My Merry Little Christmas

Hey, all -

Check out my latest vid! I recently celebrated my first christmas in my forever home here in new york. It was snowy and amazing!!!! Thanks to all for all your good wishes and support! And thanks to John Denver and the Muppets for a great song! It certainly is a very merry little christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 2009! This is gonna be our year, pibbles!!!

jhumpa

Do I Look Like a Cookie?

I've noticed a funny trend in my life - everyone is always biting and pulling on my cheeks. One of the first things my favorite friend Tim did to me when I got to California was to nibble on my cheek. I wasn't sure how much I liked it, but I like him, so it was OK. Now he does it every time I see him, which is FUN!

Then I moved in with my family, and my dad starting doing the same thing. Sometimes he pulls on both of my cheeks and we both make funny faces.

Even my newest girlfriend Sydney nibbles on my face. I love Sydney - she is so pretty and fun. She came to California and Bad Rap from New Orleans because someone called Katrina flooded her house.

I'm starting to think my face must look like a yummy cookie or something. I think its a good thing to have cookie cheeks because it makes everyone wants to play with me, and that means lots of FUN and I can bounce and zoom around and its ok to be crazy.

Happy New Year!
Uba

Ouch! My knees hurt!

What is going on around here! I finally get comfortable around this place and then she hauls me off to the vet and next thing I know, they hack off and move part of my two knee bones and now they're full of pins and staples. So, here's what I know. I had medially luxating patellas, grade 3, and they hurt all the time. Now, they still hurt all the time and my legs and butt are bald! Well, I have to be honest, the pain is starting to go away and I'm being treated like a little prince. So, it's really not all that bad.

She snapped a photo of me when I got home last Thursday. It's the most pathetic look I could scroung up at the time.



Then a couple of days ago, my staples started itching really bad and I needed to lick them. A lot. I got really scared when she put on the plastic cone, so I decided to stand in one place without moving for a couple of hours. Well, I guess my pouting worked. She got concerned, called my vet, and went out and got me some toddler pants. It's humiliating wearing these toddler stretch pants, but at least the cone is gone. I've figured out how to take off my pants a couple of times, but she just puts them back on.




I suppose I'm complaining a little too much about the pain and my pants. I am starting to realize that there are people out there who really do mean well, people I've never even met, and I think they are actually looking out for my happiness. So perhaps I'll make everybody happy and leave the pants on (for now).

I Think I Might be a Movie Star...

This might be as crazy for all of you to believe as it is for me, but here's the skinny: I am a movie star! Or at least that's what my person says. You will not find me in the latest Batman movie (it was a really cool movie, though, and I would have been really good in it!) or in any Disney animated flick. But as proof of my small-screen stardom, my person helped me put the movie here, so you can see my big premiere for yourself...

Cool, huh? I love being in the movies!

And the rest of my life is, well, great. My person actually brought a real tree inside a few weeks ago and it made me so excited that I ran around the house, smashing into stuff and grabbing toys like a total maniac. I didn't knock the tree over onto the floor yet and my person says that makes me a really, really good girl. The weatherpeople say we're going to get a big snowfall here in New York today (a "foot" of snow - funny, cause I have four feet and they seem really normal. So what's the big deal about one foot?!?!?) Anyway, maybe we will get some pics of this big snowy deal and show them to you.

My Friend Grace

Hi Everyone,

Me and my friend Grace have been hanging out a bunch the last few weeks. We get to go on walks together, run, play, and tear up my dad's lawn. I don't think he likes that too much, so we try to do it when he is not looking.




My dad says we are two peas in a pod. What's a pod ? I still don't get half of what people say. But they are nice, so Grace and I just go along with it. Besides......they have all the cookies.
















Jonny-

A Busy Weekend

This weekend was really busy.  On Saturday I went to class and saw my sister Zippy.  She looks just like me, only girly.  She is a whole lot of fun and she wags her tail all the time.  She is still looking for a forever home, but her foster people love her and are tons of fun so she has lots of things to be happy and wiggly about.  After class we all went to lunch with Jelly Roll, Kinzie and Frida.  Lunch apparently means the dogs get water and then sit around watching our people eating and talking.  Not sure how much fun it really was, but my mom said it was good training for me, so I guess it was ok.  I like training.

On Sunday I went to a bike race.  My dad races cyclocross and there was a race in my favorite park near our house.  Lulu and I hung out and watched the races and greeted our friends when they came to say hello.  The first few times I went to bike races they were kind of scary, but this one was fun because now I know some of the people and it was in my park.  Here I am making sure my dad got a good warm up on his trainer - he's the legs in the white, black and orange shorts.  

There was so much to look at and smell and hear that I got really tired. When we got home Lulu and I lay down for a nice nap.  

Winter Sport

Every Monday morning she says to me, "Audie, do you want to go to tracking class today?" But I think these people send me to class to eat. I can't believe it. These crazy people put gloves, flags, and treats in a huge field and they are amazed that I can find the glove along the food path they set. Duh! I'm hungry and they put food on the ground. How easy it that! I'm a dog with a nose. Well, actually, it was easy until they started turning corners, going up and down hills, spreading the food further and further apart, and sending me into the marsh. But what's a hungry little dog to do? It's pretty easy, it's fun to find the glove at the end of the track, and it makes my person happy when I find it. So, yes, I try to tell her with my eyes and a wag of my tail, "I do want to go to tracking class today."

Sweet Dreams!

My life has been real exciting lately. I have been going to school and going for walks with my person and my other dogs and riding in the car and romping all around in our yard and playing with my cats (I love my cats!!) and chewing up toys and throwing the guts all over the place, too.

Anyway, every night before we go to sleep my person tucks all of us in our special spots and kisses us. So the other night my person covered me in my blanket and kissed me and told me a cool story. She said that while I was taking my nap on the couch in the sun in the afternoon I was moving my legs all around like I was running. I guess I was dreaming about playing or something. Then my person told me that I was also wagging my tail real fast in my dream. So I was definitely playing cause I always wag my tail when I run around and play with all my friends.

When she tucked me in that night she said, "more sweet dreams, Bones" (Bones is my nickname cause it rhymes with Jhumpa Jones). And it was great cause I like happy dreams. Cause I wag my tail.

Happy Halloween

I went to my first costume party this past Saturday. It was Great ! The nice folks at Oakland Animal Services did a fantastic job putting on this event. Everyone really liked the cool costume Aunt Roxanne made for me. It was a hit, but not as big as HonkyTonk from BADRAP and his chair jumping tricks, or the great show Paco from Paco Collars put on. Those guys are pros.

If you are ever in the Oakland area, please stop in and say "Hi" to all the nice folks, and visit all the great critters waiting for a home. Tell them Jonny sent you. Better yet, don't just say "Hi ", take one home !

Wishing everyone a fun, safe, and tail wagging Halloween !

Jonny-

Learning to Relax

This time last year was the beginning of my life as a free dog. Tim had come and lifted me down from my kennel and we had all loaded up into the big RV for the long journey to California. When Tim asked me to leave the kennel, I was kind of nervous because I had lived in that one small place for so long without leaving. I was excited, too, because I knew he was really nice from when I met him when he came to see me and Hector and Jhumpa and our other friends in September. Today a year ago, I was learning about the outside again and running around on a long line with Nicole and Steve.

This year has been really busy and I have learned lots of new things. I have seen my picture in newspapers and magazines and on the computer. I have even become a Canine Good Citizen and got my very own family with a beautiful big sister to hang out with and two cats to jump over.

To celebrate my one year anniversary as a free dog I am learning something new. I am learning how to relax. My people have been telling me to relax for a long time, usually when I am being really really bouncy and re-organizing the furniture by throwing myself at it, but now I am learning what "relax" really means. We have taken a little time off from training classes and we have been going for long walks and playing "keep the ball away from the people" a lot. I am definitely enjoying this laid back life. I like relaxing, so long as there is lots of fun stuff to do.

Life is better with a little Jhumpa in it!!

Hi, all! I'm Jhumpa...

Because I don't have fingers, my person is helping me type this. Cool, huh? I mean, how many pit bulls have a person who will help them type? I guess that's a great way to introduce my situation: I'm just like Jonny Justice, Uba, Hector, Teddles, and the rest of my "family" - I've found an amazing place to live (in New York state) and sometimes I still can't believe it. One day, about a month after I came to live here, my person started crying and said that she was crying because she saw me "smile" for the first time. I still don't know what the heck she was crying about, especially since I was so happy. Humans never cease to confuse me...

Anyway, since I came to live with my new family (eight months ago), every day has been a new adventure. My person and I go to school every week and I have already graduated from basic agility and basic obedience. That agility thing is so cool - Did you know that we're allowed to jump on tables when we're doing agility? And that I can even get a hot dog for just "sitting" in obedience!? What a great gig! And as if this isn't cool enough, at home I get to live with a whole bunch of other animals! I have three big brothers (a pit bull, a lab and a westie), and a big sister (bull terrier/pitty mix). I also have five cats. One of my cats, Clarence, is really cross-eyed and it is really fun to play with him because he can't really tell where I am when I'm jumping all around. The other day when we were tearing up the house, Clarence smacked me in the face and now I have a funny mark on my nose. It didn't really hurt but my person made a funny face when she looked at it and said something about "wolverine". Maybe she will post a picture so you can decide for yourself...

Everyone who meets me says I'm really cute and most people think I'm still a puppy (even though I'm all grown up). Lots of people want to pet and hug and squeeze me but I am still a little worried about being squeezed by strangers. But wouldn't you be? I mean, seriously!!

Anyway, I better get to bed. I have to get up early to be sure that my person gets her daily walk, otherwise she can get out of control. And noone wants that :)

Thanks for having me! I will be sure to be in touch soon!!!!!!

An Old Friend

Recently, I have been in contact with an old friend, Jhumpa Jones. She came from the same yard as the rest of us, but stayed on the East Coast after being released from custody.

I am very glad you could join us. Here's to the future Jhumpa Jones, it's all blue sky from here.



Jonny-

I'm going to the Doctor!

I love going to the doctor. There's lots going on, everybody is busy just like me, people are friendly, and so far, I haven't been poked or prodded too terribly much. But this next doctor visit is a big one. I overheard people talking about my knees. Yeah, they hurt sometimes. I have grade three luxating patellas, but you wouldn't know it by looking at me. But, I'm not allowed to jump in and out of the truck, run like a maniac, leap for a flirt pole or stuffy toy, throw myself down the stairs (I'm always in a hurry you know). But, maybe, just maybe, this doctor can help me.

If he can, I promise to get serious about my obedience training and who knows, maybe I can run through that pink tunnel more. My housemate was an agility competitor, took a high in standard at the CPE Agility Nationals back in 2006 (I think that was before I was even born) and I really want to be just like her when I grow up.

S0 wish me luck. My appointment is November 11 and I just can't wait!

Missing stuff.

Sorry I havn't posted in a while, I've been busy taking care of my big sis Lily. When I first came here, she taught me lots of stuff and showed me they way around. A little while ago, she had to go to the vet and have her leg fixed. I have been doing my best to help her feel better.

I miss playing with her. She always whoops my butt. But hey, I admit, I can be a brat sometimes. I'd whoop my butt too, if I were her.

I miss going on walks with her. She is fun, and a bit crazy too. Sometimes she jumps in the lake and then tries to get me to go in too. No way sis, the water is way too deep for my short legs. I'd sink like a stone if I went in.

I miss laying in the morning sun with her. She almost always gets the good spot, mostly cause I eat breakfast too slow and she gets there first. But sometimes she lets me share the good spot with her. I really like when she does that.

I was so happy when she started feeling better and I finally got to lay in the sun with her again. The vet fixed her up all better. Maybe this vet guy isn't too bad after all. I think it may be sometime before we can play again, but I'm just happy to have my big sis back.

I missed her.

Jonny-

Sliding Glass Doors - Friend or Foe

Hmmm.....ya, not much thinking needed on this one. DEFINITE FOE!!! I mean seriously......what kind of crazy person thought this one up?!? Saturday we're over at M-Guy's friends' house and I get to play with their female Pit and big male Rottie. It was a pretty sweet set up. There was a big opening in the family room to lead out onto the deck, which then went down to the yard with stairs you barely had to use if you didn't want to. Of course I chose not to. We got to play chase a bunch of times and could bring toys and stuff in and out of the house. I got the other two dogs riled up and into a good wrestling match, and of course being the good dog that I am thought we should take this rough housing outside to appease the humans. I spring free from the other two to have them chase me outside when WHAM!!! This invisible force later described as the "sliding glass door" was put in place so the humans could turn on the "air conditioning". This sliding glass door thing is just wrong. I'm all for running into things, walls included, but there's a technique to it. Full speed, face first because you can't see it coming is not it. The only thing I haven't figure out is who is more insane - the person who invented this messed up object or the people crazy enough to buy them and put them in their houses.

H

My Friends

Its been a while since I became a free dog and started making friends. I am kind of a shy guy, but once I know someone, and I decide they can be trusted, I give them a big hug and then we are friends forever. All the people I know get hugs when I see them.

I've made some really great friends so far, but two of my special friends are Rachel and Aaron. They both helped me learn to be a better boy and I'm really happy to know them.

After I had been with my family for a little while I met the nicest person called Rachel. She would come and visit me and Lulu while our people were out during the day. I LOVE Rachel, she is so nice and understanding. She has gone away to a place called London in England, wherever that is, to go to graduate school. My mom says I can't go and visit her there because dogs like me are illegal in England. I gave her a big hug goodbye before she left so she can remember what England is missing out on.

I made another new friend recently, too. His name is Aaron and he is my dad's nephew. I am kind of scared of the people who are called "teenagers". They are often kind of loud and they roam around in packs, so I just don't know about them. I thought Aaron was pretty scary when I first met him, since he is a teenager. Lulu said he was very nice, though, so I watched him closely for a few days and kept my distance. After a while I realized that he was a lot like me and we made friends. We gave each other a big hug to celebrate.

I can't wait to make more friends like Rachel and Aaron!

hugs,

Uba, CGC

Walls.......hmmmmm........

Okay, so for the most part they are good things. I can usually bounce off them to help me get to where I want to go. The best thing about walls is that it's so much easier to just let them stop you, instead of having to expend all that energy to stop yourself. When you run at them, they don't move and stop you dead in your tracks. It's awesome! Much more stable of a stopping device than M-Guy's legs.

The one downside is that I think they are built similar to the stairs in some way. Much like how the stairs move out from underneath me right as I put my feet down, the end of the walls called "corners" are not so stationary. It seems to happen most when I turn around, but the corners randomly shoot out and extend themselves to make openings smaller than the first time I passed by. Not a huge deal until you turn around right as they shoot out into your face. Man does that sting. So my lesson for today when it comes to walls - Aim for the center!

H

Me Too, Me Too!!!!

I couldn't let you guys out in Cali have all the fun, so I made sure M-Guy knew I was ready for that Good Canine Something-Or-Other test by helping M-Gal around the house while he was in Colorado with Wallace and Ajax. I made sure that she knew where one of her socks was by going and snatching it out of the laundry basket. Then I made sure her sandals looked extra clean with a Hector Special Spit Shine. The rug going into the laundry room really needed a beating to get the dust out of there as well. Then I cleaned one of the windows, but that was a little tricky because I had to get up on the desk to reach it. M-Gal kept stopping me from doing all these things like I wouldn't do a good enough job. She had dumped brand new toys all over the place that she wanted me to play with, but I didn't want to play. I had to prove I could be a Good Doggie Citizen thing like all my buddies back in Cali. I was able to do one thing before she stopped me though. The big plant in the corner really needed watering, so I was able to get it free from its pot and bring it to her to make sure she was aware of the necessary attention that the plant needed. After that I got dinner in my crate for a hard day of house chores, and she called M-Guy to tell him all the things I did to help her around the house. M-Guy must have been pretty impressed, because he got back from Colorado and finally took me to take that test. He said I was a very good boy, and that I passed!! Well duh, I'm sure once they heard about all the stuff I did around the house to help M-Gal out, the rest were just details. I got a big rawhide when I got home. It was good. Hey M-Guy.......you haven't unpacked your suitcase from Colorado yet. Let me help you with that...........

H

I'm Brave Now

Yesterday started out like any normal Saturday. We went to school like always, but this time there was a different teacher called the evaluator and there were way more people than usual. I did all the good stuff I usually do in class, only this time I didn't get any treats and the nice evaluator paid attention only to me. After we finished, she wrote stuff down on a piece of paper and then she said "Congratulations!" My mom was SO happy, she gave me a whole bunch of treats and she let me bounce around, which I'm not supposed to do at school. Then all the nice people clapped and came over to give me and my mom hugs. They said that now I was Canine Good Citizen! When I was first living with my family I learned that Lulu was a Canine Good Citizen and I decided I would study hard so I could be smart and brave just like Lulu. It is very exciting to know that school is what makes me smart! I love school.

Everyone was so proud of me and when we got home I got a yummy turkey neck with my dinner. Even the nice man called Landlord came over to tell me I was a good boy. It was like a party for me all day. Then my mom looked at the computer and told me that Jonny was a Canine Good Citizen now, too!







Today I got to do all my favorite things. We went on a nice walk to my favorite park and looked at the gopher holes. I didn't find any gophers this time, but it was fun anyway.



Then we spent the afternoon in the back yard. I made a new hole underneath a tree and took a nap. I think I might get a special treat with my dinner again tonight, too!

It was a great weekend and I can't wait to get my new Canine Good Citizen tag to wear on my collar, just like Lulu does. Then everyone will know that I am a smart and brave boy.


hugs, Uba

I Dig Dirt!

Last week my people commented that I don't dig in the yard.  They seemed happy about that. Lulu had started a nice hole, but I never saw what was so fun about digging.  Well, the other day I was hanging out in the yard and I thought I might give digging a try.  I went into the garden shed and got out the little trowel that the people use when they dig in the dirt, and I took it over to Lulu's hole.  Then I started digging... 

There's the handle of the trowel in front of me in the picture above.  I couldn't figure out how it worked, so I just dug with my paws.

Wow, digging is fun!  I think I did a really good job with Lulu's hole.

After a while my people came outside and said I had to stop because I was throwing dirt into the neighbor's yard.  Bummer!

I think I am going to do this digging thing more often.

hugs,

Uba

I Float!

Well, I finally decided to test out my water legs after nearly a week of watching everyone else having so much fun in the river. Maxine sure loves to swim and chase after tennis balls! But from the sidelines, I just couldn't help but notice that she sometimes forgets to bring the ball all the way back onto shore and drops them in the water instead. D'oh!! After losing more than a few tennis balls, floating downstream never to be seen or heard from again, I decided I should probably show her how it is really done. (You see...I am becoming pretty darn good at playing fetch. And in order to get the most joy out of this game...you actually have to bring the ball back and then drop it!...otherwise nobody will be able to throw it for you...duh!) Maybe someday I will be able to teach my old Maxine-E-Bean some new tricks.



But for now, she's teaching me a thing or two about doing the dog paddle. Here's a lil' movie of Maxine showing me how to swim. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Love,
Ernie

p.s. Hector...when your peeps take you swimming...if you ever want to use my life jacket, it's all yours! I don't really need it anymore. It only slows me down while I'm swimming so I've just been using it to block the sun and keep the pesky little flying bugs off of me when I'm "chill-ax-ing" on the beach.

A New Bed

I found a new bed the other day. My people laughed at me and said I was silly.

They call my new bed a hamper. It was kind of a tight fit, so it was hard to get comfortable. I had to move everything around a lot before I lay down.

After a while my mom took all the soft blankets out and put the new bed away in the closet.

That's OK, though. My other bed is better really.

hugs,

Uba

Stairs........hmmmmmm.......

Is it just me, or do stairs just appear to be still objects? Minnesota Guy and Minnesota Gal always sigh and shake their head whenever I run up the stairs with comments like "Doesn't that hurt?" or "You need to learn how to climb stairs instead of ricochet up them." Whatever! I know how to climb stairs. Who doesn't know how to climb stairs? Not me, that's for sure! What do they expect when the stairs are always moving out from underneath me with no warning?!? At least when I go down them, I can avoid them all together by launching myself from the landing, and striking a sweet pose during my hang time. Yeah Baby!

H

a day at the park

My dad took me to a big park yesterday where I got to hang out with my buddies Luca, Kaia, and Chance. There were lots of other dogs there too, and tents, people and those crazy orange cones, like the ones at dog school. We hung out for a few hours, and then went to where the tents and cones were.

We walked around and stopped at cones where all kinds of stuff would happen. Some nice stuff and then some weird stuff. What kind of crazy class is this ? Its not like regular class. My dad didn't even talk to me. Oh' well, I liked it anyway. I like school.

It went real fast, and when we were done, I got lots of praise from my dad and a cool green lizard toy to chew on. Mmmmm...lizard toy, I like squeeky lizard toys. Then a guy came over to talk to my dad. He said something about passing. Weird.....I didn't smell anything.

I also got to see my Aunt Shannon and Uncle Mike again. I got to stay with them for a while before I got my forever home. The taught me about cats, and how to live with them without getting into trouble. I'm glad they taught me that, cause cats get cranky rather quickly. It was really nice to see them again.

After a long day, we went back home. My dad gave me a steak. I REALLY like steak!!! He said it was because I passed my ATTS exam. I don't really know what ATTS is, but I sure like the cool letters I get to add to my name, they come with STEAK !!!

Jonny Justice TT -

Vacation

Woot!
My latest vacation was totally different than the last one we were on. This time we didn’t have to get all bundled up in our snow parkas and cozy fleece coats. Instead, I got to wear something called a “life jacket” (cause until now, I’ve never actually tried swimming yet). And since I’m such a fair-furred and freckled pink belly dog, I always have to slather on this stuff called sunscreen (cause dogs like me can easily get sunburns too you know… and we wouldn’t want that.)


I went on long hikes in the woods, relaxed at the river, snuggled with my Maxine, AND I even learned how to swim !!!

Stayed tuned for pics and video of me testing out my new water legs...

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP - Annoying? Yep, I thought so, too. Especially way too early in the morning after my first night with this Minnesota guy. I sure hope they get more sleep than this on average here in Minnesota. Of course it seems that when they're not sleeping here, they are driving somewhere, and that lets me get some extra snooze time, so maybe this will work out nicely after all. We headed to something called a disc dog competition. Lots of people kept coming over to see me, which is no surprise.......I mean look at me - Who wouldn't want to spend time with an adonis like myself. Only one real pet peeve from the day. Minnesota Guy kept putting stuff up to have my kennel in the shade. But don't worry ladies, he wasn't very good at it and always had a little bit of sun shining in part of my kennel for me to curl up in and catch some rays. Seriously, how does he expect me to keep my bronze god of a body if he doesn't let me soak up the sun? Hellooooooo.....?!? Anyway, it was a fun day. Lots of people rubbed my chest and told me how sweet I was. I met a couple of nice doggie friends, too. They were disc dogs in the competition, but were super nice to me even though I wasn't competing. Not really sure I get this whole disc dog thing. It seems like a lot of work, but at least it's a nice bunch of folks to hang out with. I'm hungry. Hey Minnesota Guy - Where's my food?!

jonny comes marching home

So, I get up the other day, eat some breakfast, use the yard, and wonder..........
Hmmm..... when I am gonna get my walk. Boy, I didn't see this coming !

I get a parade with all the BADRAP dogs !!!! Nice ! It's good to be me !

Wait..there's more ??? A forever home too ?!? No way, reeeeally ? For me ?!?!

What a day ! It can't get any better. Ok, wait, It just got better.

I just found out I get to keep this shirt !!!

Jonny-

ps....double-time tail wags to donna & tim, nicole & steve, shannon, linda, rebecca, mike, and judge henry. thank you !

I Can Fly!

Well I've arrived in some place called Minnesota after a crazy ride on something called an airplane. It ended up that this guy I met about a week before the plane ride was waiting for me, and after getting unloaded from this airplane thing, he loaded me and my kennel up in the back of his car. I was getting a little worried because I could have used a potty break, especially after smelling that outside air, but fortunately that guy and the lady he was with stopped pretty soon and let me stretch my legs and do my thing. We stopped at a place where there wasn't nearly as many people around. Probably a good idea. With as many people as were back at that other place, there were sure to be some paparazzi waiting to nab some pics of a big star like me. We never would have gotten out of there for me to do my business; these two folks seem to know what's up and how to handle a dog of my obvious status. Score one point for them.

Nature break felt good. It was a bit of a car ride to these folks' house, but I had a couple of chewies in my kennel from the plane. These guys seem pretty cool, so I think it's safe to kick back and take care of these chewies to kill some time on the car ride.

Once we got to their house, I got a personal tour of the house. I'm not sure why he felt the need to have me on leash for the tour, but since he was pretty cool about everything else I won't hold that too much against him. The folks said something about this being my forever home. Not quite sure what that means. I have experience with a number of foster homes, so we'll see how this forever home deal adds up to those. I could smell and hear a number of other dogs, but we didn't get to meet. The guy said something about needing to get to bed because we had to get up early for some type of competition. I figured I've been in my kennel for a while, but I could use some nice quiet sleep time from my long trip. The guy put my kennel in one of the rooms and had me go in it for the night. He then came back in with some blankets and ended up making a bed on the couch so he could sleep in the room with me. I have to admit, that couch looked pretty comfy, but my bed in my kennel wasn't bad either, so I guess I can chill here for the night. "Good night Hector" "Good night Minnesota Guy"

A day in the life of me

In the morning, Nice Mister and The Kid come to open my crate, I spazz around the house a few times to let everyone else know that I'm up and about, and then we do what Nice Mister has apparently deemed, "Love Time."

This entails Nice Mister sitting on the floor with me saying nice things to me while I lean on him.


It also often includes The Kid talking to me about all kinds of things like how that red, yellow, and blue thing that doesn't taste like anything but is fun to chew apart isn't a dog toy. The Kid kept referring to it as his "fire truck." Anyway, The Kid tries to teach me stuff but it's hard to figure out what he's saying since this communicating -through-
sounds- instead -of -body -English-
language-thing ain't exactly easy to learn. Something about how rotisserie chicken isn't dog food, it's people food, and how I'm a dog and not a person blah blah blah. I wonder how I can teach The Kid to just give me the damn chicken! But I digress.

At the end of "Love Time," Nice Mister and I go running so I can make sure all my designated pee spots are still mine. And then, after Nice Mister goes to work, I play and lounge around.

My foster sisters are pretty cool.

Isabelle's lots of fun but Nice Lady doesn't seem to like it when I take flying leaps onto Isabelle's back.

Whodathunkit?

But she didn't seem to mind if I just lay next to her, so we do that.









And Lucy's still bitchy as ever so I have to put up with humiliating things like serving as her chair. Oh if my "friends" back home could see me now.











And if I get really bored, I can always entertain myself.



Or just chill.




Good times all around.



Not bad. Not bad at all.

My Adopt-a-Day

Today was a big day for me.  I was officially adopted!  Now I am really really home forever.  My people told me I could stay with them forever a long time ago, but now it is official and Lulu will always be my big sister to help me learn about new things.  

When got home from class and talking to Donna, I got some presents. I got this cool purple thing that has treats inside.  If I work really hard the treats come out.  Yum. 

  

I also got a new tennis ball on a rope.  It is great because I can chase it, and squish it, AND tug on it.  Woo hoo, I did lots of bouncing with this new toy!

I have come a long way from living in the woods in Virginia waiting to go to my first fight. Now I live in a real home, with my own bed and toys and sweaters, and most importantly my own family.  Now I wait for my play time in the yard and my walks in the park.   

Thank you to all the people who helped me stay alive to see my adopt-a-day. Thank you Donna, Tim, Nicole and Steve, Kim and her family, and everyone else who helped me find freedom and a home to call my own. I am just a little black dog from a rough place and I can't believe how lucky I am that so many people care about me.  I hope that one day all little black fight bust dogs can have the same chance to find happiness that I have had.

hugs, Uba

Ernest goes to school

...well, at least I tried to anyway...

Every morning when I walk my boy to the bus stop I get so excited and do a happy dance when I see my friends waiting there just to pet me. Then there's this huge yellow and black thing that makes lots of noise and makes my friends "disappear"...and no, it's not a killer bee...They tell me it's called a school bus. I'm very curious about that thing, so I just sit there and wag my tail at it, and tilt my head back and forth, and wonder where the kids are going without me! The bus driver laughs at me every time I try to sneak on the bus with my friends.