New Year's Resolution......

I'm blaming it ALL on Sparky 
(of course).
He went underground, and so did I trying to track him.....
Just call me Stealth!
(There was no time for blogging)
But, I'm getting ahead of myself !
Let me catch you up on the action.....
Suddenly, our house became a very busy place.
There were lots of big feasts (with various Turkey parts added to our bowls!)
New people came and went, with happy talk and laughter.
Amazing amounts of great snacks disappeared over our heads, and some into the
giant white box in the kitchen wall.....
a few tidbits hit the floor and they were OURS!
A huge tree appeared in the house (this was NOT the first year)
and Mom spent a lot of time hanging dangling things from the branches.
Little red boxes were all over the floor, and socks hung off the fireplace.....
(This really frustrated Lucy, as she is the self appointed family sock manager 
and keeps close tabs on any not currently being worn.
She eyed the mantle socks jealously 
and occasionally jumped, trying to reach them.....No success)
One morning, all of the red boxes were opened.
The entire family sat on the floor with us Pups, 
and laughed and hugged and tore paper.
There were boxes for us kids too, and one of them held inside
12 stuffed squirrels.....WOW, we had some fun with those!
(Tasty on the tongue, but not the real thing)
One of the bigger boxes had a special surprise for Mom.
As far as I can tell, it was a new bird feeder..... 
perhaps to entertain us and the birds?
What was really great was that somehow it seemed to foil SPARKY!!!
Not that he didn't try, of course......
Cheeky creature dangled between the window screen and the feeder 
like a flying squirrel,
but it was Mission Impossible for him!
All this hub bub went on for weeks.....
Then, suddenly life was quiet again.
We napped a lot, white fluff came down outside 
and it got very, very cold on our paws.
Mom and Dad pulled our coats out of storage, and we bundled up.
Walks were shorter.....as were the days.....and it was dark a lot.
The ground was covered deep in white, and we could see the prints 
of our many wild animal friends.
Herds of deer bedded down in our yard.....THAT was exciting!
An owl hooted atop our giant tree.....Foxes trotted through.
And the birds were everywhere, feasting at the feeder.
But, where was SPARKY?!?!.....He had VANISHED.
One day I was napping, when I heard a rustle.....
I slowly hopped up to the bench below the feeder and peeked out.
In the bush branches, he was creeping up with eyes only on the birdseed.....
Bark, Bark, BARK, BAARK, BAAARRRKKKKK!!!!!
Now, that's more like it.....
The Chase is ON!
No matter what Mom says, I'm going to get that rodent.....
It's 2014 and THAT'S my New Year's Resolution!!!

Halloween High.....

So, I'm just now surfacing from a couple of crazy weeks.....
Suddenly, there was a lot of extra Orange and Black around our house.
Pumpkins appeared everywhere..... 
(Sparky ate the entire porch pumpkin in less than a week.....
That's one giant squirrel belly ache!)
And, Mom mysteriously stopped cleaning the resident spider webs.
Lucy and I were carefully fitted for our special costumes.....
We were both prisoners in striped pajamas, with our crimes printed on our backs.
Lucy was labeled a "Sock Stealer", 
and I.....Errr..... "Eat Deer Poop".
(Now, how could that be against the law?)
Mom and Dad had funny clothes too, and kept calling each other
Bonnie or Clyde.....Both carried long brown plastic sticks.
Their ratta- tat- tat sounds made us jumpy and we Kids barked a LOT!
The best part of this time, though, was the wonderful smell of chocolate in the air.....
Mom has said a hundred times that we can't have this treat, 
but a Guy can sure still hope.....
On the big night, we had a barking extravaganza!
Kids came to our door, rang the bell, and showed us their crazy clothes.
TRICK or TREAT!
My favorites were the Ghouls.....Lucy liked the Princesses.
Arf, Arf, ARf, ARf.......ARFFFF!!!!!
Mom had a huge bowl of that wonderful chocolate stuff, and the Human Kids all got
to take it away with them, stuffing their huge orange bags.....
(Lucy and I were pretty disappointed to see it go.)
At the end of the evening, we both got an extra dog bone and it was time for bed.
I dug way under the covers and waited to pounce on Lucy.......Shhhh!
BOOOooooo!
Arf, Arf, ARf, ARf.....ARFFFFF!!!!!
AHHhhhh.....I LOVE tricking that girl.

Lion King......

My sister, Lucy, is completely obsessed with one of her toys......
Though she must have 100 half chewed varmints in our  toy box,
she is fixated on our bedraggled blue and gold Lion.
Lion is always smiling, has a cobalt mane, a cute little tail,
and she carries him gently wherever she goes.
When Mom and Dad return at the end of the day,
Lucy greets them at the door with.....
You guessed it..... Lion in her mouth!
Sometimes, she'll let Mom take Simba and throw him down the hall.....
Bounding after that wet hunk of fur, Lucy is deliriously happy.
(She can play that game for hours.....Mom is thrilled to be pitcher)
Sometimes, she sofa naps in the sun, head on Lion's belly,
and produces a small, purring snore.
Even I have to admit she looks innocently cute!
But, act like you might steal Simba, and Lucy is on alert!!
Now, I'd like to add, Lion used to be MINE.......
I got him from my human brother one Christmas 
a couple years back, before Lucy joined our Pack.
But Sparky Squirrel was new to our neighborhood then, 
and WAY more interesting, so Lion kind of got lost in the bin.....
Til Lucy came to Town!!
Actually, I see this experience as a chance for me to exercise my
more mature, patient, giving nature.....
And so, Lucy, your Lion is safe from ME......For now.
MICK'S TIP:
If your patience slips, and you're tempted to snag the TOY,
regroup, meditate, call on your Guides, be your best parent,

Or.....OMG!.....Is that Sparky right outside our window?!?!?

Redirected attention is a beautiful thing.

Tails from the Pup Tent: The Circle of Life......

Tails from the Pup Tent: The Circle of Life......: Suddenly, our house is very quiet..... Our Human brother moved out last week, and there's one less plate to beg from at dinner. Also,...

The Circle of Life......

Suddenly, our house is very quiet.....
Our Human brother moved out last week,
and there's one less plate to beg from at dinner.
Also, there's less head patting, 
fewer crumbs dropped
and not near as much play.
Lucy and I really miss him.....
I think Mom does too.
Why did he have to go??
Did he get too big for his bed?
Did he run out of exciting toys?
Did he crave new food?
Or, was it just time to chase 
all the wildlife out there?
One thing's for sure.....
We will NEVER leave MOM !
We know when we've got it good!!!
And, we never have to go to College......
MICK'S TIP:
Give your Mom an extra hug this month.....
She's gonna need it.

Saving for a Rainy Day......

Lucy and I haven't had a long hike 
in over a week......
Something is different, and very WET, 
in our neck of the woods.
Colorado seems to be under water and the flood warnings are everywhere.
The rain just keeps on coming, with no end in sight, and we kids are getting really BORED!
(And, we all know a bored Terrier 
is a BAD combination!!)
Mom runs us out quickly under umbrella 
for our potty breaks,
and we come back looking bedraggled 
and sadly Soggy Doggy.
Even Sparky has disappeared.....
Probably hiding out in the high Ponderosa 
with his stash of Sunflower seeds,
stolen from our Sunflower garden earlier last week.
Now, HE had the right idea.....
I guess We ALL need to be planning
for the next rainy day!
Stay safe Friends!!

MICK'S TIP:
It might be prudent to stash a Snack or two under 
your bed for the next big deluge......
And, maybe a well seasoned Sparky..... if you can catch him!

There were 4 in the Bed, and the Little One Said.....

Have I mentioned that my Mom is a real pushover?
My friends tell different stories, but at our house the BED is open territory.....
(Actually, for that matter, so are the sofa, chairs and coffee table!)
From the time I was a Pup, I got to snuggle under the covers.
It probably helped that I was a neat guy and got the hang of potty training early on.....
Also, we Westies don't shed, and we see the inside of the Pet Pawlor Salon often, 
so overall Mom's pretty tolerant.
Of course, Lucy and I have been known to cross the line.....
Pine cones are frowned upon at this establishment, as are most all outdoor toys
and snax of any kind..... Ditto dead rodents.....But, we sometimes can't resist.
I just love the king size pillows, and commandeer the Alpha spot on Top any chance I get!
Lucy is a burrower, and loves the bottom depths at our parents feet.
That division of territory works out pretty well most of the time.....
We try stick to our opposite corners.
That is, until Lucy surfaces and thinks that Mom is HER personal pillow.
That's when the Midnight snarling begins!
And that's when Dad, The Strong Arm, gets one of us in a choke hold
and we're in isolation for the rest of the evening.
So, have I mentioned that Mom is literally a pushover?
By 2 a.m., Lucy and I have switched places several times,
and in response Mom has migrated a few times too.
One night we were all so tight to the edge that I fell off.....
Thunk!.....OUCH, that hurt!!
Mom groaned, Lucy laughed hysterically,
I limped out to the couch 
and everyone sleepily rolled over.
NOW..... 
There were 3 in the bed, 
and the little one said.....

MICK'S TIP:
Resist the temptation to drag 
your stuffed Squirrel to bed.....
Mom's not thrilled 
when she opens her morning eyes 
and soggy dead fur 
is the first thing she sees!
Such choices put the Whammy 
on future bed privilege.....