WEEK 14 - SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Last week I was too sick to blog. Vet said I had a virus, but it really knocked me down hard. I had to stay in the hospital for three nights in a row before I finally felt well enough to go home this last Monday, and even then I didn't really eat much until around Wednesday. Kevin, my human, says he missed me a lot while I was gone. This is a picture of where they shaved my leg to put in the IV

Anyway I'm feeling better now, so I thought I'd show you at least of couple of my favorite things to do, besides eat and play, of course. Here you see me laying on the bottom shelf of a bookcase in the room I share with Kevin. I like it in here because it feels at least a little safe and secluded, it is almost directly in front of the fan so it is cooler, and I can still see out and watch all the happenings in the rest of the room

Another of my favorite things to do is to sit on Auntie Sue's ottoman and watch things out the window. The neighbors are fun to watch - they are always doing strange things in their yard. And there are cats, birds, and squirrels, not to mention other dogs. I can sit here for hours wagging my tail and whining...LOL


And, of course, my absolute favorite thing is to go on our morning walks with Grandma and Auntie Sue.

WEEK 13 - TOO SICK TO BLOG...

I am too sick to blog this week. I am throwing up and having diarhea and have stopped eating or drinking. I have lost 3 1/2 lbs. in three days. After several visits to the Vet he has admitted me to his hospital for more intensive care. I will tell you more about it next week.

Ugh!

WEEK 12 - MY LIFE AT FLOOR-LEVEL

As a small puppy, like me, you live your entire life at floor level. I already talked about how the cat, Quigley, can walk the perimeter of Auntie Sue's house without ever touching the ground, going from furniture to furniture, etc. I can't play with him when he does that. But there are other issues of being so small as well.

I've been stepped on more than once. Oh, no one ever means to, but I'm so close to the ground that sometimes people don't see me. They turn, I try to predict which way they are going to go, they try to step to avoid me and before you know it I've zigged and they've zagged and it is altogether the perfect timing for their heel to come down on my toe or something.

Also, there are all sorts of wonderful smells coming from higher up, especially in Grandma's kitchen. No one ever lets me have any of whatever smells so good - I'm still just a puppy and can't afford to fill up on nutrition-scarce human food - but boy I'd sure love to have some if I can ever get my teeth on it!

Finally, the biggest drawback of living on the floor is I'm still too little to jump up onto furniture yet, so when playing, all CeeCee or Kody need to do to tease me is to hop up on the furniture and taunt me while I hop and bark and try to get to them. Kevin, my human, says one day that won't work for them, I'll be big enough to jump up or even to reach them without needing to jump up on the furniture. I look forward to that day >evil grin<.

The benefits of living on the floor are that it is cooler down here, all my toys are down here, and it's a wonderful place to just collapse and take a nap with my best buddy Kody. I also like to curl up against Kevin's feet while he is working at the computer.

WEEK 11 - I SEE BIRDS

This week I noticed birds for the first time. I can't get close enough to get a really good look at them, they fly away, but they sure seem interesting to me, and I bet they'd be lots of fun to play with.

I also got to go to the dog park for the first time this week. There were so many dogs of all types, shapes and sizes there it was dizzying. I kind of stuck close to my human, Kevin, at first but after I got the hang of things I was rough housing with so many differen tnew friends it was hard to keep track.

Quigley, the cat who lives with us, can walk almost the entire circumfrance of the hous ewithout ever once touching the ground - from Auntie Sue's desk to a table to an ottoman, a chair, a china hutch, the kitchen counters, table, up to the top of the refrigerator and from there to the top of the grandfather clock - which is frustrating for me because all I can to is follow him on the ground and bark at him. I wish he'd come down and play.

Maybe next week.

WEEK 10 - I'M NOT AS LAZY AS I SEEM...LOL!

This week we doubled the distance we walk with grandma every morning. I had lots of fun running and tumbling in the grass and meeting people along the way. But on the first morning I pooped out for the last part of it.

This is a picture of my human, Kevin, carrying me the rest of the way - I told you he was big and strong! He carried me this way because, he says, that this is the only way to carry such a big dog once they're full grown, so I might as well get used to it now. All I know is I just relaxed and enjoyed the ride.


Here is a video of me playing with Kody. I'm already almost as big as he is.

On the way back from the post office this week I got bored riding in the car, so I decided to take a cat nap. Actually, I sleep on my back like this a lot, even at home. It's cooler this way. Sure I got bored, but a boring day in the car with Kevin is still better than a boring day at home alone, I can tell you that.

WEEK 9 - I GROW AND LEARN

Now that I've had my first battery of shots I get to go a lot more places. I'm learning how to not climb into Kevin's lap while he's driving; how much fun it is to stick my head out of the window of a moving car; and I'm continuing to meet all sorts of new and interesting people. I've found I really like little humans, boys or girls, it doesn't matter. They are very nice to me and they are littler, like me, and we can play lots more than I can with adults.

My human, Kevin, has started walking me over to a nearby amusement park where we sit on the grass outside the entrance and wait for people to come over to us to fuss over me and give me attention. Kevin says he especially wants me socialized around children so that I can learn to be friendly and gentle to them, and so far it's not a problem. I love to lick their faces and cuddle up to them.


Meanwhile everyone keeps commenting on how fast I'm growing. Kevin says you can almost see it on a daily basis. I'm already more than twice as big as I was when I first came to live with him. But it only makes sense. We St.Bernards grow from puppies to nearly 100 lbs. in our first year of life - that's a lot of growing in such a short time. I still have a long way to go and an ever shortening time to get there...LOL!

WEEK 8 - I MEET MY VETERINARIAN

This week brought two big changes to my routine. First, I met my Veterinarian, Dr. B. He and his nurses were all very nice to me. When my human, Kevin, first brought me home three weeks ago I was 8 1/2 lbs, but now I'm almost 15 lbs! I got my nails clipped, and Dr B. felt my muscles and bones, he listened to my heart, and he stuck me with a needle, but I was too busy chewing on a treat to notice. I did feel it when he stuck a RFID chip under my skin. This chip helps Kevin find me if I ever get lost. I recommend that every pet get one of these, or they may not find their way back home, especially if they are a particularly sweet and valuable dog like me! >Big grin!< To find out more, go to this website: HomeAgain.

The second big thing to happen to me is I got to join Kevin and his mother on their daily morning walks. Kevin keeps his mother company as they walk around a nearby lake and OMG there were so many new smells and new sensations! The lake itself smells like fish and bird poop, an intoxicating combination. Then there are plants, and sand, and gravel, and grass, and the smells of other animals all around. I was nearly beside myself with all the new things to sniff and explore and find out all about. One of my favorite things is to romp and tumble and roll around in the dewey grass or tall weeds.

We often meet other people and dogs on the path. Most of the people are friendly, and some of the dogs are. I like new people and am fearless to walk up to anyone and beg for loves and body rubs, and usually they oblige. I especially like ladies - they smell good and have softer hands and voices. In fact, if Kevin didn't keep me on a leash I would have followed any number of them to where they were going instead of back home with Kevin. Don't get me wrong, I love Kevin lots, but anything new is a curiosity to me and I simply must find out all about it!

Well, walking tuckers me out, so I'm going to take a nap now! Catch you later!

WEEK 7 - I MAKE MYSELF AT HOME

I live in Denver, Colorado with my human, Kevin, and his cousin, Sue. There are two other dogs here. Cassidy is a Black Labrador mix, and though she isn't old, she is a big ol' grouch and doesn't want anything to do with me. Her loss! Kody, on the other hand, is a very friendly little red dog (probably some sort of Pomeranian mix.) He's more hospitable than Cass is and plays with me sometimes, but mostly he is nervous around me and doesn't know exactly what to expect from me. Then there is a black and white cat here named Quigly who won't be sociable but does watch me from on top of every high piece of furniture in the house...CHICKEN! LOL!

I often go to my grandma's (Kevin's Mom's) house, and there are two dogs there. Mia, a Poodle, is just as grouchy as Cass, but CeeCee is a puppy just a little bit older than me. The problem is, she is a Chihuahua and very very fast, and I often stumble over my own feet trying to keep up with her. There is a cat here, too, a big white one named Elvis, who I understand is named after some famous human male who can put human females into heat with just the sound of his howling...what they call singing. Anyway, this cat is cool and will play with CeeCee and me sometimes.

I'm getting the idea that Kevin doesn't want me to do my business inside any house, though I don't see why. Still, when I forget it seems to make him mad _ I get yelled at. But when I do it outside, it makes him happy and I get scratched behind my ears, which I find strangely pleasurable. So I try to remember to ask to go out, but sometimes I still forget, or I wait till it's too late and I pee on the way out. But I know I'll get the hang of it sooner than later.

All in all I could get used to this. I'm liking the free food, the ear-scratches and body-rubs for no apparent rerason, etc. There are treats and lots of things to chew on (note to self: chew on toys, not on shoes, and don't bite human hands even in affection or play!) I can sleep when I want, play when I want, eat when I want...who wouldn't like this life?!

WEEK 6 - I GET A NAME

Kevin, my human, is really struggling with finding just the right name for me. He thinks and thinks and thinks real hard but can't think of a good one. He searches baby names on the internet, puppy names, and even names of female Catholic saints, since I am a SAINT bernard (by the way, there are litterally hundreds of female saints alone in the Catholic pantheon! I mean, who knew?)

The names Kevin's cousin, Sue, suggest are too cute for him, and the one's his mom suggest just don't seem to fit me. I wait patiently while Kevin tries names like Marie-Rose, Crystal, Willow, Camile, and even Jasmine. But none of the seem just right.

Then he comes accross the Japanese name, Koko, and he likes it. In fact, the more he thinks about it the more he likes it. But I am Austrian, not Japanese. The Germanic peoples are known for their chocolate, so he calls me Cocoa-Belle - Cocoa for my color and sweet disposition, and Belle as tribute to the first St. Bernard he owned who died unexpectedly young.

I like my name, and am already starting to respond to it, looking up at who ever calls my name, though I haven't learned to come when called yet.

WEEK 5 - I PICK A HUMAN

I am 5 weeks old. I have 6 brothers and 5 sisters - that's right, 12 of us in all! Mom's not able to feed us all, so our breeders, John and Candace Arundale, start feeding us cereal to keep us growing strong. My sire is Sir. Titan of Giants, but even he isn't as big as my brother from a prior litter, so I expect to get big, even for a St. Bernard. My Damme is Cleopatra Jewel of the Nile. No, not THE Cleopatra, but she is even more pretty than the original if you ask me, with a long curly coat. I hope I grow up to be even half as pretty as she is.

John and Candace have started to bring humans out to the ranch where we live for me and my brothers and sisters to pick from. Although I am literally the youngest, born last entire minutes after my litter mates, I am the first to pick a human to go home with.

This is a picture of Kevin, my human. I picked him because he seems big and strong and when he got down on all fours to play with me, like he was a dog himself, he made me laugh. I mean humans don't walk on all four legs like us dogs, that's just silly! >Giggle!<

I think Kevin and I are going to have lots of fun together. I'm looking forward to all sorts of adventures, and I'll keep you all up to date on what kind of trouble I manage to stir up in the weeks, months and years to come!

Auf wiedersehen for now! (Hey, my ancestors are Austrian, so I get to say that!)