Tornado Warning....

There was a tornado warning where I live.

This is what it meant to me and Little Man:

Our humans' cell phones kept making loud beeping sounds, even when we were walking.

Our afternoon walk was not fun, I kept smelling something odd in the air.  Auntie was walking me since the Big Guy hurt his knee (he took Little Man since he walks slower).  However, I did not want to stay out too long.  MomMom eventually followed us in her car, but we were 5 houses down from where we live so I just ran to the house.  The wind was really strong, and the lights flickered in the house a few times.  Auntie lit the nice smelling candle and then got a flashlight to be safe.  I decided since we were inside it was time to take a nap.

I was really glad we were inside, because the rain was really bad.  MomMom, the Big Guy, and Auntie said it was actually hail.  I don't know what that is and it looked and sounded like rain.

I kept a steady watch on the backyard to make sure the trees didn't fall over, because it was windy. Thunder can sound scary, but Auntie pet my back and told me she was here and she would protect me.  I acted brave for her.  Then it was all over, the rain stopped, the thunder stopped, the sky turned blue, and the phones stopped making those annoying beeping sounds.  Mom came home and all was right with the world.

I got some pizza crust for dinner, I like pizza.

Today's lesson: Severe Weather alerts mean annoying sounds from the cell phones and snuggles with my humans while I watch the backyard to make sure it is safe.

Little Man and I are still sleepy from doing the quick walk before the storm came.  He is too tired to jump up on the couch or make the snuggle ball 'just right'.  The Big Guy is on the couch with his leg elevated to help his knee, he really hurt it the other day :(

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.

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.