August 2, 2014 and a lot has changed.............

Life has changed but life is good!!  My family has moved to a new house!  Not too far from our old house but a lot closer to the dog park!  Woot woot!  Sadly, not all of us made the move.  My brother Dot, if you have read my previous blog posts you know who he is,  didn't make the move with us.  He was killed.  By a coyote.  No we do not live in the country, we live in a city but we had coyotes in our old neighborhood a lot.   We were close to the riverbed and an ecological reserve.  The coyotes come up from those areas into the neighborhoods looking for food.  Most cats and some SMALL DOGS!  Yikes!  I didn't wander around alone at night so I was pretty safe.  But our Dottie was not so lucky : (  We all miss him so much!  Everyone tried to keep him in at night.  I talked to him about it and so did Lincoln!  But he wouldn't listen.  He loved the outdoors and loved to go roaming around at night catching treats.  He would regularly drag home his prey, rats, mice, birds and lizards for everyone to come out and OOOhh and AAhh over.   If he couldn't get out he would make ungodly noises so no one could sleep and usually got his way.  He was such a warrior, everyone just hoped he would be safe.  He was fast and muscular.  But I guess he used up his 9 lives. ( Did you know cats have 9 lives?  What about us dogs?  Who can I talk to about that? ) Anyway, Dot got out and well, you know what happened.  We only found out about it because his jaw bone and one leg and a lot of white fur were left behind and Dottie never came back so we knew it was him.   The house felt very lonely without him for a good while and we all still miss him a lot.   Especially Moose.  He had a little bit of a breakdown and stopped using the litter box for awhile he was so upset!!!   Well our new house it not so close to where the coyotes hang out and we haven't seen any and there are a lot of cats in this neighborhood so it is a good sign : )  

We just added a new family member a few weeks ago.  Mom and Dad said they didn't want to get another cat but well, another cat kind of just happened.  Dad and Little Boy were out one night kind of late getting their Del Taco on when this tiny kitten ran in front of their car and into the bushes outside of a business.   They came home and told Middle Boy and Mom and they went out to try and find it even though it was late.  Middle Boy has a huge heart and couldn't bear to leave the kitten out there alone.   So he talked Mom into helping him and they managed to get the kitty out, it took them about an hour and a 1/2 and they got rousted by the cops but they got the kitten.  Poor little thing was starving and full of fleas but pretty sweet.  He has funny eyes.  Oh I mean she!!!!!   Mom is the only girl in the house out of 7 of us boys but not anymore.  Now we have a little girl.  She is fun and runs all around.  Sometimes we scare her and she stands all funny and her hair on her tail stands straight out.   She really isn't scary when she does that but I have learned the hard way that she has very sharp claws.  She scratched me once and I growled at her.  I think I won't scare her anymore because Mom and everyone sided with the kitty!!  

Our cousin Monty, an English Bulldog who lives in Oceanside with Mom's Sister, passed away too.  He died a couple of years ago.  I will never forget it.  Mom's Sister called her on the phone to tell her and Mom just cried and cried.  We all did when we found out.  But Mom did the most.  I think she cried for Monty and for her sister because she was so, so sad.  Monty was a peculiar guy but we all loved him.   He hated to go on walks, can you imagine???!!  But it's true!  Mom's Sister said she would get the leash out and Monty would run and hide.  Crazy!  But if there was going to be a ride in the car he was all in.  Loved to ride around in the car!   Mom's Sister had portraits taken of Monty too, lots of them.  He had his own calendar even, I saw it myself!  Monty drowned in his own pool.  I won't go into the details but he slipped in and couldn't get out and his Momma had gone out.  She found him when she got home.  Bulldogs cannot swim I found out, because their legs are too short and their heads are too big : (   I can swim and so can Lincoln.  I don't like it but I can.  Lincoln doesn't like it either.  The cats can swim too but they don't like to either!   

Well I think this is enough for today but I will try to get back soon as there is more to tell about my life.  Stay tuned!

Updating

Ahem, well,  I didn't mean to let my blog go for so long!   But to be fair to myself I do need some help with it.  I can't type after all and mom said she'd work with me.  So lets blame her.  Works for me!   Seriously she's a pretty busy lady,  I don't know how she does it.  First of all she takes care of Dad-he doesn't know where anything is or how to cook anything, really!  He needs a lot of help.  Middle Boy, my main man,  now he can cook for himself - well, freezer to oven anyway-and he's pretty tidy.   Little Boy is like Dad and needs a lot of help too and supervision.    Lincoln, Dot and Moose, the rest of our fur family all need to be fed, Lincoln and I need our walks and the occasional trip to the dog park.   Dot and Moose are pretty self sufficient, they're Cats after all, but they do need some attention too.  And someone has to get up in middle of the night and let them in or out, whichever.

Dot

Moosey-Moo!

 Dot is a pretty spoiled guy too.   If he gets hungry in the middle of the night he lets everyone know about it!  Mom or Dad will get up and open a can of cat food for him.   If they forget to take the fork and chop up his food and just leave it in the "can" shape Dot will follow them back to the room and let them know.   Loudly.  Loudly enough to wake up the whole house if they don't pay attention.   Funny cat.   He thinks he's in charge of everything.   I think he might be  I mean if he can make someone get out of bed to cut up his food or turn the light on for him.   That's right, sometimes he prefers the light on while he eats, sometimes he doesn't.  But he'll let you know.

  Lincoln goes to the dog spa every few weeks because he has long hair.   I got to go once but my hair is pretty short and I'm not too hard to take care of at home.   I liked it okay, it was kind of fun.  But I really don't like getting wet too much.   Getting blowdryed was interesting and I like being brushed.

In the last few months I got to go camping for the very first time!  Boy was that fun!  So many new and interesting sounds and smells.  Lincoln got to go too.  The cats didn't go because......well I don't know why but they didn't.   We got to sleep in the tent.  I slept with Middle Boy and his friend  and Lincoln slept with mom.

We barked a lot, people kept walking by our camp and we wanted to say hello!  There was quite  few other dogs too but not too much visiting as everyone had to stay on a leash.   The camp right next to us had 3 dogs and one of them got off the leash and came over to our camp and pooped!  Mom didn't like that too much and made their dad come over and pick it up.   She's pretty serious about people picking up their dogs poop!!   But she always picks up ours, one time she forgot a poop bag on a nighttime walk and she ran all the way home to get a bag and ran all the way back even though no one would have known it was us since it was dark.  She said it was the right thing to do : )   I'm hoping to go camping again real soon, it was alot of fun!  Well summer is here and there will be a lot more dog park, walks and fun excursions.   I'll be sure and write about it here!

November 22, 2010

Well I had to include this handsome picture of my brother Lincoln in my post today!   He just got a bath and is playing at the park.  

My boy likes the beach and often we ride down to the beach and hang out on the rocks!   I ride in the basket and usually dress to go out.  I get cold, especially riding on the bike and hey, I'm a stylish dude too!  Check out my polka dots!

Lincoln and I both love to dig in the sand, and we both get pretty excited about it.  Hey Lincoln back off!  This is my hole!

There is nothing I like better in the whole wide world than to take a nap in a cozy spot in the house.   As close to one of my people as I can get if they are sitting or laying down.

Lincoln loves a good nap too!  

Part II

Okay so let me finish my story........we left off with me and Older Boy bonding a little through the fence at the pound.  He wanted to visit with me up close so the attendants put me in a little enclosed area so that Older Boy and Mom could visit a little and decide if I might be the dog for them.   The visit went well!   Older Boy was telling mom how much he liked me and that he really, really wanted me.   It felt so good to hear those words!  He told Mom that he would take me everywhere with him and pick up after me, feed me, everything.  Mom seemed a little skeptical and kept telling him she never wanted to pick up poop.   Then she said he had to call and ask Dad.   So they called right then and there.   He and Mom talked a little while while Older Boy held me and petted me.  He kept tell me how cool I was, what a tough  looking little dog I was.   He told me right then that he was going to call me "Spike".   That was okay with me, he could call me anything he wanted to if he would take me home!  I was ready to get out of the pound and never go back!  Mom got off the phone and told Older Boy that he could have me and that he had to promise he would.   He promised.    Well to  make a long story a little shorter, Older Boy was as good as his word........for a few days.    He let me sleep in his room and he fed me and took me to the vet.   He did pick up after me.    He took me with him in the car.   But after the third day he left home without me!  I was heartbroken!   He said he was going to take me everywhere and that I would be his buddy.   But he chained me up in the backyard and left.  He said he would be back in a little while.  Well, it got later and later, and no Older Boy.   Mom came into the backyard and said, "You poor little guy!  I was afraid this might happen!  She unchained me and brought me in with her.   I heard her later telling Dad that if I was left alone too much I would have to go.  She didn't have time to play with me and take care of me like I needed.  Either did Dad.    I was so sad, I thought I had found my forever home and it wasn't looking too good.  Well Older Boy took me with him less and less.   I started to feel like he thought I was a little bit of a nuisance because I needed so much.     But things were about to change.   One day Older Boy was in a hurry to leave and he hadn't picked up poop.  I heard him trying to get Middle Boy to do it for him.   "Please Middle Boy, just this once.   I have somewhere to go and I don't have time".    Middle Boy said,  " I don't think you really want him that much after all do you?    Older Boy told him that well, yes he had really wanted me but didn't realize just how much time it would take to clean up after me and feed me, walk me.   He said there were alot of places he couldn't take me.    Middle Boy told him that he would pick up after me for him IF he would give me to him.   Older Boy seemed a little sad but I think he was relieved too.   Taking care of a pet really is a big job and one that people really need to think about.   Too many of us animals  wind up at the pound because we were cute and people thought they wanted us but didn't realize how much responsibility there is in caring for a living thing.  Or maybe they didn't do any research into the breed they decided on to see if we need any special care.   Or if we have any type of personalities that they might not be able to deal with.   Anyway, from that day forward I belonged to Middle Boy.   He had alot more time for me.  Everyone has gotten used to me, I got along just fine with the kitty, Dot.   After I'd been there a few months we got another kitty, Moose.   Moose was a baby and we all loved him!  That was a couple of years ago now, and this summer we added Lincoln, the Border Collie/ Chow mix to the family.   He and I became fast friends.   He's a pretty nice guy even if he is a little crazy when it comes to Tennis Balls!!

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Spike.   I have a few other pet names I've been given and I'll answer to any of them  if you have food or treats!   Spikerelda (when I'm feeling my feminine side), Min, MinPin, Minnie, Minnie Pinnie and probably a few I have chosen to forget missed.    Don't you just love People?   They take great pains to name you and then call you a million other names and want you to keep up!   Anyway, I'll tell you a little bit about my story.    Unfortunately I don't know it all.   I either have amnesia or selective memory.  Whatever.   I don't want to talk about what happened to me before I met my now family other than to say I wound up at the pound.  Or "Animal Shelter" if you will.   Very P.C., but me and my buddies who wound up there just called it the pound.    The people there were good to us and really tried to help.  Their hearts are really in the right place.   But there are just so many of us.  You know, dogs and cats that have been abandoned, left behind in a move, some of us who just got out and got lost.  Those lucky ones who get lost usually are found by their families who are heartbroken when they realize we are missing and actually put up signs and check the pound everyday to see if we turned up.   I must have been abandoned because no one came looking for me.    But one day, an Older Boy and his mom came to "just look" at the animal shelter.   I could see them through the fence walking around, stopping at the different cages.   They looked nice, but you never know for sure.   I kept my eye on them as they visited with the other dogs and tried to listen in on their conversation.  You can tell alot from what they say to each other, you know.   It was a good sign that they were pretty interested in all the dogs, they didn't seem to have a particular type.   "Mom" was interested in a pretty, sweet Rotweiler named Sassy who kept pressing against the cage and begging to be petted.   I figured they wouldn't be interested in me after all because Sassy was a pretty big dog, and well, I'm a MINIATURE pinscher.   But as much as they seemed to like Sassy, they did keep commenting on how BIG Sassy was.   I thought quickly.  Tried to assess the situation.    Other than size, Sassy and I had alot in common, we're both black with rust colored markings, kind of "cool" dogs if you know what I mean.  Not Labrador types or pouffy pretty dogs or "so ugly their cute" dogs but cool, kinda tough looking dogs.  Yeah, that's me and the Rots and the Pits and the Pinschers!   Older Boy had a cool tat and an Ozzy t-shirt on, I thought if  I could just pull of the cool dog act  I thought I might have a chance with him.  When Older Boy walked by me I took my chance and jumped up and yapped a little.   Just enough to get his attention but not enough to make him think I was a "yappy little dog", you have to be careful, you know.   Don't want to give the wrong impression right off the bat.   He stopped and looked right at me.   He had big brown eyes and a nice looking face.   He tried to pet me through the chain link but wound up poking me in the eye with his finger.    I don't think he noticed and I tried to play it cool............(stay tuned in for the rest of my story!)