Merry Christmas Dog

Buzz is really getting into Christmas (though he is more into the unwrapping than wrapping).  He is excited about his presents and really doesn't want to wait to open them. He also likes to wear costumes as I'm sure you could tell by his pictures! Since he likes to spend more time outside than inside, when it started to snow the other day he got excited when it first started as he thought it was food falling from heaven!

Thanksgiving Dog

He was very thankful the other day as he learned how to take the top off his treats and helped himself. He is very helpful as I took down the trampoline for the winter and he got on the decking and started jumping up and down. He couldn't understand why when it was on the ground and it didn't bounce. He also got a giant orange toy which he loves and continues to prove he is a puppy as he likes to play much more than being petted. He also is now getting ready for Christmas.

What Can A Dog Be For Halloween?

If his name is Buzz it is simple .... Buzz Lightyear. And he did go trick or treating .... and got treats....bones. And he loved he facts that all the kids thought he was cute ... looking at them when they said it as to say ...you got that right!

Bengals Dog

Well depsite a bye this week in the NFL for the Bengals, Buzz was proudly wearing his Bengals garb. He also now cheers for the Miamisburg Vikings and has a Halloween costume of his choice..... Buzz Lightyeaar!

Playing Around

Well at least we don't have to be the only ones wearing out the dog as our neighbor now has his own play toy for the dog and they have become good friends. Every morning they play tug of war and he pulls his bed over to the fence to watch the neighbor when ever he is out cutting his grass. My neighbor has also threatened to start training Buzz to take him on the road as he is really good at jumping and he thinks Buzz would make a great Frisbee retriever dog. He might be right as the dog loves to jump and surprising can jump really high. In addition, surprisingly Buzz has decided he likes to dress up. He loves to wear his Bengals outfit on game day and watch the game (good thing he can't yell at the refs), he loves to try to put on Laura's clothes and he already has a Halloween costume... appropriately Buzz Lightyear. He also got a Miamisburg Vikings Cheer outfit. He is definitely the social butterfly as he loves to meet new people and is a little upset when someone passes him by without saying how cute he is. He also has found out that he can change the TV with the remote and has almost figured out how to open his treats bag.

I Like Ice

Ice Cubes, Ice Cream, Shaved Ice, Round Ice, Square Ice, Rectangular Ice and even Blue Ice. You never want to let a glass sit around with ice in it as he will knock it over to get to the ice. Ice you are drinking a glass of something with ice in it and he hears the ice clank on the side of the glass, he will jump on you and try to put his nose in the glass and get the ice cube. He waits at the refrigerator to see if we might drop him some ice. Maybe he is just getting ready for winter. He has also decided he loves to destroy any rug placed outside in the back yard.

Another Big Test This Week

Well luckily he is now up to staying outside at least half the time he is awake every day (probably even a little more than half which is good) Unfortunately, he remains scared of the dark and comes in at night to sleep  in his crate. During the day he sleeps outside and we have even left him a couple of times in the backyard when we have left the house. (He seemed to calm down fairly quickly after we left), I think part of the reason he likes to be in the yard so much is our neighbor loves to come over to play with him. And now for the test....Laura goes back to school this week so he will have to go every day without her for long periods of time. Hopefully, he will adapt quickly.

Gymnastics Dog

Well just when you think you've seen it all....well I mentioned that Buzz likes to jump on the trampoline well apparently it is going further after watching Gymnastics in the Olympics it is almost impossible to keep him from wanting to be on the trampoline jumping. He now does try to do flips and whines if you won't help bounce him. But now for the funniest portion. He found Laura's Gymnastics Leo and somehow forced his body into it and came walking out into the living room with it on and insisted on going to the trampoline to perform. So the question ...is he really a dog?

 

(you will note in the pictures, though it is hard to tell, he is wearing the leotard)

I'm Fearless

Well, unfortunately, Buzz has now decided he is fearless. He tries to (and thinks he can) scale trees which he chases the squirrels up. Jumps on top of everything outside and then "declares" it his own. He has decided he is happy we have four chairs at the fire fit as one is "his" chair. He also likes to take off whenever he sees the fence or door come open. He is really quick and will run and run until you are able to corner him. He is also starting to get the habit of running around the back yard as fast as he can in large circles around the edge of the fence until he finally wears himself out and has to go get a drink. (I personally think he is just watching too much of the Olympics and thinks he is in training for an event.) He is also continuing his busy social schedule and has now decided he wants to go on play dates with the dogs he got to stay with a couple of weeks back.  My question ..... do we have a dog or a spoiled new kid at the house?

More pictures

Well it seems like Buzz is settling in to having three favorite items to do:

1. Sleep ....Where ever and when ever HE wants ...not when YOU want
2. Roam HIS KINGDOM in the back yard and he is not intimidated by size since all the dogs are larger than him in the area and while he really usually just likes to say hi to them, if they try to show who is boss HE LET'S THEM KNOW. He has also now decided another one of his favorite things to do is jump on the trampoline. We are hoping soon to catch him in the act of doing a flip but he is also content with just jumping.

   He has decided he is a Shriner
   as he found the kid's fez to wear

   
3. TERRORIZING THE HOUSE and when he is confronted, he looks innocent as if to say "who are you talking to ... little innocent me"? Actually he is fairly good ... he just likes to let you know he is a puppy.

Buzz Gone Wild

This week while we were in Charlotte NC at the Shrine National Convention, Buzz stayed with our friends who have two dogs of their own. And we are hoping he is ready to come home when we get there to pick him up as he has been having fun with their dogs. Our friends have been sending us several pictures of his escapades at their home which I am posting.

Not a Happy Camper



With his favorite toy...one of my socks



Buzz indicated today that he was not a happy camper but then again I wouldn't be either if I had to get a shot! He was definitely a cranky dog after going to the vets and I think part of it was it made him a little bit tired and he was fighting going to sleep. He also decided to play hide and go seek and keep away after he got home with Laura in the front yard. He kept going behind the tree where he thought she couldn't see him and then when see would get close he would run away. The game of cat and mouse continued until Laura finally was able to sneak up on him to corral him and get his lease back on him. So much for fun from an escaped dog!

Not A Fun Day To Begin With For Buzz

Today Buzz finally got in some real trouble. He decided to play a little rough and then didn't want to stop playing rough so instead of getting to go to a picnic with us, he got to stay in his crate for a couple of hours. I think he learned his lesson though since when we returned he was very friendly and almost seemed to be apologizing for his earlier mistakes. He then got to go for a ride in Laura's convertible VW Bug which he loves since his ears fly with the top down. (We think he believes he is Underdog whenever this happens.) But his favorite thing was when he got to set in the parking lot with Laura with the top down while Pam and I did a quick stop at a store. Twelve people came by and wanted to pet him and told him how cute he looked. Needless to say he was once again in heaven and I thinks he likes the attention even better than eating or chewing on things ... which he loves to do!

Houdini Lives

Buzz has decided he is now an escape artist,. We have a crate for inside the house and he seems to like it fairly well now. Today when Pam left she put Buzz in the crate and he quickly quieted down and went to sleep. About 10 minutes later, while I was working in the other side of the house, he came waltzing in the room and made sure I knew he was there and then turned around ran back to the other side of the house and ran back in the room where I was with his leash. So I took him outside as I had to do a quick drive over to the car dealership to pick up Pam where she was taking the car to have it worked on. He got in the car and insisted he was driving. I made him sit in the passenger seat and he insisted he was going to drive so before I started the car I put his front paws on the top of the steering wheel, turned on the car and let him turn the wheel back and forth. After a couple of minutes of driving in the driveway with the car in park, he was content to go back to the passenger seat and go for a ride.After we got home I put him in the outdoor kennel for the first time and we went inside. He howled for a couple of minutes and then calmed down so I peaked through the blinds at him...and there he was sitting by the door of the house. Now the kennel is around 5 ft high from the ground up and there are no visible holes or slots in the kennel, yet he got out. Again....I think his is ready for the circus...look out Chris Angel.

Dogs Day at the Lake

Buzz spent the day lounging at the lake yesterday after a another parade in the morning. He also loved the fact that a house full of girls was next to where we were at and continued to come over all day and tell him how cute he is. He was in heaven. It was kind of funny as we bought him a lifejacket in case he went a little further out on the lake which had a handle on it to be able to quickly pull him out of the water. As he put it on, while it was not that heavy, he couldn't figure out how to walk with it on and looked like he was drunk as he staggered around until he got used to wearing it. He also took his first swimming lessons without the jacket. He also loved all the rest of the folks who were there, especially the kids, who continued to come by to play with him. He also had a little bit of an identity crisis at times as one of our friends was caught several times holding, "racer", as she joking refers to him.

Good Day To Be A Dog Outside

Buzz decided he wanted to play outside almost all day and the best part was he wanted to play ALONE. Since he has come home someone has either been holding him or watching him almost around the clock. Today (now that he is big enough not to be able to get under the fence) he took his toys and went to the opposite side of the yard of where we were at and if he saw us he made sure he picked up his toys and moved to where we couldn't see him. Sounds almost like a teenager!

Finally Some Success in the Crate

Well we have been working hard to get Buzz to not think the crate was a form of punishment but rather a place to sleep, play with toys when no one is around, and as a home inside the house. He really hasn't been happy in the crate to this point. everything we put in the crate, he pulls out. But now he is starting to be more comfortable and has even slept in there a couple of times. He continue to love to tear up paper and still has a shoe fetish but in general, if you just remember he is a puppy, he doesn't seem to be doing too bad.

Out and About

Well, Buzz is definitely getting a personality which is shining through clearly. Today was his second parade and he really seems to be soaking up all the attention. In fact when one person walked by him without saying how cute he was, he started pouting. This parade was different than the last in that the parade was at the Ohio Masonic Home and the folks attending the parade are advanced in years.  He also loved the fact that he was "borrowed" by a friend for a little while who had recently lost her beagle. He also had several others who stopped by to tell their stories about when they had their beagles years ago. It was definitely nice to see several folks face "light up" when they saw him and indicated that he made them remember a time long ago.

He also continues to remind us that he is a puppy as he wants to "mark" his territory and as we try to get him crate trained he continues to protest. One nice thing is he is already grown enough that he can no longer get through most of the areas of the fence which I mentioned he could find a way to squeeze through last week. And Buzz has also taught my 16 year old a good lesson...having young ones is a lot of work and at times cuts into your social life fun. Since Buzz is her dog, we have made her stay with him several times when we needed to go out for a short period of time. As she is still working to get her drivers license, her and Buzz where "home alone". But the good part will hopefully be that soon Buzz will get crate trained and I'm sure when my daughter gets her license, Buzz (in his doggie seat belt of course) and her will be driving around with his ears flowing in the wind.

Next weekend Buzz is going to the lake so he is off to the pet store to get a life jacket. Life is good when you are a dog.

Buzz Continues to Grow Quickly

While he is still a playful puppy and full of energy, he is really getting the hang of understanding  (for the most part) how to channel his energy at the appropriate times (it also helps that his owners are also learning how to wear him out!) He rides in the car now like he owns it. He understands how to behave to be allowed to stay in the house but he loves to play outside for extended periods of time (either by himself or with others). He, fairly well, is understanding what a time out is and how to avoid it. And the best part is that even when he finds a small enough hole in the fence to squeak through (which is why we can't leave him completely alone in the back yard), he comes to the fence and whines to get back into the yard. (It was really funny to watch him trying to squeeze back into the yard which wasn't quite as easy as getting out). And unfortunately, he really appears to be cleaver and resourceful right now so until he gets a little bigger, I think he is going to find ways around any method we put forth to keep him from squeezing through a few very tight spaces.

Rock Star

Well after a weekend on the road, Buzz is acting like a Rock Star and I guess he should since everyone who met him fell in love with him and wanted to take him home. In addition, I think he talked a family he met into getting a puppy for their little boy as the little boy went crazy over Buzz and then Mom said "maybe we should get him a puppy" and Dad then said "I think it might be a good idea". Buzz then walked off as to say my work here is done. While he liked to sniff all the good "human" food he saw, he has continued to just stay with his puppy food, something I really hope continues forever.He has also decided he likes the movie Underdog and decided he could fly off the end of the bed!

On The Road

Well, this weekend Buzz made his first road trip and first time to stay in a hotel. He really traveled well for the four hours in the car to get here (hopefully he will do as well going home!) He is still doing well going to the door when he needs to go do his business. Once he got here, he learned how to walk up and down the steps and was really in a mood to rough house. You can also tell he is teething as he wants to chew of every toy he has and people too. For the chewing on people, he got a time out and needless to say didn't like that well at all. But all being said and done, he still is a pretty good dog...and awfully cute too!