What's in a Name.....?

I've answered to a lot of names in my time......
Snowball, Lambchop,  Pee Wee, Dustmop.
My Dad always liked to call me Mo..........Ron.
Not sure about the double name, but it does have a ring.
And, I'm not that particular about what I'm called......Really.
I hear that certain tone in Mom's voice, 
and no matter what, I come running!
She's the one with the TREATS.
She wanted to name me Beau (Beautiful!),
Which does sort of rhyme with Mo.....
It could have worked.
But, she was unanimously voted down.....
"Beau" was a bit too.....Fluffy.

Now, I bet you'd like to know how I finally got
my true blue Forever Name.....
MICK WAGGER.
I admit for a Canine, it's a bit unusual,
especially when most of my Dog Pals are 
Rascal, Daisy or Spot.
And, I'm pretty proud of it, TRULY I am.
But sometimes, I yearn for a normal moniker.....
and wonder.....How did I get so dog gone..... 
LUCKY???
Well, the story goes like this......
My Dad is a die hard Stones fan,
the kind who breaks out in furious Air Guitar
at the first hint of "Jumpin' Jack Flash".
Jagger and Kieth are his personal Heroes.
"Satisfaction" regularly screams through the house.....
That's the kind of family I adopted!
According to Mom, in the first days they brought me home,
there was lots of discussion on what to call this young pup.
Beau was a true contender, 
but it just didn't quite fit my maverick style.
Then, one evening in a moment of juvenile fatigue, 
I happened to yawn.....
My little pink tongue stretched out, and out and OUT!
8 inches unfurled, it was a wonder to the entire family.....
Apparently, I had the longest puppy tongue on record!!
That's when they got it.....I HAD to be Mick Wagger.
Namesake to the most famous tongue alive.....
A Stones wanna be, just like my Padre.
We all breathed a huge sigh of relief.....I finally had a name!

And that's the whole truth Folks 
(Well, mostly).
But sometimes, when I've done something especially..... brilliant,
my Dad still kind of likes to call me MO.....
And I know it's out of love, 
no matter what.
You see, I just can't get no
....."Satisfaction".
MICK'S TIP:
Come when you're called.....
No matter what your name, there's probably a treat at the end!

10 Commandments of Squirrel Stalking.....

The stalking of squirrels is a time honored Blood Sport,
and one I learned early from my deceased brother Buster.
Though I'm full blood Terrier, and so predisposed to the finer Nose Arts,
there was much to learn in the tactical and vocal departments.....
He taught me very well!
Learning the BeoWolf trumpet, when chasing your prey, 
is a rite of passage for every rodent hunter.
AAaaaRroooooo..........
Sparky Squirrel.....Here I come!

Below are my 10 Rules for the Squirrel Fight Club:

 The #1 Rule about Squirrel Fight Club is 
     We do NOT talk about Fight Club.....
 The Second Rule about Squirrel Fight Club is
     WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB!!!

Now that we have that out of the way:

#3 Maintain maximum aerobic fitness.....STAY BUFF for speed!
#4 Keep your eyes peeled at all times.....VIGILANCE is KEY!
#5 Stay low profile until the chase is on.....move in very S-L-O-W-L-Y.
#6 The fatter the squirrel, the easier (and TASTY!) the catch.
#7 Encourage Mom to set the bird feeder in a tactical position.
     Bird food is a great trap.....More bird food = fatter squirrel.
#8 Ninja moves DO NOT work on rodents.....stick with the Stalking Method.
#9 Don't let your prey get anywhere near a tree.....
     If you do, you've lost him!
     (In case you haven't noticed, we canines were not born to
     climb, or fly.....Trees are the DMZ for us)
#10 When, or IF, you are ever lucky enough to bag this game,
     DON'T LET GO !!! 
     (Squirrels, like cats,are nasty little snots and are known to have 9 lives!) 
MICK'S TIP:
Make sure to have lunch at home, cuz squirrel snacks may 
or may not be served......Sometimes, Sparky WINS!

Stop and Smell the.....Dandelions

Lucy and I have a game we play all summer......
After a little morning jog, we look for a cool, shady patch of lawn,
pause, sniff, drop and.....ROLL!
Over and over, leash wrapped and crazy,
fresh grass on the belly and dandelions in our ears..... 
now that's our idea of chillin' !!
In the heat of the day and after a good workout, nothing feels better.
Pure moments of bliss.....
Before we head back to our daily squirrel security duties,
those seconds to sniff the blooms are the best of the day!
Summertime, and the livin' is easy.....AAaaahhhh.

MICK'S TIP:
When your summer day gets a little stressful, hot and sticky,
make sure to drop, ROLL, and smell the.....flowers!

Feeling a bit green......

Have I mentioned that I have a sensitive stomach?
According to my Vet, it's a Terrier thing.....
About once a month, my tummy starts rolling,
I can't seem to get comfortable,
and I have this sudden urge to eat anything GREEN.
The gurgling starts and it's a 3 a.m. wake up call
for Mom and Dad.....
I hop off the bed (bed puking is frowned upon in this
establishment) and start ringing the bell that's
conveniently hung for this purpose.
Being perfect parents, they are just thrilled 
to walk me to the back door 
and stand in the mid night air,
while I scarf down huge chunks of grass, 
weeds and leaves.
A few minutes later, they drag me inside 
(way too soon)
and force a little pink tablet down my throat.....GAG!
Soon, I'm REALLY upset and URP!.....Up it all comes on the floor.
A little late night package for Mom!
But, I do feel better now.....
I'm horribly ashamed, of course, but what's a Terrier to do?
We've all tried to figure it out......
Is it stress, the wrong dog food, the heat?
I'm not sure.....OR, could it be?.....
That lovely little pile that our local Fox left curbside this morning??
MICK'S TIP:
Try to keep that little pink pill down.....It will help.
And, skip the Street Snax.

Doggy Daddy Day !

This morning at sunrise, 
as birds began chirping and 
the cool Colorado light filtered 
through the curtains,
Lucy and I jumped on the bed and 
woke Dad with lots of sloppy kisses...
Right on his nose!
We had a special card, 
and a cartoon book 
about us Canines, 
that Mom had helped us pick out.
He was so happy and even had a couple tears in his eyes
as he opened our paw printed note.....
We brought him coffee and the Sunday paper,
then settled beside him for a little morning nap.
(Well, Lucy naps.....But, as you know, I'M always on the look out for Sparky!)
We'll stick close to his side all day long,
and remind him why we're the Best Kids in the World!
We love you Daddy!!!
MICK'S TIP:
Kiss YOUR Dad and
Have a Happy Daddy Doggy Day!
BARK!!!

Sometimes Bad Things Happen.....

Lucy and I live in Colorado Springs with our family.....
The past few days, something has not been right.
Hot, dry and very windy.....the sky is as dark as everyone's mood.
Our noses twitch at a heavy, odd and smokey scent.
Our humans speak in quick, hushed voices, and huddle around the TV.
FIRE.....A strange new word.
Everyone is shaking their head and looking scared.
I am scared too.....
I try to comfort Mom, and lay my head on her knee.
She lays her hand on my head, and looks into my eyes with great sadness.
What is happening to our world?
Who will save us?
How will this end?
MICK'S TIP:
Look out for each other.....
WE is all we have.

Let's Talk Trash!

We canines have a dirty little secret.....
Nothing makes us happier than digging in the trash.
Nose first and up to our eyeballs, 
we are happiest sniffing and scarfing our humans' waste!
Dogs have been refining these skills for thousands of years,
since we first began hanging with the humans around a campfire.
A post feast bone yard was every newly domesticated wolf's best treat.
And, not much has really changed since then.....
I know I can smell a leftover candy wrapper at 50 paces,
and Lucy.....well, Lucy is paws...itively bionic!
As I've mentioned, she can telepathically transport to food or
trash from anywhere in the compound in a millisecond.....
Plus, have it disposed of, in the same amount of time!
No crumb is too small for her.
And, we kids especially love it smelly......
The more odoriferous, the better!!
Rotten food, dead fish, fox poop.....Yuummm!!!
I had a Labrador brother once who disappeared for two days 
and was found in the Wendy's Hamburgers dumpster,
happily sucking down the old bacon grease.....
Now, that's a professional!
It took several bathtubs and half a gallon of Dawn dish soap
to clean up that guy .....or, so I've heard.
(I don't think he was ever let out of the house again.)

Well, it's been great day dreaming, but I gotta run.....
There's  a couple dustbins to patrol, 
and Lucy's already got a 30 second head start.....
Hey Lu Lu, save a scrap for ME!
MICK'S TIP:
Timing is everything.....Keep an ear cocked for the trash trucks.