Happy (sixth-month) birthday to me!

Mommy says I am a birthday boy today. I am six months old. Happy birthday to me!!!

I am a growing boy (53.4 lbs.!). A handsome boy, too. You have seen my pictures. You know what I mean.

I am having a lot of fun with my mommy and daddy. They play with me, take care of me, and teach me new things all the time. They have rules. Some rules are not fun. But they help me be good -- and safe. I guess rules are okay. They make my mommy and daddy happy, and that makes me happy.

I love my life and I love my family. I am a lucky, lucky little boy!

My first Christmas

By Dewey

Wow! My mommy and daddy were right: Christmas is really fun!

I saw Ho Ho last night, in my house. I said, "Hi, Ho Ho! Remember me?" He said, "Yes, little Dewey. You were a fun boy. A good one, too. Ho, ho, ho! Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas!!!" Ho Ho turned around, he took out a big bag of fuzzy things and treats, and he put some in my stocking. I knew it was mine - it had my name on it. Then he put stuff in my mommy's stocking, and a big old black rock in Daddy's.
Oh, boy....

I could hardly wait. What did Ho Ho bring me, I wondered. It sure smelled good. I think I heard a squeak somewhere, too. Finally, I could not wait anymore. I said, "Yip!" ("Mommy! Get up now!") My mommy got up and opened my crate door. I ran to the couch to see what Ho Ho left me.

"Sorry, D," my mommy said. "We have to wait until Daddy gets up." We waited. And waited. And waited. Didn't Daddy know it was Christmas??? Finally, after a really long time, he came out to the big room with us. He sat down by my stocking and started pulling stuff out. Oooh! Treats! Ooooh! Toys! I could not believe it.

Then my mommy pulled out even more presents from my playpen. They were from my uncle Jed. He is a labrador boy just like me, so he knew just what would be fun. She also found a letter that Ho Ho had written to me, with a card that Mommy said could get me more toys. The letter said, "Ho! Ho! Ho! Guess who's at the top of the 'nice' list again -- IT'S YOU! Love, Santa. PS: The elves say hi."

I played with Uncle Jed's toys. I played with Ho Ho's toys. I ate treats, lots of treats. It was so much fun! Finally, I sat down and said, "Whew! It has been a busy morning." I laid down on my bankie while my mommy made pictures that I could share. I closed my eyes, and I fell asleep.
I sure do like Christmas. Can we do this again tomorrow?

It's a black labrador thing...

Note from Dewey: I am feeling groggy - and missing my itty bitties. (Translation: he was neutered today) I think I will turn over today's blogging work to Mommy while I sleep.

It's a Black Labrador Thing -- Part I
By Dewey's Mommy

• Disemboweling all of my fuzzies
• Grabbing Daddy's delicates and running
  
• Digging up my yard
• Making my own fetching sticks out of Daddy's shrubs
• Getting up REALLY early
• Demanding popcorn at night
  
• Lying on Daddy's feet so I can be close
• Giving Mommy little, bitty puppy smooches on her chin
  

Upset tummies, hard days

Sometimes, being a puppy is hard. I had two hard days this week, and I did not like them. At all.

Because I am a growing boy, I am hungry a lot. I like it when breakfast and dinner time come. My mommy is a good cooker! But the last two days, I could not keep her yummy meals inside my tummy.

I did not feel good on Friday and Saturday. Both nights, what was in my tummy suddenly was out, all over Mommy's carpet. She tried to tell me it was okay, that I would not get in trouble for being sick. But I felt bad while Mommy and I watched Daddy clean up my big mess.

It was hard for Mommy and Daddy to tell that I felt droopy, because I would be quiet and then all of a sudden be my usual crazy-daisy self. My parents love me and watch me closely. But they do not speak puppy, so I could not tell them that I did not feel good. They got the idea when I urped on the carpet. I could not tell them that my tummy was still upset. But then, maybe running wild around the yard, jumping on top of Mommy while she slept, and rumbling with Daddy did not make that clear.

I woke Mommy up at 3 in the morning. I was out of sorts. So was Mommy. I pottied, then we went back to bed. Then I got up again at 5. Mommy and I went out so I could make poopies. I tried, but it was really hard. Mommy suddenly realized why my tummy was so upset. Something that she says puppies are not supposed to eat (I'm not tellin'...) started to come out, but it got stuck. Mommy had to grab and pull, hard. It was long and it hurt.

Ewwwwwww, my Mommy said.

I am not my Mommy's first labrador. She has had to do a lot of icky things. It is part of the labrador mommy job. She says this one was the ickiest of them all so far. Does this mean I am the best labrador she has ever had? She says it is too early to tell.

I feel better. I am glad my Mommy helped me out.

Pictures with Ho Ho

Look! Me with Ho Ho! The nice people at my mommy's school's Pre-Vet Club took this picture when I went to visit him. We paid them money. They gave Mommy this picture (note from Mommy: heavy Photoshopping to show Dewey's cuteness left Ho Ho looking a little, um, surreal). I am very cute.

Guard doggin'

I am still a little boy, so I do not have many jobs to do right now. Mostly, my job is to be good. Sometimes, that one is hard.

But I see ways that I can help, even if Mommy and Daddy have not told me that they are part of my place in the family. One I see is guarding my house and my family.

I am spending a little more time outside by myself. Not much: my parents say little boys need extra help being safe (and staying out of trouble). Still, getting to spend a few minutes in my yard, watching the world go by, is fun. Boys need their space, and I live in an interesting neighborhood.

Last night, as I was watching things, I thought, "There can be some scary stuff out here. Some of that scary stuff might be bad for my family. Maybe I can tell my parents when I see something scary. Maybe I can tell some of that scary stuff to go away, too."

Suddenly, I saw something that looked scary -- a car that drove right up to my house. It was dark, so I could not see it or see who was inside. I thought, "TELL MOMMY!!!!!!" So I did. I barked and barked, really loud, using my best "big boy" voice. She came running out, just like I asked. She said, "Good boy! Good boy! Good guard dog!" I liked hearing that.

Guess what. That scary car? It belonged to my Daddy. Daddy is not scary, but I was still so excited about doing a good thing that I stayed in guard dog mode (Daddy says it was adrenaline. That is a VERY big word.). I did crazy things that I guess real guard dogs don't do -- like jump up on the couch and do (little) butt tucks. I am not allowed on the couch, but I could not help myself.

Mommy says I have some things to learn about being a guard dog, but she is very glad that I see that as part of my job when I get to be bigger. I like helping my family.

Meeting Ho Ho

Today was a big day. It was the day I met Ho Ho.

I was not sure who this "Ho Ho" guy was, but my mommy and daddy were very excited about taking me to see him. They talked and talked and talked, and they sang funny songs about the visit. They were very silly. I think they wanted to see Ho Ho.

We put on my leash and my halter. I thought we were going for a walk; but instead, Daddy put me in the back of Mommy's car. (I have been there before, but always in my crate. Now, I am a big boy. I have a new bankie to keep me warm and comfortable. Oh, and a gate thing to keep me in the back.)

We drove a really long way. Just when I wanted to say "HEY! I want to get out now," we stopped at a building I have never seen before. There were other cars, some of them had puppies in them. They barked at me.

We went inside the building. Some really nice girls met me at the door and took Mommy's money. Daddy and I kept walking, right up to a big line of puppies. I got so excited, my little bottom wiggled as fast as my tail. They looked like fun. We said hello.

Then Daddy walked me up to a giant tree, with pretty shiny things on it. Next to the tree was this funny guy with white stuff on his face and a big, red suit. Ho Ho!!!

My parents told me lots about how to behave when I met Ho Ho. He brings treats and toys, they said, so I need to be good. Oh, and polite. I tried, but I forgot it all in the moment. I gave him a BIG hello. He called me a knucklehead (Is that a good thing???). A nice man took our picture. Lots of people laughed. I got a treat.

My mommy took the video that I posted here, so you can see how much fun we had. I sure hope he comes back next year. I think I like Ho Ho!

Muddy holiday picture fun

Hey, I'm five months old today! Happy birthday to me!

My mommy and daddy have been saying a new word a lot lately: holiday. I do not know what the means. It cannot be too fun. I don't get a treat when they say it. But they get kind of silly when they talk about it.

Yesterday, they said we needed to take holiday pictures. I know about pictures. My mommy is always taking them of me. I am cute, after all.

We all went outside in the back yard. (Balls! My balls are in the back yard!) Mommy and daddy took turns trying to hold me. They tried to put a funny red thing on my head.

They brought my baby towel out. I guess they wanted to play tug -- so I played tug. I pulled and pulled, and pulled out a tooth. Then I rolled around and got all muddy. Mud is fun. Then we took more pictures.

I'm a good picture poser. See what I mean?

Puppy R 'n R

I'm a mellow fellow. That's one of many reasons my Mommy decided I was the boy who would come home to live with her and Daddy.

I know how to relax, when I'm not running and playing. I can sleep in all kinds of positions. Mommy says she remembers me, even though my brothers and sisters and I all were all black (and cute). When she used to come to visit us, I was curled up somewhere, like this.

Or this:

Being a puppy is hard work. A boy needs to rest, so he'll be ready to play.

Sittin' it out

I like to sit at the top of the steps and think about what to do next (or stare at Mommy. Does she take that camera everywhere??). Mommy says I look silly when I do this. I think I look cute. How about you?

Toys for boys

I like to play. A lot. I have many toys to keep me busy. Some of them used to have fuzzy guts and squeaky things inside. They don't anymore (Mommy says it's a black labrador thing -- Baby Royko's fuzzies didn't last long, either.). But I have other toys that I like a lot these days.

I told you about Crazy Guy before. He is my favorite. My Grandma Donna gave him to me when I was a little baby. She brought me a big basket of fun treats and toys. (Grandma Donna also gave me Duck. Duck has seen its better days, but he still is a fun playmate.) Here is Crazy Guy:

Isn't he funny? He squeaks and squeaks and drives my parents crazy -- but they still throw him so I can fetch him. I try to take good care of him, so he can be my friend for many years to come.

Last night, my Mommy and Daddy gave me a special present: a birdie house and birdies that used to belong to Royko. They say she was a hunter and that she liked to "hunt" birdies (and kitties and squirrels and gophers and bunnies...). Ho Ho brought this fun toy to her when she was an old lady, because he knew she couldn't chase real birdies anymore.

I have been looking at it for a long time now. It was in a room that I sometimes sneak into when Mommy isn't looking (or when Daddy forgets to close the door). Because I am a bigger boy now, they said I could play -- nicely -- with them. Wowweeeee! Here, I am looking in the birdie house hole to see what was inside.

My daddy is silly; he put Bugsy in there, too. Bugsy is too big, and bugs don't live in birdie houses. Birdies do. It was really fun: I pulled them out, Daddy put them back in (with Bugsy), then I pulled them out again. Now I see why Royko liked birdies so much.

I feel really lucky that Royko and Aunt Emma left me so many fun toys.

Becoming a big boy

Yes, I am becoming a big boy. My mommy took these pictures this morning, to show that I am growing in size.

You can't tell from the pictures, but I also am growing in independence. I like to spend time with my parents, but I also like to be outside by myself sometimes. There is so much to see and do (and dig and sniff).

They still watch me. I see them peeking. I guess they want to be sure I don't get into big trouble or get taken away. That would not be fun. But I do like to have a little space now. I am a big boy, after all.

Puppy teeth

I like to use 'em, but Mommy is not so sure. She is trying to convince me that her way is the best way.

Puppy teeth are really good for ripping open my fuzzies so I can pull out their stuffing (and, if I'm lucky, find that squeaky thing that I like to squeeze until Mommy loses her mind).

Puppy teeth are good for chewing on my food and water bowls, which are a lot more fun to fling across the room and gnaw. Mommy wonders why I need to do this, especially since the house is full of toys designed for teething boys. I don't know why, but these are better.

Puppy teeth are good for chewing on Mommy's hands and Daddy's arms. They squeal (like my squeaky toys), and I get their attention. Sometimes, though, when I bite really hard or do it a lot, I get a time out. Time outs are okay, I suppose: I like my den. But Mommy and Daddy are lots more fun. I'd rather be with them.

Puppy teeth are good for grabbing rocks and pulling up grass and flowers. Then my parents have to chase me to take them out of my mouth. They try to be tricky (Mommy keeps muttering, "calm assertive energy, calm assertive energy..." The dog guy on TV says that a lot.). But they worry more about me swallowing something that is not good for puppy tummies Sometimes, they must move quickly so that doesn't happen. I run away. It is fun.

Puppy teeth are good for crunching "good boy" treats. I still get a lot of them, because I try to be a good boy. Most of the time.

Some day, I won't have any more puppy teeth. In fact, I've already lost some of them. In the meantime, they sure do make life fun.

Things I learned this week

There is a lot to learn, especially when you are a little boy. I learned a lot this week, like every other week since I was born. Here are some of the things I know now (and may "remember" if I get something out of it.)

• Ringing the bell to tell the folks I need to go out and potty -- or play in the snowstorm -- makes my Mommy and Daddy really happy. I get a lot of "GOOD BOY"s for that one. I also get to go outside.
• Mommy does not like it when I pull socks out of her sock drawer and run around with them.
• I should not grab my drink bowl and run to my bankie. And spill it.
  
• I also should not grab the paper towel Mommy is using to clean up the mess I made with the bowl and hide under the chair. (Mommy is really fast and flexible when she wants to be.)
  
• The middle of the yard is not a good place to dig a big hole.
• Carrying three balls at once is hard to do.
• Duck guts (fuzzy) make a big mess when I spread them around the living room. I like it. Mommy doesn't.
  

Learning to be a scholarly helper

I didn't get to blog this weekend, because my mommy took up all of the computer time.

Mommy is writing this big book (She calls it a dissertation -- a big word for a little boy to say and remember), and she says that weekends are when she gets to do that. During the week, she has a lot of other things to do, like feed and play with me, teach me things, take me out to potty, pull books and socks and other things out of my mouth, and try to guess why I am barking at her. She's very busy.

On the weekends, Mommy gets up really early in the morning to work on the computer. At first, I slept in. My daddy and I stay up late doing boy things -- like wrestling, eating popcorn, and watching sports shows -- and I get really tired. I'm not a morning person. Neither is Daddy.

But Saturday, I said, "Hey! My mommy needs help. I'm her helper. I need to get out there!" I barked, really loud, and she came to get me. We had breakfast and I got a treat, and Mommy sat down in her chair. She started typing; I brought her Crazy Guy, because fetching that funny fellow is what we like to do other mornings. Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Then, because I had a big drink at breakfast, I needed to go potty again. Since I was outside, I thought I might find a good stick to chew.

Mommy didn't find that so helpful. We went back inside, I squeaked Crazy Guy some more, then I laid on my bed and fell asleep. Like I said, I'm not a morning person.

When Daddy finally woke up, we went for a nice, long walk. When we came home, I tried to stay awake in case Mommy needed me. But I was so sleepy, I could not keep my eyes open. When I finally woke up, Mommy was closing the computer. She seemed really happy about all the words that she was able to write. We got up Sunday and did it all over again.

I'm a good helper.

Breaking 'Big Boy' news!!

My mommy is very, very proud of me: I just went down the stairs by myself! She gave me the biggest "Good Boy!!!" I have ever heard. I got a treat and everything.

I liked it so much, and I was so proud, I did it again. And I did it again. And I did it again.

Mommy wonders when Daddy will take over "Good Boy!" duties.

Long birthday walk with Mommy

Yesterday was my four-month birthday. Mommy and I celebrated by going for a walk on a new part of the greenbelt. It was pretty scary, because I have not been there before; but Mommy kept telling me there was lots of fun ahead if we kept going. So we did.

Mommy likes to go forward. I like to stop and sniff. I also like to check out what the people are doing in the trucks that stop by the path. Oh, and I love to chase the skiers on skates. They go fast, and they are really nice. I especially like Christi and Rachel. They stopped to pet me. I like to get pets, especially from nice girls.

Sometimes, I get confused. Why is that guy in the shorts running the other way? Should I follow him? Hey, I think I will! But then Mommy tells me that going forward is better. I'm not convinced, but she's the mommy. We go forward. Still, those skiers sure looked like they knew where to find the fun.

It sure took a long time to go around the loop. I was pretty sure Mommy got confused when we turned left instead of going straight at the end. I said, "Hey! You're going the wrong way! Daddy always goes THIS way." But she just said "trust me," again. She says that a lot. What do you know: we kept going Mommy's way, and we found her car.

I guess Mommy might know something about walking after all.

Gifts from Aunt Emma

I'm getting so big that I am outgrowing my second crate. Because it is getting squishy for me, and because I haven't had a potty accident where I sleep, my mommy decided that I was big enough to start using my great-aunt Emma's crate.
I never met Aunt Emma, because she went to heaven to play with Baby Royko before I was born. But I have seen lots of pictures of her, I get to play with some of her toys, and I get to ride around in her car. My mommy and daddy tell me stories about her. She sounded really fun -- like me.

When I got to go inside of her crate, it was like a big playground. I could stand and spin and bounce. When I started sniffing around, I found some fun new toys that Aunt Emma buried under a bankie. They were so far back my mommy didn't see them (It is a BIG crate). It was just like Aunt Emma left them there for me. Mommy said they were old and icky. She put them in that big plastic tub. I didn't see them after that.

I ran in and out. And in. And out. And in. And out. I was so excited to get to play in my new space. Whenever I came back out, I had a bunch of chocolate fur stuck to my wet nose. Mommy took it off, because it tickled. It made her a little sad, too. She loved Emma very, very much.

My Aunt Emma left big paws to fill - and a big crate to sleep in. My mommy and daddy and I know that I will be big some day, too. Maybe I will leave something fun in the back of that crate. I can play with them now, and maybe another puppy will find them like I did.

(Note from Mommy: Emma's dad, Porch, was Dewey's great-grandpa.)

What not to do. By Dewey

Most of the time, I work hard to remember the things I am told to do: sit, shake, upsy pupsy (Mommy translates: go up the stairs), bring it, go potty, smooch. There is a lot for little boys to remember.

Sometimes I'm so busy remembering what I am supposed to do that I forget what I am not supposed to do. Mommy and Daddy have a lot of those rules, too. Some of them I have heard a lot lately:

• Don't bite Daddy
• Don't chew a hole in Mommy's new sweater
• Don't eat sticks
• Or rocks
• Or chapstick tubes (Cherry. Yummmmmm....)
• Don't jump into Mommy's chair (even if it makes grabbing stuff off the table easier)
• Don't rip the face off of my fuzzy bear and pull all of the guts out
• Don't steal Daddy's dirty sock and run away
• Don't take his running shoe
• Don't drag the bath mat out of the bathroom
• Don't stand on my tippy toes to help myself to the treats

There is a lot to remember when you're little.

Things I am learning

Mommy says I'm a work in progress. I'm pretty much potty trained right now. My folks need to pay close attention to the signals I give, but we're all working hard to make sure I don't have any accidents. I haven't had one of those in a really long time.

I still have a lot to learn about everything else. I'm growing fast, but I'm a little boy when it comes to walking up and down the big stairs inside the house. I'm pretty good at climbing them, though I do need a little boost from mom or dad to make it all the way up. Down is scary, though. Mommy helped me out by starting me two steps from the bottom then guiding me down (with a treat and a big GOOD BOY!!!! at the landing). Then we tried it from three stairs. Now I can come down all the way from four stairs. Well, with some help so I don't feel like I'm going to fall. It sure is fun to get a treat when I'm done, though!

My daddy has worked really hard to make walks fun. At first, I was scared. There were so many big dogs in our neighborhood and noises I didn't like. For the first several tries, my daddy (and mommy) ended up carrying me a lot. Mommy said that wouldn't work when I'm 90 lbs. I have to learn to be a big boy and walk on my own if I'm going to become her workout buddy. So we've been practicing a lot. Here's a picture of Daddy and me enjoying our favorite path.


Walking is fun now!

My first post

My name is Dewey, and I'm 17 weeks old today. My mommy helped me create this blog so that I can share all of my exciting activities and accomplishments as I try to become a big boy.

As you can see from my photos (click here), I'm a very handsome boy. I'm also getting big: I weighed 33 lbs at my 16-week check-up, 11 lbs more than I did only four weeks before! My doctor, a very nice lady, says I will be a big, muscular boy at around 90 lbs by the time I'm fully grown.

I like to run and play and sleep. I try to be good; but sometimes it is very, very hard to remember all of the rules. Especially those that I don't like. I hope you will subscribe to, or bookmark, this page so that you can come back often and hear about what I'm learning and doing.