Gimme The Keys, I'll Drive

I'm a dog.  I'm always asking Alicia and Matt to take me for rides in the car.  When they park and run into the store, I always move over into the driver's seat.  If only someone would teach me to drive.

But NO!  Alicia and Matt won't teach me.  Looks like I'll have to become a shelter dog in New Zealand so that I can get the skillz.

ShelterPups

I'm a dog.  And let's face it: I'm pretty cute.  The other day, Alicia found an amazing website called Shelterpups that sells stuffed animal dogs to raise money for animal shelters.  Even better, if you send them a few photos of your pup, they'll make a customized stuffed animal that looks just like you!  The website has tons of pictures of cute puppy dogs, but this article has some amazing photos that show just how life-life the stuffed animals are.

I figure that since I already asked Alicia and Matthew to get me a puppy or kitten for Christmas and they didn't do either, that I deserve one of these guys.  A $125 custom chew toy twin would make a great birthday present, and mine is coming up soon!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I'm a dog.  I love summer.  The best part of summer is that the pool is open and all the little kids love the pool, so when I walk by, they stick their fingers through the fence and exclaim things such as "dog!" and "cow!" and "puppies...puppies...puppies!"  It makes me feel good inside to know that they're excited to see me.  And then I lick their hands and faces to show my appreciation.  Another great part about summer is that Alicia is around during the day and we go out on lots of walks, and I also get to go out on car trips to places like PetSmart!  As usual, Alicia made sure to take tons of photos to document our fun times together.  Here's a small sampling...

Keeping cool by lounging in the tall grass.

Chewing on a random mini tennis ball found on a walk.

Playing hide and seek

On the way to PetSmart! I love car rides!

Taking a water break on our way to the dog park.

Lounging by the pool, waiting for little kids to lick.

Making silly faces for the camera

Happy, panty puppy!

Practicing my skills on the balance beam.

Hide and seek in the ivy

You found me!

Enjoying the beautiful  end-of-summer weather

Oops. I ate Alicia's book when she went to trivia.
I told her not to go, and she didn't listen.
Then this happened.

Kisses with Matthew

Hey lady! Get in the car and let's go!

And that's pretty much my summer!  One thing you might notice is that I'm not wearing my leg brace in any of those photos.  That's because my leg healed and I got back the pep in my step, so we stopped using the brace for August and September.  It was great!  I say was because, well, just stay tuned.

A Year in the Life

I'm a dog.  Can you believe that one year ago today (okay yesterday, since it took Alicia so long to get this up!), Matthew and Alicia adopted me from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and brought me to my forever home?  It's been a wild ride.

I went from a little 28 pound 5-month-old puppy to a 55 pound year-and-a-half old dog.

Taken on my second day at home.

Taken just last week.

I went from the "cone of shame" to my patriotic leg brace.

I went from hating my crate, to loving my crate, to preferring "my" chair.

I went from hating car rides to LOVING car rides.

I don't like!

You need a ride?

 I vacationed in Cape May, visited Grandma and Grandpa's house in Parsippany, visited the Giobbi side of the family in Lancaster, PA and even joined Alicia and Matt on an overnight to Maryland's Eastern Shore (where I ate the bedspread...oops).

My first taste of the beach.

Snuggles with Aunt Meghan and Nanna!

There's a cow in that barn, and I didn't like it.

I learned that I love children - especially the little ones that ride in strollers and always keep a stash of food debris on their faces and hands.  I learned that I hate delivery (mail, UPS, FedEx, furniture, etc.) people and also the garbage man.  I attack the mail every day just to prove it.

Hangin' with Mr. Connor.

Sniffin' around with Patrick's kids.

I love every dog I've ever met.  Even the ones that growl and/or bark at me.  Even the ones that are afraid of me or ignore me.  When they give me the chance, they love me too! Except Tonka.  He just thinks I'm too high energy and won't stand for my nonsense.  But I'll keep working on him!

Attacking my very best dog friend, Chili

I've had so much fun in my first year with Matthew and Alicia.  I can't wait to tell you all about the fun and adventures we have as time goes by.

The Case of the Couch Snuggler

I'm a dog.  Last week, it seems that someone broke into our house in the middle of the night!  I'm not sure how I missed the perpetrator, but when Alicia came downstairs in the morning, here's what the couch looked like:

Cushions, blanket and pillows askew.

Alicia tried to question me, but I was sound asleep, just like I was through the whole night...

See how tight my eyes are closed? I didn't see anything!

Wouldn't you know it, the "Couch Snuggler" struck again the next night:

Same destruction patterns.

Sadly, I slept through the home invasion again.  No witnesses.  No suspects.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, while Alicia was cleaning the closets, the "Couch Snuggler" struck again.  This time, Alicia was able to get a blurry photograph of someone leaving the scene:

Unidentifiable suspect.

Due to the poor quality of the photograph, it is unclear whether the "Couch Snuggler" is a cat or possibly even a cow.  One thing is for sure: I will keep a lookout to make sure he/she doesn't strike again!

Happy Howl-a-ween!

I'm a dog.  Today is my first Halloween. I woke up this morning ready to put on my costume and go out trick-or-treating.  Then Alicia informed me that trick-or-treating doesn't happen until later in the day.  And that dogs are not allowed to eat candy.  And that kind of spooked the holiday spirit right out of me.

She did inform me, however, that we could go on some nice long walks in costume!  My best dog friend Chili loaned me his squirrel costume, which no longer fits him.  Since I love squirrels (or rather, I love to chase them), Alicia thought this would be a perfect fit.

Unfortunately, the costume was a bit too big.

And I wanted to eat it.

So we switched to Costume Plan B: Molly Moo!

I already came equipped with the white fur and large brown spots, so this costume was a natural fit.

Just add a cow bell and some horns, and voila!

Instant cow.

Moo!

Crazy-eyed cow.

Me and Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games!

Happy Halloween!

Do You Want to Go "OUT?"

I'm a dog.  Some dogs, like my Aunt Annabelle, get excited when they hear the word "walk" or see their leash come off the hook.  Me?  There's nothing that gets me more excited than the word "out."  My ears perk right up and I start dancing around the room.  I head over to the landing and show off my best sit.

Exhibit A: Before "out."
Note: Slicked back ears. Looking straight ahead.

Exhibit B: After "out."
Note: Ears perked up to ensure I heard correctly;
head tilted to emphasize point.

A Tisket A Tasket, A Molly in a Basket

I'm a dog. I had such a long, tiring day today.  Between a morning walk at 6:45am, doggy playgroup all day and meeting up with Chili and Tonka to play this evening, I was spent.  I couldn't even make it all the way across the room to my crate, so I just curled up in the blanket basket.

Who needs a crate and a fluffy bed when you can snuggle in for a snore in a basket of blankets?