Beauty.....And the Beast

Grooming day is something we all look forward to.....
There's nothing like a great haircut and
Lucy and I are so lucky to get regular salon attention!
Yeah.....Right.
Am I sounding a bit sarcastic?
Once a month, whether we want to or not (NOT!)
we are carted off to the groomers.....
where, like Sweeney Todd,
we endure fluffing within an inch of our life.
Endless hours of sudsing, brightening, trimming, clipping and brushing.
Teeth polished to gleaming.
Oh, and did I mention the Anal Gland treatment? YIKES!
We're mostly good sports, and this isn't our first Rodeo,
but some trips it's all I can do not to lift my lip........GRRRR.
Dog.....Contain thyself.
At the end of the "service", as a consolation prize, we are awarded
our monthly Scout Scarves.....Lucy gets girly colors and I mostly get blue.
We suspiciously smell of strawberries.....

When Mom picks us up, we prance out of the salon heads held high
and scarves bouncing on our backs.
We can't get to the curb or a hydrant soon enough......AAHHH!

MICK'S TIPS: 
Shave and a haircut.....
2 Bites.

Straining at the Leash......

I've always been a bit of a Free Spirit kind of guy........
You know, a vacant lot, field or park and I'm Nirvana happy!
Nose to the ground, taking my time, policing the neighborhood.
And, what could be better than the open road, calling my name?
Trotting the highway, sniffing at leisure, chasing the occasional game?
Clint Eastwood style, riding the range and running cattle.....
Eyes squinted, ears perked, watchful for the next bad Hombre.....THAT'S my path.

OR, it would be, if it weren't for the LEASH!
I'm weaving and dodging, chasing tail and sniffing the high life, 
when suddenly.....YANK!.....I'm stopped cold in my tracks.....HUH?!?
Life's realities hit me like a ton of bricks.
I'm a DOG, on the end of a WAY too short leash.
Mom's dragging me sideways down the street and Sparky's squirrel friends
are laughing hysterically.....Really bad for my Macho image.
Sorry, Mom.
I'll admit it, rules have always made me queasy and I HATE the leash.
Though a star pupil in puppy school 
(I graduated top of my class 2007 at Lucky Dog University)
when it comes right down to it I'll pick the other side of the tracks every time.
Chalk it up to my Terrier heritage.....We answer the Call of the Wild!
But Mom is hollering her lungs out to S-T-O-P..... and I pause for a moment.
Ponder. Reflect.
Now..... what would Clint do??
MICK'S TIPS: Keep dreaming.

Missing a Sock??

Have I mentioned Lucy's sock fetish?
The girl came to us last year with some really weird habits,
but her sock obsession takes the cake......
Family!.....Beware an innocent shoe change!!
Like radar, Lucy swoops in and grabs the dirty footwear,
racing off to her pup cave to enjoy a nibble or two before hiding her stash.
The house has a random confetti look, with Mom, Dad and Brother socks 
littered everywhere, and Mom yelling.......L-U-C-Y!
Of course, I don't really mind.....
The slightly sour scent of sweat is right up my alley.
But, an Alpha's got to have some standards, and you'd never catch ME parading
with a dirty pair of socks.
No, my tastes run to the real thing.....Briefs......Now there's a great chew!

MICK'S TIP: Wal-Mart sells a six pack of fresh ankle socks for $5.96

To Mom With Love

I LOVE my MOM.
OK, I've said it, and yes I admit..... I'm a complete Momma's boy!
Nothing makes me happier than sitting on her lap and gazing 
into her mysterious eyes.....
I'm not sure what she's thinking (or saying!), but I know she loves me too.
A little chin and chest rub......Aaahhhh.
Pure Heaven on Earth!!!
Nothin' says lovin' like a great belly rubbing.......
I want to cover her with the sloppiest of  kisses, all over her smiling face.
She is my forever Mom (stay away Lucy), and I hope she had a wonderful day!

PS.....Thank you Mom for ignoring my bad habits yesterday. Chasing the deer,
barking at joggers, licking your plate, snapping at my sister, peeing on the bed.....
(Oh, the shame!)
Forgive me??
MICKS TIPS: Mother's Day might not be the best choice for bed wetting.

Sparks Fly!

Sparky was the cheekiest Squirrel I had ever met......
(Well, not actually met, but locked eyes with in a death stare 
through the glass of my window).
He'd been savaging our private bird feeder for over a year now.
Having a weight problem (the result of constant raids at the trough),  he could scarcely
cling to the bush that grew below it......
Yet, somehow he managed to drag himself up and proceed to feast.
Relentless, he had the glazed demeanor of an overfed guest at an All You Can Eat Buffet.
He was insufferable!
As Family Security Officer, I was vigilant in my surveillance and alarm......
Barks made for a Great Dane would be lobbed against him, 
and he'd crazily run for the trees.
But within moments, Sparky was always back.
Fearless?... Stupid? (my vote) 
Or maybe he'd been around the block a few years and knew more

about glass windows than the average rodent?
He turned me into a raving, quivering, shrilly barking lunatic......
Powerless, I could not stop.
My sister, Lu Lu, would give us both a short glance, and walk off in search of a dirty sock.
She was way too busy to bother with Sparky.....Smart girl.
Still, my superior Terrier instincts would not be denied.....
He would have been a well marbled filet.....if it hadn't been for the glass!
MICK'S TIPS: Trim the bush, move the feeder, OR window screens are so nice for the summer!
Watch your back, Sparky......

2 inches .......

My favorite window is cracked 2", and NO question about it, Spring is DEFINITELY 
out there.....
Birds chirping, grass growing, squirrels frolicking.
How frustrating......GGrrrr.....to be on this side of the glass!!
You see, there's a Squirrel that frequents my sill, and I WANT him!!!
Quick, soft, grey and twitchy.....Now. that's my idea of Spring celebration!
So close......and yet......
Go figure, Mom wants some morning airflow,
but for some crazy reason she doesn't want me launching outside?
2" in life, just isn't enough..........

Truce......

It happened this way......
I had been tippy toeing around the demon dog for weeks, 
when suddenly for whatever reason, SHE decides  she wants to play!
Ragged squirrel in mouth, she taunts me to take it......
Well, with scars to prove it, I know better and resist.
She drops it then, and wags tail.....WOW!
Being a forgiving kind of guy and good sport at heart, I grab that toy and am off running,
Lucy chasing and HAPPY!!
We ran many laps around the house that day and collapsed on our favorite couch,
together first time EVER.
The rest is history, and we've been pals since, and all I can think is,
the girl needed a lot of love.......Which she got.....Thank you Mom.
And so began,
The Adventures of Mick Wagger and His Sidekick Lu Lu Belle.