Hey everybody- it’s Squirmy!!!! I hope you’re doing just as great as I am! Today I have to tell you all about my excellent adventure!!!

On Friday, My Enforcer’s good friend Joanie was in town. They’ve been friends for like a gazillion years. I met her once before. And you KNOW Joanie has to be a great friend when My Enforcer asks if she wants to come on a little Fall drive to take me to a pumpkin patch! My Enforcer had this great idea about taking pictures of me with pumpkins. Because I guess puppies and pumpkins go together. Joanie agreed to come along and to act as funny noisemaker and assistant puppy wrangler during my photo shoot. She’s the best!

So we all got in the car and off we went. The other guys got some yummy treats to keep them occupied at least until we drove out the driveway.

Before we went to the pumpkin patch, we went to a museum/park. I think the objective was to take me on a long walk to tire me out before we got to the pumpkin patch. (Spoiler alert: it didn’t work!). Anyway, the park had lots of nice walking trails. I’ve never been there before- but the Coyote has. Here’s his picture at the place:

And here I am on the same bench. OK maybe it wasn’t the exact same bench, but in the same general area. You’ll note I’m not looking at the camera. It’s because I was taking in all my surroundings- and I couldn’t possibly look at the camera. At least not for long. Posing was not on MY agenda for this adventure.

Here I am taking in the Fall colors and the pretty lake. I forgot to mention that it was a windy day – so in many of my photos I have a rugged wind blown look. I like it.

I did some excellent human training on my adventure. I showed My Enforcer that while I know the word “sit” and “stay” at home – and I can even sit for a whole MINUTE with a timer going, take me to a new environment and I get obedience amnesia. I had NO idea what the words meant. My Enforcer mumbled that we have lots of work to do- whatever that means. Anyway, here’s one shot of me sitting on the trail out of the 63 she took.

I was too busy to sit and stay! I had too much to smell and see!!! I even liked looking up in the sky.

We had a super duper walk – probably one of the longest I have ever been on – it was a little over 2 km! And guess what?! I wasn’t tired at all!!!

Our next stop was supposed to be the pumpkin patch. But the ladies took a detour to a winery. I had to wait in the car. Not to worry – they didn’t get drunk, but they were sure happy about some end of season bargains that they got. They had a big box that they brought back to the car. I just enjoyed the scenery.

Finally we came to the pumpkin patch. And guess what?! My head exploded about seeing all the pumpkins!!! It’s a good thing the Coyote wasn’t there. He would have peed on them. I still squat when I pee – so no pumpkins were showered on.

I saw hundreds of pumpkins.

There were the regular orange ones…

And light green ones…

And light orange ones….

And white ones and yellow ones and and it was a pumpkin rainbow! Joanie took this shot of me watching the tractor move around the pumpkins.

I went into pumpkin awe. And getting me to sit among the pumpkins AND look at the camera was next to IMPOSSIBLE. My Enforcer has about 352 photos that are similar to these:

She FINALLY did get this shot…

Joanie also captured this shot of me and My Enforcer. I’m in a death hold.

And they quit at that point. I said if they wanted a pumpkin poser they should have brought The Boss.

After exhausting themselves with the pumpkin patch wrangling, we did do a bit more driving. And My Enforcer found someone even more stubborn than me!! Mind you, he did pose…

And he had friends!!! Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet them – I had to look at them and bark at them from the car…

That last one is really odd looking…

We stopped at another winery which thankfully was closed, but I was able to get out and look around here. And again – no worries about me peeing on the grapes – or the pretty flowers…

My Enforcer didn’t even TRY to take my photo with the flowers. She knew I wouldn’t sit and would most likely try to pick some.

Lastly we saw another pumpkin farm…

No point in plopping me in this scene either. This was right next to a barn full of cows. We know how that would have turned out.

Anyway, I loved my adventure. When I got home, I told The Coyote how I refused to sit still – and he rolled on the ground and laughed.

And even though I was still raring to go, I WAS pretty tired..

I had the perfect day! Now to see what today will hold. It’s our Thanksgiving so – I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving – whether you celebrate today or not. 2020 has had some very challenging times. But there is always much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my “brothers”, the food in my bowl, my many toys, the roof over my head, friends and family. And birds, butterflies, pretty leaves, walks and treats. In no particular order. Happy thankful day!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Greetings blog readers. Frodo here. I hope you are all enjoying an explosion of Fall colors. It is a lovely time of the year. Otherwise, not much new around the homestead. Although I suppose I could tell you how yesterday, the Beatnik and I increased Her Highness’ arm length by two inches. I jest of course. It was only one inch. Yes – I will share that story…

It was during our morning constitutional. The Shark went for his walk first, returned and was safely sequestered in his crate, where he continues to bark until we return home from our walk. Even the most luscious Kong, a bone or a yak chew cannot keep him quiet. Thankfully with the cooler Fall temperatures, the windows are closed so his incessant singing cannot be heard by everyone in the neighborhood.

Yesterday, it was cool and clear. But windy. Very windy. We walked all the way down the road and stopped to “make our deposits.” I prefer to go right in the middle of the road – causing Her Highness to do the pick up before there are any oncoming vehicles. It’s fun to watch her scramble.

I find the Beatnik is not REALLY a morning dog. I am usually bouncing along in front of him, as he, instead, makes numerous stops to sniff every blade of grass, fallen leaf, and unusual rocks. Of course sometimes he just stops and stares at nothing. I honestly think that sometimes he is sleep walking. He is rather zombie-like in the morning.

As we began our trek back home, Her Highness put her hand in her pocket to check the treat supply. Yours truly has trained her to give me treats at various points on our walk. I will spontaneously go into heel position and start strutting as if I am in an obedience competition. And I will keep strutting until she gives me a treat. I will continue that ploy until we pass the first house on the road, after which I stop my trick. Then I go back to walking in the lead. I do expect another treat when we arrive at our driveway and will essentially stand in front of her waiting for it. I have her well trained.

But back to the hand in pocket part. As she withdrew her hand, one of our famous black handled lightweight empty poop bags came out of her pocket. And with the wind, began to blow along the street. Well. The ordinarily zombie-like Picard, suddenly awakened and sprang to life. He bolted to grab that bag. And yours truly, who saw him bolting, figured I should bolt too. It was a good thing Her Highness was well balanced (perhaps the extra pandemic pounds provide ballast) so she didn’t topple over. She DID let go of my leash but held firmly to the Beatnik’s as she knew that would entail a neighborhood run around if she let go.

The Beatnik managed to grab the offending bag and shake it to death. Thank goodness it was empty.

In other boring news, a delivery truck arrived yesterday with a box full of grooming supplies. Oh joy oh happiness. When the truck pulled up, all three of us went into full on Cujo mode. The delivery woman dropped the package at the door and said “That’s some security system you have there” as she raced back to the truck. Yes – we do create a rather loud chorus…

Rumor has it the shark may be going on an adventure today. Leaving moi and the Beatnik to do our security routine. We better be left some tasty treats…..

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Hey everybody! Squirmy here!!!! Getting bigger and bolder every day. And forever wagging my butt!!! I have been learning lots over the past couple of months. Every day is a new day to experience something. Like how to pretend you don’t understand what your human says. If you do that, while they are trying to train you, they give you more treats to help you “learn” something. That’s a cool one.

And I’ve learned lots of vocabulary. Like the word “biscuits” means you should run like mad to the jar that’s on the counter. And sit and wait.

I’ve learned that “stay” means to be boring and not move. That’s a tough one for me – but I do know that if you are boring, you do get treats. It actually is a simple concept. I mean you don’t have to DO anything. And you get a reward. Not many jobs where you do nothing and get paid. Although I hear that sometimes happens with some humans who call themselves politicians. But I don’t think I really understand that whole concept, so The Boss said to stay away from it. Just stick to my own business.

Another word I learned is “tuggy”. That’s a toy made by Kong – and it’s real name is Tugga Wubba. That’s a great one for me and the Coyote to play with. I already know when My Enforcer says “where’s Tuggy?” that I should look for that toy. Whether I will give it up is another story.

I did learn a bad word this week too. Carabiner. Kind of sounds like someone who lives in the Caribbean. But no. It’s a device that can be used for a variety of purposes – from climbing to sailing to hot air ballooning to acrobatics. It can also be used as a device to secure dog crates so smart dogs can’t open their cells and freely roam when not being watched. A German climber by the name of Otto Herzog invented the carabiner around 1921 – just in case you need to know that for Jeopardy. But I must say, I don’t consider Otto among my heroes. Mind you, when he invented it, I doubt he knew all the possible uses for his device. Wonder if Otto had a dog. A smart dog….

We had a visit by My Enforcer’s friends Heather and Allan again. I like them. After I first bark at them for 2 minutes. They are owned by Boston Terriers and Old English Sheepdogs. Allan brought over an arsenal of grooming products and equipment- to demonstrate their use on yours truly. And guess what? I was good! I mean I was well behaved! He left without needing ANY bandaids! I’m thinking the whole grooming torture story is a bit blown up by the Boss. It’s not all that bad. Mind you- I still do have my puppy coat. We’ll see what happens when my Big Boy coat comes in. But not to worry – we now have a whole bunch of new stuff for my Enforcer to buy and try out on me. I get treats while I’m being groomed so that’s fine with me.

Well it’s time for my wonder walk – to learn more about my world. I can’t wait to do it each day. And let’s see what new words I learn today….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Yo. It’s me. Elroy. It’s Monday and I had to write today because I have some great news!!! I passed my exam – and I didn’t even study! The one by my therapist. She checked me all over and said I’m doing very well – and I can return to my previous activities. She wouldn’t recommend sky diving just yet. Or maybe it was dock diving. Anyway- I’m not planning to do either – so it looks like I’m good to go. Yeee haw.

I finally got to play with that giant blow up ball that the shark loves. And boy – do I love it too!!!!!! I knock it all over the yard – and bark like a PON while playing with it. In fact, I do get rather crazy with it- so much so that Her Highness has a hard time getting me to stop. And even grabbing the ball can be a challenge. She has this fear that I’m going to totally bowl her over like a bowling pin as I charge across the lawn with it. Let’s just say I wouldn’t put any small children or animals in my path when I’m rolling that thing! We’ll have to take videos.

Meanwhile, the shark got in hot water yesterday and so did the Boss – while the hot water was flowing. Her Highness put the shark in his crate while she went to take her shower. She left him with a delectable yak chew to keep him busy. He’s the only one who gets them. I probably could have one because I’m not a compulsive hard chew destroyer – but the Boss – well he would crack every last tooth in his mouth if he got one of those things.

So Her Highness was juuuust ready to step in the shower when she thought she heard some commotion outside the bathroom door. She threw open the door and there was the Squirmster – wagging his butt. He had escaped from his cell. So the first thing she shouted was “FRODO” because she knew he would have gone in the crate and stolen the yak chew. She shouted his name before she even rounded the corner and saw the empty crate. As she ran out of the bedroom, she threw a pillow back on the bed, and grabbed a sweater that was on the floor – following the path of Hurricane Wojtek. She raced into the dining room where the Boss was trying to crack and inhale that yak chew as fast as he could. She managed to salvage about half of it – that’s all that was left. Meanwhile the shark was chasing the naked woman through the house and I just watched the circus with a mix of shock and delight.

Yesterday the shark got to go to some home building place – because Her Highness figured he needed some socializing. He reportedly did fairly well- and only put the breaks on once – when he heard some loud pounding somewhere. Otherwise he was fine. He didn’t pee anywhere and no other shoppers were attacked. A good visit.

It’s a new week. Wonder what adventures lie ahead this week. One thing for sure, it’s never dull around here!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Hey everybody! Squirmy here! Hope you’re having a great Fall day! And boy- I’m learning that falling leaves are sure pretty – but they are also dangerous too!

Like the other day when My Enforcer decided to mow the lawn. It’s not her favorite job around here – it rates just above scrubbing the grout on the kitchen floor. But ya gotta do it – while we canines watch from the deck. So we already have lots of leaves on our lawn. And she figured she could mulch up the leaves with the lawnmower. Even though we don’t REALLY have a mulching mower. So she was kind of mulching some leaves a little and was also shooting leaves all over too. We watched while the Boss shouted out instructions. The problem with all those leaves is that they were so thick in some spots that they could hide the many dog toys spread all over the lawn. And we watched as she was motoring along when suddenly she heard a big CLUNK and then the mower stopped. Well you know those big rope balls that we dog like to play with? I’m here to tell you they don’t look as round when they’re run over by a mower. Luckily the mower did start up again after a dozen pulls. The Boss cheered her on.

The other Fall leaf danger is what I call “hidden mines.” Poop mines. Yup – if you humans don’t scoop our poop IMMEDIATELY, it can be virtually impossible to find it later. This is harder than Where’s Waldo. We could probably take some lawn photos and create our own game called Where’s Poopo?

Today the Coyote goes in for his therapy appointment. He seems MUCH better – so hopefully he gets the go ahead to play again. He’s been pretty depressed not being able to chase me. We’ll have to be careful- but it will be fun to play again. Paws crossed he gets the green light.

Time to go for my morning walk. I’ll be sure to poop in some leaves – just to create that fun game! Have a good one! Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Greetings blog readers. Frodo here. Today marks the first day of October. The trees have begun their colorful costume changes – not unlike the embarrassing costume changes we canines will no doubt be experiencing throughout this month.

The preparation for the Halloween costume photo has begun. Her Highness has begun a series of photo shoots – in an effort to come up with that “perfect” Halloween photo. Unfortunately, I am the only cooperative canine for these shoots. Allow me to show you some examples….

Because the lawn is already littered with leaves, Her Highness thought we could take some generic Fall photos. No costumes. No props. You will note in the following examples, that no matter what, I continue to pose…

Here we begin. After finally getting all of us in one location and finally getting all of us to lie down, only one of us looks at the camera.

The Shark is busy chewing on a new found stick, and the Beatnik refuses to look at the camera.

The Shark continues to chew and the Beatnik will still not look at the camera. Despite a variety of strange noises made by Her Highness. And the fact that she is waving super yummy treats.

Next the two Stooges decide to change positions, at which point I sit up. But I still continue to pose….

Now both clowns get moving. And I continue to pose.

By now all the strange noises Her Highness is making to attract attention are being totally ignored. Except by yours truly. And even her tummy treats are making no difference.

Next all heck breaks loose…

At which point, Her Highness decides she might as well just take a photo of moi as I am still sitting there.

The clowns take a momentary break..

So she whips out even bigger pieces of treats and attempts another take. Here we are all looking at the camera. But the Beatnik looks a bit possessed. Or maybe the word is unimpressed.

So she now changes position. I must inform you that the imp does NOT yet understand the word “stay.” Which was fine with me – because the Beatnik and I kept getting treats because we DID stay.

This next photo is not BAD – it was captured just before the Shark launched himself. However the Beatnik, wearing a leaf on his lip still does not look overly impressed. But he IS looking at the camera…

And finally, after 458 shots, we got this one. Which was the keeper. Even with the Beatnik and his leaf decoration.

The next group of shots involved some Halloween “collars”. Let’s just say that even putting them on was a gong show. And keeping the Shark from pulling off mine and the Beatnik’s was no easy task. We’ll save those photos for later.

Needless to say, Her Highness was exhausted by the end of this round of shots. I believe there might be some Halloween head gear involved in the next round. Heaven help all of us..

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.