A New Park and a New Furend!

Today Daddy took me on a play-date!

There's a new Bark Park in the nearby town of Quick-Pam-Kiss, and Mom's been gonna take me there fur a while now, because some geocachers put out a cache in my name there. But that was right when Mom and Daddy got the Flying Pig Disease, and Mom hasn't had a chance to take me yet. In fact, Mom couldn't even come today 'cuz she hadda get ready fur werk.

Well, Daddy has a furend named You-Win and last night, the two of them decided it was time fur me and You-Win's dog, Haggis, to meet. So Daddy called You-Win this morning, and then off Daddy and I went to the Quick-Pam-Kiss Bark Park!

This is me and Haggis. Now, I've heard Mom talk about Haggis before. She says Haggis is food made out of a sheep's stomach, but I think she might be foozed, because he smelled like a doggy to me!

When Mom saw the pitchures of Haggis, they really made her smile, because she says Haggis looks like a cross between me and my predecessor, Pepsi. Mom really wished she could have been there fur my first date with Haggis, but Daddy took lotsa pitchures.

Haggis and I played together and had a lot of funfunfun! It was wonderdog! And there were lots of other doggies there too! I did my best to round them all up but they wouldn't pretend to be sheep fur me.

This was only the second Bark Park I've ever been to, but it was furry nice. I especially liked the fact that they had a newsstand out in the middle of it.

I really had a great time with Haggis and the other doggies! Can't wait to go back sometime soon -- and maybe find my geocache, too!

Spring Fever

Mom didn't get called to substitoot teach today, so after Daddy went to work, we took a little nap. That nap didn't last very long, though, because we both need to get OUTside! We've got spring fever!

So Mom got my water bottle and the leash and we went up to the Park! Ohmydog, I was so excited! She kept me on the leash while we walked past the gate and up the road, but when we got to the Bark Park parking lot, Mom unhooked me! And then from her pocket, she brought the tennis ball and the pocket ball-launcher!

After I ran and fetched the ball about ten times, Mom noticed that Jack (a Nova Scotia Duck Toller) and his mom were actually all by themselves in the Bark Park! So naturally we had to go see them!

Once we got inside though, I made Mom throw the ball. It was nice to see Jack, but GIMME THE BALL! So even though toys in the Bark Park are against the rules, it was just us and Jack and his mom, so Mom threw the ball for me -- over and over and over. Finally I was so tired, I had to lie down for a bit before bringing it back!

After the Bark Park, Mom took me to see Daddy at his work, and then we came home. Now that I've finally blogged for you again after a furry long time (please accept my pawlogies), I think I'm going to go pass out next to Mom's feet now!

I'm a Ball-Fetching Machine!

Mom and I just got home a few minutes ago from the Bark Park. It was awesome, doggies! We were there for about two hours and I made Mom throw the ball almost the whole time! (She says she's going to take me out to the golf course sometime to see if she can wear me out.)
We went up to see Auntie Ferne and Cuzzin Rigby, a handsome greyhound, who are moving back to Toronto tomorrow. Rigby's girlfriend, Tia, and her family were also there, and it was fun playing with them, too.

Besides Tia, I also met Charlie (a Rottie-Golden mix) and Jonesy (a kinda scaredy Airedale) today, and lot of other doggies were there too. Even my handsome Casey (who came twice -- but I pretty much ignored him because he wasn't yellow and spherical).

Auntie Ferne couldn't believe that I could just keep going and going after the ball. Even Mom was surprised, but because it was early in the day, it wasn't too hot out.

Two other greyhounds, two brothers named Moxie and Maddox, came and it was like a big ol' greyhound reunion. I sniffed them a bit, but since I'd already met them before (and they weren't yellow and spherical), I mostly just kept chasing the ball.

Greyhounds have this stereotype of being high-energy dogs, but Auntie Ferne says that Rigby go-go-goes for about fifteen minutes and then he's done. Well, I must've been rubbing off on him today, because he was still playing a bit when it was time to go.

Keebo came with his parents today too, and we played together some. We've come a long way since the first night we met -- I like him much better now! (His parents' good manners are rubbing off on him.)
I just wish he'd get it into his big furry head that I'm not that kind of girl, and putting the moves on me when I have the ball in my mouth doesn't mean he's any more likely to get anywhere. Oh well. I'll just keep showing him my Big Girl Teeth until he finally clues in.

Well, Daddy is saying something about Going For a Drive, so I think I'd better go make sure I get to go too! (wagwagwag)

It's not Sunday -- It's FUNday!

Wow, doggies! Today has been absolutely wonderdog and it isn't even suppertime yet!

First of all, today was my second session of Oh-Be-Dense, and it went pretty good. Mom is still hacking like a forty-year-chain-smoker every time she moves, so Daddy was my handler today and Mom watched instead.

Because it wasn't a new place anymore, I didn't bark like last time, so I didn't get put in the corner. Daddy and I did some more chair-circling -- he's better at doling out the treats than Mom -- and I was much calmer today.

Class went really well. I just got really confused (and kinda bored). You see, I come when Daddy calls me. I sit, and I stay, until he tells me it's okay to come to him. I do this all the time -- even at the Bark Park -- so I'm pretty darn good at it. Well, today in class, we were working on recalls. She Who Must Be Obeyed (the instructor) set up like a tunnel of chairs to contain us canines, and then one by one she would hold our long leads until our hoomins (at the other end of the "chair-tunnel") would say come.

Well, the leash and the chairs were kind of weird, not to mention having someone I don't really know yet hold me and keep me from my daddy! So I did okay, but I think Mom, Daddy and me were all just itching to show them all what I can REALLY do! I don't wanna show off (well, okay, maybe I do) but I felt kinda dumb today because of trying to figure out all the extra stuff I don't usually use.

After class, we stopped home for a minute, then went to A Store because Mom needed to pick up a long lead for me. I was a little concerned because I thought Daddy got lost when driving the car. He'd put the Big Jug of Water in the car when we left home, so I knew we were going to go to the Bark Park, but then he drove right by it! But no worries -- we went to the Bark Park after the store instead. (Daddy wasn't lost after all.)

It's always so much fun at the Bark Park. Today was a little confusing because there was a Boxer there with my name, so I thought her hoomins were calling me. Brodie came a little later and we wrestled for a little bit. But the funniest part, especially if you ask the hoomins, was watching Odin and Jalapeno.

I always thought Odin didn't want to play with me because I was too small for him (he's a Great Dane). But I don't think that's it at all. I think I'm too big!

Odin and Jalapeno absolutely loved playing together today. I tried to play with them too, a little bit, but they only were interested in being best buddies. In fact, when Jap's mom tried to put the leash on him because it was time to go, Odin kept butting her hand out of the way because he didn't want Jalapeno to leave!

Finally, Odin's mom had to straddle him and hold on to his harness with both hands, looking like she was gonna ride him like in the rodeo, and Jalapeno's mom picked him up and ran.

Odin watched sadly as Jalapeno's family left the Bark Park and headed back to their car. He tried playing with a Chihuahua whose name I don't nose yet, but it just wasn't the same. He wanted his little buddy back.

That's why I love the Bark Park so much. Most of the time, all the doggies get along so great together, and if there's a problem, the hoomins take care of it right away.

Odin and Jalapeno proved it today: friendship comes in all sizes.

Bark Park Conversation

Brodie: Doesn't your mom ever put that camera away?

Piper: Is she still pointing it at us?

Brodie: I dunno. I'm not gonna look.

Piper: Well, I'm not going to look either then, 'cuz you'll take off with the stick.

Brodie: Will not.

Piper: Will too.

Brodie: Will not.

Piper: Will too.

Brodie: Well, okay. Maybe. (chomp-chomp-chomp) But it is an awfully good stick.

Piper: Okay, on the count of three, we'll both turn and check. Okay?

Brodie: Okay.

Piper: One ... two ... three!

Brodie: Yup, she's still got the camera.

Friends Old and New

Mom and I went up to the Bark Park today, and Mom was acting a little weird. This isn't all that unusual for Mom (I think you can tell that by now), but she kept saying, "I wonder if you'll remember her."

Well, when we were getting out of the car, another car pulled up. It was a red one, and it had a really nice German Shepherd sitting in the hatchback. Mom and the hoomin in the car were talking like they knew each other, and something about the other hoomin looked familiar ... but from a long, long time ago.

The hoomin and the German Shepherd came down to the Bark Park with us, and we were the only ones there. The German Shepherd (whose name is Matix) and I sniffed and kind of became friends, but she wasn't super-keen to play with me, so I started sniffing the hoomin.

"Piper," Mom said, "do you remember Auntie Deborah, your dogmother?"

And suddenly it all came back! Auntie Deborah was the lady who went to the Restigouche Shelter with Mom and helped her pick me out! It had been a very long time since I'd sniffed her last.

Auntie Deborah said that I was a "big girl now" (since I was only ten weeks old last time she'd seen me).

I decided to see if Auntie Deborah would play with me, so I took the tennis ball to the corner of the fence and dropped it down. I made frantic digging motions to let her know I couldn't reach it, and, sure enough, Auntie Deborah reached under the fence and grabbed it for me. Then she threw it, and I fetched it, and dropped it back down the hole again.

We did this three or four times before Auntie Deborah got tired of the game, so then we just watched Matix catch her toy. Matix isn't sure she wants to be my friend yet, but I'll win her over in time.

Until then, I'll just watch her fly through the air. She's pretty amazing.

One of the bestest things in life ...

... is sharing with your friends.


There was a great big stick, so five of us tried to play with it at once!

The beautiful dog behind me is Bandit, a genteel lady Border Collie. She didn't play stick a whole lot, but wanted to watch us all have fun.

Look what we made!

Mom and I made this beeyootiful Valentine to send to my one true love, Casey.

We have been sneakily getting bits and pieces of his mailing address from his hoomins for weeks now, and Mom is going to take this to the Big Red Box tomorrow. And then Casey will get it in a couple of days, once the Big Red Box is finished with it.

(I don't really trust the Big Red Boxes, but they smell pretty inneresting.)

Now Casey will know how I really feel about him! (wagwagwag)

I am so much in love.

This is Casey, the love of my life. Ever since I was little, I have worshipped him and professed my admiration by getting in his face and squeak-barking. I bow down to him, to let him know I'm not worthy. He protests by woofing back in that deep voice of his.

I want him to be my Valentine.