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.