Wow!

My friend Chuck Spinks came by tonight and gave me some pointers on training my most wonderful puppy. Most wonderful puppy weighs 69 pounds! I have had him almost 4 weeks. I wish I had weighed him then. He is growing and those feet look like they can handle an other 20 pounds. Obedience school is coming.

A Suicidal Dog

It appears Duke ate the bag of chocolate, wrappers and all and they must have gone right through him. He has been hyper all day, otherwise no adverse effects. Coming home in the car his paw hit the window button and when I looked back the window was going up and his head was out the window. A warning to me to make sure the window controls are locked. Duke is getting bigger and stronger every day. Today he was leaping 4 to 5 feet.

A Mystery and a Concern

Duke woke up up at his usual time (before I wanted to) for his walk and was all excited as usual. He wanted to play and soon was running in and out getting lots of exercise and took a poop on the bricks. No problem because he has not had an accident but unusual because he usually saves it for yappy hour. Since he was outside it wasn't too difficult to corral him to the spigot for his bath. That did not go well. Inside I noticed him playing with some paper which turned out to be the EMPTY bag of Hershey's Dark chocolate nuggets with almonds. The mystery is where the candy went. I can't imagine he would eat it wrapped. NO, I did not consume it and have forgotten. My concern is he should not eat chocolate. I'm wondering if that was the reason for the early morning poop which I did not examine for telltale foil. He seems fine, maybe a little more rambunctious than usual. (caffeine?) I think we are headed to Starbuck's where he gets lots of attention but no coffee.

Something Amiss

Duke has behaved well the last two days. What is he hiding? I still want to have a surveilance camera but soon that won't be necessary. He wasn't hungry this morning which really worried me. Dogs at the doggie park have come down with "gelardia" (sp?). He also has this new position where he is spread out like a frog and rubs his muzzle in the carpet. He just went out but is whimpering at the bottom of the stairs like a spoiled child. Why would that be?

Terrible Two's 2

I am remiss in not getting the heavy trash can I intended to purchase. As a result, my precious puppy got into the trash overnight. We didn't have much time at yappy hour so we went for a walk tonight. He seems to like newspaper and I have to correct that.

Terrible Two's

Duke is at the same stage in his devlopement as a 2 year old child. Not only has Duke found his voice, he has found all of those sounds which will make the neighbors call the cops and report a dog being mistreated. All because he is barricaded on the first floor. Last night he was put in the backyard as punishment for running off and the moans carried to the Fiesta store down the street. The little whimpers and sounds that were like a bird chirping are much more effective. He is also bounding everywhere. All of this in a couple days. Once he has my undivided attention he will lay down and behave. He still ignores the rawhide chews but found my glasses case perfect for teething.
Duke is also something of a marvel in another sense. I do not know where he holds it; when we go for a walk, he is able to "mark" at least 16 trees, bushes, phone poles etc.
I was pleased I got down to 165. My exercise regimen now allows me to eat all the things I had to cut out

Duke Finds His Voice

Since my last post we've gone to Starbuck's and the dog park at Allen Parkway. There are too many dogs at Allen Parkway and The water in the bayou is hardly a clear and bubbling brook.
At Starbuck's he found a friend and he serenaded his friend with hound howls. This is quite a change from the whimpers I usually hear. I'm not sure this is a good thing. He is getting used to the car though and loves the sunroof. He also now prefers the front seat so he can see more of what is going on. I think he has to be disuaded from this practice because nose prints on the windshield are not something I want to deal with. It's bath time! A beautiful day here so he will have the warm sun to help dry him.

A Busy Week

Work has kept me hopping and Duke has kept me hopping even more. Right now he is whimpering like a spoiled child (can you imagine that?) because he is restricted to the first floor (I'm tired of vacuming dog hair on two floors) and I'm upstairs. We'll go to Starbuck's later and he'll be happy. Duke's first bark is no longer news, though he seldom barks at all. He did let out his first hound howl on Tuesday which was unexpected. It was just one way he welcomes me when I come home. He is getting bigger and STRONGER every day. He now walks me. Our encounter with a cat today could have been a disaster but I saw the cat first. The funniest thing was watching him trying to catch a fly on the window. Have to end this now. Duke overcame the barrier on the stairs and is licking the computer. He thinks that licking my feet and hands will make me forgive the transgression.

Not a Good Day

Duke didn't want to eat this morning, even after his morning walk. He was also overdue for number 2. When I came home at lunch, I discovered he'd found the bag of treats which I thought were out of reach. When I got home after work the trash was scattered and the tray from my frozen dinner had been cleaned. Of course it's hard to point out these faults after the fact and when he is jumping for joy at my arrival. He is still a puppy, though I think he has grown a bit in these 2 weeks. He can certainly tug me along on the leash. I'm glad I was firm of foot when he saw his first squirrel or I would have abrasions top to bottom. The good news is that my mother can remember that I have a dog and she will ask me his name then answer her own question.

Sunday in the Park with Duke

Today Duke went to the dog park on Allen Parkway. That means Buffalo Bayou. The dogs were not used to him nor he to them and he didn't play that much. Then he met Gracie. Gracie is a lab whose owner was throwing a toy into the water that the dog would swim out to get. Duke loved chasing after Gracie until he got to the water where he ventured only a foot or so. Then the toy went out in the right place and as Duke leaped down the bank, he leaped right into the water! Soon he was swimming after Gracie as she fetched her toy. He had to have another bath when he got home which he did not like.

A Busy Saturday

When Duke hears the alarm, he runs up the stairs to make sure I'm up. If I'm not, he remedies that situation. The bath went better today so he got taken to the esplanade early and to Starbuck's. He did much better in the car today. Fortunately my new glasses are supposed to be ready on Monday so I can replace the ones destroyed when he got out of the car. Mr Grammar can't believe he left out the apostrophe in Duke's Day.

Duke barks

Duke has been a such a sweet puppy, he has not barked. Today he did. Once! I was getting out of the shower and he let me know he was not going that route again. Tonight he played with a white German Shepherd who is 10 months old and about his size. He had a lot of fun and was a little tired when he got home. I've also been corresponding with a woman who knows A LOT about hounds and she has suggested he may be part black mouth cur. I tend to agree. I sure learned a lot today. Google the breed.

What do I do during the day?

Duke only went for 2 walks today, down from 4 most other days. That included the trip to the dog park where he has a special friend he always plays with. I'd like to have a video camera to see what Duke does during the day when I'm not here. Today, one of the bench cushions was on the floor and it would appear Duke can get into the trash. A new trash can is in the plan along with a trip to Petsmart. The most wonderful thing about Duke is the way he welcomes me home each night.

Here I am after my 10 PM walk. Guess who is walking who?

The phone

Duke has a very active social life. He loves yappy hour at the dog park down the street. Yesterday he managed to take off his collar. I looked everywhere. As a result I lost my phone. it was only after filing the request for a new phone I discovered it under the bed where I had searched for the collar. My sister Linda suggested I have underestimated Duke's intelligence. "Who has lost his cellphone?" He also got himself on the swivel office chair. I would love to have that video.

Right now there is only one picture of Duke as he will not sit still for a close up or any other picture. Rest assured, there will be more. I'll bet you knew that.

Duke's Day

This blog is about my most wonderful dog Duke. Right now Duke is a 7 month old Coon Hound puppy. He stands 24" at the shoulder and has lots of growing to do. I've had Duke for 6 days and he has enriched my life with his unconditional love and his sweetness. I expect this blog to be updated regularly as Duke is always up to something.