Meeting Farm Yard Animals

Yipee, an outing.  I went with Graham to his work colleague's property and met a variety of farm yard animals face to face for the first time.  Graham told Julie about when I met Marin the Donkey.

Mean Martin should be his name as he stomped his foot and chased me as soon as he saw me.

I was so startled, I tucked my tail between my legs and scampered away like crazy, I even tripped and rolled onto my back, which seemed to appease Martin, who seemed happy once I acknowledged he was top dog.

The second trip over, I kept a respectable distance from Martin.  I kept either Graham or Julie between us most of the time, but thankfully he got bored with me.

 The Pigs seemed friendlier...

However Doris the Sow was quite a large size, which in itself demanded respect from us all.

I also met goats, geese and chickens and even had a roll in the Sow's wallow.  That was fun as Graham and Julie were calling out Elwood Noooo... he he he...

However I had a great time romping around with the other little dog Globby, collecting burrs along the way.

What I've been up to

I have had Winnie here for just over a month. I thought I'd never get used to her sneaking attention from my humans but I'm much more secure now.

She'd look at them with her little fluffy dog eyes, lift a paw and wiggle it, and lure one of them to bend down to scratch her head or rub her belly. What's a dog to do but race over and thrust myself between them, so they wouldn't mistake  her place in this pack.  I feel much more confident of the pack now, and just amble over to put myself between them.

In the morning when my pack people go to work, they take me around the side and give me a nice big marrow bone.  However, they give a smaller bone to Winnie at the other end of the patio. Like I wouldn't notice. We usually wait until they drive away, then we swap back and forth most of the time. I'm normally great at sharing, but in the early days of her stay, I started hoarding 'em. I'd burry them and dig them back up when they were nice and old.  I'm much more relaxed now, and back to eating them fresh and sharing with her.

My humans put up a garden and covered it in netting to keep the wallabies out. Julie goes down every now and then and raises the net on one side to pull a bunch of things out. I've seen her do it lots of times, and wondered what she was doing - so I went to the other side, and with one flick of my nose, lifted the net shoved my head in for a look and a nibble.  I'm not sure why she looked so surprised.

It was my laundry day today so I was banished from my couch for most of the day while all my blankets got washed. Then I had to have a big bath 'cause all the rain has made it very muddy where we go to chase the ball around. Laundry day also means bath day.  But Julie and I hung around together while Graham worked.  Julie, Winnie and I went for lots of walks, kicked the soccer ball around, and went to the oval to chase the ball around.  I'm pooped.

Another guest

We had some of my human's pack come to stay from a place they called Canada.  They were really nice, and I liked them immediately 'cause they have the pack scent.  Although I was back on the mat, while they sat on my couch in the evenings, they paid me a lot of attention which I enjoyed.

One day, as usual they all headed out for the day, but only my humans came back. Sad as it was to see them leave, it was Soooo nice to be back on the couch.  I stretched out, heaved a heavy sigh and relaxed full length.  Heaven.

No sooner did the humans go to work on Monday, than Rose and George dropped Winnie off for a play date.  That was nice and she stayed for dinner... then had a sleep over... and hasn't left since.

Looks like she's staying with us again for a while.  It took while for me to make sure she realised who's the favourite dog around here.

I had to do things like, when I lay on the couch, in stead of leaning my head on Julie or Graham, I put almost my whole body on them, then I looked at Winne to make sure she saw me, and I went to sleep.  She's got her own bean bag chair and seemed happy enough.

Next thing I know, Julie has Winnie on her lap every now and again. She tells me to be nice to her, and not to be jealous. Hmphh.  as if. I know I'm the favourite.

Actually, We're having a lot of fun.  I jump around her and bark and yelp, and she barks back.  I seem to do most of the jumping.  We even snooze together, and now they've let her up on our big bed (How did she get allowed up there? I'm only allowed for a little visit if they're having a weekend coffee and read.)

I was pleased to see her have a couple of baths after rolling in poop in the filed. She seemed quite surprised, and clearly doesn't like them.

 I don't know what the big deal is, they use warm water, then you get to lay around and get dry.   i tried to show her how easy it is.

So, there you have it for the moment.... Elwood.

Winter's coming and suddenly I'm off the couch??

After the humans came back after the abandonment - which they call their 'holiday' I thought things were getting back to normal.

Don't get me wrong, it was terrific to have Rose & George looking after me. They came every morning and fed me breakfast, played a bit of soccer, and we went for a walk with Winnie. Then they'd take me back to their place to hang out with them for the day, and back to my place for dinner and a couple of hours of TV time before bed and my biscuit.  All well and good and much appreciated.

I looked for ages to see where my people were hiding, but couldn't sniff them out.

Then they show up again, all hugs and cuddles, and suddenly they're telling me the wet season is coming and I'm not allowed up on the couches with a wet and dirty belly.  Now I know I can't help myself when it comes to puddles, and my Oxley's road walk is heaven in the rain (OOOOHhhh the puddles I can run through) but gheesh... no couch??

They've bought me a bed to lay on. I like it a lot, it's really quite comfortable...but it doesn't compare to sitting on the lounge with my head in Julie's lap.  I can't wait until Spring already!!

Humans - so easily lead

First I was up on the couch if they put my mat up, AND only on special occasions sharing the lounge with Julie most often.  Now look at me... woo hoo... I jump up when they come upstairs and aren't looking, and I streeetch out.  They let me get away with this, but they're still very strick about the bed.

My cousin Prada arrives tomorrow... hmmmm. We'll see what this city dog can get up to. I head city dogs have no stamina... he he he...  They said there won't be enough room for us all on the couch when "the kids" are all here.

I wonder where they'll sit....  woof arf arf...

One Year Today

It hardly seems possible I've been here with my pack for one year today. I feel like I've always been here....

Well, now that I think about it, I suppose I always have been. I've changed a lot since I arrived as a little puppy. Chubby and serious looking my pack female said I looked when I arrived. I couldn't even go for long walks.

Now I love to run and jump, and especially like to go on my daily walk down my road. I have to put up with their incessant demands when I'm on the lead. Sit, heal, stand, stay... then they let me off the lead and I get to investigate. I know the smells of that road very well.  there are Wallaby's that leave their scent and droppings, quolls, bandicoots, and of course other humans and dogs that frequent the walk. It's very interesting for me.

The alpha male takes me on a no nonsense walk. Brisk pace, so I run around a lot exploring when I walk with him. The female keeps asking me where her stick is. So I find one, and we play tug of war with it, and every time, she looses it just before we go home, so I have to do it all over the next walk. People.

Last week she took me to the cricket ground with a stick that helped her throw the ball a long way. (She's not a very good ball thrower, so it helped a lot) I chased the ball for ages, it was quite fun.

I've gone from sleeping in a little pen in the garage, to having my own house in the back yard. I quite like it there, and I get the run of the front yard as well.  I have a new neighbour - Mindy  a white fluffy dog who escapes fairly frequently. She comes to her fence and barks at me to let me know she's there, then wriggles through and comes over to our fence for a good long barking session. Her people call and call and then they hop the fence to get her. It cracks us up. People... they're so predictable.

I've trained my people quite well over the last year. If I stand at the front door, or ring the bell they have hanging there, they get up and let me out. Same when I stand outside and look at them. Sometimes I do it several times in a row just to see how many times they'll get up before they stop.

I've got them sorted out for feeding me too.  When they get up, they come down and let me in, and I bounce around the kitchen as we walk through to the front yard to get my bowl.  They get my food, and put it out front, then make coffee and come and sit with me and throw my orange ball.  When they come home, they feed me again.  On the weekends, when the female stands in the kitchen cutting things up, if I hang around her, she feeds me vegetable bits. I like that, and I always get a bit of pizza crust.  After dinner is our daily walk.  Like clockwork.

Lately they've let me sit on the couch with the female in the evenings. I like that because it proves I'm not really a dog. I'm one of them.  They do tell me to get off that comfy sleeping platform they have. I don't know why, it's very comfortable, and I like it a lot. When they're not using it I like to sneak up and jump on it. I'd let them in my house on my blankets....

Well, I'd better run as I think I get to go to the dog beach today.

Woof arf arf... Elwood.

Made it onto the couch for a snooze

Humans, all that talk about me being different. Stay down. The couch is for people.  Well, all it takes is a cool night watching the stars and I had them.

Here's the proof.  they were up until 3:30 looking through the big thing they call a telescope.  Humans.. they have no stamina..... he he he... the next step in my plan to dominate my pack!!