Thank you, Ho Ho!

Ho Ho came into my house, like he did last year. I am a big boy. I guard the house. I did not bark at Ho Ho, though. He is supposed to come into our house on Christmas Eve. Mommy reminded me before I went to bed.

"Hi, Ho Ho!" I said. "I was not sure if you would come to see me this year."

"Do not worry, Dewey," he said. "I know that little labrador boys have trouble being good sometimes. But you tried to be a good boy this year."

Whew, I thought. He is right. I try hard.

Just like last year, Ho Ho put stuff into my stocking. He put stuff in Mommy's stocking, and in Daddy's, too. He also put down presents wrapped in pretty paper. Some of those presents had my name on them. I have never gotten a present before. How would I take the pretty paper off? I do not have any hands.

"Good-bye, little Dewey," Ho Ho said. "You be a good boy next year, so I can come again."

I said bye-bye to Ho Ho and settled back down to try to go to sleep. It was hard, because I wanted to know what he left for me.

Mommy got up early, like she always does, and let me out of my bed. I ran to the couch to see what was in my stocking. I was so excited, I jumped onto the couch. That is not the rules, but Mommy did not say anything to me. She knows how fun it is when Ho Ho visits.

My stocking was so full that two toys fell off the top. One was a squishy bone. One was a furry squirrel. "That is okay, little Dewey," Mommy said. "You can play with those while we wait for Daddy to wake up." I laid on the couch and squeak, squeak, squeaked. It was fun, but I wondered, when will Daddy get up? Why does he sleep so long? Doesn't he know Ho Ho came?

All of a sudden, I heard Daddy in his night-night room. "Daddy," I said, "hurry! Come see what Ho Ho brought. Come help me get the stuff out of my stocking. Come help me open presents."

Daddy got up and came out. Then he sat down beside me and took out the stuff that Ho Ho put in my stocking. You know what was in there? Treats! Lots of treats! Toys! More toys! I could not believe it. I could not decide what to play with first.

Then Daddy took the presents that Ho Ho left that had my name on them. He showed me how to take off the pretty paper. Some I could do all by myself. Daddy had to help me with others. He has hands, you know.

He had to help me open a present that my Grandpa Jim and Grandma Kay sent to me. I ripped the paper, but what was inside was so big that I could not take it out all by myself. You know what it was? Two big turkey legs! Yum!

I really like Christmas. I really love Ho Ho. I am glad that he knows labrador boys are not perfect. I will try really hard to be an even better boy next year, so that Ho Ho will bring me more stuff.

What does Ho Ho know?

Last week, I visited Ho Ho. I have not seen him since he came to our house and put stuff in my stocking last year. Would he remember me? Would he bring me new toys this year? I did not know.

Lots of people and puppies came to see Ho Ho, too. I had to wait my turn. While I waited, Daddy tried to put stuff on my head. I did not like it. He took the stuff off my head.

Finally, it was my turn. Daddy took me up to where Ho Ho was sitting. I got a little scared. There were people everywhere, trying to make me go close to Ho Ho's chair, taking off my leash, and making Daddy get out of the way. I did not want Daddy to go away. Daddy guards me.

Then I remembered what Mommy told me: Ho Ho knows everything. He knows when I have been a good boy. He knows when I have been a naughty boy. I got scared again: will Ho Ho remember all of my naughty boy moments this year? Gee, will he even come to our house this year? That is what I was asking myself when the boy behind the camera took this picture.

Do not worry, Mommy said, Ho Ho knows about little labrador boys with puppy brains.

Walking for a cure, meeting new friends

Just when I think boys could not have any more fun than I have had, my mommy and daddy take me take me on another adventure.

When Mommy and I got up this morning, she had a big smile on her face. I did not know why. It was very early. I wanted to go back to bed. "Guess what, Dewey," she said. "We are going to have big fun this morning. We are going to drive really far. We are going to meet new puppies (and their people). We are going to do something good that helps sick ladies."

She also said, "If you are a good boy, we also will go to a store. You can pick out your own treats and toys."

I could not believe my big, floppy ears. A ride? Puppies? A store??????? I did not know what kind of helping we would do. I help Daddy mow the lawn. I help Mommy get ready. I did not know what kind of helping I would do with other puppies. I could not wait to find out.

We got into Mommy's car and we started to drive. We drove so far that I said, "HEY! Where are we going? Why does my tummy feel sick? I want to get out!" Daddy stopped at this little store off of the road and we walked around. But I did not get sick and I did not potty. We got back into the car and drove some more.

When we stopped again, we were at this really pretty green place. Mommy called it a "park." She said she played at this park lots of times when she was a little girl. (Mommy was a little girl???) We walked a long way, because Daddy did not read the directions about where to go. That was okay. I like to walk with my parents, even if we do not know where we are going. We walked by a big puddle of water. Mommy said it was another lake, like the one we saw in the mountains. There were people who talked to me. A boy petted me. I liked that.

When we stopped walking, we were at a big tent. There were lots of puppies and their mommies and daddies. I have never seen so many puppies in my whole life! Mommy was glad to meet Milo, a nice beagle boy. She knows Milo's mommy (Cassandra) and aunt (Melody). They were happy to see each other. I was happy to meet Milo.

Daddy was a little bit scared; he was not sure whether I would say hello like a big boy, or if I would go crazy-daisy and do something that would make him hide his face. I was excited, but I acted like a big boy. Daddy was surprised.

All of a sudden, a lady said, "Walk now." We walked. So did the other puppies. Daddy had my leash. Mommy took pictures. I am a big boy, and lots of the other puppies were little. Before you know it, we were almost the first in line. It was a race, after all. You are supposed to be first in line in a race. But we had to follow the lady with the little puppy. She knew where we were going.

We walked around that big lake. "Whew," some puppies said. "That was a long way. We are tired." I said, "Can we go again?" Daddy told me, "Not yet. They are going to give prizes." What is a prize, I wondered. I found out.

The lady who told us to walk stood at a table and called puppy names. Those other puppies got toys. People clapped their hands. I started to wonder: would the lady call my name? Would I get a toy?

Guess what. She called my name! People clapped! The lady said Daddy and I look alike. Then she gave me two toys, a frisbee and a lobster. I like frisbees. I fetch them. I do not know what a lobster is, but he has stuffing that I can take out.

Boy, oh boy. Could the day get better? It could.

After the lady gave out all of the toys, Mommy and Daddy and I went around the lake again. We needed to stretch our legs some more. Then Mommy said, "Dewey has been a very good boy. Let us take him to the store. He can pick out his own treats."

We drove to a place where they keep treats. Daddy took me out of the car. I get to go in????? Daddy said this kind of store lets puppies come inside. I almost didn't, though. The door opened all by itself. It scared me. I am glad I did. Mommy was right. There were treats everywhere!

This time, Daddy was scared I would take all of the treats and eat them. That's not the rules. So I did not do that. Daddy was happy. Mommy was surprised.

Mommy pushed this big, scary thing that made noises I did not like. She put my new treats, and a new toy, inside. Then she gave another lady money. We walked out with my bags of stuff and got in the car. Then we drove home. I did not talk that time. I was so tired, I laid down and went to sleep.

Feeling the heat

Whew! It is very hot today, especially if you are a boy covered in fur. I am covered in fur. I am not happy.

It is evening time, when I usually start to bother Mommy to go outside to play or go for a walk. Tonight, she said, "No, Dewey. It is too toasty for mommies and babies. We need to wait." I wanted to make her change my mind. I wanted to go outside and play.

But then Mommy turned on that big blowy thing, which makes me cool, and I just sat down. I even fell asleep. Maybe I will try harder tomorrow.

My mountain adventure

Yesterday, Daddy took me and Mommy to the mountains. They were different mountains than where Daddy and I went to walk one time. I had never been there before in my whole life. It took the longest ride of my life to get there.

These were really pretty mountains, by a big puddle of water. Mommy called it a "lake." I do not know why, but I kept feeling like I needed to get in that big puddle and splash around. Daddy says that is because labradors like to do something called "swimming."

Mommy took lots of pictures, of me and other pretty things. Daddy and I walked and walked. I sniffed things I have never seen or smelled before. I sniffed and sniffed and sniffed. It was a whole new world to me. It was fun!

Mommy and Daddy said we could go there again soon, and go to even more places that I have never been to before. I like exploring. I cannot wait until next time!

Happy birthday to ME!

I am not a puppy anymore. I am a big boy. I am one year old today!

Mommy says that this is my birthday. I do not really know what a "birthday" is, but she says that it is my day (and that there are treats and toys. I like any day that has treats and toys!). Before now, I was a puppy. Now, I am a dog. Well, Mommy says that is what the calendar says. I still have puppy brains. I will have those for lots more days (Note from Mommy: He's a labrador. Try three more years!).

I do not remember when I was born, but my mommy tells me about when she got the call saying that my brothers and sissies were here. There were two surprises for lots of people: we were born early, on Baby Royko's birthday; and we were all black. Mommy says that that just means we were meant to be together. She thinks Baby Royko and Grandpa Bull (a big black boy like me) were playing together in Heaven and decided that we all needed to be black babies, and we needed to have Royko's birthday. It must be, they said. And so it was.

Mommy came to see us the next day, and she kept coming to see us until it was time to come home forever with her and Daddy.

Daddy and I get to have a day of Birthday Boy Fun. That is better than plain old Boy Fun. At least that is what Mommy tells me.

Walking with Mommy and Daddy (and mean bugs)

I like to walk with my mommy and daddy. I like it more when we get to walk as a family. That does not happen very often.

Last night, Mommy and Daddy came home from their date and said, "Hey. It is a nice night. Water is not coming down from the sky. Let's take a walk. Let's take Dewey on the walk."

I heard my name, I heard "walk," and I went crazy-daisy. I like walks. My daddy put the leash on me and took me to the car. Then we drove to a place that we go for boy fun. Mommy usually does not get to go there. She is not a boy. But she is fun, so we decided she could go there with us.

We walked along the path, toward the big river. Then we walked beside the river, which was really close and really fast. The air was cool, which felt good to a boy covered in fur. It also was filled with lots of pesky bugs. They flew onto me, onto Daddy, onto Mommy. Daddy kept wiping them off of me, saying "Go away, bugs! Do not bite my boy!" Mommy squished the bugs on Daddy's back and told Daddy the next time we go for a walk, we need to bring the bug spray.

Bugs or not, spray or not, I liked this family fun. It's better than boy fun. Shhhhhh. Do not tell Daddy...

Boy and bone

Shucks. My mommy got a new camera. Now she is always taking pictures of me. How is a boy supposed to chew his new bone when his mommy keeps bothering him? Mommeeeeeee.....

Post-walk cuteness

Even after walking three whole miles with my grandma, mommy and daddy, I am still really, really cute. These pictures, that Mommy took yesterday, show you that this is true.

See how I've grown!

My mommy is just now looking at the movies she took of me last month. Some of them are not very good -- I moved around a lot, ran into her, and made the camera shake. But Mommy thought that this one is pretty cute, because I am cute (and lying down being a good boy).

You can see that I am getting to be big, too! This toy is one that Aunt Emma left for me. I like to play with her toys.

Here is the movie:

Catching up

It has been a busy spring, for my mommy and me. She just finished her big book. I did not have a lot of time on the computer to write an update for a lot of days while she did that. Mommy and I are still pretty tired from writing a whole book, but I did want to say hello and to tell you what is new.

I turned 10 months old on April 29. Mommy says I am a little baby in a big boy's body. When she tells me to go one place - like to time out (I have had a lot of those lately) -- and I do not want to go, she has to work really hard to help me change my mind. She always wins. She is the mommy, you know. But she has to huff and puff to move me.

We move every day, since it is nice and sunny outside and there is no ice to make Mommy fall. We go to the greenbelt, where I can practice my walking and meet people and puppies. But not too many. I am still learning manners, too. (Mommy talks about fun places called "parks," that I get to visit once I learn to not jump up and go crazy-daisy over everyone who passes by.)

Mommy and Daddy have been busy cleaning the house, because my Grandma Linda is coming to visit. I have not met Grandma Linda. I hope she is fun, and I hope she will walk with me. Well, maybe with me and Daddy. She may not know how to walk a crazy-daisy labrador boy.

I know she will like me. Everyone likes me. Mommy will take pictures while my grandma is here, and I will post them so you see that we had fun.

My first bath

Last night, Daddy gave me my first bath. I am a labrador. We like water. The bath was fun. Daddy poured smelly stuff (Coconut Verbena!) on me and rubbed me all over. Then he poured warm water on me. It felt really, really good.

Then we had to get out of the tub. Daddy started rubbing me again, with my big "foots" towels. That part was okay, I guess.

But then Daddy took out this purple thing and turned it on. Hot air blew onto me, and it made a funny sound that I did not like at all.

I asked my mommy to help me, but she just laughed and took more pictures. I thought she loved me.
I hope I do not have to take a bath again tonight.

In your face

My mommy says that this picture tells you everything you need to know about me right now.

I am cute!
I am fun!
I am busy!
I am saucy!
I have a lot to say!
Did I mention I am cute?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Mommy tried to take this picture of me on Sunday. She told me to stay, but I could not do that. I thought about how much fun my mommy and I have. I ran up and gave her a big, old puppy smooch. She was still taking my picture, but that is okay. I kissed her, anyway (and I bumped her camera).

This Sunday, I will be nine months old. I think I am a big boy. Daddy says I will have puppy brains until I am four years old. Mommy says I will always be her puppy, even when I am an old, gray guy.

I bet I will still be cute...

Becoming Dewey

There were lots of labradors living in my first house, and they all had names: Sassie, Sugar, Star, Tank. My first daddy had a name, too: Baxter. As I grew bigger, I wondered: what is my name?

Last time, I told you that Mommy visited a lot. I did not know what her name was, but I knew her. She did not know who I was, or if I would be a boy or a girl, but she knew my name: Dewey.

Mommy picked my name before I was even born. She had been reading about these old guys while she was getting ready to write her big book. One of them was named John Dewey. He was really smart (like me). She knew others, but "Dewey" just sounded like a really good puppy name. Daddy liked it, too. I had a name; Mommy and Daddy waited for me to be born.

Whenever Mommy came to visit us, she said to herself, "Dewey is here..." She would look and look, and see if she could find me. One day, my human grandma called and said, "It is time. Come find Dewey." Mommy and Daddy drove to her house. We were waiting for them, playing on the big wooden porch and being cute. We all were cute. We made it hard for her.

Mommy had decided that I would be a boy. (Daddy was glad; he was not sure he could see a girl Dewey, even though lots of people said that would be okay.) Papa Baxter's dad picked another boy, so Mommy had to choose between me and four other brothers.

Two brothers were awake and running and trying their hardest to say, "Pick me! Pick me!" My sissies already had names and places to go, but they were busy bodies. They liked being where the action was. My other big boy brother and I liked to sleep. We also did not like to be stomped on or bitten, so we huddled in a corner and napped.

I almost slept through the biggest day of my life!

Luckily, Daddy said, "Hey, what about those two?" He pointed to me and my brother. He did not want to miss meeting me, I guess. I am glad he asked. They woke us up. I cuddled up next to Mommy, then Daddy, then Mommy again. It felt right. I became Dewey.

Here I am, right after I got my name. I was a little scared, but being held by them felt really good. I decided that maybe being Dewey would be a good thing, after all.

That was August 9, 2008. I went home to live here forever on August 15. I am glad I am Dewey.

Stuff about me: Early days

Tonight, I will tell you a little bit about my first weeks, before I came home to live with Mommy and Daddy. I will show you some pictures, too, so you will know that I have always been cute. (But then, you probably already knew that.)

I was born on June 29, 2008, with two sissies and six brothers. We were born a few days early, and we were all black. Mommy was really happy when she heard we were born: June 29 is her Baby Royko's birthday, too (and she was black). That made her very happy. She says it showed we were meant to be together.

Mommy was not my first mommy. We came out of a pretty yellow labrador girl named Sassie. She was really nice and warm and fun. She had a lot of help from my human grandma and aunt. They stayed with Mama Sassie when we were born and after. We kept her busy. They loved us and took really good care of us when we were tiny little babies.

Mommy came to meet us when we were one day old, and she visited us every week until we were ready to come home. She had fun watching us grow. She laughed when we did cute labrador baby things. We always did cute labrador baby things.

Mommy took lots of pictures. Even though she did not know who I was for a long time, she knew I was there. I did not know she would be my mommy until later, but she seemed fun. I liked the attention; so did my brothers and sissies.

It can be hard to tell one cute black labrador baby from another. Mommy looks at our baby pictues and tries to figure out. She looks for the little white whiskers on my chin (Grandpa Bull had them, too). She thinks this is me; I think she is right.

For lots of weeks, we lived in a big box in the house. When we became bigger, we got to go outside, onto the big wooden porch, to play in the sun. I also liked to sleep in the big cloth puppy house that was there, or in a corner where my pesky sissies would not bother me.

Girls.

Next time, I will tell you about the day that I became Dewey.

Missing Emma (1996-2008)

(A note from Dewey: My mommy is very sad today. One year ago, my great-aunt Emma went to live in heaven with Baby Royko. I told Mommy that she could use my blog to tell you about her.)

I lost my heart in the very early hours of March 9, 2008, when my dear chocolate lab, Emma, left our world and joined her sissy over the Rainbow Bridge.

Loving Emma was an active process. We chose to love her, even/especially when liking her was not easy. Our commitment extended beyond the marginal obligations of pet ownership. Our commitment was persistence when things were tough – and they were tough – and bringing this life to successful, happy membership in our family no matter what it took.

I'll say it outright: lesser owners would have given up before her first birthday.

Em wasn’t a typical lab puppy that everyone finds easy to love. She wasn’t cute or cuddly. She smelled funny. She was big, brash, and more than a little mean.

Our precious baby was powerful enough to cause injuries that raised the suspicions of my physician and the family veterinarian. To say that we all merely survived Emma’s puppyhood would not be an overstatement.

We suffered through her first two years, but what followed made it all worthwhile. Adult Emma was a pleasant, eager, fun loving family member. Nothing brought a laugh quicker than Emma bounding toward us with the biggest, longest tongue in the world hanging out of her wide smile. She lived life fully, and her zest for living was contagious.

My girl was the ultimate rule follower; once she learned them, the case was closed. Em lived to please, which definitely made life easier for Mommy. More important, though, it cleared a path for a friendship that would last forever. We could relax and enjoy life’s big and little bonding experiences.

She was my obedience champion, but her inability to play well with others left that a largely private phenomenon. Emma's brilliance could be used equally for good or evil. On the "good" side of the equation was learning the tricky "finish on recall" by simply watching her sissy. (During one of Royko's training sessions, my baby marched right up and did it. Hmph. Piece of cake, she said...) She rang the jingle bells to let us know she needed to go potty on her first night home. Brilliant.

Emma loved every member of her family, but she was Mommy’s girl. If there was activity on my agenda – a ride, a fetching session, a Greenbelt workout -- she was there. If Mommy said it was time to hang, she’d hang. Everything was good, so long as we were together.

Full enjoyment of each other’s company would not come until Emma’s later years. As our relationship (and Emma) matured, her aging sissy’s needs increased in both quantity and intensity. Emma was loved wholeheartedly, but she didn’t always get the quality time she deserved -- tending to Royko’s physical challenges and dementia became increasingly complicated and demanded more of our attention with every passing day.

Eventually, that sad family chapter closed. With Royko’s August 2005 passing came the opportunity to place Emma at the center of our universe. Given her robustness and apparent good health, we assumed that we would have many years as a trio, time to spoil her and appreciate her.

What we would not know until that awful night last year was that inside a silent killer was waiting to take our girl from us. Emma’s quick decline began with an apparent late night stroke. She struggled in the days that followed, her appetite and energy level diminished. She simply wasn’t our Em.

An infuriating Saturday (3/8) morning follow-up with the veterinarian yielded nothing more than the urge on Mommy’s part to punch the creep in the throat and race to the vet school ER in the next state. (I didn't do that, a source of tremendous regret. But I did locate a specialist -- myself -- and made an appointment for further tests.) We returned to the clinic several hours later, in the middle of the night, with Emma in deep physical distress. She made it just inside the reception room door before collapsing. That is where my girl left us.

Our decision to not bring a second dog into the family after Royko passed was the right one for Emma. She needed our undivided attention, and she deserved it. But leaving the clinic in the night’s darkness and returning to an empty house was the most difficult experience so far in my adult life. The one thing that kept us going after Royko’s death was knowing that Emma needed us to be there to tend to her daily needs. When Em died, we had no such helper.

Choosing to bring home a puppy is never an easy one for someone who’s shared her life with many a shelter dog. Ultimately, we made that decision; and it was the right one, because it gave us time to grieve and prepare to welcome our boy to our family. He wasn’t merely a quick fix for the gap in our lives. Discovering a direct link to Emma on Dewey’s pedigree confirmed the rightness of the choice.

Sometime in Emma’s later years, I heard the song, “For Good,” from the Broadway musical, “Wicked,” for the first time and was touched deeply by the lyrics. The phrase “handprint on my heart” became “pawprint on my heart” in my mind, emblematic of the way in which Emma touched me. More to the point were these words:

“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good.” *

Emma changed me for good. I am a different, better person for loving her.

*Lyrics at http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/wicked/forgood.htm

Getting bigger -- and cuter

Yes, I am still the cutest boy ever. My mommy thought you would like to see a new picture to prove it. She took this tonight.

I will be 8 months old next Sunday. My daddy says that I am still his little baby, but I know that I am a big boy! Well, unless someone is trying to get into our house. Then I hide behind my mommy...

Big boys have to follow the rules, so I am trying hard to do what my mommy and daddy tell me to do. They like when I remember. I like when I get to hear "Good boy!" and when I do not have to go to time out. I still have time outs, because I still bite Mommy. I do not know why. Sometimes, I want her to play when she has to work. Sometimes, I forget that you do not 'rassle with the mommy (only Daddy). Sometimes, I just do not know where to put my teeth. So I put them on my mommy's arm. Then I get a time out.

I am still trying to remember that rule.

I love my Daddy, and I like playing with him. Here, I am saying, "Hey, Daddy! Wake up! I want to play!" Daddy was asleep, but I woke him up. He pretended that I didn't, but I know I did.

Today, Daddy took me for a walk to the park. You know what? We saw moo cows! I never saw a moo cow before. They looked a little bit scary. But Daddy was not afraid, so I pretended that I was not. Daddy says Baby Royko loved moo cows -- and they loved her. He told me about a time when lots of moo cows ran to see Royko, right up to the fence. Then one gave her a big, old cow smooch! I would have been scared, but Baby Royko liked it. She liked moo cows. Horsies, too.

What I learned yesterday

I learned a new rule yesterday: Do not lock Mommy out of the house.

Mommy learned a new rule, too: Keep her keys in her pocket or find a safe place (like Uncle Jed’s house) for a back-up key.

Our “Mommy’s home!” routine started out like usual. Mommy let me into the house, then (because I like to jump on her and she might fall down) she went back out to the garage without me to lock my puppy door and fetch my water bowl. I followed my routine, too. I said, “Hey! I’m in here! I want to be out there!” Then I jumped up – and I flipped that little twisty thing on the door. That last part is not part of my routine. I found out why.

Mommy got a little mad. Then she got scared. I was alone in my house. She was alone outside of my house. Mommy ran to the business next door, where the nice people tried to help. One mister – the man with the puppies who bark at me – helped Mommy get into her car so that she could click the magic button to get back into the garage. Another nice man called a mister who knows how to open locked doors. We waited.

I could hear Mommy knocking at the door, calling my name and saying pretty words to keep me calm. It helped to hear her voice, but I wanted her voice inside. I was scared. I was hungry, too. I was tempted to get into stuff. I had the house all to myself. I could get into anything. But I was too scared to think about being naughty.

After lots of minutes, the lock man came and let Mommy into the house. I do not know how much money $45 is, but Mommy says she took it out of my treat allowance to pay the nice man. She will use more of my treat money to buy thank you snacks for the nice neighbors this morning.

I hope I remember this new rule. Mommy hopes she will remember to keep her keys in her pocket until we are both safely in the house. Oh, and she will call Uncle Jed’s mom to see about that key…

Too much rest

I have decided I do not like rest. Well, I do not like too much rest.

Because the doctor said that I must stay quiet and give my knee time to heal, my mommy and daddy would not let me do anything that I like to do -- no walks, no fetching, no running, no playing, no jumping. Gosh, it was like I had no reason to get up! I am a labrador boy, after all: running, playing, fetching and jumping are what we do!

I had to rest in my crate when mommy and daddy could not be here to watch me. I like my crate, but I like being able to be in my back yard and my giant dog house (translation from Mommy: the garage) more. I guess I cannot rest in those places, so I have been seeing a lot more of my crate. Too much.

Well, yesterday morning, I had enough. Boys need to run and wrestle. We need to burn energy. I have not been able to do that, so I had a lot of energy inside. My mommy fed me breakfast and asked me to help her by being quiet so that she could work. I said, "NO!!!!! I want to run! I want to play! I want to be crazy-daisy!!"

I admit, I was a naughty boy. I did not care. I barked and barked. I went in. I went out. I barked some more. I went out some more. When I did go out, I ran. I ran big laps around the yard, in that funny labrador way (Mommy says the labrador people call them butt-tucks. You have to see them to believe them.). I leaped -- from the grass to the top of the porch without touching any steps. Three times. I was out of control. It felt good.

My daddy could not sleep in all of the craziness, so he got up. We decided that putting my leash on and going for a walk would hurt me less than my puppy crazies would. So Daddy and I went for a walk. It felt really, really good. I slept for the rest of the day.

A bad week

This was not a good week.

On Tuesday, I woke up and said, "Ow!! Ow!!" My left knee really hurt. I do not know why. I hopped and cried and looked to my mommy. "Mommy," I said. "Help me! I hurt!" My mommy did not know what was wrong, but she knew that I needed to go to the doctor. The doctor would tell us, she said.

We could not go right away, so we had to wait. My mommy was sick, and I was sore. We laid around the house and watched the clock. I tried to sleep, so I could stop feeling the hurt for a little while. But it was hard. I could not relax. Or go down the stairs without a lot of help. Pottying hurt, too. It was hard to squat.

Finally, Mommy said it was time to go. She pulled out the leash so that she could take me out to the car. You know what? I went crazy. (Seeing my leash does that to me.) I forgot all about the hurt and started getting really excited. Mommy had to put me in the car, because I was hurt (even if I forgot for a minute).

We drove slowly, because the road was really bad. My mommy did not want to crash. Then we would really be hurt. But then we got to the doctor's office. I like them. I was happy to see my friends -- so happy that I started acting crazy-daisy. I am a puppy, after all.

The doctor wanted to look at my knee, but I was too wiggly. She had to give me a shot to make me go to sleep. I did not want to wake up. It was nice to not hurt. But I felt my mommy petting me and saying pretty words to me, asking me to wake up. Then I heard her get up and walk over to pet a kitty. A kitty???? Hey! We don't like kitties, do we? I woke up. Mommy stopped petting the kitty and gave me lots of loves. She was happy I was awake, even if I walked funny.

Mommy put me back in the car. I tinkled a little. She did not care. She drove slowly again, and we went home. I could not walk like a steady boy. Mommy carried me up the stairs, and I went to sleep.

When I woke up, I was feeling better. Then Mommy told me the bad news: the doctor said I hurt my knee and I need to be quiet for two whole weeks. I am a puppy. I cannot be quiet for two whole minutes! Mommy said we must listen to the doctor. No fun for me for lots of days: no fetching, no running, no walks, no butt tucks, no going outside during the day.

This is not fun.

Mommy says that I may have to go see another doctor, in another state, if I am still hurting after two weeks. That doctor will operate (another big word that Mommy says labrador babies should not be hearing so soon) to fix my knee. Then I will have to stay quiet for a really, really long time.

I will try to be good so that I do not have to go see that other doctor (Mommy says it will happen some day -- I am a labrador with a bad knee.). But it is hard. There are so many games to play and so many walks to take.

(Note for Mommy's reference: Dewey may be headed for our fourth TPLO [Two for Royko, one for Emma]. Knee surgery is *almost* inevitable, though we're trying to avoid the need to have it done now -- hence, the crate rest. He weighed 60.2 lbs., up 7 lbs. in a month. He turned seven months on Jan. 29.)

Loose-leash perfection!!!!

From Dewey's mommy: The boy is wiped out and unable to update you himself, but we wanted to share our big success this afternoon.

Woo hooooooooooooo!!!!

What a difference a day and a new collar make! With the assurance of a dog expert friend, I moved Dewey from his halter to a training collar (his aunt Emma's, which was passed down from Baby Royko) for a mid-afternoon walk along the Greenbelt. I expected some resistance and the inevitable labrador pull, but I experienced neither. My boy walked perfectly at my side, never needing more than a gentle tug as we passed another dog, for more than 3 miles. He was a model heeler -- the best walker I have experienced in more than 35 years.

He stayed happy, he stayed at my side, and he stayed in rhythm with my pace (even in the inevitable headwind, though a little "Dewey" song helped him keep his pace). Could I have found that perfect walking companion? At not quite seven months old?

Dewey's mommy is stunned. And optimistic for the future.

Things my mommy wants to know

My mommy has a lot of questions these days. Some that are on her mind lately are these:

• Why did I piddle on her bed on Saturday night?
• Why do I need to drag all of my bankies across the house? Why do I do that to the blue one?
  
• Why do I run under the little blue chair every time I have something even I know I should not have?
• Why am I ripping off ALL of the branches from the bushes in the front yard?
• Why did I rip the eyeballs off of Bugsy?
• Will I give myself head trauma shaking my tire rope so hard that I hit myself?
  
• Why do I jump on the couch downstairs and leap on her when she brings in the water bowl from the garage (my giant dog house)?
• Will I be a good guard dog some day? Does it matter if I grow to be 90+ pounds?
  
• How big will I be before I stop growing?
• How could I be any cuter?
  

Family walk, Dewey in motion

I am sorry that I have not blogged for a long time. I am a busy boy, and my mommy is always at the computer. It is hard to get my turn.

Yesterday, I had a nice surprise: a walk with the whole family. Because it has been really cold and icy, my mommy could not go with us (She says that falling down is not her friend.). But the ice went away and we needed some air, so we walked. We went to the Greenbelt, a really nice place. My favorite spot is there, but I would not show Mommy. Daddy and I like to have boy secrets. (Well, Daddy does. He feels left out of the secret mommy/baby games that Mommy and I play -- like Tire Fire. Do not worry. There is no REAL fire...)
I was so excited about getting to walk with Mommy and Daddy that I got a little crazy. Mommy tried to start the walk. She lifted me out of the Boomobile and said, "Let's boogie." That means "Let's start our walk." She said that to two other labradors before me. Mommy likes routines. But I was so wild that Daddy took over. (Remember that Mommy said falling is not her friend.)

Most of the time, Daddy knew which way would be fun. Sometimes, though, I had other ideas. Ooh! Look over there! Daddy's way always won. He's a bigger boy. But I always tried to show him that there were other fun things to do and places to see.

My mommy is always taking pictures. I know I am cute, but sometimes she slows me down. I stopped. This time. Just so she could show you all of my cuteness.We walked a really long time. Daddy said it was four miles. I do not know how to measure, but that sounds like it is really far. You know what? I was not tired. I was so excited about having fun times with both my daddy and my mommy that I did not want it to end.

I like family time. I love my family.

Cuddlin'

Because my mommy and daddy feel they can trust me a little bit more, I am getting to do some things that I have not been able to do before -- like get on my mommy and daddy's bed. Little boys do not get to do that. Big boys do. I am a big boy.

Mommy and Daddy have a big, soft, warm bed. I like to jump up there so I can lick my mommy's face. I also like to lay my head on Daddy's chest and watch him sleep. I like being close to my parents. I love them. They love me.

Mommy likes that I want to cuddle. She says that is one of those "black labrador things." Baby Royko was a cuddler, too. She liked that. I get pets and loves when I lay down next to her and give her kisses. It is fun. I feel safe when I am there with her.

Sometimes, I really want to snuggle. A few nights ago, I was lying in my crate next to the bed, thinking about how much I love my family. I said to myself, "I should go tell them." I pushed the door, and I saw that Daddy did not shut it all the way. (He was sleepy. We stay up late playing boy games.) I pushed again, and again. Guess what. It opened up. Woo hoo!

I got very excited. I jumped on the bed, leaped over Daddy, and sat on my mommy's head. That way, I would be really close and I could give her a BIG old smooch. She squeaked. I think she was surprised. But then she laughed. She likes puppy smooches, even at 4:11 in the morning.