Now he's attacking me from under my bed!

Drat that cat! 

This morning he got under Mom's bed and when I walked past, he attacked me! 

I was minding my own business and WHAM! 

Mom laughed so I'm not talking to her. She even took a picture of me with my head under the bed looking for Loki. 

I really have to have a talk with Mom about that darn cat. 

I'm Deuce. I'm a Labrador Retriever, not a pin cushion. 

There's bad news and even badder news

I've experienced a life-altering injury. Mom had to take me to the emergency vet this afternoon. I've partially torn a ligament in my left hind leg. No more running. No more jumping. No more Frisbee. No more ball. Worst of all, I made Mom cry. 

It's been bothering me off and on for a bit. Mom and Dad have been watching me and how I move and walk. Today was the worst, though. It really hurt today and Mom could tell. 

I can still go for walks with Mom. I think if I couldn't that would be the worst thing of all. The lady vet said there's nothing to do right now except to take care of the inflammation and the pain. So Mom says that's what we'll do.

What has Mom really upset is the medicine the vet gave her - Carprofen. She looked it up on the Internet and it can make me really sick. She's afraid to give it to me. My regular vet says baby aspirin can hurt my stomach. It hasn't yet but Mom is really careful about how I take it. 

But this Carprofen can make me bleed, too. It can damage my liver and kidneys. It can cause urinary incontinence and urinary tract infections. I might get diarrhea and I've had that before and I didn't like it much. Carprofen can give me pancreatitis which could kill me. And what is acute tubular necrosis? Isn't that when something inside me dies??? And here's a kicker - Labrador Retrievers make up 25% of all the adverse hepatic reactions to Carprofen. 

Hey! I'm a Labrador Retriever. This is not a good thing for my liver! 

Carprofen used to be given to humans but they had to stop that. What's that tell you? And Carprofen and Rimadyl are the same drug under different names. I think that's sneaky of some drug manufacturer to try and confuse human parents. 

I'm glad Mom took the time to research that drug. We'll figure out what I can and can't do to have fun. Mom and Dad are smart that way. We already play a lot of indoor games that keep me engaged and some of them we can do outside. I can still walk with Mom, no problem. And I have Loki to play with now, too. 

My days of being a Frisbee athlete might be over for the most part but I'm still Deuce. I can still do the most important thing of all and that's be Mom's best dog ever. 

 

This little bugger was not what I expected!

I have a kitten! It turns out his name is Loki which is the name of a Norse god who got into all sorts of mischief and misadventure. Mom and Dad brought him home last night. Nooooobody slept last night but that's another story. Right now, I'm a little worried and sad. I don't think Loki likes me.

Mom says he has to settle in and get to know me. I heard her tell Dad that Loki only weighs three pounds. That must not be very much because he's a little guy. 

I guess I'm a little jealous that he can sit on Mom's lap. Dad's, too. I can't do that. I'm too big. But Mom made sure to invite me up on the loveseat with her. She didn't give Loki any chicken liver, either. She says that's all for me. 

Mom says Loki has to stay inside for a long, long time. He can't even go outside on the patio with us unless he's in a crate. Apparently, those skanky foxes could eat him! I don't think I'd like that to happen. Mom has a plan for Mr. Mummert to build Loki a cat house outside the guest room window. That way she can open the window and he can enjoy getting out in his very own screened enclosure for some fresh air. She saw the plans on Pinterest, whatever that is. 

I suppose having Loki here will be okay as long as he remembers one very important thing. 

I'm Deuce! I was here first and I knew Mom and Dad before he did. That means they loved ME first and longer. And don't you forget it, cat!

Oh, yeah. Hey Loki! when Mom starts talking about the snip-snip, I'm going to laugh at you.

Is it okay to be suspicious?

I think Mom is up to something. She's been on the phone with some lady and she keeps talking about
kittens.

Hey, Mom. I know what a kitty-kitty is. I remember. What gives? What did you mean when you told Dad you were approved for a fur baby?

I'm watching, Mom. I will figure it out no matter how coy you try to be with me. You might as well come straight out with it and tell me what all the whispering is about this coming Friday.

I'm Deuce. I'm a smart dog. 

I was tricked!

I love my truck! The backseat space is all mine. I even have my own go-bag. When Mom and Dad ask if I want to go for a ride, I'm right there! They can't get my door open fast enough. Sometimes I even get to take a nap in my truck when we're not going anywhere. If I ask nicely enough, Mom will open my door and leave it open for me. I can jump in and out when I feel like it.

But last Tuesday evening, Mom tricked me.

She meant to do it, too. It was deliberate.

She asked me if I wanted to go for a ride so of course I said yes.

They took me to the vet for a shot. They KNOW I do not like needles.

I jumped right up into my spot and off we went. I didn't realize until we got there I was going to the vet. It was awful. There were a bunch of other dogs there and instead of getting to meet them, Mom and I had to sit in this little room. For the record, I have no plans to eat little hairy ugly dogs for a snack. I've never tasted a little dog, but I bet they're stringy. I bet they don't taste nearly as good as the freshly cooked chicken livers Mom has in the fridge for me.

The vet poked me with a needle, poked and pulled on my left hind leg again, and didn't even pet my head. And those Amazon girls made me get on the scales. I'm down to eighty-four pounds. I was up to eighty-seven a few months ago. I knew once the weather was better I'd be able to exercise and get svelte again.

I suppose I'll forgive Mom for tricking me. She's just trying to take good care of me and keeping my shots up-to-date helps keep me healthy. She's a good mom. 

I'm Deuce. Next time I hear the word 'ride', I'll be more careful. 

Chipmunks are FAST!

We have chipmunks. Those little suckers are fast! They zip across my porch at about a gzillion feet
per second! Early this morning Mom and I were sitting on our private porch so she could enjoy her first cup of coffee and one of those critters ran right across my tail. My tail! It happened so fast I couldn't even move! And you know Mom laughed at me. She said I looked surprised. 

Well, yeah. Wouldn't you be surprised if a chippy ran across your tail? 

Mom says we need a cat. I agree. I like cats. I remember Shooter. He lived here when Mom adopted me and made we made a pack. Mom says he was really good at controlling the chipmunk population, and a cat keeps rabbits away, too. I don't know much about that. Rabbits are kind of fun to chase. I like the way their white tails bounce up and down when they run. It helps me keep track of them when I'm going full speed. Mom says I'll never catch one, but it's okay to chase them to the edge of the woods. That's how far I chase the deer when they come into my yard. 

Anyway, Mom says if we had a cat, the chipmunks would move back into the woods to stay safe. She says the little prey animals are smart like that. 

Now that Mom's at her computer, I think I'll lie on the porch for a while longer. There's a lot going on outside this morning. A single deer is down in the woods but he's too far away to chase. The rabbit is out eating clover and four crows are strolling down the lane like they own it. And if that skanky chippy comes back, I'm going to have a chat with him. Being a country Lab has a lot of advantages. If I lived in a town the only thing I'd have to watch is traffic. Boring. 

I hope Mom gets me a kitten soon. When she does, I'm going to be a good big brother and tell him to watch out for chipmunks so they don't get his tail. Living out in the country, we need to look out for each other and for Mom and Dad. 

I'm Deuce. It's what I do. 

Rain is as bad as snow

I'm sooooooooooo bored. I'm bored as only a healthy, energetic Lab can be when all it seems to do is rain. Mom and Dad keep calling me a "poor baby." At least they acknowledge I'm bored. 

Dad takes me out between showers during the day. We play a little bit but the grass hides my ball. Dad complains about the grass every day. It's too wet for him to mow and this does not make him happy.

Mom will take me out in the rain. She has a big red and white umbrella. I don't like it over my head but I've learned it will keep the rain off me if I have to pee-pee and can't wait any longer to go. 

Dad had a flat tire on his power chair one day and I didn't get to play at all because Dad couldn't go out. That was a really boring day. 

I hope the rainy season ends soon so I can get a decent walk. Playing with my toys inside isn't cutting it. 

I'm Deuce. I need action!

Mom's on vacation

Mom's on vacation. I love it when Mom is home with me! I get to help her in her office which is really cool because I can go in and out by myself. Our private porch is pretty cool. We sat outside last night and watched Ancient Aliens. Then we saw the first lightning bugs of the year. 

Yesterday, Dad drove Mom all over town so she could run errands. I didn't get to ride along. I did not like it that they left me home alone, but I behaved. I'm Deuce. I'm a good dog. Today, they went to Lowe's to get more mulch and I got to go. Then tonight I got to ride in Mom's car when she went to the end of the lane to get the mail. We usually walk down to the mailbox but Mom worked in the yard for hours today and she was tired. 

Tomorrow Mom and Dad are doing something called "making modifications" to the patio furniture. I don't think I like the sound of that but I'll have to wait and see what happens. 

I heard Mom and Dad talking about taking me to the river next week. I love the river! I hope we get to go. I'll get to go swimming if we do. I love to swim! Mom gets in with me and that's a lot of fun! Later on in the week, we're all going for a long ride again for something called a "wine run." I don't know what that is, either. Guess I'll find out when we go. 

It's fun doing special things when Mom is home with me and Dad but I'm bushed. I think I'm going to go to bed. I can sleep on Dad's pillow until I hear him coming to bed. Or maybe not. He did say his pillow smells suspiciously like a dog and I'm the only dog that lives here. He'll know it was me.

Mom's been holding out on me!

How could Mom do this to me??? She came home from work last night and said she had something special for me. Now, I didn't think too much at first, but then she opened a container of icky stuff into a saucepan and cooked it. 

Boy, did it smell good! I didn't know what it was but I knew I was going to love it!

Chicken livers! OMG! Chicken livers!! They're as delicious as giblets! I love, love, love chicken livers!!

Mom asked me to be "handsome" and I was so excited I forgot how to do it. (Mom says "handsome" instead of "pretty" because I'm a guy.)

Then Dad spilled the beans. Mom could have been bringing me chicken livers for years. Organ meats are good for the wolf in me and Mom's been holding out. 

Bad Mom. Bad. Why don't you have a time-out in my crate?

On second thought, just give me another chicken liver and I'll forgive you. 

It's been quiet lately

There hasn't been much going on in my world except for the rabbit under the front porch. I know it's there. I've seen it. It's a wily thing. I'd play with it but it won't come out when I'm in the yard. To be fair, I'm about ten times its size so I guess it is scared of me. 

Mom and Dad are working on putting down new flooring in the bathroom. I DO NOT LIKE THE NEW FLOOR. Mom tells me it's the same material as the old floor but it looks way different to me. Last night, after we went to bed, Mom threatened to get rubber booties and make me wear them. I didn't like the sound of that. She sounded pretty serious about it. 

Mom said the vet sent her a postcard about me. I don't like the sound of that, either. Mom said I was going to get needles again so I'd better prepare myself. Has it been a year already? 

Spring is really here. The grass turned green. Mom sprinkled grass seed on all the spots I tore up last year playing Frisbee. Now I know why Dad always throws the Frisbee up the hill in the backyard. I can't slide going uphill. Parents are tricky. 

The deer look nasty right now. Mom says the word is "scraggly." They're shedding their winter coats. Hey! So am I!! You should see Mom's face when she empties the vacuum cleaner! She says she sucks up a Lab every time. Mom loves my shiny black fur. 

I've got to strike a pose. Mom's coming at me with her cell phone and that means pictures of little 'ol me and I'm not even out of bed yet.