeps up on your when there is no dog in the house.

Valley-Girl, the old girl on the right in the photo, was over 13 when it came time to say goodbye to her. She was a comfort in times of sadness and spent many hours watching over the boys, especially, "her" boy, Bobby. When Bobby was in the sandbox in the back yard, she was always nearby. If he got up and went to the garage, she would get up and diligently follow him, making certain he was always in view. Valley-Girl came into our hearts about a year after their dad and I split up. Her unconditional love for me and the boys was unsurpassed. We could always count on her understanding our moods and loving us more when we needed it more. At 6 1/2 years, she fell off the back of our deck and broke her hind leg in several places. After some major surgery, she pulled through but developed arthritis in that leg which began to bother her as she aged. At 13, she somehow tore the tendon in that same leg and the doctors were reluctant to perform surgery due to her age and the previous damage. It was a sad summer day for sure when we said our goodbyes.

Shadow, Bobby's Lab, was full of life and as stubborn as a mule - or perhaps as his daddy! From Day 1, it was clear that Bobby was his boy. He loved tormenting Valley-Girl, and she loved getting him in trouble for it. Never having her own puppies, she "adopted" Shadow as her own and attempted to teach him wrong from right. She was a very persistent, but very loving teacher. She taught him to play tug-of-war and it was fun to watch how she started off so gentle and then as he got stronger, she got tougher too. When we gave them treats, we always gave Valley-Girl the larger one, knowing that she would put it down and then get Shadow to drop his. She just wanted to make sure that he knew who was boss, so she took his and then "let" him take hers. I also caught her trying to frame him on more than one occasion. Shadow loved eating the toes out of his daddy's socks, while Valley-Girl preferred their boxer shorts. Several times I would watch her bring out some forbidden item, prance by Shadow and then, once again, "let" him take it from her. Then she would bark out an alarm loud and clear so that I would know that that darn puppy was misbehaving again! We lost Shadow much too soon when he was just 3 1/2. He was hit by a car and left to die on the side of the road. Unfortunately, there was too much internal damage to save him. Our friends at the Willow Run Veterinary Clinic were kind and shared our family's sorrow at his passing.

I like to think of Valley-Girl and Shadow up in Doggy-Heaven hanging out with Jazzy-Dog. Jazzy would be running in the cow fields, rolling in - well, we were never quite sure what it was she rolled in, but I can tell you it smelled really bad - while Valley is laying in the warm sun watching Shadow chase whatever happened to come his way. Lots of bunnies to chase - but never catch - endless piles of stinky socks and boxers to chew on, balls to chase and treats to snack on.

Forever in our hearts.

Gotta love the convenient "canine" holes! 

Welcome Copper!

This is Copper, the latest addition to our family. He is almost 7 months old and is already over 75 pounds! Since joining us this past spring, Copper has grown about 10 lbs each month According to our favorite vet at Willow Run Veterinary Clinic, he is going to be a "big dog", meaning somewhere between 80 and 100 pounds. Funny, my OB doctor kept saying that about Alex - well, not that he was going to be a big "dog", but from the first visit when she confirmed my pregnancy, and for ever month after that, she would put her hand on my belly and pronounce: "big baby". And he was over 10 pounds! So, if a doctor tells me big, I gotta believe they know what they are talking about.

Copper is a Yellow Labrador Retriever. He loves playing, eating and sleeping. He basically has 2 speeds: Hyper and Sleep. But, he also has promise. He was a quick study when he was a puppy and learned the basic commands pretty quickly. He knew "look", "come", "sit" and "get the ball" in just a few short weeks. After puppy Kindergarten, he started to learn "stay" and "leave it". During the Intermediate Class, he added "wait" and would even wait to dive into his food dish until you told him it was "ok". He was such a smart dog. We were so proud of Copper!

And then it happened. Just as our trainer said it would. He forgot all of it. Well, not all of it - he still waits for his food and if you happen to have a treat in your hand, he'll sit, lay down, and even walk through a hoop. But when I tell him to "look" he pretends he didn't even hear me. And "come" is pretty much a crap shoot.

However, he does have his priorities. He knows each of his toys by name and if you tell him to "get Ducky" he will come back with the blue dragon. (So named because it honks like a duck when he chews on it.) When you send him for "Peggy" he brings back the pink baby dragon. (Peggy also honks but looks more like a Pegasus than a dragon, so we nicknamed him Peggy - after the guy on the credit card commercial.) And when you ask for a "ball" he will find a ball to bring to you.

The Copper Chronicles will follow Copper and his day-to-day escapades as he grows. But right now he is barking at me so he either knows I am writing about him and has something to add, or he has to go out to pee, or he's just bored.... If only I spoke "Copper".