Everybody's Busy, Everybody's Tired

Hello, blog friends!

It has been a LONG time since I convinced JK to sit down and type for me. She has been a little busy. Busy with what, you ask? Apparently, and I do not understand quite how this works, but apparently she is growing a small person.

Here we are back in October, when the sun was still shining, and the baby person was just a little lump:

I've heard a lot of people ask JK how she thinks I will adjust to having this baby person in the house. She seems a little nervous about it, but I'm just glad that finally all the little clothes coming into the house are NOT for me to wear.

Little baby coat? Awesome. Not for me!

 Because you all know how I feel about wearing clothes.

I hate clothes. JK took this off moments later when I tried to chew it from my body.

How will I adjust to a new baby person? I don't know. I don't think I have ever really known any. I hear that they are loud and they make everyone tired. I'm not sure how much more tired we can possibly get around here, so that's a little worrisome. 

Dr. Wolf isn't growing a person, as far as I know, but he is usually tired. 

I don't mind that JK is napping a lot. She has soft sweaters. I like to snuggle her. 

Babies are loud, they make you feel tired all the time, and they take up a lot of lap space and time that JK and Dr. Wolf could be spending lavishing me with treats and affection. But I hear they are also messy eaters, so that can't be all bad. 

Plus, JK's new pregnancy pillow is really great and big and squishy. I am enjoying it very much. 

Here's a picture of Baby Girl Wolf:

I don't understand how they got that picture, since I sure haven't seen her on the outside yet. I can smell her inside of JK, which is weird, but I haven't seen or heard her yet.

By next Christmas, she'll be able to help me get the good soft ornaments off the Christmas tree! I promise to share them with her if she cooperates with my plans.

 Merry Christmas from the 3.5 of us!

The AugDog Days of Summer

I hope everyone has been enjoying summer so far! I love summer! Dr. Wolf does not teach during the summer, so he does lots of writing work from home. You know what that means:

Lots of napping. LOTS.

But JK is working now, so most of our Family Fun happens on the weekends. Like the time we got to go to the Morton Arboretum together for Tails on the Trails.

JK and Dr. Wolf go here all the time WITHOUT ME. But for two days every year, you are allowed to bring your dog family members to the lovely trails. We had a good time, except for the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are no fun for anyone.

A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Wolf and I went to the flower shop where JK works so we could have a family picnic for dinner in the park across from the shop.

I always feel so awkward when I'm up in the air like this. 

Sometimes we just hang out in our backyard

And some days, like today, we all go on an adventure together.

Really? We're all going to go together? 

I got to ride in the car with the wind blowing on my face. I love that. 

We went to a place called Downers Grove. They have a little main street with lots of shops that allow you to bring your dog right into the shop! That's why we go there. Those Downers Grovians are cool to share their space with pups.

Usually we just go to the store that sells dog snacks and dog things and then into the book store and sometimes to an outdoor cafe. But today Dr. Wolf disappeared into a building and came out with a big paper cup.

Wait a second. Is that Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt?

Joy!

I think I'm gonna need my teeth to really clean that spoon.

We shared a big cup of FroYo and sat on a bench and watched other people and dogs walk around. It was a beautiful day.

I never give JK the satisfaction of looking directly at the camera. 

What does your family like to do on the weekends during the summer?

Auggie's Guide to Not Being Eaten For Lunch

A few days ago, JK saw something pretty unusual in the backyard when we got up to make breakfast. She stood at the window for a long time, and then decided to get on her boots and investigate. The Mysterious Thing was gone when she got outside, but she saw his tracks in the snow. Who was this visitor?

He looked like this:

photo credit: Creative Commons fair use - Wikipedia/ marya

Only picture him sitting near the fence behind a snow drift. 

That's right! A coyote was hanging out in MY snow in broad daylight!

Now, we may be Wolfs around here (ha ha!), but we love all God' creatures, and we feel bad for the coyotes. Their homes are being taken away by new buildings and sports fields, and they don't have a lot of options, especially in the winter. So they are homeless, and HUNGRY. And that makes us sad. But it also means that little pups like yours truly may start to look a bit like a tasty snack to them!

In fact, there have been at least 3 little dogs who have been snatched by coyotes near our house so far this winter! That, my friends, is sad news. We little dogs have got to be safe!

So allow me to present:

Auggie's Guide to Not Being Eaten By a Coyote.

1. Convince your people that you really don't need to go outside anymore.
Show them this blog post, and tell them that they can get Puppy Pads at places like Target. People, especially women people, LOVE to go to Target. They will be happy you suggested they go there to get you potty pads. Use the potty pads to do your business when it is dark, cold, or snowy, or when you think there may be Dog Eaters around.

2. If you must go outside, be vigilant!

Check the area for coyotes before you start to bundle up, and then keep your eyes peeled for big guys who look like dogs, but are walking or running without people.

3. Stick close to your people!

Always wear a leash, and stay where they can scoop you up in case of danger. Bonus if you can get them to carry you the whole time until you are ready to do your Outside Business.

4. If you do see a coyote, make lots of noise!

JK and Dr. Wolf said that they will yell and clap and throw snow at a coyote if we see one, and told me I should bark like I do when the UPS man comes to the door - LOUD, with EXTRA ORNERY. The article about the pup-snatching coyotes said that you should make lots of noise and throw things at the coyote to scare him away. Maybe JK should make a decoy Auggie to throw at the coyotes so they will snatch the decoy instead of me. Next time you see her, ask her if she has rocks or pine cones in her coat pockets.

There you have it. Auggie's best suggestions for Coyote Avoidance. I hope that helps my fellow Tiny Dogs stay safe this winter, and all year round!

Thawing Out in Chiberia

I didn't even know it could be this cold for so long! I am missing our house in the South these days, and wishing that all this snow and frozen slush would go away.

Yesterday and today were the first times I had been outside in over one whole week! JK and Mr.Wolf let me use the Puppy Training Pads in the house instead of making me go outside into the terrible cold and snow to do my, ahem, "business". That snow was higher than my head, people! JK said that I would have taken one step off the stoop and just go "PLOOFF" and disappear into the snow. That did not sound like fun to me.

Our Yard. It got even deeper than that.

JK found out that people were calling this bad weather "Chiberia" and she thought that was really funny. That was pretty much the only thing she found funny about it, though, because she barely left the house last week either. Which is great for me. I prefer to have my people home with me.

Here are some ways I stayed warm.

Smooshing in between legs, pillow, and warm laptop.

Snuggling into the big thick blanket.

Sitting directly in front of the heater duct while JK painted the downstairs.

Tucking myself into small places for extra warmth.

Staying under the covers as long as possible.

For the most part, I tried to just lay low and pretend that I never wanted to go outside ever again as long as I lived.

But today, JK and I made our way outside to investigate. It was slushy and cold, but it turned out that it felt great to be out and about in the sunshine. JK made me wear my coat, though. Yuck. I hate the coat.

Tail wagging.

I was glad to see some grass. That's hopeful, right? JK carried me over the big puddles and icy slush. I would have had to swim through some of those big slush puddles. No thanks. It's tough to be a tiny dog in the winter.

Stay warm!