Howdy blogaroos. Greetings and best wishes from the asylum. And I don’t use that word lightly…

I am here to report that I have discovered that my new best friend is defective. He has no “off button.” I think he needs to be sent back to his breeder for repairs.

I’m joking of course. Sort of.

I mean the little guy (who is growing every 5 minutes) starts the day at 6:30AM leaping out of his crate and then, besides the odd nap, he keeps on romping until 9:30 at night. The warden sometimes looks at the clock around 8PM and asks “is it bedtime yet?” Nah. His battery life is really, really good. But I guess that’s typical of most new things- the battery lasts forever. But give it a few years – and the recharging is needed more frequently.

We get along quite well, with a draw for the winner of most wrestling matches. The matches usually end when someone has swallowed too much dog hair from the opponent. A short hacking spell followed by a big drink resets the action.

I must say, the guy is pretty bold about most things. He’s been to a number of local stores and apparently could be hired as the “greeter.” He stands waiting as people enter, wagging his tail and waiting to say hello. He isn’t even worried about automatic doors- which could be scary for little guys. Heck, even big guys. But he doesn’t care.

He was finally introduced to our trails – when we had a few days of dry weather. We’ve had lots of crazy-hair inducing rain lately. But we had a few nice days, so the Warden thought she could tire him out. The only one tired was the Warden. The first time we went, he was tentative for about 12 seconds, and then he was off. The Warden had him on a long line – just in case he decided to blaze his own trail. On our first trail run, she brought cheese – so yours truly didn’t want to leave her side. Here’s a short video from that day. Note: I’m providing an excellent example of a recall. Which is great for the little guy. Remember- I knew there was cheese…The Warden is convinced that whoever invented cheese sticks had a dog…Although she DOES fumble with the packaging… And after watching the replay on this video she admits the “good boy” thing IS a bit redundant. But we’ll keep her.

After several outings on the trail, the Warden realized the happy Schappy was following ME and she was a bit of a third wheel. So she decided to take him on his own. Yeah, well I’m here to tell you, he can do just FINE on his own. He didn’t need her along for the stroll. He raced ahead, exploring on his own. The Warden panics of course if he gets ahead of her, because the trail is currently loaded with mushrooms. And she worries that Mr.-I-Eat-Anything would help himself to unusual fungi. Another problem was that she didn’t have cheese. Plain old biscuits don’t cut it when the Call of the Wild is in the air. She was exhausted by the time they got back – and truth be told, she carried the squirming monkey for half the walk. He’s training her well. It’s hard to get photos of him on the trail – but she did manage a few.

She’s a master at making weird sounds to get a dog’s attention (must have something to do with her career) but she admits her repertoire is shrinking with him. Those few shots took about a million tries. And my shot? She told me to stand on the rock and look at the water. BINGO. Done. Mind you – I was mentored by the Frodogenic Boss of photography. I learned the drill.

I did see that the Warden retuned from shopping the other day with a bag from the dreaded Dollar Store. We all know what that means at this time of the year. She better cook up some steak for that photo shoot. And take extra blood pressure meds.

Well. We had one wrestling match already, had a 10 minute nap, wrote this blog- and Sharpie …I mean Schappy.. is ready to roll again. Actually- with those saber teeth, Sharpie IS a better name.

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

Howdy blogaroos.

I have approximately 8.4 minutes to write this blog before the cyclone aka Sprocket Rocket hits again.

I think things are going well – although it does feel a bit like COVID. The Warden is dressed in her most “lovely” dog comfy attire – and she rarely goes out anywhere – unless she needs to get groceries. Or more dog food! When she does that, she actually makes herself look presentable. But as soon as she walks in the door – the transformation to frazzled puppy owner returns.

I did a little transcript of her typical verbal output – that is pretty much on repeat throughout the day. Here’s a sample: What are you chewing on? Open your mouth. Leave him alone. Do you need to pee? Stop hurling toys in his face while he’s sleeping. Owwwww! No bite! Owwww! $&@& Where are the bandaids? Take a break. Why are you walking that way – wait – you need to go out!! I know you don’t care- but that chair is an antique. Please don’t dig. That goes for both of you. Here – this toy is more fun than that chair leg. Really – it is! Now that’s a nice sit! Yay – you retrieved the toy- but whoa – you need to bring it to ME!!! It’s 7:15. Is it bedtime yet????

Ahhhhh. Yes. The joys of puppyhood.

We have an assortment of “cells” for containment if the Warden can’t be watching him. Amazon is loving her right now. There’s a new fancy wire cell in the dining room- because as you may recall, the xpen that was loaned to us was only good for a day. His climbing skills are good. So the new set up has a lid. I’m sure I can figure out how to get him out. But we’ll have to work out a deal – 2 biscuits to help with the escape.

He was sleeping in the hard sided crate in the bedroom at night- the one his breeder provided – and he’s very comfortable in it. However – with his daily growth spurts, the Warden figured he needed something bigger. She went into the crate graveyard aka garage, but couldn’t find exactly what she wanted. So you know what came next – another Amazon order. She bought a collapsible fabric crate – which she thought could double as his crate when he goes to class. Unfortunately, she didn’t recall the words of her dearly departed father : Buy cheap, get cheap. Assembly of the bargain crate involved several pages of instructions. With the two of us canines attempting to help. By the time she got the thing together, she decided it would be WAY too difficult to collapse for class. So you guessed it – she’s on the hunt for another containment system!

Meanwhile, she figured the fabric crate would still work as his nighttime abode. And it did . He went in, settled down, and made no attempts to chew his way out. For several nights. It was lovely. Until today…

The Warden decided to put him in that crate instead of his hard sided little one while she took her shower. He happily went in – and she watched as he settled down. She went in the bathroom and closed the door – because she had some dirty laundry on the floor destined for the washing machine – and she knows how I love to steal laundry. Hence the closed door.

She had a quick shower and was getting dressed when she heard a thump that sounded like it was coming from the dining area. She looked at the spy camera to see what yours truly must be doing. She didn’t see anything. That’s what happens when she doesn’t put on her glasses…

She came out of the bathroom and went to the crate – to let the Rocket out. The zipper was carefully pulled down. And the inmate was free. She hurried down the hall to see where both of us were – just as the Rocket bounced around the corner to greet her.

Under the dining room table she spotted a book – that “someone couldn’t wait to get his teeth into.” The book had come from a basket on the other side of her bed. I’m not fessing up as to who chewed what. Thankfully, the jailbreak resulted in no other damages. Or injuries!

Anyway- we’ll see how tonight goes- now that the inmate has figured out how to escape the fabric crate. This could be fun.

Tomorrow I have class again – and the Rocket is coming along to watch. We’ll see if he can be as good as last time.

I must confess – despite his need to be within 5 feet of me at ALL TIMES- I do enjoy his company. I’m looking forward to the day those puppy teeth begin to fall out – because those razor sharp needles are like something in a Sci-Fi horror movie. I’ve heard about this thing called “karma.” Some people point to my incessant battering of poor Elroy – so I’m getting back what I gave out. Actually- Sprocket has a conscience – and he’s quite respectful. I’m afraid I wasn’t quite so mellow at his age… Sorry Elroy….I appreciate you more than ever now!!

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