And I conquered Obedience Class - passed with flying colors and a wild rumpus!

Thursday nights for the last 8 weeks have been puppy class, what fun! Graduation night arrives - cousin Chloe arrives at my house, we then went to pick up neighbor Levi and the three of us were "wild thangs" in Auntie Beth's minivan! I got a little gassy on the way to class, Levi ended up peeing in one of the seat bays on the way home - did you know that cheerios float?

We had our exercises and everybody in the class did really well - I crammed with Mom this week on the 2 minute downs and despite the fact that I had Levi on one side and Chloe on the other side, I STAYED DOWN!! Woot!! Mom couldn't believe it - and I even stayed down when she circled around and stepped over me!

Cue in the "We are the Champions" by Queen - here's my buddy Levi, getting his certificate and picking his toy out of the bucket! Jimmy did a lot of the training with him and Levi did great in the class!

and then it was my turn - I couldn't decide what to get until I sniffed out the pink donut - mmmmm. . . donuts!

Then Chloe - barely tall enough to dig into the bucket but BIG enough to roughhouse with all us big dawgs, ended up with the tug rope with the pink heart!

Once the graduation "ceremony" was over - it was "praise and release" and us puppies, just like any graduating class, went nuts!

Here's Chloe with Brady. I'm in the background doin' something really weird it looks like. . .

And here I am with all my homies - Grady, Brady, Chloe. We're just lettin' it all hang out. . . Me in particular. . .

Aud got a reality dose this week with puppy teething! Right before graduation, I started chewing on everything with a vengeance. One night in particular, she noticed that the squeaky elephant was covered in blood. When she investigated my mouth (expecting that it was a teething issue), she was unpleasantly surprised to see that I'd lost MOST of my baby teeth, there were a couple of teeth sticking out of the sides of my gums (really, really loose) and my gums were a bloody mess.

Add to that, I was liking the new white chair that Mom waited 3 weeks for delivery on - it looked like snow and I just wanted to wrap my gums around the arm of it. . . Aaaaahhhhhhh. . .

Mom got a little freaky over that idea (go figure?) and called our friend Dale (Liam and Murphy's Mom - Murphy's the little yellow lab that just got added to her family) and Dale quickly recommended a frozen facecloth.

Great idea, Dale - I didn't know what to do with it, so I just barked and barked at it! But at least it kept me from chewing on that nice, clean, frosty new chair!!

Not to worry - the next morning the chair was still white, I didn't really look like much of a clubbed seal anymore AND my big-dawg teeth were poking through my reddish-pink gums! The experience also never even slowed down my appetite (maybe because I ate all my baby teeth?)! Just two baby teeth left to go! I'll keep ya posted - till then, CHOW BABY!!

Weighing in on the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

So the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show folks didn't call me. BIG mistake, I rocked at judging from my living room, LCD & Fios cable totally kicked butt. . .

The first competition that caught my attention was the hound dog category. I voiced my opinion on several of the competitors, but the one that got the most barks was the Whippet.

Aud and Bob were actually rooting for the Rhodesian Ridgeback in this category - imagine their surprise when they announced the results and my whippet selection won! Yeah, they'll be calling me next year for the show, I can totally judge this show. . .

Ok, the second night of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was pretty intense. The Sporting Dogs (of which I am technically a member of) was an incredible treat to see. But why the heck am I not able to scarf a treat out of the pocket of this handler?

See that Golden munching the treat and I can't get there? I now have issues with the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Or my cable provider - what do I know?

Ok, maybe I'm a little bit biased - but GO, GOLDEN! GO, GOLDEN!

And now I'm thinking that I can easily compete, if not, I'll be cool to judge. .

I'm graduating from obedience class next week with cousin Chloe, neighbor Levi and it's going to be a wild celebration! Stay tuned, after graduation, camping season is a stone's throw away!

Chow Baby!

What the heck is a "Superbowl", anyways?

Not quite sure what Football is, either, other than Bob yelling "you suck" at the television. But being the social guy that I am, I went ahead and threw me and my buddies a superbowl party! So Rusty (Golden, in front) and Levi (Black Lab) came over, I spared no expense in the entertainment - we broke out the squeaky monkey, the squeaky elephant, all the tennis balls and the tug rope! Yeah, we were styling. . .

In keeping with the competitive spirit known as Superbowl Sunday, me and buddy Levi got into our own competition - it had nothing to do with the Colts and the Saints, it was all about the squeaky toys . .

So what do you think? Are Levi and I making a political statement with the struggle over the squeaky elephant? Was I improperly influenced by the constant barrage of phone calls from politicians recently? Or is it just a squeaky elephant?

And another question. Who says I'm not a lapdog? My good friend Heather seems to think I am!

Thanks, Heather! You are the best!

So - my other buddy Liam came over the other day. We had a wild rumpus, running all around the back yard! Liam and I were the wind that afternoon. . .

Poor Liam. I didn't have the heart to tell him. His peeps - Dale and Tom, had gone to a breeder and were looking to get Liam a yellow lab little brother. Competition - now there's gonna be a snot nosed brat, looking to scarf his food, steal his toys and try and out-cute him. . .

Oh, the horror. . . Liam, buddy - I'm here for ya! And in your honor, here's my pouty face. . .

Chow, baby!!