Puppy nicknames

You already know how I became Dewey. I wrote about it HERE. What you probably do not know is that I have other names, too - nicknames that Mommy (and sometimes Daddy) calls me. Some are funny. Some are confusing. But they all mean me when my parents say them.

Mommy has more names for me. How and when she uses them depends on what I am doing at the time, good or naughty. Sometimes, she is remembering the olden days, when I was a little baby (I had baby nicknames, too.). I thought I would share my most popular names with you today.

Mr. Toot-Toot. Shhhhhhh. Don't tell Daddy. This is a secret baby name that only Mommy and I know. She used to call me this when I was a tiny little baby. When we were alone and Mommy needed to take a shower, she would put me in my baby crate, get behind it, and push me to the bathroom door while she went, "Toooooot, Tooooot..." She sounded just like a choo choo train. I got to go for a little ride in our bedroom, and I got to feel safe knowing she was close while she was showering. I could not see her, but I could hear her. Mommy would call my name so that I would not be afraid. She also would sing the "Oh, Dewey" song that she made up when she was waiting for me to be born and come home.  Toooooooot, Tooooooot!

Mr. Nanners/Nanners. Mommy still calls me this, but this was a baby name first. I like nanners (bananas). If I am in the room when Mommy or Daddy are eating a nanner, I always get to eat half of it. They say that is okay: they used to share nanners with their labrador girls. (Getting to eat a whole nanner is a big treat for them - unless it is because no one is here to share with them, like when Aunt Emma went to heaven to play with Baby Royko. That was sad.) Mommy even has a "Hey, Mr. Nanners..." song that she has been singing to me since I was a tiny baby.

Nubbins. Aw, Mommy, do I have to tell them about this one?! There are two reasons Mommy called me Nubbins when I was a baby. One was that some of the treats that I got when I came inside of the house (instead of running away when Mommy called) were little nubs (Mommy says they're like Dots candy, except smaller and made of puppy-friendly crunchy stuff.). The other reason, well, is because my little boy parts were really little when I was a baby. Oh, Mom. I can't show my face in the neighborhood now that that one is out. That little boy puppy next door will laugh and laugh and laugh at me.

Little Man. Well, I am not a big man like Daddy.  But I am becoming a big boy. I usually hear this when I'm being good, or just 'cause (Mommy thinks it is funny.). I kinda like this one.

Dew/Dew-Dew. Most of the time, Mommy just calls me Dew. Lots of other times, she calls me Dew-Dew (or Doo-Doo, when she is scooping my poopies). There are good reasons that I am called Dewey; but this one's more fun, I guess. Sometimes, Mommy says the word wrong and calls me Boo.  That makes her a little sad, because Aunt Emma was her Boo (and her boo).  I smooch her, so that she remembers that this puppy loves her, right here on earth.

Bo-Bo. I am a boy. This one reminds everyone that I am a boy. I also like to think it's because someday, I will be Mommy's beau. (I need to stop having all those "sell him to the circus" times.)

Bubb-o/Bub. I do not know what this one really means, but I usually hear this when Mommy thinks I am being a doofus. I am a silly boy, with a sometimes silly boy brain. I hear this one a lot.

I do not know if I could come if you called me any of these names (especially Nubbins...). But I know you will find it interesting to know that I am a boy of many layers - and many names.

A wild visit to Ho Ho

I cannot believe that it has been a whole year since the last time I saw Ho Ho.

(Well, it has been two years since I visited the real Ho Ho. He sent two sad fakers last year. Ho Ho and I are old friends. They did not fool me...)

It was cold and icy, but I was so excited that I ran to the building - I was going to see Ho ho, after all. We got into the building, and there were lots of nice girls there just waiting for us. They said I was the first puppy to visit them and have my picture taken. They were glad to see me. They petted me and told my parents that I am very cute. My parents already know that, but I like to have girls say so.

After they took Mommy's money, the girls said, "Go that way." They pointed to a little room where Ho Ho was waiting for me. Before I could get to where Ho Ho was sitting, some other girls tried to put a hat on my head. I did not like putting on the hat, even though it was just like Ho Ho's. But I got pets and pretty words - and a cookie - from the girls, so I let them put it on. I do pretty much anything for a cookie.

Then I turned around and I saw Ho Ho. "Ho Ho!" I said. "It's me - your friend, Dewey." Ho Ho knew me, since we are old friends. I tried to be good, but I was so excited that I got all wiggly and wild. Lots of girls tried to help Ho Ho make me sit pretty, but I am a big boy (I am 94 lbs. of labrador wildness. Ho Ho called me a "wide load."). It took them lots of tries. My Daddy stepped in and tried to make me behave. Mommy moved behind the photo lady and started calling my name. I stopped, not for very long, but long enough that the photo lady could take a pretty picture of me. Mommy was happy - this photo lady knows how to take pictures that make moving labrador boys look really pretty.

Before you know it, my time with Ho Ho was over. Other puppies were waiting to see him, and we had places to go. I did whisper - well, bark - what I want for Christmas in Ho Ho's ear while he was wrestling me to his side. I was a little sad to have to say bye-bye to my friend, but I know I will see him next month, when he leaves my gifts in my house.

I just hope he remembers more of the good-boy things than the naughty things I did this year. Ho Ho is a forgiving guy.

Flying fish, fun with Mommy

For lots of years, I thought Daddy was the fun parent. After all, he keeps telling me he's the fun parent. But I spend lots more time with Mommy. She makes sure I have fun toys (well, fun toys that I cannot destroy), and we play games with them.

One of my favorite new toys, which I got for my third birthday, is Flat David. He is flat; because if he was not flat, I would tear him apart and take out all of his guts. Mommy does not like fish guts all over her house, so Flat David is flat.

Mommy throws Flat David. I fetch him. He would go farther if he was not flat, at least that is what I thought. Until this morning.

Mommy threw Flat David. I fetched him a few times. Then Mommy threw him again. She tried to throw him downstairs, so that I would run up and down the stairs and get tired. Mommies are tricky that way. But Flat David had other ideas. He flew. He flew high. He flew to the top of the ceiling and landed on the twirly thing that blows air around.

"Mommy!" I cried. "Look where Flat David went!"

Mommy saw, and she started laughing. That wacky fish, she said. She laughed some more. Then she said she would get him down; but first, she took a picture. Nobody would believe it, she said. Here is the picture, in case you do not believe it.

What a funny fish. Mommy got the broom that she uses to sweep up my fur and tried to knock Flat David down. That wacky fish did not want to come down - he twirled around and around. When he came back around, Mommy whacked him again. This time he fell down - to the basement.

Mommy and I have quiet fun, but it is fun. I love Mommy.

Fun with parents

Even though my mommy and daddy are really old, they still like to have fun. Best of all, they like to have fun with me!

I am a rough and tumble boy. My daddy used to be a rough and tumble boy. We like to have rough and tumble boy fun. We wrestle and play tug of war. We go on long walks. And guess what! Daddy started taking me running with him. Daddy runs a lot. I am glad that he decided I can be part of his fun time and that I get to learn how to run with him. Running is hard. I like to stop, and Daddy does not like to stop. But he says he will keep trying. He needs a running buddy.

My mommy is old, and she had old knees. Her fun with me is quiet fun. When the weather is good, we go for walks. Mommy tries to go fast when she walks; I like to stop and smell stuff. And potty a lot. But we walk, because it is good for both of us. When the weather is not good - and it is not good a lot here - we fetch. We fetch so much, we have no more grass on our yard. Mommy throws. I fetch. Then she throws again. We fetch until my tongue hangs out. I like fetching. Sometimes, we fetch inside. Silly Mommy. She keeps throwing stuff down into the basement. Then I have to run all the way down the stairs and all the way up the stairs to bring it to her so she can throw it again. I get tired doing that. Mommy seems to like that.

Now that I am becoming a big boy, Mommy and Daddy are thinking about ways to have new fun with me. Mommy wants to take me to school, where I can learn new things and remember the rules that they keep trying to teach me. I do not know what therapy dogs do, but Mommy says she thinks I would be a good one. Baby Royko was a therapy dog. She liked little kids and older people. I like kids. I do not know many older people, but they sound fun. If Mommy thinks I would be a good therapy dog, I will be one.

There are lots of ways that I already have fun, and even more ways that I can have fun. Pretty much, whenever Mommy and Daddy and I are together, there will be fun.

My scariest day yet

I did not know it, but I had my scariest day ever last week. I could have died.

It was really cold, too cold for little boys, last week. It was not safe to go out to my giant dog house (garage) like I normally do, not even with my big pile of bankies. Instead, I had to stay in the house for many days. It was good, because Daddy stayed late and Mommy came home at lunch to play with me and to let me go tinkle.

But it was bad, too. I do not like to stay inside so much. I like playing outside (and barking at the people in the yard next door) more. Still, I had to be safe. Not freezing is safe. So I stayed in the house.

What my Mommy and Daddy did not know was that the house was not safe, either. The blowy thing that makes the house warm was spitting out stuff (carbon monoxide) that was making us sick. It was spitting out so much stuff that a guy who came to our house to check something else said, "Oh. You must get out. Now." He turned off the blowy thing, made Mommy open all of the windows, and waited until we wouldn't die anymore.

Mommy and Daddy went to work in the days, but I was in the house all of the time. I was getting all of that poison stuff all over me. I got it all in my blood, too. I got really sleepy. At night, instead of being a poo(h head) because Mommy said it was way too cold to exercise outside, I just slept on her feet. If my Mommy was paying attention, she would have known that I probably was getting sick. But sometimes, even mommies miss things.

It was spitting out a lot of poison stuff Thursday, so much that it made the man's little machine (carbon monoxide sensor) go crazy-daisy when he first stepped into our house. I was in the poison stuff in the morning, but Mommy let me out when she came home for lunch. She says that probably saved my life, because I was breathing other air when I went outside.

I am better now. The poison stuff is out of our house and going out of my blood. I am getting sassy again. But my mommy and daddy were really scared. We almost went to sleep forever. I want to meet Royko and Aunt Emma. Mommy and Daddy want to see them again, too.

But not right now. We have too much fun stuff to do down here, together. Oh, and maybe with a sissy some day. We all are really glad that we get another chance to do all of that.

Good bye, 2010

I was not a very good blogger this year. I am sorry that I have not posted anything for so many days. I have been busy - very busy - and I forgot that my readers want to know what I am doing. I have such an exciting life.

Guess what! Mommy said that, since I am (almost) a big boy, I got to write my own part of our Christmas letter. I don't really know what a 'letter' is, but I know Christmas. I like Christmas. Here is what I wrote. It will help me catch you up on what I forgot to tell you.

This is Dewey Beck. Mommy says that I get to write this all by myself this year. I am two (and a half!) years old, almost a big boy. Well, my body is big – I am 95 lbs. and the tallest labrador my parents have ever had (I was the biggest in my litter, and I take after Grandpa Bull. He was a big boy, too.).

But I still have a little-kid brain. Sometimes. Being good is hard work. There are many rules in our house – but I am a smart boy and I try to learn them (even the ones I do not like so much).

Mostly, I like to play. I like to fetch Frisbees and balls, and I like to run around the yard. I also like to wrestle Daddy. Oh, and I like to walk, even if Mommy says I wander around and stop to smell stuff too much. She likes to walk fast.

I’m cute. Everybody says so. Wherever I go, people stop and pet me and say that I am pretty. Daddy wonders where I was when he was trying to meet girls. Girls really like me. Daddy is silly.

I saw my doctor a lot this year. I have allergies that make my ears hurt, and they get infections. Dr. Debbie gave me pills to make the allergies go away, but the pills made me groggy and (maybe) chubby. This fall, all of my fur started falling out. I had to see my friends again, so they could take my blood and find out that I have thyroid problems. (My Great-Aunt Emma and Grandma Star had them, too.) Fixing it is easy, but Mommy was sorry to see my pretty otter tail go away.

I hope that Ho Ho thinks I have been a good enough boy this year so that he will visit my house. We say hello when he comes, and he leaves me treats and toys. I like Ho Ho.

Love,
Dewey

As you can see, I am a really good writer now.

Christmas was fun this year. I got to see Ho Ho - twice! I got to tell him what I wanted him to bring me. (Ho Ho and I are old friends, you know.) Here, I am reminding him:


He remembered me. Ho Ho brought me lots of treats and toys. Some of them were wrapped in pretty paper. I got to open them all by myself. I took the paper off so fast that I reminded Mommy of Baby Royko, who liked taking paper off of her presents so much she tried to take paper off of Aunt Emma's presents, too. Mommy said, "Baby Royko, is that you?" I said, "No, Mommy. It's me, Dewey Beck." Mommy is silly sometimes. (Not as silly as Daddy, though.)

Ho Ho put lots of treats and toys in my stocking, too, just like he did last year and the year before. Here I am, making sure that I did not miss anything.

Guess what! Daddy put up a tree! In the house! I thought he was nuts, but Mommy said that is what is supposed to happen at Christmas. She said they did not do it the other Christmases because they were afraid I would do a little boy thing and hurt the tree. But since I am (almost) a big boy, they decided it was time to see if I could have a tree. I was a good boy. I did not touch the tree. I did look at it. It was pretty (even though Mommy would not let Daddy put anything important on it, or anything that would break). I was not happy that he put it where I usually put my head (under the little blue chair). But I left the tree alone. I am a big boy, after all.

I have had fun with Mommy for the two weeks that she did not go to work. Daddy, too. It is fun to play and sleep in and be a family. I wish we could do it forever.

I will try harder to be a good blogger in 2011. I know you want to hear about my fun life. See you next year!

Catching up

Gosh, it has been a long time since I last wrote a post. I am sorry that I have not been able to to sit down and tell Mommy what to write in many days.

I learned something this summer that I did not know before: I do not like hot weather. I do not like it at all. Daddy or Mommy would try to take me on walks, but we could not go very far. I would get very tired and we would have to turn around. Daddy and I would play fetch, my favorite game; but I would get tired fast then, too. It was not fun to be hot.

My allergies made it hard. The nice lady at Doctor Debbie's office said my pills should not make me sleepy. But I wanted to sleep a lot. Mommy noticed that, when Doctor Debbie said, "Give Dewey less pills now," I started to wake up. That is a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing: I am more peppy than I was in the summer. The bad thing (for Mommy): I went from being a surprise Big Boy to a naughty baby again. Sometimes. Sometimes, I remember when I was a Big Boy - and how that made Mommy sigh - and I do Big Boy things.

Besides, I am not really a baby anymore. I am two years old.

Oh! That's right. I have not told you about my birthday party! I like birthdays. I get treats and toys when I have birthdays (I think. I have had only two in my entire life.).

Mommy and Daddy had a little family party for me in our back yard on my birthday. I wore a silly hat, because it made Mommy laugh. I did not care if I looked silly. I was having too much fun to know or care. Guess what! I got cookies, a big bone, a new floppy Frisbee (that is it, in the picture), and a new silly fetching toy. (See? Even with a silly hat, I look cute.) Daddy threw the Frisbee, Mommy took pictures, and I had a lot of fun. I played until I got tired, then I plopped down and chewed on my bone.

Mommy forgot that I am a saucy labrador boy who can jump. She left the sack of cookies on the top of the big box (hot tub) and forgot that I could get them myself. I leaped right up there and helped myself to a snack. I wanted to eat that whole bag of cookies, but Mommy did not want me to get a tummy ache. Darn. I'm fast. But Mommy's faster, when somebody needs to help me do the right thing.

That wasn't the only fun thing this summer. We also got to go to the mountains. I like going there. It is cool, and it has interesting smells. I sniffed. I met people and other puppies. I enjoyed sunny times with my parents.


It is already starting to get cooler. That means we can go on more walks and I can go longer and enjoy my time with my family. Mommy says that snow will come down from the sky soon. She does not think that is a good thing, but I do. I like to play in the cold and snow.