My first (and last) vacation

Well folks, I promised I'd provide an update from the Ohio Christmas trip. I'll just warn you, its not pretty, sweet, or adorable. On the other hand, I guess it could have been worse. But not by much. Next time Miri and Tom go away, I would really prefer to just hold down the fort here at good ol' dupont circle with my fave pet sitter. I love my home, my neighborhood, and most of all my familiar routine.

Here's a list of the highlights:

Number of hours I whined in the car on the way to Oberlin: 7
Number of times I peed in Marilyn's house: 3
Number of beautiful rugs I peed on: 3
Number of times I jumped up and barked at people: I can't even count
Number of squirrels I chased: Too many to try and remember
Number of times I made Miri cry: 2
Number of times I barked in the middle of the night and woke people up: 2
Number of hours I whined in the car on the way back to DC: 6 1/2 (i was tired out so i did take a few breaks on the way back)

However, to present you with a balanced view, I will also tell you the good things that happened. The ride there was SOOOO long and I whined because I wasnt sure where we were going or worse, if I was being driven somewhere to be dropped off and left like my past owners did to me! But after we arrived, I ran like a maniac around Marilyn's house and that was super fun! I didnt break anything - I just explored. Then we went to a BIG field and I ran and played ball with Marilyn, Matt, Miri and Tom. That was awesome. I ran so fast and the field was HUGE! However, I did find the one way to wriggle out of the field and ran into this BIG pile of dirt and mud. It was so fun and Tom had to chase me out! It is fun to make him chase me.



The other good thing was that despite my anxiety, I did not get diarrhea when we were there! Which was really a blessing because I couldnt figure out where the door was in Tom's moms place which is why I ended up peeing there a few times. OOPS! The thing is she has this elevator and it was confusing to me that it was a door also!

We also went to Tom's dad's house for Christmas day and I was a pretty good girl there. Namely, I didnt pee or poop in his house and also didnt bark and jump up on people. He had a fireplace going and it was very relaxing for me so i was calmer.

Yesterday, i finally started to get used to being at Marilyn's house and I was super tired so I slept a lot. Plus it was just Tom, Miri and Marilyn so it was less stressful for me. But then i heard noises in the middle of the night so I had to bark to protect everyone from danger. I dont know why they get so angry when I try to be a good guard dog! Can't a girl do anything right?



All in all, I will say that I hope for all our sakes, they get a pet sitter for me next time!

XOXO
Happy holidays!
MAD

Holiday Adventure!

I have VERY EXCITING news! I'm going on a vacation!

Normally, when Miri and Tom go away, they leave me home with the pet sitter. That is fun but makes me sad when they leave. Also I always think im going to miss out on some fun and games.

Well, Miri and Tom keep saying things to me like "you have no idea what is in store for you this weekend!" and they talk about me being crazy in the car for 7 hours. I think this means I get to go with them to Ohio! I am so excited.

Mainly Im excited because I think Ill get a lot of treats.

However, I probably will be a pain in the car. I can't relax in there and 7 hours is a long time. Im not sure if Miri and Tom will hate my by the end but we'll see!

Also Miri's belly is growing and I think that means there is a human baby in there. Im a little nervous about that baby taking all the attention away from me so I need to make sure I make a good impression on Tom's mom.

I will definitely post a detailed report complete with photos upon our return.

A dog named Steve

I met a dog named Steve the other day. I know my name is also very human but for some reason Steve seems like a funny name for a dog. Anyway, Steve is a yellow lab type. He made me laugh because he thinks he is very tough but at the same time, cant stay away from me. He came up and sniffed my snout and then my bum. THEN Growled and barked at me. His dad said "Steve, now you are trying to act all tough after that makeout session!" I liked his dad. That cracked me up.

We saw each other again a few days later and he was all over me. Then barked again. He really needs to get in touch with his feelings.

Who are the people in your neighborhood?

It occured to me that I haven't told you about the people in our neighborhood that we frequently see on our walks. I thought it would be fun to update you on them since i saw a few today.

1) turtle man. This is an older gentleman that gets his exercise early in the morning by walking around the neighborhood. He is very friendly but kind of odd and unfortunately smells like urine all the time. I call him turtle man becuase he has 4 pet turtles that he talks about all the time. He walks with a cane sometimes and it used to scare me but now im used to it. Sometimes he acts kind of weird. Like the other day he had a small plastic yellow bat (like a kids toy bat) with him. Why? Not sure. Also today he saw us across the street and shook his finger at us like we were "naughty" but we werent doing anything wrong! Miri tries to be nice to him and lets him pet me all the time. I allow it because i feel sorry for him. He seems lonely.

2) "Baby" - There is this really cute older black man that also walks with a cane. I call him "baby" because he always says hi to us by saying "hey babies!" I used to be scared of him at the beginning - the cane was a little imposing but now im used to him. And i like the "babies" - Its very cute.

3) Trios waiter. There is this REALLY nice guy that works at Trios on the breakfast shift. He is a black guy and I think he is gay too. That give him triple points in my book! I love the gay guys in this neighborhood. They are so fun to be around.

4) Homeless CVS man. There is a homeless guy that hangs out in front of CVS every morning and he always asks "how you guys doin?" Very friendly. I like him. I think he is a good person for us to know. I know he would stick up for us if there was any sort of shady busines going on.

5) Kazakstan Groundskeeper. This is the only sour neighborhood person I can think of so I left him for last. I dont think he likes me very much because Im a dog. He is always busy blowing leaves or watering the grass and he gives us a dirty look each morning. YUCK.

OK thats all for now. I have more to tell you about but ill do it in my next blog.

I hope you enjoy the pictures in my cool necklace that Kelly gave me!