Dog Day Afternoon

JK was home all day yesterday.  She is usually gone all day for many days in a row, and then she and Mr. Wolf are home together for 2 days. 
But yesterday, JK was home all day by herself.  She said that she needed a day to rest and sleep.  I feel sorry for her and Mr. Wolf because they do not rest and sleep all day like I do.  Resting and sleeping are very good, and they make me feel very happy for all the times that I get to go outside, or ride in the car, or play with my people. 

Yesterday was a very nice day.  It was not too hot or too cold outside, and it was very bright.  I decided to take JK on all my favorite streets and sidewalks. 

This is near our house



walking towards Jackie's House



Almost there!  I showed JK that I know how to get to Jackie's

I took JK to Jackie's house to show her that I know where Jackie lives.  I walked right up to her door.  JK and I were not tired yet, so we walked farther.

Uh-oh.  There is a lot of water over there.

We actually walked all the way to the beach.  That was an accident.  I do not really like the beach, because I do not like walking on sand or being so close to the water.  JK remembered that, and we walked home.

Me, Squirrel, Lion

When we came home, I went to the fluffy black blanket and brought Squirrel and Lion to rest with me.  I like to sleep in the sunshine.  JK took a rest on the couch while I rested on my blanket.  It was a good day.  I like having JK home with me.

Tonight we had a very excellent walk.  We walked next to a school building, and even though there were no children around, there was lots of food on the ground.  I even got to eat a whole piece of string cheese that was in the dirt!  Oh, that made me so happy.  JK tried to get me not to eat it, but I had already swallowed it.  Yum.  I love string cheese so much.  I am so happy that someone dropped it on the ground!  Hooray.

Mr. Wolf's Birthday Weekend

JK was gone for a very long time two days ago, and her friend Jackie came over to our house to live for one day and night.  I missed JK, but I was very happy to see Jackie.  Jackie gave me my food in the morning, and took me for walks, and let me sleep with her up in the big bed.  Jackie is very nice and likes to pet me.  I like her. 

When JK came home, she was very busy in the kitchen making food.  It was a kind of chocolate food.  I don't know what chocolate is, but dogs cannot eat it.  JK gave me the good cheese instead.  She cooked for a long time, and then when she was finished, Mr. Wolf came home!  Hooray!  I was so excited to see him.  

JK gave Mr. Wolf two boxes that were covered in bright colored paper and strings.  She told him that the small box was from me.  He was very happy to open it, and thanked me and kissed me for the very good present.  JK told me that it was a movie that he likes to watch on the TV.  There were funny-shaped things inside the other box.  I'm not sure what they were, but they are probably used for making food because JK put them away in the kitchen. Mr. Wolf was very happy with both of these boxes. 

JK and Mr. Wolf ate pizza like they always do when Mr. Wolf comes home after many days.  They sat on the couch and watched Mr. Wolf's new movie.  And when the movie was over, JK brought out a plate with pieces of the chocolate food on them.  JK sang a silly song to Mr. Wolf.  JK and Mr. Wolf sing lots of silly songs, and sometimes they sing silly songs to me.  After the silly song, they ate the chocolate food. 

We all stayed up very late, and then we went to sleep and slept very late in the morning.  I like it when we do that, as long as I don't feel like I have to go outside.  JK took this picture of me sleeping with Mr. Wolf.  I do not like to leave the bed when he is home.  He is so nice to sleep on.

I don't like Big Dogs.

I was so excited when JK came home today, because she was very happy and that makes me very happy. Mr. Wolf sent JK flowers at the building where she works, and JK loves to look at and smell flowers so she was very happy.  She told me all about it when she came home.

Flowers that Mr. Wolf sent to JK

We were both very happy to go out for a walk today.  I walked fast and JK let me walk where ever I wanted.  We walked a different way today, and JK took me over to a big grassy yard with a high fence around it.  There were lots of big dogs in the yard, and JK and I went into the yard with them.  

This was not a good idea.

The big dogs wanted to meet me and sniff me, and I did not want them to do that.  I tried to stand behind JK's legs so the big dogs could not get to me.  I growled at them, and showed them that I have sharp teeth.  JK helped me walk away from them, but then more and more big dogs came to us.  They were running around, chasing balls and big circles that their people friends were throwing in the air, and sometimes they didn't look where they were going and ran into us.  I really did not like this, because they could have knocked JK down.  I got very angry and barked and growled. 

When they had run away again, I asked JK to pick me up by jumping up and putting my paws on her knees.  She scooped me up and carried me right back out the gate.  That was a big relief.  She put me back down on the ground and that made me very happy.  We walked away from the dog yard and walked around our neighborhood before walking home.  It ended up being a good walk, but I do not want to go back to the dog yard with those big dogs again. 

Me, happy to be home away from the big dogs

Dinner Party

JK and I walked over to JK's friend Michelle's house last night.  I was very excited to walk down new sidewalks and cross new streets.  We passed by some good-smelling gardens and buildings, and I got to hide under a big plant when an unfriendly looking dog walked towards us. 

Michelle's house is very beautiful and very clean.  There are no crumbs on the floor, or any tissues, papers, laundry, shoes, or toys anywhere to be found.  Michelle and JK ate dinner, and gave me a few small pieces of a very tasty soft cheese.  Then we all sat on the sofa and Michelle gave me treats.  She wanted me to sit on her lap, but there were so many people and dogs in her hallway, I could not sit down.  I needed to bark at every person and dog that walked past to tell them I was in the house, guarding my JK and her friend Michelle. 

Michelle holding me in her very pretty house

JK talked to Michelle about finding a dog friend of her own.  I hope that Michelle does find a dog friend for her house.  She is good at making food and has lots of tasty cheese.  I am sure that she must sometimes drop food or cheese on her floor.  Any dog would be very happy to live with her.     

bath day

JK and Mr. Wolf have decided that I need to have a bath at least one time every week.  Yuck.  I hate this.  My other family never made me take a bath, and they never brought me into the "bath room".  I used to think that only people were allowed into the bath room, and they always closed the door when they went into it.  I'm not sure what people do in the bath room, because they are not always taking a bath.  I know they are not always taking a bath because they are usually not wet when they come out.  I'm not sure what they are doing in there, but I don't really care.  I would rather avoid the bath room because that is where they make me take a bath. 

The bath room is a room in the house with a big, slippery, white bowl-looking thing where water comes out of the wall, and you have to get wet and wash.  I think the big slippery bowl is also called a "bath", which is confusing, because I thought a bath was what you do to wash, not a thing itself.  But then I remembered that the bed room is the room with the bed in it, so maybe the big bowl is also called a bath.  I still have a lot to learn about people language. 

Anyway, JK tells me over and over again that all these baths will help with my allergies.  I do have quite itchy skin and eyes, and I have to admit that I do feel better after the bath, but I still hate it.  I hate to get wet, and I hate to feel cold, and I hate that the slippery bowl is so slippery.  I always feel like I am falling. 

JK took pictures of the bath today.  She told me she would put them on the blog for me.  I was embarrassed, but also kind of proud to show everyone that I am not afraid of taking a bath any more.  I didn't even whimper or shake.  You can see how brave I was by looking at these pictures.   

Mr. Wolf was home today, so he decided to take the bath with me, which was funny, because he was wearing some clothes and he got wet.  I liked that part.  I liked that he was with me and helped me, so I wouldn't feel scared and slip. He washed me with some sticky stuff that smelled nice and made my skin feel tingly.   

JK always uses this special blue towel to dry my fur.  I like the blue towel because it is soft, and helps to get the disgusting water off of me very quickly. 

I'm almost dry now, and ready to go out of the bath room and play. 

Action Shot!  This is me, shaking off the last drops of water.  As soon as JK opened the door, I ran into the bed room and jumped up on the bed and into the nice dry sheets. 

busted.

JK took me over to her friend Jackie's house last night.  I was soooo excited to go out for an extra walk and to visit a different house.  I like Jackie's house.  You do not have to go up many stairs to get there, and she is always happy to see me.  I'm still getting used to her, because she doesn't smell like any dogs or cats or anything, but she gave me treats and let me sit in her lap so I think she is going to work out very nicely as a person friend.

Anyway, I was just rummaging around the apartment, like I do, when I realized that the one of the doors that had been closed when we arrived was now OPEN.  I love getting to explore new rooms and new smells and people things.  I had started looking around when I smelled the most delicious smell.  I couldn't help myself - I just dove in to the pile of stuff and began to chew.  It didn't take me long to realize that I could not actually eat this good-smelling thing, so I gave up and went back into the kitchen where JK, Jackie, the girl who lives with Jackie, and another girl were talking.  When they saw me come out of the room, JK jumped up and ran in and found what I had been chewing on.  She did not look happy at all, so I went under the table and stayed very quiet.

I don't know what "BCBG black leather heels" are, but I guess they are NOT something that dogs are allowed to nibble.  No one yelled at me, but I could tell that everyone was unhappy.  JK looked very sad, and promised the girl who lives with Jackie that she would replace the heels.  She said OK, so I guess everything is fine now.   

Only one question:

Can I have those BCBG black leather heels if no one wants them? 

Squirrels!

I like a lot of things about living in Rogers Park.  But the squirrels are a real problem.  Those shady vermin are everywhere.  They skitter around on the grass right in front of me, they taunt me from the trees, and they seem to know that I cannot go any farther than the blue leash cord will let me stretch.  They are vile little creatures.  I like to lunge at them and snap my sharp teeth just so they know that if I were not tethered to my people, I would leap over there and snap them in two.  I am getting some practice now by pretending to rip up some small fake squirrels, which were a gift from Jennifer with the brown hair.
 
My other favorite person, Jennifer with the brown hair, comes over once almost every day while JK and Mr. Wolf are gone to give me a treat and take me for a walk.  She has two very energetic dog friends herself.  I can smell them when she comes to visit.  They have lots of different kinds of toys, and they like to play tug of war and catch and things.  I had never played those games before, but I am very smart and am learning quickly. 

Jennifer gave me this toy from their own house:  a small replica of a tree trunk with holes for people to hide two small soft squirrels.  I LOVE this toy.  I love to yank those disgusting squirrels out of their quiet little tree and pretend to pull them to pieces.  I love to play tug with JK or Mr. Wolf of Jennifer and imagine that one day, one of those little squirrels will lose it's little squirrely tail.  Or HEAD!

Someday, I will get to chomp on a real squirrel.  CHOMP!  For real. 

Fake squirrels and their fake tree trunk



Once I have removed them, I get to chomp on them



Delish.

City Dogs Practice Yoga

JK likes to roll out a squishy purple mat sometimes and do yoga stretches while watching other people do those stretches on the TV.  Her form could use some work.  I have decided to help her out by demonstrating some basic postures from time to time and letting her take pictures so she can refer to them later. 

Here's the first installment.



Perfect Cobra.  Notice how my shoulders are far away from my ears.



Preparing for Pidgeon Pose

I also demonstrated a perfect Down Dog, but JK was busy taking notes, so she didn't get a chance to snap a photo.  Maybe next time.

Greetings!

Hello Blog Readers!

Auggie here.  My best friend Mr. Wolf lives far away in Quad Cities to work at a big school where he teaches new college students how to write and how to read more carefully.  I miss him a lot.  On the weekends, sometimes Mr. Wolf and his wife JK take me with them when they go on trips in the car.  This picture of me was taken while headed out to Mr. Wolf's parents' house.  I was really excited to be in the car and with my peeps. 

Anyhooo, while Mr. Wolf is away during the week, JK and I thought it would be fun to send him some pictures and stories of my adventures.  I actually don't really like to have my picture taken, but JK says that Mr. Wolf misses me a lot too, so I will concede to a few photo opps per week.