Miss Maxim

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today Diesel licked himself in all the silly places, dug a hole, ate poop, and peed in the house. Just kidding! It's me, Penny! I was just trying to get my little brother back for making fun of my full figure. I'm a hottie! Check out my best shots from my photo shoot today:






These pictures were taken after I kicked butt on a 3 mile hike, up and down big hills. I kept up with Diesel and Boz. Sometimes I was even in front of them. Every time Jenny called us we came running back, except when we saw a big white truck. We thought it was you guys. Jenny fell down trying to grab onto my collar. I felt bad for her. The guy in the truck rolled down his window and said something about a "circus"? What's that? Must be something funny because he was laughing.

I really like hiking. I hope I get to do it with you guys some day. Well, I've got to go now. Jenny's calling us to go outside for one last potty before bedtime.

I love and miss you so much,
Penny
xoxoxoxo

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. Something must have happened because I don't get out much since last week. The only few times I've been out of Jenny's house was when it was dark and she made me lay down in the back seat of her car. There were sheets all around me and I couldn't see out. I didn't know what to think of it. But I didn't mind the place where she took us. It was very cool. The smells were awesome! A small house with a pool, a dirt road, lots of grass, trees, rocks and strange animal poop (I really wanted to check that out). What can I say? I'm a dog!

I wasn't allowed off the leash, which was a huge bummer because Boz got to run around where ever he liked, and he got to check out the strange animal poop without me! I laughed when Jenny saw him and said, "Boz, leave it!" That's what she says when she wants us to stay away from something we want that she doesn't want us to have. It's okay because when we leave stuff alone and come back to her she gives us treats and rubs our ears.

Aside from a few covert field trips, I've pretty much been chillin in the yard with my peeps. Jenny sent you a picture but it was bad quality because she didn't set her camera to the right resolution. Oops! Even humans make mistakes. Good to know...

Last week, before I realized something was up, this nice lady in funny looking clothes came by to see me in the dog run. She would look at me, talk to Jenny and write stuff down on a note pad. She let me smell her and she seemed nice. Not at all scary. She didn't stare at me or talk to me in funny voices, like other people do. I don't like people to get to close, look at me, touch me, or talk to me, unless I know and trust them.

Anyway, she left and then the whole vibe changed. I could tell Jenny was sad. She didn't play with us that much until the next day. That's okay because dogs have bad days too. Sometimes we just want to lay in the mud.

Today was fun because Jenny bought four new toys! A big red ball with a handle on it, a giant fluffy rope ball (my fave), a lame ball on a rope (those are so "yesterday"), and a giant squeaky dinosaur (now, that's cool!). Boz and I played with all of them. Jenny took Penny to two of her lessons, while we played. Penny really likes going to the lessons. I think she's really good at stuff. Maybe a little better than me. Maybe. But I'm going to get good like she is. I want to make people happy.

Then Jenny went to Santa Rosa with Boz and Benny and left me with Penny. I was jealous because when they got back Boz smelled like lake water and wet grass. Lucky dog! They she swapped out Boz for Penny. Penny went for a bike ride. They weren't gone very long because Penny is out of shape. She's not as athletic as I am. I work out. She lays around and steals food. I'd probably steal food too if I knew how. She's really good at it.

We just got our nightly massages. Jenny checks our ears, teeth and feet. She brushes us and looks for stuff on our body. She wants to make sure we are healthy. I luuuuuuv it when she cleans my ears with the q-tip. It feels soooooo good!






Well, I'm off to bed and here are some pictures to look at. Me in my room, Boz on his place-bed, all of our crates and Penny lying down in Jenny's office. Jenny let's her be free in the house because she just follows her and lays around. When I'm out, I get into trouble. I pick things up to chew that I shouldn't have. What do you want? I'm still a puppy!

Love,
Diesel

P.S.
Tell Vance and Brennan I love them :)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter Mom and Dad!

I wish could give you a chocolate bunny to celebrate but dogs aren't allowed in stores that sell food. Jenny hosted a neighborhood Easter Egg hunt in her front and backyards. Boz and I had to stay in the dog-run but it was interesting to watch. So many little people, running around and screaming every time they found a funny looking, sorta round, thing called an "egg". I know that because the kids kept saying "I found one! I found an egg!".

Lots of people were laughing and getting excited. It made me want to get out and help. Jenny and some of the parent's helped the littlest kids look for the eggs. It didn't take long for them to find the eggs. Jenny had to count the number because she wanted to make sure they were all found. She was worried Boz and I might find the left-overs and eat them. Eggs aren't bad for dogs but the shells are. A little girl named Gracie found the most eggs. She lives around the corner with her little sister, Ava. Seeing all those kids made me miss Vance and Brennan. Will you tell them I miss them and give them lots of face licks for me? Oops! Jenny says I can't ask you to lick their faces because that would be gross for a human to do.

We're going to leave for a hike in about an hour. Jenny is going to show me some goats and horses up close. I think they look like dogs but they smell different and make funnier sounds that scare me. I'm get scared of the silliest things, or so Jenny says... Like brown paper bags from the grocery store. When Jenny was folding them the sound made me run out of the kitchen and hide in my crate. She brought the bag over, put some hot dogs in it, and made me put my head inside to get the hot dogs out. It was really scary. So, she had Boz do it and then I copied him. It wasn't so bad after all. Still, sounds and new things make me nervous. People still make me a little nervous too. Jenny just tells everyone to stay calm so I can sniff them and then it's all good.

When I come home Jenny is going to give you a list of instructions for people who come to visit us. It will help me learn that they are not going to "get me", and that you guys aren't going to let anything bad happen to me. I think it would help if the people gave me treats :) I really like it when the treats come flyin' out of their pockets!

Okay, I better get going. Jenny's getting Boz and I ready for our hike. We're doing five miles! I should sleep really well tonight. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I have gained four pounds! I've also got really big muscles in my butt and legs... "Every woman's greatest wish," says Jenny. I wouldn't know anything about that. I'm just a big, goofy, floppy lipped doggie with lots of love to share!

I love you,
Diesel

P.S. Jenny is going to take more pictures this week so I can post them on my blog :)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Dear Mom and Dad,

I just got a bath! I sure do love water. I think Jenny might try to teach me how to swim. I smell like lavender. But the best part was she let me play in the spray of the hose after she rinsed off the shampoo. I love chasing the stream and having my face sprayed. It feels nice in the warm sun.

Before my bath, Jenny had to take her neighbor's cat to the Vet Hospital. It was really sick and she's taking care of it while they are away on vacation. Jenny was very sad because she was worried he might die while she's watching him. His name is Sparky, and he is really, really, really old. I licked Jenny all over her face and even her hair because I wanted to make her feel better.

I tried to cheer her up by being extra good in my training session. She made me do all the regular stuff but she started a new thing that was really hard for me... Teaching me to leave things alone. She dropped hot dogs (my fave) on the ground in front of me. When I went to get them she told me "leave it" and blocked me. Every time I left the hot dogs alone and looked away, she gave me a treat from her pocket. I learned that when I leave things alone I get a better reward.

Then we practiced a very long "down-stay". It was so hard for me to stay still for that long. She timed my for twenty minutes. At first I broke it a few times but then I figured out she wasn't going to let me get away with that. For every five minutes I stayed in place she gave me a treat. I even stayed down when the mail man came, a bicycle rode by, and two people walking, who tempted me by saying, "Oh, what a beautiful dog! He's so well behaved!" I sure felt proud of myself. While Jenny was timing me she planted flowers in her front yard. They looked like the ones I dug up... So fun :P There were all kinds of temptations while I was laying there. Snack was cruising around. Boz was peeing on the trees. I wanted to get up so bad! But I did it and she gave me a "jackpot", which is a big handful of treats.

We're going for a hike later but I won't be able to run free because she hasn't put my flea stuff on yet. We didn't do much yesterday afternoon so Jenny wants to work extra hard today. Benny, the Miniature Schnauzer, lost his owner to cancer over the weekend. We didn't find out until we went to pick him up yesterday. So, instead of training, we played fetch and Boz and I wrestled with Benny. Benny lives on lots of beautiful land with grass, a lake, lots of trees, ponds, fountains, and a huge house. Jenny's going to keep training him until his owner's kids come to get him. It's sad, but the best part about us dogs is that we don't stay sad for long. We have short memories. As long as everyone around us is positive and happy, we are too.

Well, it's back to work now. Jenny has to give Boz, Woofie, and Snack a bath too. I'm going to watch from the dog run and hope that some of the water will come my way.

I love you,
Diesel

P.S.
I heard Penny is coming to stay with us. I can't wait! She's going to love it here but she's going to have to learn lots of new things and be a good girl. Boz is going to like her too. Maybe Woofie will be nice to her. We'll see...

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm pooped! Jenny took me and Boz on a three mile bike ride. We ran right next to her while she peddled. There were lots of people out on their bikes too. We also saw tons of other dogs and there were some behind fences that barked a lot and kinda scared me. But Jenny just kept peddling and Boz didn't even flinch. I felt safe with them.

Jenny's teaching me something called a "down-stay". She makes me lay down and stay there until she says the word, "free". Of course, as usual, I get treats when I do it the right way. On our bike ride we rode past a house with three Golden Retrievers that Jenny trains during the week. They were behind a see-through fence and seemed dangerous at first. Jenny put Boz and I in "down-stays" about six feet from the fence where the other dogs were barking and growling at us. One of them (Jenny called her "Ginger") was foaming at the mouth and throwing her body at the fence. I thought for sure she was going to get us all! But Jenny just kept telling Boz and I to stay and we did. Once I was calm and ignored the other dogs, Jenny rewarded me with treats. I guess she was trying to teach me that she had control and wasn't going to let anything happen to us. She's going to teach you guys how to do it too so I will be a good boy, even when I get scared.

Eventually the other dogs calmed down and stopped barking at us. Two of them even laid down by the fence and chilled out. Jenny threw them treats and then we were on our way. Slowly but surely, I'm beginning to figure out what this crazy world is all about and where I fit in. There's a lot to see and I can't wait to share it with you guys.

Nicki, Jenny's mom, came by again today and she seemed less uncomfortable around me. That made me feel a little better. I wish she wouldn't be so scared of me. When she gets scared I get scared and it's freaky. Hopefully we'll become good friends as each day passes. Woofie seems to be less agitated by me now. For the most part, I just stay away from his run. But when I walk by he doesn't charge the fence anymore. We all sleep inside at night. I have my own crate. It's HUGE! It's like my own private bedroom. I have a comfy bed and Jenny put sheets over it to keep it nice and dark. Boz sleeps on a bed right next to my little room and Woofie sleeps on his bed on the other side of Boz,

I'm getting more food now. Jenny took me to her vet's office to get weighed. Her vet is friends with our vet, Dr. P. His name is Dr. Forsythe. He was really cool and the office wasn't scary at all. I wasn't sure about the scale but I stepped right on when Jenny told me to. I weighed 117 pounds and since I'm getting a lot more exercise she's giving me 8 cups of tasty food every day... Four cups in the morning and four at night. Plus, lots of treats! YUM! YUM! YUM! Next time you see me I'll be a buff guy, with lots of muscles and new tricks to show you. Oh, and Dr. Forsythe told Jenny that I'll be getting bigger and filling out until I turn three years old. He says I'm going to be gigantic!

I'm a really good boy, except for digging up Jenny's new flowers in her favorite pot. She says I should be "diggin" her and not holes! She's probably right but sometimes it's good to be bad :)

xoxoxo,
Diesel

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Dear Mom and Dad,

It's been a week since you left and things are great here, in Sonoma. I've been learning so many new things. I've been such a good boy. You'll be very proud of me when you get back from your trip. The only bad thing I did was digging up Jenny's new flowers in a big pot on her back porch. She planted them yesterday. They just looked so colorful and fun. I couldn't resist myself. I shouldn't have done it but I still don't know that it was a bad thing because she didn't "catch me in the act". Apparently, humans aren't supposed to get mad at us dogs for things unless they see us doing them. Kinda cool, huh?

I've met so many nice people and other dogs. I love Jenny's really teeny tiny dog, Snack. She's a 12 year old, female Chihuahua. She's white and runs like a little bunny. She's fun to chase. Speaking of fun, I also like teasing Woofie through his dog-run fence. He gets so mad at me and tries to eat me through the fence. Haha, he can't get me. But Jenny can! She doesn't let me tease him anymore.

I really like the training we're doing. I'm pretty sure I'm super good at it because of all the treats I get. We go on lots of walks and yesterday I got to meet tons of people. I haven't growled at anyone, except for Jenny's Mom, Nicki, and Grandma Shirley. Jenny says it's because they are scared of me and look at me funny, which is true. Nicki took me for a walk and seems to be doing better but I heard her tell Jenny that she is still a little scared of me. I can see it in her eyes. Everyone else follows Jenny's instructions on how to introduce themselves to me. I like it best when they pretend I'm not there so I can smell them. It's nice when they pet me without staring at me. Jenny keeps telling me it's because I'm so handsome, and they can't take their eyes off me. Still, that's just not how we do it in the "dog world".

I hope Mexico is fun. I'm having a blast here. I get to play with tons of dogs during the week and Boz is my best friend! We wrestle and play tug of war all day long. The third day I was here, Jenny brought Benny, a 1 year old Miniature Schnauzer, and Coconut, a 6 month old Bichon Frisee, over to have a play-date with me. We also went on a long walk with Jenny. She calls us her "pack". I don't care what she calls it. All I know is that it's awesome and a really good time!

The picture above is from my first big play-date. Jenny also posted a video on YouTube. I hope you like it. I'll write more soon.

xoxoxo,
Diesel

Monday, March 10, 2008

Dear Mom and Dad,

Yesterday was so fun! Jenny took me for a long walk with Boz. The big world isn't as scary with Boz around. Boz is teaching me the "nice" way to play. I'm learning not to bark at him when I want to play tug of war. Jenny's Grandma Shirley came over yesterday and brought two little Chihuahuas called Snack and Mouse. Mouse was cranky and snapped at me but Snack was super cool and now she's staying with all of us while I'm here. I was only allowed to sniff Jenny's Grandma through the screen door. Jenny showed her the right way to let me smell her, but she cheated by looking at me and I growled. I'm not sure what to think of her. She smells funny and has white hair. Jenny scolded me for growling and I walked away. Then Grandma Shirley took that mean old Mouse back home with her. Thank the Dog God's!

Then we did another training session. Jenny got a little frustrated when she was teaching me to go "down" because I was trying to be silly and play with her. She wanted me to be a good student and focus, but I had a case of the wiggles. I caught her laughing. Sucker! Later in the evening she cut my toe nails. She was very gentle. She also cleaned my ears and put medicine in them because I have a little yeast infection. It's nothing to worry about. She checked me out today and it's already clearing up. Yay! Oh, she also brushed me and gave me did something funny with her hands. It felt really good and I fell asleep. I think she called it a Puppy Massage. Well, whatever it was, it was awesome! Boz and Woofie got one too.

Woofie still doesn't like me. I'm not mean to him but I like to bark at him when he's in his run. He gets really mad and tries to eat me through the fence. I think it's fun but Jenny makes me stop. Boy, Woofie sure is easy to tease! Still, I have to learn to be "nice" and Jenny either tells me to "relax" or "settle". She tells Woofie to do the same. Who knew a dog that old could be so cranky?

Also, I like the food Jenny gives me. It's yummy. I get so excited when she brings out our bowls but she always makes me eat last. Bummer. Today, we are going on something called a "hike". It sounds interesting. We're going with Boz, and two dogs named Benny and Pepper. I'm excited to meet them and make more friends! Hopefully Jenny will show me how to meet people without being scared. Her neighbor, Merik, and her mom, Nicki are coming over to set up two crates. One for me and one for Boz, to sleep in when she's away. I guess it's good because I tried to eat her rug in the kitchen yesterday when she went to the store. She didn't get mad because she knew I didn't understand that I did anything wrong. I like her. I give her lots of kisses and she rubs my ears.

Well, I better go now. I think I have another training session to do. Goodie! More treats! Oh, and she's been giving me baby carrots. I'm not sure how to chew them yet (Jenny giggles a lot when I try to figure it out), but I'm watching Boz to learn. He really seems to like them so I want to like them too.

Okay, Mom and Dad... I love you. I'll write more soon. Jenny says to drink lots of margaritas for her, and we'll post pictures soon too!

xoxoxo,
Diesel

P.S. Jenny thinks I can have my own kitty because of how gentle I am with Snack :)