A Great Idea Ruined

Great Idea (Day One)

Mom came up with a great idea on her birthday. Move all the stuff out and rip up the floor in the living room and the kitchen. I like the way she thinks.

I love it. Lots more room. The floor is now nice and cool to lay on. 

It was quite an improvement. With all the stuff out of the way there is a big open area to play and chase the cats. And when you are hot and tired from playing you can just plop on the bare boards. They are a lot cooler than the old carpet. This is going to be great.

Great Idea Goes Bad (Day Two)

They sent me over to grandma's place to "get me out of the way". When I came back everything was ruined. The cool floor boards were covered over with new carpet and new flooring. And all the stuff was back in place, just like before! What was the point? No improvement here. Things are actually worse now because the first thing I hear when I come home is "Wipe your feet!"

What's up with that?

Cooper! Don't you come in here until you wipe your feet!

A dog's gotta dig to bury stuff. When you dig and bury stuff your feet and nose get dirty.

Dirty feet and dirty nose. How can you dig without getting dirty? 

Well, you can have a nice floor and carpet or you can have a dog. Just try to get your carpet to jump in your lap and lick your face when you are having a bad day!

The Middle Of The River

Thanks to Dingo for guest blogging for me on Friday. Great post. If you haven't seen it check it out. As of the time I am typing this it has already moved into the number 4 spot on the all time top 5 posts list on the right.

This post almost wasn't. My owner guy was tired from watching the O's sweep the Tigers and was just going to chill out and watch SNF (Sunday Night Football) instead of typing for me. As you can see in the picture below I had to have a talk with him. Good help is hard to find.

Come on. My readers are counting on me.
You can type during commercials and half time.

We all spent Sunday afternoon at the river. When we got there I was surprised to see that there wasn't hardly any water in it. I could walk on the rocks all the way to the middle. And there wasn't any water at all flowing over the dam. There were Great Blue Herons and Egrets fishing in the little pools. It was really fun running around in the middle of the river. If you click on the picture below you should be able to see the Norman Wood Bridge and the Holtwood Dam.

My human sister went out to the middle of the river with me.

But mom stayed on the bank. See her way back there? 

After running around at the dam and then at lock 15 it was soon game time for the Orioles so we went home. I was really hungry and exhausted by this time. I was going to get a snack as soon as I got home. Well I was in for a great surprise. Some friends of mine, Roy and Linda were down to visit my grandma and they left a snack for me! Bacon!

Roy and Linda petting me recently and me eating the BACON they brought me!

They read my blog and know that I just love bacon. And that I smell it every time I go to my vets but I never get to stop in for any at the restaurant next door. So they brought me some! It couldn't have happened at a better time. I was starved!  Thanks Roy and Linda! Sure glad you read my blog!

Thanks for the bacon guys! You rock!

Danger Lurks Where You Least Expect It! (Dingo - guest blogger)

Dingo here (Cooper & Hank’s little sister) guest blogging so Coop can have yet another day off.

Unlike Coop who lives in the country, I live in the city, unable to run through cornfields, stare down horses, and try to catch fish in the big pond.  I do have a large fenced in yard that I can run around in.  My favorite things are chasing and retrieving my tennis balls, and recently my humans bought me really cool small, soft frisbees.  I’m working on my technique – possibly will be a world champion frisbee dog.  Wait and see.

Fetching a ball. A great way to keep in shape.

Nice frisbee, but a boomerang would return by itself. 

Coop likes to bury treats under plants.  I, on the other hand, love to destroy plants.  My first challenge was a daylily.  I was young, and my humans didn’t get too upset because they said the plant had finished flowering.  Besides, when I was destroying the plant, I wasn’t bothering them.  Coop’s humans know what I mean by that!  I was so tired from crushing the plant that I had to take a nap on it.

 Ahhhhhhhh.  Nice and comfy. 

Danger comes in all different forms.  I’ve seen a Hawk circling above me and sitting in a tree.  Must be afraid of me because it has never approached.

Come on down! What are you, a Chicken Hawk?   Hahahaha.

There are also squirrels in my yard.  You may wonder where the danger is with a squirrel.  Well, after chasing them up the big walnut tree, they try to drop walnuts on my head.  Don’t even get me started on the groundhog that lives in the next yard.  One time he gave me the “Stink Eye”, and I got so mad I growled at him and the hair on my back stood up.  I had a full body Mohawk!

One of my favorite places in the yard since the first day I arrived at my new home, has been under the Hosta plants.  On a hot day I would lie in the shade created by the large leaves. 

It makes for great shade but it is a terrible snack. 

I would run full speed between the plants, or just sit there observing everything around me. 

So where am I going with this?  Danger lurking where you least expect it. 

The Hosta leaves are a toxic!  I found that out when I tried to eat a leaf.  Tasted good at the time, but a short time later I was sick.  I felt better later that day except for the fact that I had, as my humans referred to it, “The Runs”.  It got to the point where I was getting my humans up every two hours during the night.  So, back to the vet’s office. 

Long story short, everything is working fine now, but the best part is that I get to eat hamburger and rice for a couple of days!  My male human, Sam, is a great guy – and an excellent personal chef!

Always remember – Danger lurks where you least expect it!  Hosta leaves are toxic to dogs!

(Maybe next time I’ll tell you about my trip to the Outer Banks, or my visit to the Emergency Animal Hospital!  What’s a retainer?  My humans are talking about paying a retainer at the vet’s office.)

3rd Vet Visit

(They say I'm crazy but I have a good time)
Looking For Clues At The Scene Of The Crime

We arrived a little early for our 9AM appointment. I wanted to check the area for clues to the burglary I told you about in yesterday's post.

I don't think he left this way. He must have had a get away car.

I didn't pick up any bacon smells indicating that he might have left on foot over the grassy knoll. So I decided to sit in the parking lot and stake out the place a little while, thinking he probably would return to the scene of the crime. You can see in the photo below how close the restaurant is to my vets.

And then I saw him! Click the photo and look at the guy in the green shirt on the left. He has a cane and is walking with a limp. He has a very nice hair cut. And he appears to be overweight. He fits the profile I am looking for perfectly! All I have to do is see if he smells like bacon.

I am glad to see it is open for business again. I smell a fresh supply of bacon.

I rushed over to check if his trail smelled like bacon.

What the heck? Everybody is leaving a bacon trail.

But when I checked it out there must have been a hundred trails. And they all smelled like bacon. And as I looked in the door the place was packed with people eating breakfast. And they all had nice haircuts. And they were all eating bacon!  The food there must be great. There are too many suspects. It would be easier if the food was bad. Then there wouldn't be so many suspects. Guess I will just have to leave this case with the police.

Good News

So I went to my vet appointment. And the good news is, they already knew about the burglary and had taken precautions. They didn't get robbed of any treats. They had plenty.

Waiting for the nurse to come turn on the scale. 

I weighed in as usual and I am up to 24.9 lbs. My sister Dingo went to her Dr. a few days ago and she was 17.5 lbs. And guess what. My Dr. Vet lady knows the owner of my mom and dad (Lulu & Duke). She said they were in the other day. Glad the Australian Red Heelers that were recently born are getting good care too.

Mom says they gave me three shots this time. As usual I was preoccupied with the snacks and didn't notice. It was over before I realized it.

Getting a shot. I didn't feel a thing. My Dr. Vet lady does a great job!

And I even got a microchip so if I get lost in the corn field and a farmer finds me all he has to do is get me scanned and my picture and all my info will be there. Why my picture? If they find me they will know what I look like. And now I can get a lifetime license! I can't wait to be able to drive.

I will be taking tomorrow off for a long weekend but be sure to check back because my sister Dingo is going to be my guest blogger. You won't want to miss it!

Detective Cooper

Sherlock Cooper on the Case

Hey look! Today is mom's birthday!

Mom won't get me a smart phone so I have to keep my schedule on the refrigerator.

This morning I was checking out my schedule for October and I see I have an appointment at the vet's today. I can't wait to get there. I have to warn them about a robber in the area. And he is after food. I need to warn them to lock up their treats. I hope I am not too late!

I have been studying the case and after a little detective work I have come up with a couple of clues. I am asking for your help to crack this case.

Bacon Burglar

I was watching the news the other day and I saw my vet's office on TV. It seems that the restaurant next door, the one with the great bacon smell I told you about in a previous post (2nd Vet Visit), was robbed. Ed Weinstock, my favorite WGAL reporter, said they smashed in the door with a rock.

Look at the sign above Ed's head. He is right beside my vet's office.
Click on Ed's nose to watch the report.

I wish I would have been there to see Ed. I could have told him about the great bacon smell coming from the restaurant and that I am sure it was the bacon he was after. I would have told him to tell people to be on the lookout for someone who smells like bacon.

He also robbed a chiropractor office and a beauty salon. I am sure he was familiar with all three businesses he robbed. He is probably a known customer. Most robbers know about or case the premises before they act. So we can assume four things about him.

1. He has lower back pain and possibly walks with a limp. (chiropractor customer)
2. He is well groomed and possibly has died hair. (salon customer)
3. He smells like bacon, and may be overweight with high cholesterol. (restaurant customer)
4. He is really dumb.

We know he is dumb because there wouldn't be any bacon at those other two places.

I am passing this info along to my blog readers. I need your help. I am asking you to smell every overweight dumb person you meet with well groomed dyed hair who walks with a limp.

If they smell like bacon report it to the police.

We have to catch this guy before he finds out about the treats at my vet's.