Grooming Day

It was grooming day today.  At first I thought I was being taken to a groomer, but nope Auntie has found a groomer that comes to us.  Which is great, because even with a Dog Anxiety Calming Wrap I completely panic in the car and cannot handle car rides at all.

This was a trip in December, and it didn't go well for me.  Thankfully Aussie Pet Mobile comes to the house.  The groomer was wonderful, I want to do a before and after photo.  This is a photo of me before the groomer came this morning.

You may not see much of a difference, but I smelled better (at least Mom, Dad, and Auntie said I did).  And this is me after the grooming, which took an hour.  My nails were clipped and filed, my ears were cleaned, and even my private area got a cleaning - I will not talk about that.  I got shampooed and rinsed several times.  The groomer, a very nice lady who also gave me treats, sang and danced with me the entire time.  I liked her she can cut my fur anytime she wants if she sings and dances with me.  The mud that was hard to get out of my fur and paws from all the melting snow and puddles that were created are all gone now.

I also got a very cute pink tie with hearts on it for Valentine's Day.  Auntie moved it to the side, because I kept trying to lick it.  Hey we all do strange things when we get nervous and right as I came inside, my older brother was handed off and went out the door.

In the middle of my panic of having Little Man separated from me I decided the only thing to do was sit and stare at the door from about 5 feet away.  I can tell you nothing scary or bad happened in the grooming van, other than getting wet, which I am not overly fond of, but I panicked about what it would be like for Little Man to be by himself with a stranger.  I was worried at first that I wouldn't be given back to my family, but I was able to see through the window that we didn't move.

I waited for about 30 minutes, which was less time than it took for me to be groomed, apparently him being smaller means it take less time to dry him and clean him.  Mom has washed him in the bathroom sink before, what can I say Little Man is small.  When he finally came back inside I was ready to jump all over him.  He smelled so good, we both did in fact.  Auntie said I almost smelled like a strawberry or her favorite shampoo.  Mom said Little Man looked GQ, what does that mean?

I laughed because he had a tie on, and Auntie had taken mine off.  However, Mom put it right back on so she could try and take pictures of us together, we weren't very cooperative.  Sorry, no picture of both of us in our Valentine's Day ties.

Grooming Day isn't so bad, we can do this again any time Auntie or Mom feels it is necessary.

We now share the couch

I know I started out as the youngest of the four, Mom and Dad had two cats and Little Man before I came into the picture, but for the five weeks before they all moved in with MomMom, the Big Guy, and Auntie I was the only one here.  I had full run of the house, and still do, and had a specific routine for the day and places that I liked to sleep.  One of those places was on the couch next to the Big Guy.

See, didn't we look comfortable?  Now Little Man seems to have taken that spot.  At first I felt slighted, I mean that was my spot and I thought the Big Guy stopped liking me.

With Little Man taking my spot I spent serious time on my window bench, looking at the world and trying to figure out what to do.  It took me some time, but today we figured it out.  When Auntie came home she found me on one side of the Big Guy and Little Man on the other.  I jumped off and ran to greet her before she could get a picture.  My new place to sleep was only slightly different than the one prior to everyone showing up.

I have also found that a surprising benefit of Little Man being here is that I get more walks.  The Big Guy takes Little Man and I out for a half loop of the development, because that is all Little Man can do with his arthritis and tiny legs.  Then I get a full loop, that is like one and a half walks for me :)  

We each get to use the extendable leashes when the Big Guy walks us, mom and dad use the 6 foot leashes.

With the melting snow on my multiple walks today I got mud all over my belly I was told it is a good thing the groomer is coming tomorrow.  I wonder if I can convince my humans to not send me to the groomers but to buy some tools and groom me themselves?  Auntie helped me search Amazon and I found some stuff mom and dad could buy to groom me instead of putting me in a car and taking me to a groomer.

     

We have DEER!!!!!!!!!

I have seen deer before in through the window and once I saw one while walking with the Big Guy.  Tonight it was so amazing I saw 5 deer just run out from the stream beside our house cross the street and then into the trees on the other side of the road.  I froze for a moment, I was only 10 yards away maybe less and they were so close, what should I do?  Of course my response was to run after them!
Sadly, Auntie said no she was not going into the woods so we could not follow them.  I told her she was mean and kept pulling on the leash to chase them. (picture from previous walk)

It was at the end of our walk and we were so close when they jumped out of the trees I could smell them, see them, hear them, and I wanted to play with them.  Auntie was mean and we stayed out of the woods, but she did let me go over to the trees the deer came out of and spend some serious time sniffing the air and trees.  I loved it, but after what Auntie said was enough time (it wasn't for me) we went inside because she was getting cold.
I ran inside and told Little Man, who had been sleeping, and the Big Guy all about the deer we saw on the walk.
After I told them all about this Little Man decided he needed to go back to sleep and curled back up with the Big Guy.  I usually sleep there, but lately those two have gotten close and snuggle, I am not sure how I feel about that yet.

After I wore myself telling those two about the deer, Auntie misunderstood one of my thoughts and said yes it was time to brush my teeth.  I do not love this, but I love that Auntie gives me a special goodie afterwards.  I have started liking the taste more and I don't hide my face anymore.  Unfortunately, Auntie has taken this to mean that she can spend more time brushing my teeth.  I love her, but she doesn't have to stick the toothbrush into my mouth so much.

I think I should have a Fitbit

I am not sure what a Fitbit is, but I think I should have one.
Auntie and MomMom each have one and they do these Challenges.  I love it when this happens, because then I get more walks.  However, today it was too much, Auntie wore my butt off.  I was so exhausted at dinner I could barely keep my head up.

Auntie had me walk not only in our neighborhood, but she walked me to the pharmacy to get her allergy medicine.  I wish I had know we would be leaving the development, because then I would have saved some of my pee.  This neighborhood has tons of dogs and I had to mark trees, sign posts, mailboxes, and random locations those dog use so they would know I visited.  It was hard work, I ended up having to do a BoomBoom to help me mark.  All of this in the snow and ice, my feet were very cold, but smelling this new area was totally worth cold feet.  When we got home Auntie let me take a nap, but apparently she needed more steps so she made me go out for another long walk, OK she asked if I wanted to go and I jumped with excitement.  But let's be honest, asking me if I want to go on a walk is like asking the Pope if he is Catholic, the answer is always yes.  I thought we would be going back to the pharmacy, but Auntie just did a loop around the neighborhood, thankfully :)

When MomMom got home claimed she needed steps, I thought I was going to have to outside in the cold, so I tried to hide in my snuggle bed.

Then MomMom and Auntie started pacing all around the kitchen and the family room.  I don't understand my humans.  Auntie said she would not fall behind MomMom which is why she joined in.  I really don't get my humans, but they are my family and they love me very much.  I don't know what a Fitbit Challenge are, but I think if I got a fitbit I could totally blow MomMom and Auntie out of the water with how many steps I take.  But, then I might now get as many walks, so I'll just stick with getting extra walks and napping in my snuggle bed when my humans pace around the house to get extra steps in.
   

Football Night

I have been dressed in Carolina Panthers gear and have been told since we are now living in Carolina we are Panthers fans.  All I know is that I was put in clothes, and I am not overly enjoying this.  However, I am enjoying that my entire family (Mom, Dad, Auntie, MomMom, and the Big Guy) are all sitting on the couches in the family room and I get to snuggle with whoever I want.  Wait, moving to the kitchen because MomMom is cooking - I will stay here with her she sneaks me food.
I had a very exhausting day, you wouldn't know it because I mostly sat on my window bench, but when I left I was out chasing squirrels and running around the back yard.
I saw a squirrel from inside the house and ran to the back door, Auntie was not fast enough to get there when I did and the squirrel almost got away, but I ran down the deck stairs and chased it to the fence.  Then I patrolled the fence line so if it made an attempt to come back in the yard I could chase it again.

I was really lucky and got to chase three squirrels today.  It was exhausting work, but today was like a dream day for me.  Chasing squirrels, getting kisses for doing it, and relaxing on my window bench.  LIFE IS GOOD!  Auntie and the Big Guy are really proud of me. I got my "good girl goodies" that I usually only get when Auntie brushes my teeth for chasing the squirrels.  After all of that I decided it was best to just curl up and fall asleep with Little Man, but my family said I had to get dressed for the game first.  I finally got to snuggle with Little Man but Auntie and Mom went nuts taking pictures.

I looked to Dad to save me and let me sleep, he is awesome and helped, but then got too into the football game and I moved so I could sleep.  Football night seems fun, maybe next time I'll enjoy it more if I didn't spend the day chasing squirrels.

My Good Girl Goodies are

For you Guys the Awesome Jersey I am wearing comes in black too

Snow Day Round 2

Today was another day of snow, and that means we stay inside and snuggle for most of the day.

I decided that it was a good day to lay on my window bench and just watch the world.  Dad was great and took me out for my morning walk, then the Big Guy did a short walk with me too.  I have learned that puppy dog eyes to the Big Guy when Little Man goes out to poop means I get a short walk too.  Auntie and MomMom walked to the grocery store to pick up some ice cream and veggies.  I was told I couldn't go with them, because I can't go in the grocery store :(  

I spent the morning on my window bench and snuggling with Mom and Dad.  This afternoon was more snuggle time, Auntie got some love because she took me for a walk, more like a run on my part.  Auntie told me several times she can't run on ice.  I may not be a sled dog, but I love running in the snow.

With all my family home I was having a great day.  MomMom got sick this afternoon, I went to check on her a few times.  I think giving her kisses helped her feel better.  When she came down to the couch I snuggled with her there too.  I stayed with her and the Big Guy until bedtime, because I was worried about her.  

I am not a huge fan of this snow thing, but I do love that it makes my family stay home all day :)

Snow Day!

My whole family was stuck inside the house today, because of the white stuff falling from the sky today.

My routine was altered, but I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Auntie took me outside for my morning walk, it was chilly, and she put me in my raincoat because she thought the fleece lining would help me stay warm.  Does she not notice my nice fluffy fur?  I humored her, because I love her and she was going to take me for my morning walk.  It was lots of fun, I even got to run for a bit, but Auntie said she can't run on the ice so I was only able to go as far as the extendable leash would let me.  Auntie was nice and tried to cover me with the umbrella, but that takes the fun out of the walk.  When we came back and Dad and MomMom were doing something in the garage.  The Big Guy took me outside again, apparently me not pooping was a concern.  Have you ever had to stick your butt out in the ice to poop?  It is cold and I don't recommend it unless you are forced to, I was forced to.

Little Man was also forced to go outside, he ran to the bottom of the steps peeped and pooped then ran right back inside.  His small size means he didn't have to go for the walk in order to get tired and take our morning nap.  With all my humans home, I got to pick where I would take my morning nap.  I checked all the beds and decided that the couch near the Big Guy was the normal place and the best place.  However, I rotated to everyone's bed at some point during the day, because I wanted them to know I loved them all.  I also watched the snow fall from my window bench, and saw some deer.  I don't fully understand deer but they are not in my yard so I didn't bark.  Mom saw them and joined me on the window bench to watch, then Dad let me outside to sniff the air.  I went but came right back in and decided that I would stay inside for the rest of the day - it is COLD OUT!

At lunch, I got to snag some cheese steak from Dad, cheese from Auntie, and an egg sandwich from MomMom.  This is way better than just trying to get food from the Big Guy and Mom.  Little Man was asleep on the couch so I didn't have to share either.  We have separate food bowls and water bowls, but we have to share the "goodies" after meals.  After lunch I went upstairs and napped on Auntie's bed then on MomMom and the Big Guy's bed.  It was great, because Auntie was able to snuggle with me when I went to her bed.  

With it being so cold out I thought hanging out inside was better than going out on the deck to smell the air.  It was an odd day, and my daily routine was confused, but having everyone home and in the house all day was awesome.  I am not really sure what makes a day a snow day, but I like them.

Product Rave

Product Brag:
It has been a few days and the Belly Band has really helped Little Man to either not spite pee on the carpet & bed or control his bladder if he can't.
There are some really cute bands that Amazon has great designs.  If your male dog is in the senior phase of life and can't control his bladder or is doing spite pee indoors we really recommend these products.  In our situation Little Man has stopped peeing.  To prove that point we didn't put it back on right away when he came inside and he peed behind the couch.
If you don't like the design above here are some of the other cool designs we found on Amazon.
         

Doggie Clothing

So this happened to me

A few days ago my older brother, Little Man, had to start wearing Belly Bands.

I teased him at first, because he had to wear clothes, I didn't care if it had sharks on it he had to wear clothes.  Then today, Auntie who I had loved very much, got all excited and mentioned the Carolina Panthers and getting ready for Sunday's game.  Then Mom picked me up and then next think I know I am in a Pink Carolina Panthers Jersey.  I was able to get my belly rubbed while wearing it so that was good, and Auntie gave me my special Milk Bone Goodies AND a Dentastix so that made me happy.

This is what I get for teasing my older brother :(  Dad came home and I ran to him for help, while he told Auntie he didn't like it he didn't take it off :(  I went to the Big Guy for help and he made Auntie take it off me :)  See that is why he is my favorite most of the time.

I apologized to Little Man and we commiserated about being embarrassed about having to wear clothes.  Auntie and Mom said I will be back in the pink jersey on Sunday during a football game.  I don't know what a football game is, but I hope it isn't long.

This was after furniture being moved today and me freaking out that I would have to leave my home again.  I like it here in North Carolina, and living with Auntie, MomMom and the Big Guy has been great.  Little Man and I were freaked out today and the clothing didn't help, so we curled up on the couch and fell asleep together.

See despite the teasing, and sometimes barking at each other we really do love each other.

Baby it is cold outside

It is chilly outside, so cold out that Little Man's whole body is shaking by the time he walks to the end of the driveway (and our driveway is not long).  Today he ran outside, pooped as soon as he got off the steps and then ran back inside.  I thought he was making too big of a deal.
I have a nice think fur coat so the Big Guy was really nice and put multiple layers on and took me for a mile walk.  He became my favorite today when he did this several times so that I could poop and sniff the entire neighborhood.  It got colder as the day went on :(  I convinced my humans that my last night walk did not need to happen, thankfully.

When I got back inside from each walk I curled up in a little ball and tried to warm up.  Once on the bed, Auntie was nice and let me snuggle on her bed.  Another time the Big Guy was nice and let me snuggle with him on the couch and Mom let me hide under a blanket at one point.  I am not sure why the cats don't have to go outside, but by my last walk I was jealous of them.
I might be willing to learn to poop in a cat box if it means I don't have to stick my tush out in the cold to poop outside.  If this cold weather keeps up I may not give Auntie a strange look when she talks about getting me a fleece jacket.
 

Not begging at dinner

My most impressive trick is not begging for food when my humans are at the table.  So I snuggle on my window bench and wait, because once dinner is over I make out like a bandit.  MomMom will give me veggies, Auntie Shella will give me chicken, Dad lets me lick his plate, Mom gives me whatever is left on her plate, and the Big Guy does the same (but sometimes he puts extra food on the plate so that he has something to give me).  This would seem like a lot, but I have to share with my older brother.  We are both polite while everyone is eating, and wait for our humans to stand before we start hovering in the kitchen.  

Tonight my Auntie tried to catch a picture of me waiting patiently as dinner was put away in case MomMom "accidentally" dropped some veggies, but my tail kept wagging and when I saw her try and take a picture I tried to lick her and her phone.

I wish I could tell you how I learned not to beg or cry during dinner, but I really have just always been this way.  I think it is because my older brother explained early on that we get to clean plates and leftovers if we don't beg.  Why mess with success?

It may look like I am sleeping on my window bench, but really I am just trying to do a sad puppy dog face so that I might get a special good girl goodie from Auntie.  I get those when I let her brush my teeth, but that is pretty much it.  Just because I am good at meal time doesn't mean I don't try and get my special Milk Bones at other times.

My older brother and I waited patiently while clean up happened and lucked out with a few veggies to chew on.  I am still trying to decide if I like carrots, I chew about half of the carrot then think I am full or it is time to see if I can get another goodie.  

For the record I am slender dog and I get my butt walked off on a daily basis, even in this cold I get walked at least one mile three times a day.  Auntie says she does not have a built in fur coat like I do, so even with her bundled up she can't stand being outside for the two to four miles we normally walk. It makes me sad, but I have been told the cold doesn't last long in the Southeast.  I'll hope that is true because I love my longer walks.

Snuggle time

This post is written from the view of Little Man a Toy Rat Terrier who is in the "senior" phase of his life.

I like to snuggle, if you could wrap me in a warm blanket or towel and hold me all day that would be my dream of a perfect day.  I like being pet, snuggled, cuddled, and around my humans all day everyday :)  When I am snuggling with people I tend to not spite pee or poop - I am just saying holding me makes me less likely to pee, I wish my humans would realize this.  I have lucked out and had great snuggle time in the last 24 hours and wanted to brag about snuggle time with my humans,
Last night Auntie wrapped me in a pink towel, because it is her favorite color and she did not listen when I protested about being a man and pink not being my color.  Really look at my blue harness, I am more of a blue kind of guy.  After she wrapped me in a towel she held me close so I could listen to her heart beat but still see everything around, and just swayed with me, like you would to put a baby to sleep.  This was perfect, it was such a good snuggle, that despite my best effort to stay awake my eye lids started getting heavy and I felt myself falling asleep.
Then Auntie took me outside to pee, which was cruel because it was freezing outside.  Then Mom wrapped me back in the towel and we went for a car ride, I like car rides in part because I get snuggle time.
Today I got to snuggle with the Big Guy as he did his crossword puzzles, normally it is where my sister Daisy snuggles, but she was laying on her bench by the window so I took that seat today.  He is nice and occasionally pet my head while he did his crossword puzzle.  When Mom came into the family room I switched couches to snuggle with her while she read.  And the ultimate snuggle time happened when Dad came home and he and Mom both sat on the same couch and I was able to sneak in the middle and get snuggle time with both of them.
Snuggles are important is all I am saying and the more snuggles I get the happier I am.

Snow?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Let me remind people that I have spent the last 3 years in L.A. it is warm there, it is basically one step away from a natural disaster due to a drought (meaning there hasn't been any real rainfall there).  Yes, I am 4 years old, but I only spent a fraction of my life in New Jersey and it was three years ago that I left, so I have very vague memories of winter in the Northeast.
Having clarified this please read the rest of this post with that in mind.

THERE IS WHITE STUFF FALLING FROM THE SKY!
The Big Guy insisted I go out and experience this, because apparently it doesn't happen in the Southeast very often.  I don't remember this stuff and it is cold and wet!  My humans called it snow, I am not liking it.  Auntie calls me prissy, but I don't like getting wet in the rain and as far as I can tell snow is rain only colder.  There was some of the white snow on the ground I smelled it and don't understand why the Big Guy feels that this is special.  The smell tells me it is not an animal, it is not food, and I don't understand what is special about this smell.  I am not impressed by snow, but wag my tail and act happy because the Big Guy wants me to and I want a walk.  He gets to show me snow and I get a walk - I feel this is a win-win.

I am happy that snow isn't common down here, because it is cold.  I think my Auntie might be right, I might be prissy because all I wanted to do today was cuddle on the couch with my humans.
Auntie said it best when it is cold out we snuggle inside :)

Selecting which bed to sleep on

Last night I had a tough time deciding which bed to sleep on.  Mom and Dad is the normal place I sleep, but it is them, plus Little Man and me, so it can get crowded.  Auntie lets me sleep on her bed and gives me half of her bed, I decided to sleep there for a little bit - however she did not say which half of her bed, so I decided to take the diagonal middle half.

I like to use her Red Sox pillow pet as my pillow.she lets me as long as it stays on her bed.  I think it is her way to trick me into sleeping on her bed sometimes.  I love her and she gives me the good goodies when mom and dad aren't looking so I will continue to let tick me into sleeping on her bed sometimes.

MomMom and the Big Guy have a nice comfy bed and they let me cuddle with them, but I really like the couch in their sitting area.  MomMom has given me a special pillow and a blanket that I have scrunched into the perfect circle for me to sleep in.  I briefly went and sniffed the bed and went on bed and sat down so that I could get some pets and love from MomMom and the Big Guy.
I finally decided the bed to spend all night is the one that I normally do, I slept with mom, dad, and Little Man.

I had three years of being one of four animals, 6 weeks of being one of one and I think I liked not having to share my Auntie, MomMom, and the Big Guy.  We had a nice routine and I didn't have to share attention.  Now my siblings are here and so are my parents.  We are all facing a new routine and I am getting used to sharing again.  I think my silver lining is that I have all these beds and people to snuggle with to pick from each night.

Different voices

My humans have different voices when they pretend to talk for me, and honestly none of them are correct.
Tonight while walking my dad did what he thinks his voice for me would sound like.  Mom said it sounded like a cross between a military Drill Sargent and a valley girl.  I don't have the mean personality to pull that off.
"We all did good night walkies, this was good.  We stayed together everyone dropped a duecey and we can sleep now."
Mom's voice for me was a total valley girl, just because I lived in L.A. doesn't mean that I am a valley girl.
"This was like totally fun, we can like do the walk tomorrow."
MomMom's voice for me was too much of a baby, I may be 4 year old, but I grew out of the toddler voice.
"Walkies is good, we can do more, let's go again. Why no?"
Auntie had a cross between a Southern Belle and a Valley Girl, there might be some southern girl in me, but really there is no Valley Girl.
"The walk was totally awesome, 2 miles is like nothing I can like walk double this.  The wind had some great smells, can we stay out so I can just sniff the wind?"

The picture above is me staring at them as they all did their version of my voice when we got inside from our evening walk.

My humans are odd, none of them nailed my voice but all of them know I love them and spending time with them.  If someone could explain to me why my Auntie and MomMom were talking about needing more steps for a challenge that would be great.  I want them to do more challenges, because it means my walks are longer or I get more of them when they need more steps.  I just don't know how to get them to do more challenges.

Daisy Log - smelling the air

My Auntie does not understand the joy of just smelling the cool, slightly chilly, January air.  I slept late and missed my Auntie going to work, so when she got home from teaching today I went nuts with celebrating her return.  She took my enthusiasm to mean I needed a walk, which I am always up for.  The Big Guy joined us on the walk - this was slightly confusing.  All my humans have different rules when we walk and when two or more go together it gets confusing on whose rules apply.  I stopped and smelled several important marking spots in the neighborhood.  When we got home, I had to have my teeth brushed, I have learned to like it.  The toothpaste my Auntie uses isn't that bad, she got it from the vet it tastes like chicken. CET Oral Hygiene Kit  I roll over on my belly before I give my Auntie my teeth so I get a belly-rub before my teeth are brushed and then I get a special treat a Milk-Bone Brushing Chews Daily Dental Small/Medium Dog Treats, 5.5 Ounce afterwards.
Then I went outside, I tried to take my KONG Sitting Frog Dog Toy, Small, Green outside with me, but I wasn't allowed.  When I was outside I found the perfect spot in the yard to smell the air.  I was able to stay still and enjoy the smell from all over the yard in just this one spot.  After about ten minutes my Auntie got nervous and came and made me go inside.  Now I am taking a nap, because after all that smelling I am exhausted.  Why don't humans understand how just smelling the air is important?  I think that humans should stop and smell the air more often.

Product Brag

I want to brag about the extendable leash.  It is fun for me to be able to wander a little closer to the tree line when we walk and my Auntie doesn't have to leave the sidewalk.  I am good girl and listen so my Auntie lets me use it when we walk.  I think all doggies should be allowed to use an extendable leash if they are in an area that has trees and grass and sidewalks.

Playpens

My Aunt has been writing my daily logs while my mom and dad came to NC from CA. They are here now and my aunt is being kind enough to keep writing my daily story. Today, my older brother a Toy Rat Terrier was put in a playpen when everyone left.  I still have free range of the house, but he is starting to not be able to control when he pees and poops so he was put in a nice playpen.

I thought it was mean, but Little Man had toys, a bed, a blanket, and got some goodies.  He was his barking self, but enjoyed it.  Sadly, he proved why he needed the playpen when he peed and pooped in there right after he had come in from outside where he had peed :(  He was not too bothered by it, and ate his good pushed the blanket to where he wanted then fell asleep on it.  He was able to see my sleeping spot on the floor, and when he woke up I was able to kiss him.  Little Man was able to kiss me back and then went back to sleep.  I watched for a few minutes and then went and fell asleep on the couch.
I got to go on my normal walk today, dad took me instead of the Big Guy (grandpa).  It was his first time taking me since he moved in last night.  I got to show him the neighborhood, it was lots of fun.  We didn't see any of the other dogs in the neighborhood for me to introduce him to, but there is time.  Auntie took me for my afternoon walk after she walked Little Man.  This was a great walk  I got to walk with the Toy Poodle three doors down.  We like each other and got to spend time catching up.
Apparently her human has been putting a fleece jacket on her because she was so cold this past week, she claims it helped her stay warm for her mile walks.  There was a nice one that didn't look too silly and the Velcro made it easy to put on.

My aunt was nice and didn't embarrass me too badly, she got me a pink raincoat with reflective tape on it.  It kept me dry when the rain was really heavy, and I couldn't hold it any longer.

When we finished our walk, my Auntie sat down and let me cuddle with her on the couch while she watched a Jaws marathon.  I don't fully understand TV but apparently she enjoys the bad special effects of these movies.
When my dad got back he had new car, it smelled kind of funny so I jumped in and then right back out.  I was told it is new car smell, it doesn't smell right.



Human note: the playpen idea allows for the dogs to see each other, smell each other, and offer a bigger area for Little Man to play in than a crate.  If you have a dog who is not able to control their pee/poop and don't want to crate them every time you leave the house this might be something for you to consider.  A tarp underneath means that you can wipe away any pee/poop that might be done.  A fluffy fleece blanket to lay and walk on can also be thrown in the wash when there is an accident, as well as a bed that can be put in the wash is a great option.   I put some links to reasonably priced supplies for these items below.