A dog's life

7:21pm: Not much new to report! Mom, Abby, Chloe and I are spending the weekend with my collie cousins, and my collie mom, Brook. I hope they all realize that I get to sleep with mom!!!

Abby is getting bigger, and I think she is beautiful. She follows me everywhere, holding onto the tip of my tail with her mouth! I think she loves me!

2:27pm: It's been a while...
It's been a long time since I lasted posted! I now have a little sister! She is very pretty, and a lot of fun! I didn't like her at first, but I soon realized she is a collie just like me!

She is always ready to play whenever I want to play. And she follows me everywhere! Her name is Abby, and she is now three months old.

Here we are together-






And here she is, isn't she pretty?







The only thing I don't like is sharing my mom with her. But mom tells me I will get use to it...

11:16pm: Guess what!
I have news!!! I have been going to classes for the last six weeks. I have been learning pre-novice obedience and how to be a CGC. (Canine Good Citizen) Tonight was the CGC test and guess what?!?

I passed the test! I now get the title CGC after my name! I got a big frosted dog cookie and a squeaky sheep as a reward!

I had to do a lot of strange things to pass the test.

I had to heal on leash.
I had to let a stranger brush me.
I had to walk politely through a crowd of people.
I had to politely greet a stranger.
I had to sit quietly while my girl greeted a stranger.
I had to sit and stay and lay down and stay while my girl walked away and returned.
I had to politely greet a strange dog.
I had to sit while someone ran around me. And I had to sit still while they dropped loud things around me.
I had to stay while my girl walked away and then run to her when she called me. (They called it a "recall")
And finally I had to stay with another stranger while my mom and my girl left me. I had to behave politely for three minutes while my family was out of the building!

But I passed them all! My mom said I was PERFECT!!! So you can all address me as Lad the collie, CGC now!!

*wags tail*

3:26pm: Another bath...
means another dog show! Mom just told me I have a show on Saturday and on Sunday! So who knows...maybe this weekend will be when I become a champion!

5:27pm: Today is my Birthday!
(this was posted a few days late...)

Today is my Birthday! I am 2 years old today, April 15th!
( Read more... )

12:52pm: At the dog shows....
Another show is coming...I can tell! We have been going to handling class to practice a lot lately. Plus, I had a bath yesterday! Mom said I am going to have another one on Friday, so that I look my best.

She says that when I have a bath, and get dried off, my fur shimmers and glows!
(But I would still rather not have the bath.)

_____________________________________________
I just need one more win of 3 or more points...then I will become a champion! So please keep your fingers crossed for me!

12:43pm: At the beach...
So mom and Kia took me to this place called the beach. It had a LOT of water, and the water is very tricky! It reaches out and tries to grab you! When I tried to bite it, yuck, the water tasted awful! I wanted to jump in for a swim but mom said it wasn't warm enough yet. She said we will go back soon! I can't wait!

Here are some pictures from my day at the beach...just click on the link!
( Read more... )

11:35pm: Humans are so strange...
Mom made us pose for pictures tonight...I suppose the cookies were our reward! Anyway, here are the pictures of me and my sisters.






I was bored...







Mojo was embarassed...







And Chloe just tried to leave...

11:30pm: Sometimes...for no reason at all...Mom buys us special cookies like these!







They were SO GOOD!!!

12:26pm: At the show...
Well, I didn't win at the show this past weekend. I really tried hard too! But with over a hundred collies entered, and with only one dog chosen as "Winners Dog," the odds were against me.

I didn't enjoy the show very much either. Oh sure, it was fun during the day. I got to meet a lot of other collies. I was taken for walks, and brushed, and given cookies. But at night, at night I had to sleep alone! In my crate! In a room with the other collies! I didn't get to sleep on my mom's bed. I didn't get to snuggle!

I really prefer the shows that are close by, where we return home at night. I don't think I like "away" shows! Not one bit!

(And to make matters worse...Angelo won this weekend! He is now a champion. It's not fair! He is ten days younger than me!)

5:43pm: Is it too hard to understand?
I don't get it. Why don't my humans understand? If it walks into my yard it must be barked at...if it walks, runs, flies, crawls or drives by my yard, it must be barked at...if it is in another yard and I see or hear it, then I must bark at it. It's my job! They shouldn't tell me to be quiet, or put me in my crate!






Don't even get me started on the car rules!

12:36pm: Something is going on...and I am not sure I like it!

This past weekend mom and Kia were gone all day on Saturday and on Sunday. They KNOW that the weekend is time to hang out with me, Mojo, Chloe, Autumn and Spice. But they left home in the morning each day and didn't return until supper time!

And to make things worse, Kia took her junior handling clothes with her! She only takes those if she is going to a dog show! And she shouldn't be going to a show without me!

And they came home smelling like other dogs!!! I don't like this one little bit!
I yelled (well, barked) at them long and loud on Sunday when they came home. I think I got my point across.

All I can say is, "it better not happen again!"

12:53pm: I showed her!!!
So mom was trying to take some pictures last night...of the other dogs! Doesn't she realize that there just isn't anyone cuter than me? So you know what I did? I got right up in front of the camera...ha ha!







FYI - My nose isn't really this long...

:)

12:52pm: Me, just like you, only better!
Just wanted to share a picture mom found of me, taken at Halloween.

9:33am: Me and Chloe at Christmas....Mojo didn't want her picture taken!
This was taken at Christmas this year...they thought it was cute...I think I am cute without the antlers!



And another one of me....



This one is my sister, Chloe, with the same antlers. She didn't like them much either!

12:50pm: A day in the life of Lad...
My mom has to work everyday. So, because I am still young, and full of energy, and sometimes get into trouble, I still go with my girl to grandma's house. Mom doesn't want to crate me all day while she is at work. She says I have too much energy. My sisters, Mojo who is 13 and Chloe who is 10, stay home with the cats. But they don't have to be crated, they don't get into anything! All they want to do is sleep! I am so happy that grandma lets me come over everyday!

Anyway, I get to go to grandma's house and play with her two collies. (Fall Down and Doug) When I get to her house in the morning, Dougie is always happy to see me. We go outside, in the fenced in yard, and run and run. Then we come back inside and I curl up on the couch with grandma. Fall Down and Doug are jealous that I get to curl up with grandma. They say that it is their house and they should be the ones on the couch! So we take turns.

When mom comes home from work I run and get my leash. When she puts on my leash and collar I grab the end of the leash. I run around the house holding my own leash and mom always laughs! Then I get to go home and visit with Mojo and Chloe and my girl. Life is good!!!

9:52am: KiaandLadSpring2005
This is me and Kia at a dog show this past Spring! See the ribbons she is holding? I won them!

9:50am: LAdandBrook
This is me and my collie mom, Brook. Isn't she pretty?!? I think she is the prettiest rough collie ever!

Taken Spring 2005

9:24am: KiaandLad2
This is me, cuddling with my best friend! If I could, this is how I would spend all of my time!!!

1:09pm: Lad
Oh No!!! I just heard from a new friend that Greenies can be bad for dogs! Why are all the really good things bad?

10:11am: LadnineweeksoldJune2004
Wanted to share this...me at nine weeks old! Wasn't I cute?!?

12:25am: Guess what I got...?
I woke up on Christmas morning...and there were presents everywhere! I got four presents to open that were just for me! (so did Mojo and Chloe) Inside the paper, which was a lot of fun to rip open, were toys!!! After that I got a greenie and a Christmas cookie! I love Christmas!

1:08pm: Uh OH!
I got in trouble last night!

Mom wasn't paying attention to me, she was watching a movie!

I went in her room and started playing with a pillow. And I accidently, umm, ripped it.

I ran out an checked and mom didn't say anything to me, so I thought it was ok!

I went back in and ripped it open! Boy, was that fun! The feathers inside the pillow went flying everywhere!

Mom came running in and I ran out. I could tell she was angry. She yelled, "What DID you do!?!" I tried to pretend it wasn't me...nothing mom, I didn't do anything...it must have been the cats! You know how cats like to chase birds and eat feathers!

But the feathers, stuck to my nose, gave me away.

She really yelled at me, she said she "couldn't believe I would do such a thing...look at this mess!!!"

I was shaking all over, I hate it when she is mad at me. But mom soon gave me a hug and told me I was forgiven. That's one nice thing about mom, she doesn't stay angry for long.

12:59pm: Fun, fun, fun!
I had a great time at Kia's Birthday party! I got to be a hero! Just read what my mom wrote about me!!!


"He is our self-appointed protector and is constantly on the look-out for potential danger. His idea of danger can be anything from a small, fuzzy squirrel in our yard to a stranger standing on a street corner waiting for a bus. No matter what shape or size the danger, Lad is always ready to rise to the challenge of keeping his family safe. He proved this most valiantly last week at my daughter’s birthday party. Both my daughter and her younger cousins were in peril and no one saw the danger except Lad. The danger came from a most unexpected source, the lawn sprinkler!

We all thought it was just a harmless lawn toy, but Lad knew better. The sprinkler was in the shape of a volcano and sprayed water out of its ears. Every thirty seconds the volcano would explode, shooting a blast of water out the top and high into the air. Lad was determined to keep my daughter and the other children safe. Every time they tried to approach the sprinkler Lad would place himself between them and the sprinkler, barking out a warning for them to stay away from it. When the volcano would explode he would bite the sprinkler, getting blasted in the face with water. A few times he was biting the sprinkler when it exploded so he ended up with a mouth full of water.

He proved just how brave he really is when he wouldn’t give up, suffering through blast after blast of water just to keep Kia, his best friend, safe. Finally, when the adults of the party stopped laughing I turned off the sprinkler. We all praised Lad for defeating the enemy and saving the children. He wiggled around, dancing with pleasure at the unexpected praise and attention. The next morning when we let him out in the yard he ran straight for the inactive sprinkler, ready to resume the battle and ready to be praised as a hero once again."

12:44pm: I love mornings...
Every night my family goes to bed and the house gets dark and quiet. It is very boring and there is nothing to do but sleep.

In the morning I wait and wait. When mom wakes up or when the alarm clock goes off my family gets up. I am happy again! I always wait until mom is awake, I do have manners!

This morning mom woke up before the alarm clock went off. She didn't move but I knew she was awake. I waited and finally the alarm went off! I crept up onto the bed and crawled toward my mom. I gave her kisses and she said "good morning, my sunshine boy!" She gave me hugs and belly rubs and a new day began...

I love mornings!!!