A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

I am going to visit my mother in Maine on June 11 and will return on June 16. Here is your opportunity to have a loyal and loving animal in your home for a week. Neither my hotel nor my mother's apartment allows pets or he would might with me. I really do not want him in the hold of the plane for 4+ hours. If you can take Duke for a couple of those days, please let me know. He is very house broken and well behaved. He doesn't chew on things and is very very social.

The Sidewalk Superintendent

I called the city because of a leaking water line. (The city's side of the meter.) So there is a crew out front digging up the ditch. Duke is up here in the bay window watching intensely what is going on. If the backhoe starts up he gets very interested. When we went for his walk this morning he spent a great deal of time examining the work in progress.

Midnight at the Oasis

I am writing this at 1AM. For reasons unknown, Duke thinks it's 1PM. We went to the dog wash at Starbuck's yesterday. I think I got wetter than he. The Humane Society was there and did a good job. There were a lot of dogs there and he was a little uncomfortable. I am so tired of his scratching he got the sulphur treatment again tonight. He made so much noise I let him come upstairs. MISTAKE! He reeks of sulphur. I had to take a shower after putting it on him.

Joe and I barbequed ribs today so Duke got the leftovers. He was real happy and entertained. He'll get a couple every day. I called Nick to let him hear the pitiful wails Duke can produce when he feels neglected. Also this pic was taken a minute ago. He's doing his frog spraddle.

Duke is so Smart

Duke has learned to drive me crazy. He reminds me of the way my twin would drive our parents crazy until he got what he wanted. Yesterday he did the escape to the park again. I had to take the car to the dealership. Reed picked me up there and brought me home to get the motorcycle. In the nanosecond the door was open ZOOM out he went. Banished to the backyard he cried and barked but got no where. A Phyrric victory. When I returned he had destroyed the sliding screen door and there was no way he could understand his actions were wrong. He didn't go to the dog park but that meant I had to be extra vigilant. Unfortunately I don't have the money for school so I'm going to have to train him from the web and buy a couple books.

May 15 Pictures

I think you can see that Duke has been growing. I've had him 6 weeks now. Here are some pictures from the dog park yesterday. I'm also going to update the Lake Travis picture. We didn't go to Hippie Hollow (clothing optional) because Duke is shy.

Who'd a thunk?

This picture is not very good. We visited Austin this week and went to Town Lake and Lake Travis. Here is a picture of Duke in Lake Travis. No encouragement needed. He had a great time. It took a treat to get him out. He did very well on his first long car trip though he has indicated he prefers the front seat. He loves sticking his head out the sunroof.

You can see he swims very well and is pretty far out there. The day before he was enjoying Town Lake. There were a lot of other dogs there and he swam with two of them. He may have learned to fetch.

Bad Dog

My alarm clock came running up the stairs this morning and we went for our walk around the block. I had put out the trash and had gathered an armload of newspapers to put in the bin when Duke bolted out the door. He crossed Studewood in 8AM traffic and found his way to the dog park. My calls went unheeded as he thought I was playing. A stranger grabbed him and he found I had a use for the newspaper. It was a long walk home. Putting him outsied as punishment produced the most pathetic cries but he was not coming in. I need to post a recent picture as Duke is growing.

Strange Day

We went for our morning walk but something was amiss. I kept hearing voices (No, other than those). I thought Duke has swallowed a Chatty Cathy doll. There were strange sounds coming from his hind region. Like when I can hear the progress of dinner winding through the small intestine. Duke was not hungry after his walk. I looked for what have eaten overnight but nothing seemed missing. The latest chew toy is still here. I decided to give him time. I offered him a treat which he took to the backyard and buried. That is a first. It was so cute watching him dig the hole with his paws and fill it in with his muzzle. Maybe that is where the other chew toys went. He has been better this evening though he chose not to poop when we went to the park. He has been more animated and eventually ate his breakfast. I hope tomorrow is without all this drama.

A Lesson Learned?

As I was being taken for my walk this morning, (might as well be honest about who is getting walked) Duke spotted a squirrel. Said squirrel then dashed into the street only to discover his incredibly bad timing. Duke initially ran after the animal but seeing the lifeless form lost interest. Duke has no fear of cars, other than the initial fear of mine, so I can only hope he will remember this. If I let him loose on the street he would be killed walking up to a car trying to make a new friend.
On our trip to Starbuck's today, he did his best to sound pathetic to get attention while I was inside. He was successful though a friend suggested he was a wimp. Maybe so but he got what he wanted: attention.
The sulphur treatment did a good job stopping his itching. It may be time to repeat the application.

He's not spoiled; he's my puppy

On our walk this morning our neighbor in the famous Jiffy Lube house stopped to say good morning. She remarked he looked very happy as did I. She then commented he was a good looking dog (just like his owner). Of course as I type this he is howling at the bottom of the stairs demanding attention. His cries are tooo pathetic. He has finally learned to play tug-of-war. Fetch is a long way off but he has managed Sit. Belly Rub is his favorite. The Mother's Day flowers were sent by Duke and Jim. I'm glad my mother is able to remember my dog though it appears his picture was not by the phone.

Good Dog

After the scare with the electrical wire, I wanted to be sure Duke has a chew toy he likes. I went to the local feed store and got one of those as well as new food and a sulphur compound to stop his scratching. Within an hour he had stopped scratching. He has dry skin right now and I don't know what to do about it. It looked like he had developed welts on his body from irritation. He is a lot better and I can vacuum the layer of black carpet I've acquired. He slept upstairs last night and that meant he slept in this morning. We went to Starbuck's where someone recognized his true breed: Attention Hound!

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

When we went to the park yesterday, I was very proud of Duke. An acre of grass is too small for these dogs so they went for the muddy spot where all but one got filthy. I figured Duke knew getting dirty would mean a bath because he alone was clean. My delight has turned to dismay when I discovered what Duke has been using for a chew toy. Electric cord! The cord for a wireless router and a telephone are in tiny pieces on the carpet. Chew toys downstairs are unused. He was quick to find the stairs when he heard me.

Rainy Monday

We got back from our walk before the rain began. When I opened the door later Duke was not at all interested in going anywhere. This evening's walk is going to be interesting. We have not had a rainy day since I've had him so I don't know how he is going to react I called my mother to let her hear his cries. She loves the stories of his antics because it gives her something to talk about with the other people in her center.

A Busy Saturday

Duke bounded up the stairs this morning at 6AM indicating his interest in a walk at that hour. I decided that meant he was also interested in a bath. I was wrong but he got one anyway. That meant he got his reward and we went to Starbuck's where he got lots of attention. It is said that dogs resemble their owners. I can't tell you how many times I've been told "He's a handsome dog."

Duke's Interests

A coworker suggested Duke might like squeeky toys or a big rope. He has shown no interest in retrieving but I want to find something to entertain him during the day. He has ignored the squeekys and has chewed a little on the rope (I didn't see it happen) but is not interested in a tug of war. He IS fascinated by the front loading washing machine. He likes to watch the clothes go round. He has been getting me up earlier. Today it was 6, yesterday 6:30 the day before 7. I think he is testing me to see how early I'll start. I'm waiting to see how anxious he is going to be to go for his walk in the rain.