Tuffy's Big Blog

Nana and a boo boo! The Dog Is In Trouble Again!

2011-08-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

Our dog does the strangest things! I heard my man say, "Where in the world did this wood come from? How did the puppies get a stick in the house?"

I thought, "Sticks?! I love sticks! The dog must have a stick. Wish I had a stick." Ahhh, a mystery. A challenge. Let me snoop around and see what I can find!

In the dining room, I found it!

The scene of the crime. The dog had actually removed a wooden spoon from the dishwasher when my lady wasn't looking! He snuck it into the dining room. For some reason, he thinks under the dining room table is a good hiding spot. Hmmph! Doesn't he realize everybody and anybody can see you when you go under the dining room table? A good hiding spot would be under a bed!

Well, not only had he stolen a wooden spoon. He had stolen my lady's favorite knife!

He ruined the spoon!!! Well, never to be one to pass up a good opportunity . . .

I picked out a good looking piece of spoon . . .

And took off as fast as I could. But alas, I always listen when my lady calls.

And for my good behavior, what do I get? That dad-blasted camera flash in my eyes. But, hey, I got my stick and she let me enjoy it for a while.

Good lady.

How to Stay Cool When It's 101 Degrees Outside

2011-08-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

Hi ya'll! Have you been outside lately? If so, then I don't need to tell you how hot it's been around here, but just for the record: 101 degrees was the high yesterday! The "low" this morning: 77 degrees. Folks, it's H O T ! ! ! So I thought it would be a good idea to teach everyone how to stay cool and keep yourself safe when it's scorching hot outside. Read carefully:

1. First and foremost: stay inside and reeeeelax.

2. Drink lots and lots of water.

3. Chill out (aka take lots of naps). Even the dog knows to do this.

4. Keep those potty breaks short and to the point. No dilly-dallying in this heat. Remember your lady or man is out there sweating while you do your business.

5. If you have to go somewhere, keep that A.C. cranked up to full speed.

6. Eat a frozen treat every now and then.

The best is ice from Couch's Barbeque. Especially if you can find it soaked in Coke or sweet tea!

This one is good, too, but you have to wait for your lady or man to share with you. Whereas, you can help yourself to the ice/tea/coke if you pay close attention to when and where the man puts his glass down.

7. Finally, and this is only for the bold and daring, take a dip in the swimming pool. Guaranteed to chill you down.

And there you have it: my tips for keeping your cool until this summer heat is over. Hope you learned something. Stay cool!

Good Stuff

2011-07-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today I want to tell you about some good stuff my lady has cooked for me and the dog.

My nieces' lady (you remember my nieces - Paris, Carly and Ella and their lady, Sarah) told my lady about a great cookbook for me and Toby. My lady got the book and we've tried a few of the recipes. For July, my lady made us Red, White and ol' Blue cookies. They were yummy! They had blueberries and strawberries and cinnamon in them, and she cut them out in the shape of stars.

We ate those yummy cookies until yesterday, when we gobbled down the last ones. So, do you know what my lady did today? She made more cookies!!!

Who knew that from this:

and this:

my lady could make something as yummy as these:

These are called Flower Power cookies, and they have sunflower seeds in them! Yum, yum, yum!!! Wonder what kind of power these cookies are gonna give me? I hope I get the power to make the dog get out of my face every morning when I wake up!

Look at this flower:

Can you see the seeds? The birds have already gobbled a bunch of the seeds. I had noticed that the birds were always fluttering around these dead flowers, but I never dreamed there was such yummy stuff there!

How many days is it till we try a new treat? Wonder what it will be? Keep reading my blog and I'll be sure to let you know.

Wednesday Stills

2011-07-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Remember Sunday Stills? If not, scroll back a couple of posts and read up on 'em. Well, I liked Sunday Stills so much, yesterday I decided a Wednesday Still would be quite nice.

Obviously, it was a good idea. You might want to try it. A Thursday Still work work just fine.

The Dog Is Driving Me Crazy!

2011-06-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

All over a little thunder. As Charlie Brown said, "Oh, good grief!" Every time we have a little thunder (or a lot of thunder), the dog goes absolutely insanely crazy! How? you may be asking. He barks! and barks and barks and barks and barks! Last Wednesday he barked for six hours straight! No exageration. I thought I was going to have to put him out of the house. So today, here we went again. Now my lady loves storms, so if she's home when a storm comes along, she usually wants to sit out on the porch, and you know I have to go sit with her. Besides, if I'm honest with you, I have to admit I am a little afraid of thunder. So if you're afraid of something, what's the logical action to take? Seek protection and comfort with your lady or your man.

And for added protection and security, if you can wedge yourself in between your person and the side of the chair, do so. Just so you'll know what to do.

Now, the dog? I don't know if he's scared or just plain crazy, but if you want to see how he behaves during a storm, just watch this little video clip:

If you got a chuckle out of that one, and you're just a glutton for irritation, watch the next video. I actually got into this one.

See what I mean? He's crazy!! Oh yeah, did I mention that it rained today?

My Sunday Stills

2011-06-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

My lady does a post every Sunday on her blog,
A Garden of Thoughts, called Sunday Stills. It's a group thing in which she participates. You might want to check it out. In the meantime, I do Sunday Stills, too.

Every Sunday. On this pillow. On this couch.

The Pampered Chef (aka my lady) Cooks for Me (and the dog)

2011-06-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

Wow! and Yummy! My lady made me and the dog a real treat today! They are cookies, but they are cheeseburgers.

It all started when I noticed the dog was carrying on about something in the kitchen. Silly dog!

He thinks every time she cooks it must be for him. So he goes in there and lurks around, bumps the cabinets, jumps up and tries to see what's on the counter. You get the idea. Well, he kept on and kept on until I figured I better check it out. After all, I didn't want to miss any thing.

Yep! She was cookin' and man oh man it was smellin' wonderful - -
kind of like hamburgers. Well, while the dog kept an eye on the lady, I returned to couch with my man. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, she just kept on cookin'. Little did I know!! Here's how she did it:

Grillin' and Chillin'

1 cup oat flour

1 cup potato flour

1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

1 cup lean ground beef

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg

3/4 cup water

Using her microwave pot, she browned the ground beef and chopped it up with her special chopper (also from Pampered Chef - read the title of this post).

Next she stirred in the everything else except the sesame seeds.

She stirred it all up really, really good.

The she got out the ice cream scoop! No kiddin'! She used that little tiny Pampered Chef ice cream scoop to scoop out little globs of the mixed up stuff. She put them on a big baking pan.

Next she dipped her fingers in water and flattened out the little blobs so that they looked just like little hamburgers. Finally she sprinkled them with sesame seeds (because they're good for us, she said). Man, I was absolutely drooling by the time these things came out of the oven. I decided I better get back in the kitchen and see what was happening.

After the "burgers" had been in the oven (@ 350 degrees) for 15 minutes, she took them out and put them on a wire rack. We couldn't eat any until they cooled. I didn't think she'd EVER get finished with those burgers.

Finally, and at long last, the little burger cookies were ready and my lady and my man were ready to go out to lunch.

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! TREAT TIME ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Ummm, ummm, gomph, smack, smack, 'scuse me, but , gulp, oh my gosh these little burger cookies are delish! You just gotta try them.

You can tell by the blurriness of the pictures that the dog could not control himself! I think every doggy owner (and owners of canine people) should cook up some of these burgers for their little friends. Happy grillin'!

A Terrible Thing Has Happened to the Dog

2011-05-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday or Friday, I go to see Bernie. She's my groomer. She bathes me, trims my hair, cleans me up really good. I don't particularly like going to Bernie's and having all this rigamarole done to me, but it keeps my lady happy, so you do whatcha gotta do.

This Thursday was no different (or so I thought). My man took me to the groomer, and I heard my lady saying that she and the dog would be leaving soon to take him to his groomer. I should take a moment to explain why he doesn't go to Bernie. It's because Bernie refuses to groom him. He went to her once, he tried to bite her, and she said, "Never again." He really shouldn't have tried that with her. She's really a sweet lady. Anyway . . .

Now, a trip to the groomer doesn't really change anything. This is me before visiting Bernie:

and this is me just got home from the groomer.

See? No big deal. What you can't tell by looking at my pictures is that right before I go to see Bernie, I get a little, how shall we say, b.o. (body odor). A bath is the only solution. So off I go every Thursday. Now, the dog is another story. Amazingly enough, he doesn't have b.o. Only dog I've ever known of that didn't smell like a dog. So, he only has to go to his groomer once a month. You see, he has a different kind of problem: TONS and TONS of HAIR!!! If he doesn't get brushed out regularly he gets mats (ooo, I hate mats) and when that happens my lady starts snip-snip-snipping. And the dog hates THAT. So this Thursday was the day, and off he went.

Later that day, I came home and boy, oh boy, was I in for a shock. Something B. A. D. happened at the dog's groomer this time. I actually stopped and did a double-take when I saw it.

It was like, oh my goodness, I don't even know how to tell you. I feel so sorry for the big guy. This has to be the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him. Well, I guess the best thing to do is just let you see for yourself:

Somebody really messed up with the scissors, if you ask me. He looks horrible, don't you agree? My man said, "Toby, what'd they do to you, boy? You look like you left your pants at the groomers." My lady thinks he looks like a lion, except for the fact that no lion I ever saw has all that hair on his front legs. She says they should have shaved his front legs, too, if they were gonna do that to him. Poor guy.

And he just acts like nothing has happened!!!!! I've told you before, the dog has no sense of dignity whatsoever. He looked at me like, "What's your problem?"

And just to prove my point:

I mean really. If your back half looked like this would you be sticking it up for the camera?

I didn't think so. Thank God hair grows back. This has got to be some kind of award-winning bad hair day.

My Man Rescues Me Again

2011-05-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

Food in a bag? Please tell me no.

Treats in a bag. Please, please, pleeeeeeeaaaaasssseee tell me this is NOT happening again.

Oh nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! My bed!!!! Now I know my people are going somewhere, and so am I. This can't be good. I had a bad feeling when my lady brought up her suitcase. That's never a good sign.

First we delivered the dog to Michael Jones's house, so I knew he didn't get to go with them this time. Then they took me to Bernie's. But, thank goodness, this time they only stayed gone 23 hours and 45 minutes. (Bernie says dogs can't tell time, but we all know I'm not a dog and I certainly can tell time.) My man always comes back for me.

After I greeted my man at the door, I had to dash back inside to be sure Bernie was bringing my bed out. Whew! There it was. All was good. Then . . .

I realized the dog was in the truck. Oh boy, why couldn't they have picked me up first? Now he's gonna want to say hello with a snoop and a lick. Oh, alright, I admit it: I'm even glad to see that they've remembered to pick him up. After all, Michael Jones has four!!! other dogs. I could hear them yap, yap, yapping when we dropped the dog off at their house. Yuck! Then, we're getting in the truck:

and sure enough, there he is sticking his pointy snout in my face (and other places that shall remain un-named - gross!). Then,

I check to make sure all my stuff is still in the truck, and it is. You see, all my man's and my business cards and stuff are kept in the truck. We take them with us everywhere we go.

And finally, it's time to hit the road and get us back home. Here we go, and of course, I got to drive. Because, really, have you ever known of a dog driving? Of course not.

And at long last, home sweet home.

I hope we're not going any where else any time soon.

Now He's Done It

2011-05-07T07:47:00.001-07:00

While lounging in the living room with my lady one recent spring morning (Man! I love it when she doesn't go to work!), she and I were both startled to hear my man yelling, "Vaaalerieeee!" (my lady's name). She quickly placed me on the floor and dashed for the back porch door. Well, that was super weird for two reasons: (1) We both thought he had left for work, actually heard him drive away, and (2) my man never, and I mean N E V E R raises his voice. So when he yelled her name, I thought, "Uh-oh. She must have really done something bad wrong! I better go hide." But I couldn't resist finding out what all the commotion was about. So followed her. Somehow she knew! She dashed right out the back door and off the through the porch door to retrieve - you guessed it! -

T H E D O G !!

And I could not believe my eyes!!!!! Here came my man, carrying the dog out in front of him as if to say, "Yuck, come get this animal before he gets me wet and dirty!"

That crazy dog had jumped, yes I said JUMPED!! through, yes I said THROUGH!!! the screen on the back porch to chase!!! my man as he drove off to work.

My man was N O T happy about this. You see, not too many months after my lady brought the dog here to live, my man put brand-new screening on our back porch. Then one day, a friend of ours showed up at the house pulling a trailer. Well, for some reason none of us will ever understand, the dog went berserck!!! It seems he has a "thing" about trailers because everytime one travels up or down our driveway he goes absolutely insane crazy! I've never seen anything like it. It doesn't matter who it is or what they're pulling, the dog absolutely freaks out about trailers. And my man pulls trailers a lot. He's a very busy, hard-working man. Sometimes this trailer:

Sometimes this trailer:

or the lawn-mower trailer, or any kind of trailer.

The porch screen is quite a bone of contention (get it? bone? dog bone? shape of the dog's treats, not mine, though, because obviously, I am N O T a dog) between my man and the dog. The dog tore up both corners of the screen right after my man had just put that new screen in. Now, two years later, my man is still threatening to replace the torn screen and says that the dog can no longer go out on the porch. Every time he says this, I think, "Ha ha, dog, you're gonna get put in your place!" The dog

L O V E S going out on the porch. He hangs out there every time he can. He even asks to go out there all the time.

As I've mentioned before, the dog is . . . well, a dog. If it looks like a dog, smells like a dog, sheds like a dog, and behaves like a dog, you guessed it! It's a dog. What more can we expect.

Now where was I? Oh yes, relaxing in the lady's lap.

There's No Place Like Home

2011-04-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

Remember in the movie "The Wizard of Oz" when Dorothy taps her ruby-red slipper heels together and repeats over and over, "There's no place like home; there's no place like home; there's no place like home"? You know what? She was so right! There truly is no place like home. Your own food bowl on your own rug in your own kitchen.

Your own lady; your own ottoman; your own living room.

Your own pillow; your own couch; your own schedule; everything j u s t l i k e y o u

l i k e i t. No surprises greater than your lady or man arriving home. Even the dog knows home is the place to be!

Well, last Wednesday I received a very unexpected surprise. And my lady wasn't even home to help me deal with it! In the middle of the day who should show up at my house but my nieces from Montana!!!! Here is Carly Jean getting out of her home on wheels (more on this a little later).

And here is Paris and Ella ready to come to my house and partay! Ready or not, here they came.

Now, as you know about me, I REALLY don't like dogs. But these girls are a.o.k. in my book. I mean, unlike our dog, the girls know how to live. Look at this: Paris's favorite spot is actually wrapped around the back of her lady's neck! I remember when I was young, I liked to sit wrapped around my lady's neck. Too dangerous for me now, so I don't do this anymore. But how cool that Paris has such good taste in behavior.

And get a load of this: I love their lady, Sarah, and they don't mind at all if I sit in her lap . . . even WITH THEM! Can you believe how nice they are? The dog always snarls and snaps at me when he's sitting with my lady and I want to join them. Granted the girls run and tear around a little too much, especially in the morning, and they do like to get into my food and water, and they do poop in my yard, and they do all know how to go up and down the stairs, and I can't do that AT ALL (I fell down them when I tried and have never gone there again!), and they do bark a lot over little noises: the men coming home, the dog barking, usual stuff. And they do get to go outside without leashes and I have to wear mine. Oh yeah, and that crazy Carly Jean thinks she can sing.

My lady should get a picture of that! Her man says, "Carly, can you sing?" and she just throws her snoot up in the air and let's 'er fly! "Aaaaooooooooooooooooooo!" Then you know what? The dog starts up, too. It's just humiliating how the dog does these things, especially when company is in the house.

Well, I should have known something bad was coming when the girls showed up. When they come to visit, my lady always ends up going somewhere and leaving me alone with those girls and the dog. But this time it was worse than I could ever have imagined. Here's the first sign that something unpleasant was about to happen:

My lady put a supply of treats in a baggie. Well, that was curious. But the next sure-fire sign that bad things were about to happen:

A supply of food in a baggie. But the next one really confirmed that I was in for a most unpleasant something:

My lady, the girls from Montana and their lady all piled into the truck and left me HOME ALONE WITH THE DOG!!!!!!! But on Saturday morning when my man packed the treats and food in my bed, well, I just lost my composure. Obviously I was getting shipped off to Bernie's for an extended stay. Something about a wedding or something. I don't know. I had to stay at Bernie's all the way until Monday!! When I finally got home, my lady was nowhere to be found. But she showed up a couple of hours later with the girls and their lady and a boatload of luggage and stuff. While it was good to be home, it wasn't long before the girls had to pack up and hit the road. You see, the nieces from Montana are what's known as "over the road" truckers! Can you believe that? Canine truckers! Females at that! Humph! I'd rather stay home.

Here's Paris looking out the driver's side window of her home on wheels.

Carly Jean wishing my lady goodbye. Carly Jean is the chief head over-the-road driver. She spends the most time helping her man drive, while the other two girls spend most of their time tending to their lady.

And this is Ella saying goodbye. Their off to L.A. (lower Alabama) tonight. I'm hoping the storms don't cause them any driving troubles. Check this out: this is their home on the road! Check out that hood ornament! Man, I would love to mark one of those tires!

But, my lady was so good to let me stay home, once I finally got there. After two days of yappy dogs and being cooped up in a kennel, I am soooooo ready to just stay home. Because there's truly no place like home (whether truck or house). Home is best with one's lady and man.

P.S. The girls call my lady their "Grand Lady." She likes that. Come back soon, girls from Montana! We love you! Even though you play with the dog.

The View from Down Here

2011-03-26T17:09:00.001-07:00

Have you ever read Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg? He writes really good books, but the best part of this book is the art. The entire story is illustrated from the ants' physical point of view. Which gave me an idea for a blog.

Hey everybody! Today I want to open your eyes and mind to something I bet you never think about: what the world must look like when you're only 12 inches tall! So here we go. Think about it.

This is what I see when I look at the dog, and this is when he's lying down! Can you imagine what a monster he appears to be when he's standing up?! Well, he's not so brave. Today he's been barking since around 4:30 this morning. He doesn't like thunder and it's been thundering and raining A L L

D A Y L O O O N N N G G G ! Needless to say, my nerves are shot today: I don't like rain; I can't pee; I can't poop; and I can't stand barking dogs!

This is the newly sprouting hydrangeas. This is what I see when I stand next to them.

I bet I have a better view of flowers than you!

Where a skunk has been digging for grubs. Yuck! Now skunks are really weird. They eat worms; they stink up my yard; my lady is freakishly afraid of them!

The bird bath and fountain outside my back porch.

My lady's pot of mint just outside the garage door.

My lady's and man's truck. If you've ever wondered why we canines pee on the tires, it's because, well, that's all we can get to! Duh!

Railroad ties.

My man's van. Ditto as for the truck.

A concrete statue in my yard. Actually this sits at the top of a hill. She freaks me out. What if she fell? She could squash me. Heck, she could even squash the dog! I don't mess around her much.

Can you believe how high up it is to my lady's lap? It takes a lot of effort and energy and strength to make this jump!

Same goes for jumping up into her chair. And then I have to deal with that dad-blame rocking foot stool!

So, if you are the lady or man of a little pet, be mindful of how huge the world looks from our point of view. And be careful where you step and be careful about what animals you bring home. And, try getting down on our level once in a while. It's a very thought-provoking view. Give it a try.

A Moment of Silence, Please

2011-03-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

Please honor my man's brother and his wife, Floyd and Marilyn, and my pal, Bruiser, their beloved pet. Bruiser had to be put down today.
This is Bruiser living large on his back porch. Bruiser didn't know any other way to live: he was over 100 pounds, covered in a thick coat of fur, loved to eat and roam his huge yard. Favorite foods that Bruiser enjoyed were leftover burgers, leftover Couch's barbeque, pizza and chocolate. Being related to us and all, the burgers and barbeque were plentiful. Floyd and Marilyn always saved him a bite or two of their lunches and/or dinners. Also, since his man Floyd worked for M&M Mars, chocolate is always present in their home. Yes, yes, Marilyn and Floyd both knew he couldn't have chocolate and rarely, if ever, gave him any. But, oh, how he wanted it. Pizza was also a no-no because every time he enjoyed pizza, he got an upset tummy (which is a R E A L problem for character of Bruiser's size). As Bruiser aged, he suffered many maladies common to older canines. But it was hip dysplasia that was the last straw. His devoted man and lady had tried for weeks to help him with his needs, even up until this morning, carrying him to the yard on a stretcher so he could potty. They realized yesterday the three of them, but especially Bruiser, could not continue like this.

In keeping with Bruiser's "living large" lifestyle, Marilyn and Floyd treated him to his own pizza for breakfast this morning, with all the chocolate he cared to indulge in for dessert.

Then it was to the vet for a peaceful departing. Bruiser is now buried in his lady's garden. Live large in doggy heaven, Bruiser. You will be missed.

Never a dull moment . . . on Thursdays

2011-03-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

If you will recall from my last blog, Thursdays are go-to-the-groomer days. So, today being Thursday, off to the groomer I went. The best things about going to Bernie's are (1) getting a treat from my man when we get in the van and (2) getting a treat when I get home. Well, I survived the trip to Bernie, but there was a little change-up today: haircut time! How do you like it? I likeNOT having all that tangling stringy hair hanging off of me. My lady loves my hair cut short; Meagan loves my hair cut short; my man likes my hair long. Which way do you like it? I'd be interested to know. But really, when you're as cute as I am, does it really matter?

Shortly after I got home from the groomer, my lady had the brilliant idea of sitting outside in the sunshine to, if I understood her correctly, "get some sun" on her legs?!? One must ask, "Why?" It's hot in the sunshine. There was some talk of "for the wedding" or something. Anyway, out we went.

I tried to tell her this made no sense and that we needed to get somewhere cooler and in the shade like, hmmmm, IN THE HOUSE? The crazy dog chased bumble bees. Does he really not know what's going to happen when he catches one of those monsters?

O.k., so she sat in the sun and got some sun on her legs. I can't tell any difference whatsoever. Wasted time if you ask me. Besides, it's too hot in the sun. Anyone with any sense at all knows that. The only time you sit in the sun is in the winter time, in your window bed, in the afternoon.

My lady, really, we have GOT to go in the house. I'm roasting out here!

And so in we finally went. It was nice, though, of my lady to take us out, especially since she's been sick the last couple of days. Yesterday was WONDERFUL! We spent the ENTIRE day on the couch watching television. Just wish she didn't have to be sick for that to happen.

Be watching my blog! I have some cool things to share with you. Stay cool!

My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2011-03-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

Hello! Me again! And it hasn't even been a week yet! I thought surely I could do something enjoyable today since it's been such a yucky day, for me anyway. Ever read that book about the kid named Alexander who had a terrible, horrible, very bad day (or something like that)? Well, that describes my day perfectly!

Every Thursday or Friday I go to see my groomer. Her name is Bernie. I don't mind that too much because I usually only stay there a few hours. However, I just think everybody should just stay home. Everything is just like I like it at home. Sit in my lady's lap. Get a drink occasionally. Tell the dog to shut up and get out of my face and stay out of my face. Just the usual. But on grooming days, I'm so stressed when I get home I just want to crash. I know you know what I mean. But today, after getting home from Bernie's, before I knew what has happening my lady was saying, "O.k. boys, let's get in the truck." What!!!!! Why??????? Where in the world do we have to go now??????!!!!!!

Well, into the truck we got, and I let the dog know real quick that I would be driving.

I made him sit in the passenger seat. And notice his "harness"? Dumb dog doesn't even know how to use a leash. Anyway . . .

Oh no. You've got to be kidding me! Not there. Maybe we won't turn. Maybe we won't turn.

Oh, crap. We're turning. The vet's office. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, good happens at the vet (in my opinion, of course). For some reason, every now and then, my lady thinks we need to visit Dr. Carter. Don't get me wrong, he's a really nice guy and super-great doctor. He's helped me a lot! But, well,

Does anybody like to go to the doctor? I don't think so. But to the doctor we went. Look at this! The dog is such a wimp. He immediately tried to hide under my lady's chair. Does he really think this will work? Does he know anything?

Do you have these indiscreet experiences at your doctor's office? Sticks up your you-know-where. Needles in your leg. Poking in your ears. Shining lights in your eyes. Good grief!

The good news? I'm fine! Healthy as can be. Whew!

Wait! What did he say? Yank out what tooth? Where? No way, Hosea!!!! Why would you want to pull my tooth? Well, guess what? I don't think so!

Now I ask you: do you see anything, ANYTHING wrong with my teeth? I didn't think so. Anyway, at least I'm slim and trim and healthy in every other way. Then it was the dog's turn. Remember how I told you he was such a pig? Well, guess what? He needs to lose weight!!! That's right! At least I'm not FAT, TOEBEE.

Finally, my lady paid the bill, and we got back in the truck. I'm always more relaxed on the return trip from anywhere we go. Besides, today was a beautiful day (if horrible and terrible), and I thoroughly enjoy snooping in the floorboards.

Then it's up in the driver's seat again to watch for signs of home. Home sweet home. Did I mention that I like to stay home? Here's a surefire sign we're getting close.

Then this beautiful bush at the beginning of my driveway. That's one way I know I'm almost home.Ahhhhh. Finaly, my driveway. I always start barking at this point because, well, don't you get excited when you get home?

And finally, home again, home again. I hope we get to stay home this time.

Surely tomorrow will be a better day.

Well, Helloooooooo!

2011-03-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hello. Hey, my lady, I've got a good idea. Could you spare me a minute?

I have an idea: let's get my blog going again. I mean, it's been like, what? THREE YEARS!

Yep, it's me! Still here! Same place, same people, same castle! I'm a little older and cannot believe my lady can't do better than this with my blog. I mean, come on! It's been almost three years! I forgive her, though, because there's been a lot that's gone on over the last three years. Won't go into details because she wouldn't want me to do that, but suffice it to say, she's been rather busy with all kinds of, ummmmm, "issues," shall we say? Anyway . . .

Personally, I think her "issues" have seriously clouded her judgement. I mean, I've been living here my entire life and never, NEVER, have we allowed dogs in our house. Now, not only have dogs been here to visit on a number of occasions (more on that later), but for some crazy reason I'll never be able to wrap my mind around, my lady did the unpardonable! She . . . . . . adopted . . . . . . . a . . . . . . I can hardly bring myself to say it . . . . . D O G ! ! ! And my man? OMG!!!! He didn't do a dad-blame thing about it!!!!!!!!!

Here it is:

Please don't let the picture deceive you: it's eyes are not green or yellow (though it's evil enough so that they should be!). It's eyes are just plain brown. Not even a deep, rich blackish brown like mine. Just brown. She calls it "Toebeee." What a stupid name. But then it is a dog, after all. It's big. Twice as big as me. It weighed 15 pounds (I heard her say) when it came here to live. Let me tell you, that dog is a pig! It empties my, yes, you read right, MY food bowl at least once a day. It won't even eat out of it's own food bowl, but it snarls and snaps and knocks me down if I even try to go into what is now it's room. I don't know how that decision got made. I certainly was NOT asked my opinion or permission to GIVE a DOG an entire ROOM out of my domain. And besides, a person will do anything when he needs water and the only water available is IN THE DOG'S BOWL!!!!! Yes, you will, too, if you get thirsty enough.

And let me tell you, it THINKS it owns the place! Evidence:

Enough said.

On to more positive thoughts, and more focused on me. In the almost three years that I haven't blogged, not much has changed for me. I'm a little older, a little more silver, a llittle more, shall we say, particular about things. Three years ago I was plagued with some horrible and painful joint issues. Those have been resolved and my joints feel great! Now my mouth, that's another issue. For some strange reason, my gums hurt, especially in front. And for some strange reason, every now and then my lady thinks she's got to "clean my teeth" from where I've groomed. I guess a little hair gets caught in there from time to time, but geeze, what does she expect? I'm covered with the stuff. Anyway, can't say that my gums are that big of a problem to me. Now the teeth coming out occasionally, that's a problem. Can't play ball like I used to, but don't really want to anyway. I leave that kind of stuff to . . . THE DOG.

My and my man? Still very tight. We're a team. It's us against THE DOG. Never, and I mean NEVER will the dog be allowed to sit in my man's lap. That is sacred territory. Mine only. Even when the dog is dumb enough to try, my man doesn't let it happen.

So, good to be back blogging. Hope you'll stay in touch by reading my blog occasionally. All in all, I have to say, life is still good. Except for, did I mention? We got a dog . . .

The Wind in My Hair

2008-10-11T17:08:00.001-07:00

Who knew that the nation's terrible economic state and the high prices of gasoline would or could result in a new adventure for me?
My lady and man "took the old Harley on a [two-] day cruise" (as Travis Tritt sings). They left on Friday and returned the very next day in time to get home and see Tennessee get a butt-whippin' by those Georgia Dawgs. Anyway, since gas prices are so high and since my Bernie's house was on their way home, they thought they'd pick me up on the Harley. Oh yes, they did! It's true! I know what you're thinking: you're thinking, "Tuffy such a scaredy cat, he wouldn't ever do something so gutsy as to ride on a motorcycle." Well, guess what? I did ride on the Harley and I loved it! Still don't believe me?

How's this for proof? Yes, you're eyes are correct: that's me in the rear-view! Need more proof?

Hair doesn't blow like this sitting still! It was the most fabulous and exciting thing I've ever done (seeing as how my wonderful, kind and caring people had me neutered when I was too young to have a say)! You're kidding me. You still don't believe I did this?

Well, here's the reflection of me and my lady in the back of my man's helmet as we are, yes, it's true, rollin' on down the road. I think I need a helmet.

Life's Been a Whirlwind

2008-07-26T17:32:00.001-07:00

No pictures and not much to say, except that obviously my lady has really been busy. You see, she's my secretary and without her I can't blog. Within the last two weeks she's been to Mississippi, Tybee Island, and work. So blogging might not happen too much now that school's beginning again. Please keep checking with me, though. I'll try to blog as often as I can.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this picture.

This is Bonnie. She's a beautiful and curious Bishon Frisee' (did I spell that right?). She is what I fondly refer to as a "fru-fru" doggy. I, quite obviously, am not a fru-fru doggy. Anyway, Bonnie blongs to my lady's mom and dad. Bonnie came to see me this past Monday. Her lady and man were on their way home from a trip and couldn't get into town in time to pick Bonnie up at the vet. So my lady and man picked her up and brought her to my house. While I didn't play with her (I never play with other dogs), I didn't be mean to her either. She spent her time snooping around the house. The only thing she did that I didn't like at all was jump up on my couch and get my man to pet her and rub her belly. She didn't stay long, though.

Hope to blog with you again soon.

Long time no blog . . .

2008-07-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hey, everybody! It has been such a long time since I blogged. I wish I could say not much has been going on, but that would not be truthful. I'll try to think back over the last week or so and fill you in on what's been going on in my life:

Saturday, June 28: As usual on Saturdays, I went to Bernie's, my groomer. The eventful thing this time, however, is that I stayed forever!! I thought my people would never come and pick me up!! In addition to the stress of staying at Bernie's for so long, we had a terrible storm while I was there. I don't really like storms, and I would much have preferred to be home in my lady's lap while it stormed. It was so good to finally get home that night.

Sunday, June 29: We just hung around the house all morning, and then my lady and my man went off to meet family for lunch and then to Bruiser's house for dessert. Oh, please excuse my negligence: you don't know Bruiser because I have never introduced you to him. Well, please meet Bruiser:

Bruiser lives with Marilyn and Floyd waaaaay faaaar away on Highway 58. Here he is relaxing on their new back porch (which my man helped to build). He's holding his favorite toy, a stuffed squirrel (oh, please! - if you're going to play with a stuffed animal, you're supposed to rip and shake and pull all the stuffing out of it). Bruiser weighs 90 pounds and has a ton of hair on him. He is also an inside dog (believe it or not!). To be totally honest, I've never met Bruiser in person, and quite frankly, I don't care to, thank you very much. He's big, he's hairy, and he's just as neurotic as me.

Tuesday, July 1: the bug man came finally. It was about time! My lady says if he doesn't start coming regularly like he's supposed to, she's going to call someone who will do the job correctly. I really don't want that to happen because I like Dustin. He takes time to visit with me when he comes. Bad news: this time was his last visit and he brought the new guy with him. New Guy doesn't seem to have much personality and he had nothing to do with me. Not a good way to begin a relationship.

Thursday, July 3: Meagan came to visit! I love Meagan very much. I love for her to visit. Then Bentlee came over and they all went out to the pool for a while. As usual, I got left in the house.

Friday, July 4: Whoa! The worst day of the year as far as I'm concerned. Since I don't like loud noises, I'm sure you can understand why I say it's my least favorite day of the year. In a word: fireworks!! I hate them. And there are always lots of them on the 4th. In addition to that, dozens of people descended on my house and stayed for hours. This would all be well and good, except for the fact that I'm left all alone in the house while they hang out outside and have fun. They swam, grilled (and yum, the aromas coming from that grill are positively mouth watering!); they played badminton, horseshoes, corn hole, dirt digging, and just generally had a good time. One person did be nice to me: my lady's mom actually took me out on the front porch and held me for a while so I could watch the fun. **

** Because it really irks me when my people go outside and leave me alone inside, I expressed me feelings on that action loudly and clearly. In fact I made my feelings clear on two specific occasions (once Thursday and once Friday). On Thursday both my lady and Meagan stepped in it, literally. Hee-hee.

Saturday, July 5: the day started off with a yummy treat - I got to lick the hamburger platter clean. It even had a few tidbits of hamburger left on it. But then I got taken to Bernie's as is the usual Saturday practice around here. This time I didn't have to stay too long. When I got home everybody hung out inside the house with me.

Finally, today, Sunday, July 6: wonderful day. My people stayed home all morning. We shared fresh blueberry muffins on the porch, read the paper and relaxed together.

Oh no! My man just went out of the house dressed and with his boots on. That usually means my people are leaving. Gotta go - check with you later.

As I suspected, they left. However, after being gone about three hours, they came home and we hung out at the pool together. Now you would think I'd never hang out at the pool after what happened to me (see "The Big Splash" for details on that), but it was actually a very pleasant today.

And that's what my week was like. Hope your's was good. Hopefully it won't be another week before I blog.

Favorite Things

2008-06-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

What a great idea for blogging, Meagan! Here are a few of my favorite things (in no special order):

Well, duh, obviously, my man and my lady.

Sitting up high, even if it's only on a stack of pillows (the higher, the better).

Sitting in my lady's lap while she reads, or my man's lap while he reads or watches television.

Relaxing on the chaise lounge on the back porch.

Playing keep away or tug o' war (especially with a sock or panties, but preferably panties).

Sitting with Meagan when she's here OR (and perhaps even better) taking a nap on her back when she takes a nap on my couch!

Sleeping on my pillow on my couch in my living room in my house ALL NIGHT LONG!

Licking the bottoms of shoes. Now, now, don't go yucking until you've tried it! I particularly relish the bottoms of my man's shoes when he gets in from work. Yum!

And then there, of course, lots of favorite things for which I have no pictures. These include: finding snakes, barking at turtles, flushing up turkeys from my yard (there were 23 of them: be impressed!), humping my bed, enjoying the last bit of ice cream (on the rare occasions that my lady and man eat ice cream), sharing my lady's and man's food, Wheat Thins, any kind of cookie, my food and water being kept just so (I do tend to be a bit OCD), snooping outside, and last, but certainly not least, my treats! Oh yeah, sitting in my window watching birds and squirrels and rabbits and chimpmunks.

What are some of your favorite things?

A Good Night's Sleep

2008-06-23T16:25:00.002-07:00

I have a new favorite sleeping place. It's on one of the couches in the living room. It's on this one particular chenille pillow (the only chenille pillow).

Actually, it's always been a favorite napping spot of mine, usually while my lady reads in her favorite chair or while my lady and my man watch television. Most nights I'll just snuggle on my pillow until they're ready to go to bed. Then one of them will take me to my bed in my crate. Well, I get so tired of them disturbing my good night's sleep by getting me up like that. So the other night I snarled and snapped at my lady. She got frustrated and left me on the pillow! I loved it! Now it's my favorite over-night sleeping spot. Here I am wishing she'd get that blasted camera out of my face (disturbing the sleep again).

What could possibly be so important that she has to take my picture this early in the morning?

Ever had a really bad hair day? In reality, my hair will be fine once I've had a chance to shake it all out and get it back into place.

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease get that camera out of my face and just Go. Away.

P.S. I found a snake. But did she get a picture of that? Noooooo. She didn't. Actually I found the snake yesterday (Sunday) right outside our garage door, in a separation between the driveway and sidewalk. I barked and snooped until my lady finally came to look and noticed that big ol' snake in there. Then she drug me away. So every time I went out I'd return to check on the snake. Today (Monday) my man came home and noticed that the snake was still there and that it was dead. He took it out and disposed of it. Wish I had a picture of me and that snake! That thing was four feet long. We don't know why he died but I gotta say lurking around under concrete like that can't be a good way to live. He should have found himself a chenille pillow on a big comfy couch.

Let's Play Chase

2008-06-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

chase or tug o' war. Your choice! On laundry days (or if I get lucky and someone leaves a sock or a pair of panties laying around) I challenge my lady and/or man to a game of chase. This is me letting my lady know, "I got this sock!"

If the first offer doesn't get her, then I give her this look. It's a winner every time. She can't resist. If I let her get ahold of the sock, then we play tug o' war.

Surprised that I'm wanting to play these games? I've been feeling better lately. I'm even off of my medicine. Now I'm only taking glucosamine with condroitin (just like people do!). It's helping me enough so that I don't have to take the other stuff, which is bad for my liver and kidneys.

So, wanna play?

R U Kidding Me?

2008-06-19T13:06:00.001-07:00

I know you all remember my recent experience about which I blogged, aka "The Big Splash." After that experience you can surely understand my amazement (bordering on disgust) upon observing these two quackers in the pool. They appear to even be enjoying themselves! Go figure! Then . . .

we have these two "quackers" more or less doing the same thing!! What is up with ducks and people? Don't they know how dangerous that big blue hole is?

The Big Splash

2008-06-09T13:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was such an incredibly hot day, but I love, love, love to go outside in the sunshine even when it is so hot. So imagine my excitement when my man said, "I'm going out to check on the pool and I'm taking Tuffy with me." !!!!!!! My man and my lady worked for quite a while Sunday morning opening up that pool. I've been out there many times. It's one of my favorite places to explore and squirt around. Sometimes I find a lizard to chase; sometimes a frog will jump out from under the plantings; of course the chipmunks go out there and they're fast! quite a challenge. Anyway, they uncovered the pool and worked out there for a long time. Then they came in, cleaned up and the day continued as usual. I love Sundays! My people stay home with me all day long on Sundays. To get to go out to the pool was an extra treat. So, my man was checking on things at the pool and I was snooping around the edges (I love to walk on edges of thing: couch backs, porch edges, tops of stairs, pools). I just don't understand what happened! One instant I was walking along the edge of the pool enjoying all the smells, and the next instant: SPLASH!!!!

Brrrrrr! That water was cold! Well, I did what any doggy would do! I swam! I held my head above the water and dog-paddled for my life! I didn't swim long before my man pulled me out of the pool (by the leash around my neck - Ouch!! and Gag!!). After he made sure I was o.k. (of course I was o.k. I know how to swim!!), we went to the house. But when we got there, my man wouldn't let me go in because I was soaking wet. Then, things went from bad to worse: my lady heard us and opened the door for me to come in. When she saw me she exclaimed, "What happened to you?!" Then she got a towel and tried to dry me off. I growled at her because I hate getting dried off. Then we went to sit on the back porch (under the new fan :) ) and my people sipped on Pina Coladas until I got dry enough to be in the air-conditioned house.

And that's the story of the big splash. I don't think I'll be hanging around the pool any more. Even though I'm a good swimmer, I really didn't like it much.

Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer

2008-06-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

My man got my lady a brand new ceiling fan on the back porch, so you know we had to go out and enjoy it. We thought we would test it to see how effective it is at cooling us off when it's 94 degrees outside. It worked pretty good, especially considering that the late-day sunshine was on the porch with us. It's been a great day for me: my lady has been home and inside all day long. Also, she didn't work on her puzzle, so I've spent most of the day sitting in her lap while she read. I love to sit in my people's laps. It's the most comfortable seat in the house! However, if you're going to sit out on the back porch, that chaise lounge is truly a good spot. I can't figure out one thing, though: where is my man?!? He hasn't been around here very much the last few days. He leaves early in the morning and doesn't come home to stay until after dark. He is working way too much. I miss him. I can't wait for Sunday, because that's the day both my people will stay home with me all day long. It's my favorite day of the week. That's all for today. Stay cool, ya'll!

The Beautiful Summer Day - Not!

2008-06-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

Isn't this a beautiful view? This is the view from the front door of my home. If you look carefully, you can see that there's a pond in the distance. There are bird feeders closer to the house (not seen in this shot). There are rabbits and chipmunks and squirrels and ducks and all kinds of birds. Think of the fun to be had snooping and sniffing and chasing. But do I get to do any of that? No, because my lady NEVER LETS ME OUT OF THE HOUSE TO HAVE ANY FUN!!!!! When I do get to go out I'm almost always on the leash and am only allowed to go to certain areas. She's so afraid of ticks and fleas and poison ivy. Every now and then my people let me roam around this yard just for a few minutes. Oh, the joy! The smells! The goodies (turkey turd and such).

But usually, while my people sit on the front porch, while my lady drinks her coffee and enjoys the view, I stand inside the front door like this and enjoy what I can of it. That's how this beautiful summer day started out. Then, horror of horrors!, she scooped me up and we got in the car. Now, I'm telling you, when she does this I know something bad is about to happen. The only time I go anywhere is on Saturday when my man takes me to Bernie's, the groomer. This was aTuesday. So we got in the car, I shook and whimpered, and we ended up at the vet's office. As if that wasn't bad enough, MY LADY LEFT ME THERE!!!!! I only had to stay for an hour or so, but while I was there Dr. Carter let me roam around the office a little while he watched me, and then he did blood tests. Ever had blood tests? I get stuck in my front let and they draw out blood. Then they test it to see how I'm doing. As it turned out, I'm doint just fine, even though I take a medicine every day. My kidneys and liver are working just fine. Yeah! And then she picked me up and took me home. Other than the trip to the vet, it really was a beautiful summer day.

The Bad Haircut

2008-06-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

Can you see it? Can you see that wild whisker that got missed when I recently went to the groomer?!? I absolutely don't know what all the fuss was about. Big deal. A long whisker. You would have thought the world was going to end. As Charlie Brown would say, "Good grief!" Here's how it happened:

As is my usual habit, I went to see my groomer on Saturday (her name is Bernie and she loves me most of all the dogs she grooms - she tells my lady and my man that every time I go to see her - that's how I know). Well, my lady had slept a little later than usual that morning, so I was late taking my pill. For any of you who might not know, I have a little arthritic condition that makes it very difficult for me to get going in the morning. Well, anyway, I was late taking my pill so when I got to Bernie's, I wasn't quite ready to go through the grooming. When she was shampooing me, I cried out a little because, well, to put it bluntly, it hurt! Well, maybe I need to try that more often because once I let out that yelp, Bernie was all about babying me and not hurting me and all. She said she couldn't bear the thoughts of hurting me more so she did a very abbreviated hair cut. I liked that idea because I absolutely hate having a haircut, especially around my face.

But guess what happend when I got home? My people noticed that unruly whisker and nothing would do but that they snip it off "for me." Yeah, right. I could care less, except that I don't like for anyone to mess with my face. Well, I gave 'em a time getting that whisker snipped. Nevertheless, they did get it whacked off.

The result of this story: my lady does not sleep late on any morning any more. Now that school's out, she even gets up early to give me my pill, then goes back to bed. My lady is a good and caring lady. I'm very lucky. Except she can't stand a stray and wild whisker. Good grief!

Just bloggin'

2008-06-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

How have you been? I've been doing as well as usual. It's been such a long time since I blogged and tonight seemed to be a good time to catch up. Lots has been going on in my world lately. For example, remember the two Chinese Cresteds that came to visit a month or so ago? Well, they came back last week. It seems my lady's family had a big get together and they came for that. Of course, they didn't go to the big tado. They stayed at my house. It's a good news/bad news story, actually. Ever heard or read a good news/bad news story? I think they originated with some old comedian years and years ago on television or something. Anyway, it goes like this: The Chinese Cresteds came to visit. That was (for me) the bad news. But it was good news because their lady made them leave me alone. But that was bad news because that made me even more determined to make them go away. So I snarled at Carlie. Well, usually when I snarl at anyone, they get out of my face . . . quickly! She didn't! She had the gall and the nerve to snarl back at me. That was good news, though, because then I got all kinds of attention from my lady, petting and cooing and comforting (oh for Pete's sake, she gets carried away). But it was bad news because apparently Little Miss Prissy Carlie decided she'd get me back. Later she backed me into a corner and acted like she was going to eat me alive. Yikes!!! Ladies to the rescue. That was good news because then her lady kept a close rein on her and my lady held me for awhile. My heart was going 90 miles a minute! It was a very close call. I'm telling you that's just not how things are done around here! Obviously despite the fact that she's been here two times within one month she hasn't gotten it through her head that I'm the alpha everything in this house!!!! In fact on this side of the Mississippi! Then it was a bad thing because I felt like I had to hide for the remainder of their visit. But that was a good thing because everytime the people left the house the visiting dogs (and may I insert here what my man always says: "Tuffy, tell them we don't allow dogs in our house.") any way the visiting dogs got penned up in the kitchen and I had the rest of the house to myself. I love it when I get the house to myself. I always lay around on my couches and stuff. I get to eat and drink in the living room and everything. It was soo cool. Anyway, they only stayed about three days. It was a good thing when they left because I could relax, but it was a bad thing because my lady and my man always get real sad when the other lady leaves. And so that was Memorial Day weekend. Hope you had a good one. My lady's daddy served in the airforce in the Korean War. My man's brother served in the army in the Viet Nam War. I think my man's daddy also served in the military but I can't remember the specifics right now. Anyway, God bless our troops and thank God I am an American dog.

Having Company

2008-04-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

We had company last week! I was very surprised. The day started off like every Saturday. I woke up, took my medicine, and laid around in bed until the medicine started to work. When it did, I pottied, snuggled in the big bed with my people, had a little breakfast, and went off to the groomer (I go every Saturday - her name is Bernie - she loves me more than any other doggy in her business). Anyway, later that afternoon my man picked me up and took me home. I knew the instant I got out of the van that something was wrong and someone strange had been around my territory. I could smell it, er, them. Then, when I went into the house, oh my God! It was like an invasion. There were two of them!!! They had been drinking from my water bowl! My food bowl was no where to be found! The near ultimate insult: one of them had been in my bed!!!!! The ultimate insult: they'd been on my people!!!! I'm telling you, a dog can't even go get a bath without things going wacky while he's gone!

Here is a picture of these two visitors. Obviously, they are not Yorkies. They have no fur! Can you believe it? Perhaps the worst part was my lady liked them and played with them and held them. They ran here; they ran there; they were everywhere seemingly all at once. The one on the left is called Paris and the one on the right is called Carly. Their home is in Montana, but not really. They really live in an 18 wheeler truck. I can't imagine a worse place to live because I hate traveling, even a short distance. Well, they spent the night, and left the next day. Whew! My world back to normal once again.

Tuffy's Second Blog

2008-04-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

This blogging stuff is so cool. I never dreamed anyone would actually read what I have to say. Since it's been a week since I blogged, let me update you on the week I, er, we, had in our house. I guess the biggest news is that my Boxer dog, Lady, no longer lives here. Here is a picture of Lady when she was little. Trust me, she wasn't little any more. (She also doesn't have blue eyes!) Here are the reasons she had to move away.

1. She needed lots of attention from my people and they simply couldn't give her the time and attention she needed because they work a lot and I'm the alpha dog around here. While I felt sad that she didn't get to play with my man, I was jealous because everytime she did get to play, she played outside and got to run around free.

2. She just about killed me! On Tuesday night, my people got home from work rather late. My lady didn't get home until 7:00 and she usually gets home before 4!! So she put me on my leash and we went out to turn Lady out of her pen since the man wasn't home yet. Right after we let her out, my man drove up and Lady took off chasing his van and to greet him. After she said hello to him, she came running back to my and my lady. Well, Lady like to do a "fly-by" like a jet plane every chance she got, terrorizing me and my lady. So she flew-by and ran right into my leash. She sent me flipping over and over and over and over! I thought I would never stop tumbling. I tumbled into a mulched area and came up with mulch all tangled in my fur, which I hate, because I knew then my lady was going to pick and brush at me until she got all that out of my fur, and I H A T E being picked at a brushed. Boy, my lady was mad! I was pretty shook up, too. But not as bad as my lady thought I was. I got held for quite a while after that event. Later that evening . . .

3. Lady just about killed my lady!!!!! She was on her way to close her chickens up for the night. I needed to pee. So my man took me out and called to my lady to call Lady away from us so I could pee. She called Lady and Lady took off running full speed ahead - and plowed into my lady! Can you imagine? My lady went up in the air and then down on the ground and then slid down a little hill. I don't think my man saw it happen 'cause we just went back in the house. But you can bet we got an earful when she came back inside. And the next night, her neck and leg hurt her real bad.

So, Lady moved to a 180 acre farm in Birchwood, that lucky dog. She'll get to roam free outside all the time. But I got my people all to myself again plus I can go outside to use the bathroom and not worry about being terrorized by the big Boxer.

Another thing happened this week, but it wasn't good. One night, I guess my people were very, very tired, because they forgot to take me out to potty before they put me in my crate and went to bed. Well, I did the best I could to let them know I need to go out to potty. I barked. And I barked. And then I barked some more. I barked for FOUR FREAKIN' HOURS! They never did come take me out to potty. Finally I realized I was going to have to hold it so I went to sleep. You can bet I was furious when my lady came to get me up the next morning. The nerve! What's a little guy supposed to do? I can tell you I peed a flood when I finally did get to go out. My lady felt really bad about that. See? If they would just let me back into bed with them these things wouldn't happen. We have no problems communicating at all when we're together in the same room.

Boy, it's cold outside. What is up with the weather? My lady loves to garden, and she gardened some yesterday, but today it's too cold to do anything outside. Sometimes, on windy days, she doesn't get the door closed really well, and I'll sneak out to the garden and find her. I like the garden a lot.

Tuffy's First Blog

2008-04-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Welcome to my very own blog. My name is Tuffy. I am a Yorkshire Terrier. I'm eight years old and I live in a wonderful home in southeast Tennessee. I have one lady and one man and two love birds. Oh yeah. I also have a boxer puppy, but I pretend she's not around. I don't much care for other dogs. However, I love people very, very much. One of my most favorite things in all the world is to have people come to visit us in our home. My other favorite thing in all the world is treats. My lady and man buy these little treats for me that look like human snacks called Combos. I'll do almost anything for one of those treats. My lady and my man think they manipulate me sometimes by using these treats, but I really know what they're up to, and it only appears to work because I choose to let them have their way. For example, sometimes I will get a sock from the clean laundry, or, like today, I found one of my lost mini-tennis balls. I love to chew the fuzz off tennis balls so my people try to keep them away from me, but I found this one in a basket of stuff in the laundry room. We got a new washer and dryer today so stuff was all out of place. My people let me play with the tennis ball for a little while, but as they always do when I have something extremely fun and exciting, they enticed me to give it up by offering me one of my treats. In reality, I do these things to get extra treats, but please don't tell my people. They think they're so smart in trading me treats for forbidden items. Another way I get them to give me treats is I ask to go out to potty as often as I dare when they are home. Another favorite thing I love to do is lay in the sun in my special window bed. That's where I spend most of the day while my people are at work. I watch the birds (and we have lots of those!) and the squirrels, the turkeys and chipmunks, and sometimes rabbits.

A very exciting thing happened today: someone didn't close the kitchen door very well and I got to go outside. I went all the way to our barn and was having a glorious time sniffing around the chicken pen and squirting weeds and stuff. Then, as usual, my people came looking for me and found me. I didn't get in trouble because they realized it was their fault for leaving the door open. Who could resist going outside on such a beautiful day like today was? I'm not allowed to run around outside too much any more because I have arthritis, but I'm not letting that slow me down too much.

I've told you a lot about myself for this very first blog, and it's time to go to bed. My people recently ousted me from sleeping with them and started making me spend the nights in my crate. While this has helped my arthritis a little, I happen to know that they're in their bed watching a Tennesse Lady Vols basketball game right now, so I'm trying really hard not to go to sleep. In fact, I've been barking for over an hour while I worked on this very first blog. But I'm getting tired. Perhaps I'll write more tomorrow. Hopefully I'll put more pictures here also. We'll see. I hope you've enjoyed my very first blog.