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!

Family Photos

JK invited the very talented (and treat-generous!) Lindsay Ammons  to come to the house a few weeks ago to take some fancy photos of our family. Ms. Ammons is a pet photographer in Chicago, but she was nice enough to come out to our house in the burbs to take some photos of me with my people.

JK would like to send out some photo holiday cards this year, so we needed some photos with all of us in the picture. But mostly, JK and Mr. Wolf wanted some photos of me. You know, because I am their Fur Kid!

Here are some of our favorites:

Don't I look so calm and well-behaved?

My orange harness vest really makes those fall leaves pop, don't ya think?

Chewing my feet! My favorite thing!

It's great to be adored.

There are more, of course, but at least one of them will end up on the Thanksgiving or Christmas card this year, so we'll keep those a surprise for now. 

Thanks, Lindsay, for taking such fun family photos for us!

The Day I Helped JK Become "The Crazy New Neighbor" and other adventures

I don't know about you, but I have had a very long week. 

On Tuesday, I had to go to the animal hospital to have my chompers fixed up. I was scared to be left there, and I was shaking really hard when JK had to give me to Chuck, the Tooth Guy, but I tried to be brave. I knew JK was nervous to leave me, too, but Chuck said they would take good care of me. And they did! I didn't feel a thing, and now my teeth are clean and the sore teeth are fixed up, and I have medicine for my gums so I can keep crunching up my treats for many years to come. 

I have to admit, though, the medicine they gave me made me feel pretty sleepy and strange. I did silly things like lay on my back like this:

I never do that. How embarrassing.

I was still feeling a little funny the next day, so JK didn't want to leave me alone in case I accidentally hurt myself. JK had planned to mow the grass at the new house because it was so nice outside, so naturally she decided to let me ride along in the Pup Bag.

My view from the Bag

What the neighbors saw

JK thought that it would be the perfect time to mow with me, since it was in the middle of the morning. "Who would be around and about at 10:30 in the morning on a Wednesday?" she asked as she situated me into the bag. Well, the joke was on her, because LOTS of people were out. In fact, we met our next door neighbor for the first time. His name is Eric and he is very nice, but I still growled at him, since that's my job. He came over to introduce himself and to "see what was in the pouch". It was me! I bet we surprised him!

We also met our mail carrier, who I also growled at, but when she heard that I had Tooth Surgery the day before, she cooed and smiled and said that she hoped I felt better soon.

A few other people walked or drove past while we mowed, and one car drove by very slowly and looked at us for a long time. I guess they've never seen an Assistant Lawn Mower in a canvas sling before.

JK is afraid that she has officially become the Crazy New Neighbor Lady, but I think she should be the Creative PupMomma Lady. It was a bumpy ride, but I was glad to be with JK instead of wobbling around the house by myself.

I'm back at the house with JK today, and I'm pleased to introduce you to my new Very Favorite Thing:

Blogfriends, meet our new Squishy Loveseat! Two men brought it to the house this morning, and JK put it next to the window.

Oooooh, so soft!

Now I can see all the people and dogs walk by!

JK said that I could sit up there as long as I didn't bark in her ear. 

I'm getting used to this new house and our new neighborhood. And I really like that JK is home with me during the day. I like to have at least one of my people with me while I do all my important work - guarding the house, cleaning up misplaced food, and keeping an eye on all those rabbits and squirrels. And now, of course, Assistant Lawn Mower.

AugBlog goes to Instagram!

Hey blogfriends!

My family has been quite nutty these days! We moved back to Illinois from North Carolina, and we're living in Dr. Wolf's family home until we can move into our new home next week!

Lots of boxes, moving, car rides, and now cat chasing in our temporary home.

JK hasn't had a lot of time for typing up my blog posts, since she is working on all of our New House Important Stuff, but she HAS flooded the interwebs with pictures of me on Instagram!

Check out some of our pics!

You can follow JK on Instagram at JWILESWOLF if you want all the latest AugDog pics, plus pictures of other things like flowers and food and pretty trees. But, come on, let's be honest. They are mostly pictures of me.

Spring Flowers

It is so warm in Raleigh in the spring time! Mr. Wolf likes to walk me to the lake when the weather is nice, but JK likes to walk with me into the neighborhood behind our house, because all of the houses have lots of pretty flowers.

JK says that everyone in Raleigh has spring flowers and trees with flowers on them, because in the summer it is too hot for flowers here.

I like to smell ALL the smells.

Magnolias 

 JK's favorite colorful bush.

If you like pink, Raleigh is a good place to visit this time of year. 

What's this kind of plant? Smells like dirt and green stuff.

Seriously, blogfriends, check out this yard with so many red blossoms!

I like walking with JK in the neighborhood because she is so busy looking at the flowers and trees that we can take our time and walk nice and slow and smell things. The air is busy with smells!