Mischief Night

Tomorrow is Halloween, which means that tonight is "Mischief Night."  It's an evening when teenaged humans misbehave and get a bit rowdy, prowling the streets, making noise, throwing toilet paper into trees--but it's all in good fun, really.

Unless, of course, yours is the tree getting TP'd. Then, I suppose, it's not much fun at all.

Well, I guess I got a little carried away with the whole "Mischief Night" tradition, and got into a bit of trouble myself this evening.

Tonight, while Mom was busy getting the basement decorated for Christina's Halloween party tomorrow, I came across Cathy's costume.  You know, the fuzzy cat costume that she is wearing tomorrow at school, and again in the afternoon when she goes trick-or-treating? The only costume she has this year?? Yeah, that one.

I swear, I was only sniffing it, just sort of investigating, but then....I smelled those darn feathers.  The headband with the cat ears has these little downy black feathers attached to it, and oh my goodness, I just HAD to taste them.  And gnaw them. And nibble them, ever so slightly.  

Dad found the headband at the top of the stairs and told Mom. She was NOT happy with me.  She said a bunch of words that did NOT sound as sweet as when she usually talks to me.  In fact, the only time I ever heard words like that was when I figured out how to use the cable box and caught an episode of The Sopranos.  

I wish I had a better explanation for my behavior, but the truth is: I just couldn't help myself.

Mom was able to sew the ears back on straight, and she used a scary looking thing called a "glue gun" to make the headband into one piece again.   Cathy says she forgives me, and to tell you the truth, in the time it took me to type out this post, I've just about forgotten what it was that I did wrong.   If not for that heavenly taste of marabou lingering in my teeth, it all would be a distant memory by now. 

As a way to show Mom I was sorry, I stayed very still while she tried my Halloween costume on me, and I even posed for a picture.

Oh, why do Halloween costumes have to be so tempting??  

Sunday and the livin' is easy

Dad and I had a great time playing frisbee out in the yard today. He tossed a tennis ball out there now and then, just to mix things up, but I ALWAYS managed to find it.  

Later on, I came inside and took a little nap. 

We did our usual trip to the stables, the dog park, etc.  Met lots of new dog friends, and had a blast. I also spent a bit of time with one of my favorite chew toys.   

I hope your Sunday was as relaxing as mine was!

Neighborly Love

Remember my friend, Buddie, the yellow lab that lives next door? 

Well, her human brother Nicky came over today with some presents to welcome me to the neighborhood!  Wasn't that nice?

They gave me a whole bag of rawhide chewies, and some gourmet cookie biscuits that were YUM-A-LICOUS!!  Mom let me have one right away. So tasty!

Stylin' new jacket

Another day, another present. 

Today, Mom got me a light jacket, to keep me dry and cozy when it rains.  I love it! It reminds me of the stuff Tiger Woods wears on Sundays.  It also has some reflective strips, so that I'm more visible during my nighttime walks.  

Seriously, don't I look cool?

Presidents and their Dogs

In two weeks, humans across America will head to the polls to elect their next President.  As a rule, dogs like myself do not get involved in political matters. We, being the more intellectually evolved species, find the entire election process rather droll.  The pack leader is the pack leader...end of story.  I don't quite understand why humans must make it all so difficult, but then, there are many things about human behavior that are difficult to understand.

One thing that does interest me about the two candidates is that only one of them has pets at home. Barack Obama, for all of his talk about "unity" and "change we can believe in" does NOT have a dog. Hmmpf!  I know my mom is still planning to vote for him, though, and she assured me that he has promised to get a dog for his daughters after the campaign is over, whether he wins or not.

As for John McCain, he has lots of pets at home, including several dogs (even a mixed breed, like me!), a ferret, and many goldfish.   My dad says that's just one of many reasons to vote for the guy. If only his running mate didn't advocate shooting at my brother wolves from a helicopter, I might have considered endorsing him. Alas.

No matter which candidate you support, I thought you might find it interesting to read up on some of our nation's past Presidents, and the dogs that loved them: Presidential Pups

Figuring Out My Heritage

Well, today was another big day: I had my first visit to the vet! Of course, I've seen a vet before, when I was down in Mississippi, but this was my first time visiting a local doctor.  

Mom says I did great at my check up (no surprise there) and Dr. Collins was very nice.  He took me in the back to have my microchip inserted (not that I'll ever run away, but you know, you just can't be too careful these days) and the staff went nuts over me.  I got so many compliments on my adorable face, my petite stature, and my wonderful disposition. 

You would think it gets tiresome to have humans fawn over you in this way everywhere you go, but for me, it never gets old.  I'm guess I'm just a people-canine. 

One of the things everyone seems fascinated with is my lineage.  While I prefer to cultivate an air of suspense in that regard, I can understand the human tendency to try and figure these things out. They're such curious creatures by nature! 

Although the rescue group said they thought I was a spaniel/terrier mix, the general consensus amongst those who have met me recently is that I am actually a terrier/beagle mix.   While many of my overall physical characteristics resemble a Manchester Terrier, the little 

speckles on my one white leg are indicative of some beagle ancestry.  Dr. Collins concurred with this analysis, so that's good enough for me.

Here are photos of both of those breeds, and one of me:

Well....what do you think?  I can certainly see the resemblance, but I must say, I love being a mix of the two.  It's not that I have anything against purebreds--some of my best friends are single breeds!--but you can't beat the aura of mystery that surrounds a mixed breed like myself.

Making New Friends

Lovin' the new dog bed!

I made some more new friends today.  In the morning, Dad took me to the stables where Christina goes horseback riding.  I've never seen a horse before!  They're so cool!!  I kept wanting to go run over and say hello close up, but Dad was concerned that the horses would accidentally step on me, so I stayed by his side like a good boy.

While Christina was having her riding lesson, Dad and I headed over to a nearby nature preserve, where lots of people go hiking with their dogs.  I met so many new canine friends, and they all smelled so interesting!  Lots of great sniffs. 

Mom took me for a walk after lunch, and I explored in the woods for a bit.  No geese today, darn it. Maybe tomorrow.

Best of all, Mom stopped by to see Pat and Roger at Luke's Place this afternoon, and got all of my paperwork in order.  

It's official: I'm staying!! Yay!!  

Getting some nice tummy rubs from my sister, Cathy

Hangin' with my Homies

I had such a good day today!

This is me and my newest chewie: a round, rawhide thingy. OMG, I love it so! Mom and Dad are freaking out because they say it smells "like dirty wet feet."

And, I'm like, "Well, duh! It's made from dead cow skin. Helllllllo?" Honestly, humans have such limited palates. Rawhide is 80-85% protein, 12% fiber, and very low in fat. The eau du toe jam aroma is just an added bonus.

Hey, I had some visitors today! First, Mom's friend Wendy came over with her son, Ben...and they brought me some gifts! Yay! I love gifts!

They gave me a new rope toy, and a furry skunk chew toy with a tennis ball thingy in the middle, and a rubber alligator squeaky toy that scares the crap out of me. It's the thought that counts, though, and that was so nice of them to welcome me so warmly.

Later on, Dad's sister, my Aunt Cathy, came to visit with her husband, Uncle Angelo.

Not to be immodest, but they frickin' LOVED me. They said I reminded them of their dog, Toby, who died several years ago. They were so great...they kept feeding me stuff I'm not supposed have, whenever they thought Mom and Dad weren't looking. Uncle Angelo gave me, like, 6 crackers, and Aunt Cathy kept sneaking me some cheese. They're so naughty! We hit it off right away.

They brought me a present, too: a new bed! It's very soft and cushy, not to mention stylish. Here's a picture of it, along with a sampling of the gifts I've received over the last couple of days:
I know, I'm totally getting spoiled over here. Isn't it great?

Adjusting to My New Family

I love my new family.

My mom works at home, so I have someone here with me all the time. Once in a while, she goes to the store to buy me more toys, so I stay in my crate for a little while, till she gets back. I love a good nap as much as the next dog, and it helps the time pass more quickly until she's home again.

I have a big backyard that I can run around in, with lots of trees and grass. The girls take me for walks all the time, and they love to play frisbee with me--my favorite sport!

Another exciting thing: there are lots of other dogs living here on my street. The first neighbor I met was Buddie; she's a yellow labrador.  We hung out together at the bus stop, saying goodbye to our human siblings as they left for school on Wednesday morning.   I also saw Schatzie, the Schnauzer from three doors down, but he didn't realize that I was his new neighbor, so he barked at me.  That's okay...his human realized later that I was "the new kid on the block," and called to apologize. I think we're going to be good friends, actually.

Yesterday, during my early morning walk, I met the English Sheepdog next door. Her name is Macbeth, which I think is quite regal. She's very down-to-earth, though, and asked me to call her Beth, so of course, I obliged. 

I also met Scotty, the white Maltese across the street.  He's quite a barker, I'm told, but I think it's all an act, because he turned tail and ran in the house when he caught sight of me.  Hmmpf!

There are so many new friends living here. I've only lived in this house for 4 days, and I've already seen bunnies, deer, geese, and groundhogs scampering about on the lawn.  None of them stuck around to introduce themselves, even though I didn't bark at them. Oh well...maybe they just have to get used to me.

Oh, guess what?  There are CATS living in my house!! No kidding!!!

Mom hasn't formally introduced us yet, because Mittens and Tiger (that's their names) have never actually seen a dog before, so she knows they'll be a little scared of me at first. I think she plans to introduce us this weekend.  That ought to be interesting, and Mom promised to take some video that I can post here on the blog. 

Speaking of video, here's a quick snippet of me, enjoying my new rawhide chewy.  Man, those things are TASTY!

My Story

Let's start at the very beginning,

A very fine place to start...

Ah yes, Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music.  Does it get any better than that?

Now where was I? Oh yes, the beginning. 

Well, my early days are a bit of a mystery, really, because I don't like to talk about my childhood. Why dredge up those dreadful days again?  Water under the bridge, I say.

Instead, I'll start with how it is I came to be in my current home, the place where I am most happy. Yes, that will be a very fine place to start, indeed.

I was rescued in Mississippi, where I stayed with a foster mom for about two months.  She was lovely!  She took great care of me, even when Hurricane Ike knocked out the power in her neighborhood for a whole week.  She gave me lots of love, and worked with me every day to teach me how to be a well-behaved dog.   I still think of her with great fondness, but alas, I could not stay with her.  As much as she wanted to keep me, my destiny lay elsewhere.

I was transported to New Jersey in early October, on a noisy tractor trailer, with a bunch of other rescued dogs.   We were carefully placed into crates and brought to Luke's Place, in Ridgewood.  There, I was greeted by the director, Pat, and her staff of volunteers.  Such nice people!  They were so kind to us, taking each of us for a walk, cleaning us off, and giving us lots of love and attention.  They got us all ready to meet our adoptive families.

Two of the volunteers were a girl named Amy, and her mom, Lisa.  In what can only be described as extraordinary chemistry, I instantly bonded with Amy.  She looked into my eyes, patted me on the head, took me for a nice long walk, and I was putty in her hands. When no one was looking, her mom let me sit in the back of their SUV, keeping Amy company while she had a snack. Amy let me lick the cheese from her Cheetos off of her fingers, and I knew at that moment that I had to find a way to go home with them. 

The family that adopted me was very nice, but--no, I'm not proud of this--I was a bit of a handful.  They had never had a dog before, and I confess, I took advantage of their naivete. Within a week, they were overwhelmed by my excessive bursts of energy (I figured out how to use the coffee machine, and was frickin' wired the whole time), and so they sent me back to Pat.

One of the volunteers contacted Lisa, and she was so happy that I was available for adoption, she came right over the very next morning and picked me up.   Pat warned her that I would be a "challenge," but Lisa is very careful with her coffee stash, and was not worried in the slightest.

Would her faith in me be justified, or would she discover that she'd made a horrible mistake? Stay tuned!

Welcome, humans!

Allow me to introduce myself.  

My name is Scooter, and this is my blog. 

You may ask yourself: what does a dog need with a blog, anyway?  Shouldn't he be doing more important things, like sniffing fire hydrants and chewing on fuzzy things?  And don't his nails make it difficult to type?  

So many questions. And that, dear reader, is exactly why I'm writing this blog.  

Every dog has a story to tell, and yet, so few take the time to tell it. We are so busy going about our daily activities, we miss out on the opportunity to truly communicate with our human friends, whom we love so deeply. 

A shame, that.

I'm different, though.  My mom is a writer, and she has a blog that she enjoys working on very much. She says it's a great way to express herself, and to reach out to others.  She's been an inspiration to me, and I decided that I am willing to give up some precious chew-toy time to share my thoughts and feelings on all things canine.  

So, friends, welcome to my blog.  Pull up a chair, settle in with a nice dried cow ear, and enjoy.