what a weekend

I started out Saturday with a nice yoga stretch and a small (and I mean tiny) breakfast. I think Mum has gone insane and thinks I am a teacup poodle. Could someone please tell her I am a growing boy and need food........ But I am off topic. As I said earlier, after my morning snack, we got in the car and traveled up to Del Mar to meet Donna and Celeste. Donna takes care of my dad Randy and she wanted to meet me. We had a really nice time and my half brother Wescom was also there. Donna gave me a really really cool cow. You know how much I love cows and now I have TWO. But this cow is really special because it........................ talks. Its says Moooooooo. and it does it a lot. Mum let me play with it for about a minute and then said. Time for baby cow to go take a nap.

Its okay though because she brings it out a lot. Its a little cow so maybe it does need to take naps.

But I absolutely love it. I can't believe Donna gave it to me. Well actually Randy, my dad, gave it to me but humans like to believe that they are the ones in charge. Sunday morning we got up and Mum said she was taking Auntie and Bill to the senior center. I didn't want to go over to Tio's cause he always promises to make me Mickey Mouse pancakes and he never does. Mum said tough, you are going. So I sulked on into the car and barely made eye contact with Tio when I got there. Oh who am I kidding, I love Tio and its Sunday and its just us guys watching football.... See ya later Mum and Auntie. After the first half, the ladies came home and I had to leave. Bill didn't even say good bye. He said he was way too tired.

I was very worried about my homeboy and BFF but he said, go home squirt, I just need a little rest. I'll be over in a few minutes.

I hated to leave him like that but he is the senior homeboy so whats a newbie homeboy supposed to do???? I left but I wasn't feeling good about it. I went home a depressed little man. Poor BFF. I sat around and worried but then I heard a bark...It was the big guy he had rallied and he was at my front door. And then Brutus and Byrd came over. My friends were here. I could hardly believe it. What a Sunday this was becoming. Mum never told me everyone was coming over.

I tried some complicated dance moves but they don't look very good so Bill told me to knock it off. And then Brutus pushed his sister Byrd under the steps. We laughed so hard but the humans helped her out. Boys rule girls drool.

Brutus decided it would be really fun to jump up on Bill's back. Bill was not amused.

Then Byrd went for a swim and Bill decided to drown her.... I mean save her.

Byrd didn't care but Mum hauled her out on the side because Bill was not giving up.

Finally we all got tired and it was time for everyone to leave. Rumor has it that Brutus is staying with us for the month. Ah, Mum, where am I going? I don't think I should share with an even smaller squirt than me. Mum has assured me that I will be taken care of and rewarded for my tolerance. Ah nuts there's that homeboy rule rearing its ugly head again.

For little squirts, they are pretty cute. I was pretty bushed myself and hunkered down on the deck between Auntie and Mum.

It was a good weekend all in all (even if I didn't get any pancakes).

THE END

IS BOOTS A HOMEBOY

After close overnight observation, Irish and Bill met on Saturday to discuss the re-application of Boots to become a homeboy. Never in the history of homeboys has anyone been able to re-apply but the committee decided to make an exception in this case. To refresh you on the rules keeping in mind that to become a homeboy you must earn at least 20 points:

1. Know the definition of Homeboy: A homeboy is a friend. Someone you can kick it with. A person who always has your back. You can’t go through life without a homeboy. A slang term for “dawg”.
I spent the weekend kickin' with my buddies Bill and Irish. I did whatever they asked and never complained once. 5 points

2. Be unafraid of the water: A homeboy must be able to swim, dive, or at minimum soak on the first step for hours on end. Look at me, Mr. Water Dog. Despite a run in with a pitbull, I managed to run with the boys (as opposed to running with the bulls. not ever gonna run with the bulls. Bulls big and have pointy things coming out of their heads. Dog vs bull never gonna happen, dog too smart. Human vs bull, happens once a year , bull smarter than human) 10 points

3. Understand that no matter what, the ball comes first When playing with toys, a homeboy can play with all of them but if there is a ball, make sure that the ball stays with you at all times and at all costs. Never, and I repeat, never, give up the ball to another dog even if s/he is part of the posse.
Never touch the ball unless Irish says it is okay. He never said it was okay. I never touched the ball. 10 points

4. Cloth and other soft toys are for wimps
A homeboy should be wary of soft toys so if your owner gives you one, play with it for a short time to amuse your owner, then sneak off to a quiet corner and shred that thing until there is nothing left. If you are not in the mood to shred, package up the toy and send it to a teacup poodle.
We watched a wannabe golden mix (or maybe lab mix) with his toy. Didn't take his toy as it was a ball and not cloth. Seemed okay to let him have it. If it had been cloth, we would have shredded it. 5 points

5. Cookies and ice cubes are to be shared
If you get a cookie or an ice cube, break it up and share it with your homeboy. Never eat the whole cookie yourself as it makes your homeboy sad.
I followed Bill all over the house. Everytime he started chewing on a toy, I took it from him. Finally Bill said to me "Rule #5" and walked away. Rule #5 what does that mean...... ah oh then I remembered. I brought him a bone and didn't take it away from him. Whew I almost blew that one. 1 point

6. If your owner gives you a command, think about it before you do it.
A homeboy always thinks about a command before he does it. Your owner is human afterall and can always change his/her mind. Waiting allows your owner the time to think about whether s/he really wants the command performed and prevents you from doing unnecessary work.

I have perfected my thinking stare. I steadfastly refuse to do a command unless I feel like it.....Okay not really, I love doing my commands and will do any of them sometimes even all of them with just a simple "hi boots how are you". I need to learn more self control.... Is that a rule? 2 points

7. Ugly faces are never acceptable
A homeboy never shows his teeth when playing with other dogs. Doing so will result in a "no ugly faces" reprimand and could get you some serious time out. Smiling is permitted and is not considered an ugly face.

How can you possibly do an ugly face when you are hanging out with Bill? He always makes me laugh. 5 points

8. Going to a restaurant is a privilege, not a right
While a homeboy might think it is fun to "hoover up" everything that was left under the table by previous diners, this might result in a tummy ache and will most definately curtail your restaurant visits in the future.

Restaurants? Who needs restaurants when you are a star like I am? I am still a gobbler of food on the floor but isn't there some sort of 10 second rule? Isn't it free game if a human doesn't claim it immediately? 0 points.

9. Practice tolerance
Not all dogs are as smart and handsome as a homeboy. It takes a special dog to be a homeboy so make sure that you are polite to every dog you meet. You never know when you might run across a homeboy from a different hood.
I stopped sitting on Bill's head and I let him have control over the couch even though it was cold and lonely on the floor.

Oh and before you call the ASPCA, I chose the floor as I was soooooo tired I couldn't even make it up to the couch let alone jump on it but don't tell Bill

10. Homeboys never dis other homeboys
Homeboys have a tough time with this rule and it is the hardest one to adhere to because we all know that dogs rule, cats drool....oops I digressed. While a homeboy might be tempted to subject another homeboy to ridicule, this never works out in the long run and will result in yet longer time outs than dished out in rule #7. I am a Canine Good Citizen but I am sorry I know I am not supposed to slurp Bill or lay on him but I love him. He's my BFF

So now we wait....Irish cast his vote yesterday and we are waiting for Bill. Oh that's right is a secret ballot......Wait, what do I see? It is smoke coming out of the chimney at Camp Cedar. That can mean only one thing

Notorius B.I.L and I-Man are pleased to welcome the newest homeboy.

Scooter P or Suga B: Boots can't decide. But maybe the posse or you blog folks can.

CONGRATULATIONS BOOTS YOU MADE IT.

Weeked fun

So on Friday Mum let Bill come over in the afternoon to play with me. We played "stalk the dog" which is when we stand on opposite ends of the pool and the first one to blink or move loses. Bill is much better at it than I am because I can't stand being away from my BFF that long plus he gives me such a hard stare that it makes me giggle and then I move. Usually I just keep staring and start creeping towards him but he always notices that I moved so I always lose.

Then Bill told me he could fly. I asked him to show me and he pushed his ears out really far and he lifted off the ground. He is amazing. He didn't stay airborne very long though and I don't have any pictures to prove he flew. You'll just have to trust me on this one. Its something we dogs don't like the humans to see. Its our way of making the humans feel like they are superior and all.

Pretty soon it started to get dark. I don't like it when we change the clocks. Not enough daylight. I thought Mum was going to take Bill home but then she said those magic words "sleep over" So Bill and I ran into the house gobbled up dinner and hunkered down on the dog bed for some serious snoozing. I was on my best behavior because I am being considered for homeboy status again and Bill was observing me for Irish who was meeting with us on Saturday.

The next day we got up and it was cloudy. No big deal but it would have been nice if it was sunny because Irish was coming to visit. We went to this place called dog beach. Dog Beach? How come I never heard of this before? Where have the humans been hiding this big pool of water. Wait, I don't like big pools of water do I? I first ran off and got attacked by a pitbull. Mum was worried but after a thorough checkup by Auntie and Mum, I was declared uninjured. Note to self: when at the big dog beach, stay close to your buddies as not every dog likes to be slurped.

I wasn't sure about the water but I could walk in it and never have to swim. Maybe this would be fun. I stood with Auntie and watched the waves come in and out. I watched Bill and Irish whooping it up. I wanted to whoop too but dare I venture off leash into the wild rapids?

I kept watching Bill and Irish and then I thought, if they can do it, I should be able to do it. Plus maybe this was part of the final exam for homeboy. Okay, ready or not, here I go............................................

Hey this is really fun. I'm enjoying this and I don't see that pit bull anywhere. Bill went out really far but he always came back and was so happy.

I-Man was busy playing with a tennis ball. That boy sure likes those tennis balls.

I was having so much fun I decided to try out a few dance moves that Erin and Byrd taught me last week.

Bill thought I looked pretty awesome but he wanted me to know that he had a few moves of his own

We laughed so hard I thought we would drown.

Even Irish did some laughing in between fetching the ball and conferencing with Bill. Bill even met some water buffalo while we were there.

Bill and Irish even let me hang with them. That's a good sign don't you think? I only got called squirt a few times all day. Pretty good for those two.

Before we knew it the humans were cold and said it was time go home. We managed to pose for a picture on the beach before we left although all we kept looking at was the beautiful ocean and waves. I think I'll ask Mum to buy me a boogie board or surfboard so that I can learn to hang ten (or would that be hang twenty?)

We dried off and got in the car. Boy was I tired but not so tired that I didn't climb over the seat and into Tio's lap. Best place for a tired pup is Tio's lap.

It was good day all around. Mum said we can go back to the dog beach again since I liked it so much. I can hardly wait. Hope that Irish comes back soon. He's so cool and handsome. No wonder he's Bill's BFF. I know they had a meeting so check back later to see if they took a vote on homeboy. Paws crossed.

hard week

I had a really tough week. I was called upon to do all kinds of things at work including meeting with the accounting department to go over some budget items. Sheesh. I am glad its almost the weekend as I'm pooped. Irish is coming down tomorrow and we are all meeting at the beach. Maybe Irish and Bill will take another homeboy vote while they are together. I sure hope so.

new puppies

Rosie (my real mom) and Randy (my real dad) had puppies three weeks ago. Mum, Auntie and Tio are getting two new puppies from this litter in January and February. I will be working with Marques and famiily by then so I guess its okay if I allow these pups to stay in San Diego. I'm a little sad thinking about leaving San Diego but I think that Los Angeles will be exciting and I'm really looking forward to living with my forever family and helping Marques.

Everyone thinks they are soooo cute. Personally I think they are not so cute and what do they know how to do? Probably nothing. Do the humans not remember how cute I was and still am?

Dogs Gone Wild

I got up this morning at 6 am. Mum said to go back to bed because it was too early. Oooops forgot we turned the clocks back last night and I forgot to set my clock so I thought it was 7... I asked Mum to change mine (no thumbs to accomplish this on my own). Don't ask why I have a clock in my crate. After breakfast, I sat around dreaming of fun. Ah if only I had some friends to play with. Mum woke me up and said, time to go to Tio and Auntie's. Yea, mickey mouse pancakes. I ran for the car. Once we got there though, Tio said it was oatmeal or nothing, so I opted for nothing. Auntie and Mum and Bill went to the senior center while Tio and I watched football. I love Sundays and football with Tio.

After a while, we went home. BORING. Again, I lamented the lack of friends when all of a sudden I heard noise in the backyard. Erin was here without that crazy Byrd and with Gareth. Then before I knew it Bill showed up and so did Tribecca. I was sad no longer as I did in fact have friends. Lots of friends.

Tribecca and Gareth swam while Erin and I watched (supervised) Then all of sudden something came over us all. It was like we were possessed. We were

DOGS GONE WILD

Tribecca was leaping around and dancing

Erin did some break dancing. She said that Byrd gave her a few lessons

But Erin has some moves that even Byrd doesn't have.

Mum couldn't take the craziness (what a bummer) so she brought out the spray bottle. Ah oh, everyone decided to toe the line for sure. No need to bring out the bottle Mum, we were just dancing. So we decided to be good and all play with the fish. Note to self...get Mum to buy more fish. One fish not enough

Tribecca wanted to get as far away from the spray bottle as possible so into the pool she went along with Bill. (maybe I need to start swimming to get away from the spray bottle)

Tribecca swam and swam but always with a buddy. We are keenly aware that you never swim alone.

After swimming and playing, we dried off, had frosty paws and humored the humans with a few line up pictures. Makes us feel like we are criminals and the humans are trying to pick out the perp. Buy hey, if it makes the humans happy who are we to say no?

Bill tried his "mean man" stare but it didn't fool anyone. Then Erin had this great idea, lets all lay down.

More pictures. I tried the mean stare but alas, it didn't work for me either.

Then Mum said release and away we went. It was a good day all around.

I passed

Well I didn't think I could do it (well actually Mum was the negative one) but I passed by Canine Good Citizen test last night. There were a few moments when the evaluator whipped out the rule book but I satisfied all the requirements so now I can cross that off my list. Woooweee...