All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go

I'm standing here outside the door...

This weekend was May Long Weekend, which meant there was no regular work on Monday for my humans!  Dad had been away all week so it was just me 'n' Mom, she had to work for three days but then on Thursday she got real busy putting stuff in boxes again.  Well I figured we must be going away again like the last time and I wasn't wrong, only this time I got my OWN suitcase!

Me unpacking my very own suitcase!

Oh boy!  Just look what I got to take... a whole tub of home made cookies (Mom made them the night before), two new balls, a HUUUUGE beef bone, spare collars and leashes, a new tie (more on THAT in a minute), my very own bear bell and my regular toys.  When we got to camp I was allowed to get all my things out, and we put the cookies in my very own camp cookie jar.

Dad arrived just as we did and they got busy bringing stuff in and sorting stuff out while I checked out all the rooms.  Last time we came everything was deep under snow but now I could see there was lots of grass to run about on and lots of trees to...well you know, to do what dogs do with trees.  After we got settled Mom put me on my long leash.  Since I ran off and refused to come back right away a few weeks ago - I couldn't help it there was this bird that was wanting me to chase him - Mom says  I can't be trusted. So until I grow up a bit and learn that I must come EVERY time Mom or Dad call then I have my off leash privileges temporarily suspended.  I guess it didn't do me any favors when Mom gave me an extra long leash in training and when she called me I thought I would just see what would happen if I just stood still for a second and then walked off anyhow.  Well she wasn't pleased I could tell cos there was no treat and no smiley "good boy"...she just looked at me with 'that' look and then walked off without a word.   So there I was all weekend on a leash...hence the 30' tie for the yard.  Next they attached this bear bell to my collar and so off we went.  I jingled along like Noddy with Big Ears and Tessie Bear following on behind me - can you tell I'm a teenager now?  Mom says I'm 'flakey' right now and she hopes I'll grow out of it soon...not sure what flakey is, hope it doesn't mean bits are falling off me - Yikes!  Anyway we jingled along and went to the beach...now all the white stuff is gone I could see that there is a huge bowl of water there!  Mom says it's called a lake and when it warms up we can swim in it...I tried it anyhow cos I don't like to wait for stuff, like I said I'm a teenager.   Brrrrr!

Testing the water out!

Next day I played football for a bit, Mom and Dad were busy tidying the yard but each time they went past with the trolley of rubbish they stopped to play for a minute.  We had more walks and I went in the lake again.  There were lots of streams too and the water ran along so fast it gurgled...I liked that and had loads of fun trying to catch dead leaves that were being swept along in the water!  In the afternoon Dad dug up a pipe cos he said it wasn't going downhill enough or something, I tried to help but he didn't seem too happy maybe he just wanted the one trench and not two side by side.  So I got moved to somewhere where I could have a good old dig and nobody minded!

Me playing football

I'm really getting this dribbling the ball thing!

Half time break!

I really think I am going to like this camp thing!  I get to do so much and in the evening I'm just so tired I get to snuggle down on my very own camp bed and in the morning I even get to have a snuggle with Mom (Dad took this pic and I think Mom will be chasing both of us when she see's I showed you all!)

Me havin' a Sunday Morning snuggle haha!

Snow Day!

Today me 'n' my folks are having a snow day.  Mom and Dad both finished work yesterday for the weekend and the storm had already started!  Mom didn't feel so good and it was real cold outside so I made do with running around the yard a few times instead of my usual long walk.  I didn't mind too much even though I really like snow I figured Mom takes me every morning and every evening so if she was feelin' poorly it wouldn't hurt to miss a walk just this once.  So mom went to bed and I kept Dad company, we watched some TV, ate some cookies... you know, boy's stuff.

Me watching the shoveling!

Anyhow this morning mom got up and said she felt much better.  I was allowed to go outside on my long leash and watch them shovel snow ... Oh my gosh it took like FOREVER!  I figured if I helped out then we would get it done so much quicker.

Me helping to dig the snow

Me digging more snow!

Well, guess what?  It worked!  With a bit of digging here and a bit of digging there we got it done in no time and then they took me for a walk!  The wind was howling and it was real slippery under all that snow... poor dad landed on his butt one time!  After that we came home and mom made my favorite liver cake to put in the freezer for next week!

Me 'n' dad going for a nice walk!

My favorite treats

Mmmmm!  Well like I said something smelled good in mom's kitchen last night, when I finished my diary I followed my nose and sure enough mom had made my very favorite treats.  They are called Liver Cake Treats.  Usually mom makes a big tray and cuts them up while they are still warm (she says they cut easier) then she puts them in little plastic boxes in layers divided by wax paper and puts them in the freezer.  Then she takes out just enough to last a few days and keeps them in the fridge.

Lucky's Yummy Liver Cake Treats

The treats helped me to learn lots of things already, like when I picked up something yukky in the street I could swap it for one.  Soon I figured out that if I didn't pick up a yukky thing but walked straight past it I would get a treat AND a big fuss!  I learned that if I walk nicely and sit down when we stop moving I get the same thing!  Sometimes when I do these things now I don't always get a treat but I always get a fuss made.  I still do it though cos you never know when you might get one.  I also learned that when I am off the leash and mom calls me I'll get one too, if I walk past another dog nicely that also gets me one!  Boy oh boy I love learnin' all this stuff cos these treats are really yummy! 

So just for you I snuck a look at the recipe...if you copy it down and leave it on the floor somewhere maybe your human parents will make you some too...but remember even if they make it you still have to earn it!

Me doing a bit of 'quality control'   Mmmm, yum!

Lucky's Extra Yummy Liver Cake

1lb raw liver chopped up
4 whole eggs (mum usually breaks the eggs into the blender and then crushes the shells real well with a rolling pin before adding them too)
8oz wholewheat flour

put the chopped liver and eggs in a blender and blend until it looks like a smoothie
put the flour in a bowl (mom uses her kitchen aid here) and then mix the smoothie into the flour.
Line a 13 x 8 baking tin with baking parchment and pour the 'cake' mix in and spread it level.
Bake for around 30 minutes at 350 F.

When set remove from tin and cut into small pieces, cool completely and store in the freezer until needed.  They will last in the fridge for 2-3 days.

My Uneventful Week!

Well nothin' much happened this week.  Unless you count my new dad disappearing for nearly a WHOLE WEEK!  At first I didn't notice, mom carried on like nothing happened and I got my walks.  But after two nights I started to worry a bit even though mom still carried on like it was normal!  I decided I better sleep by the kitchen door and keep one eye open just in case he came home.  On Wednesday mom went out for a little while...I knew she would be gone for a bit because she left me in the kitchen with my Kong stuffed full of treats and peanut butter!  That's my treat for when I have to be on my own for a while.  Well this time it got me into a bit of bother.  You see I discovered a few weeks ago that if you throw the kong hard on the floor it bounces and when it does some of the treats inside fly out!  It makes a jolly good game and I also get my treats out much quicker than simply chewing the toy and sticking my tongue in it!  I think dogs that do that are not as smart as me!  Anyhow that day I threw it down the steps real hard and it bounced...but it bounced underneath the stairs and went through a hole in the wall.  Well I tried so hard to get it back!  I scratched and pulled and all this itchy pink fluff came out and right in the middle was my kong still full of treats!  I tried to get it with my mouth but the pink stuff made my lips real itchy and I really didn't like it.  So then I scrabbled with my paws and I got it but all the nasty itchy stuff was stuck to it.  It was so yukky I left it till mom came back.  Mom was just so worried when she got back and saw what I did, she said I was very good not to eat it cos it would have made me real sick.

Itchy Pink Stuff

So now mom has gotten rid of it all and she has made it so my toys can't get lost again by accident!  I guess it must be really bad stuff cos mom even phoned my friend Rachael, she's a nice lady that comes to look after me sometimes and she's a Veterinary Assistant which is a bit like my dad being a nurse but she knows all about animals.  Rachael agreed that I had been very good, and very lucky not to get sick.  Well the day after that my dad came back!  Oh my goodness I was so pleased to see him!  I gave him my bone and fetched him all my toys and he put his pj's on... we snuggled lots.  I think he was just as pleased to see me as I was to see him!  I learned a lot this week.  I learned that sometimes Mom and Dad have to leave me but that they will always come back and I learned that sometimes if things are itchy or yukky I should leave them alone!

Me 'n' my dad having snuggles

 Well I'm going to go see what mom is doing...somethin' smells real good in the kitchen, I think she is making my favorite Liver Cake.  She says that stuff is amazing cos it makes me do all sorts of clever stuff, if you come back tomorrow I will tell you how to make it then you can make it for your bestest doggie friend too!

My First Camp Trip Part II

After the longest walk I ever did we arrived at this 'new' home.  Seemed like it either belonged to us or someone we knew cos we all just walked it and dad started bringing all the food and stuff in.  Mom started playing this new game of hide the rubbish and bits of wood in this big black box thing, I've no idea how she had the energy to start playing a new game but she did.  Anyhow she must've decided she'd had enough cos all of a sudden she lit a long match, set fire to it all and shut the door on the box!

I was busy sniffing around, the floor was cold and slippery... so cold the snow that came off our paws and feet stayed like snow on the floor!  Mom did a lot of cursing cos she said she nearly did the splits...not sure what they are I just saw her scoot along the kitchen waving her arms about!  I just thought it was another new game she wanted to play.  Next she went in to a room and came back with a pile of blankets and made me a bed in front of the box thing that was now well on fire inside and it was starting to get nice and warm.

It was nice there, we went outside and played in the snow.  I watched while they pulled the snowmobile out of the snow bank... there was a lot of huffing and puffing!  At night we had nice suppers and treats, mom kept putting even more wood in that box thing and it roared and crackled and got very hot.  I tried to get a good look but mom and dad got a bit ansty about that and said I would have a very sore nose...they said something about a vet too so I figured maybe I should listen.

After two days this man arrived on another snow mobile.  I'd seen him before at our house.  Mom fed him lots of food and then we packed everything up again and mom and I had to sit on this sled thing behind the man's snow machine.  Wow!  that was different!  Bits of snow flying everywhere and mom held on to me real tight...I guess she was scared or something!  I wasn't really sure if I liked it...I admit I did whimper a bit but mom said that was ok cos she said she screamed her head off all the way to the car when she was on dad's snow mobile.  I guess after that dad must've have fixed her or something cos her head seemed to be well stuck on now!  He must be so clever cos I had a good look and you can't even see where he stuck it back on!

Anyhow next thing I know we are back at the truck and we all get in that and come home.  We haven't been back there since but mom says when all the snow is gone we can go again!  She says there is a lake there and I can learn to swim!  She says she used to swim in the sea with Jake and now we can swim together.... I wonder what a lake is?  And what is this swimming thing?  I wonder if I get it right I'll get treats?  Usually if I learn something new I get really good treats, and now when I learn stuff that mom says is harder for me to get she gives me really special ones she made herself with REAL liver!

Oh and they say I have a very important job to do...I have to tell them when there's a bear around and make sure it doesn't get them, 'specially mom cos she's a scaredy cat!  Jeez I do hope not to many come around cos I'm not very big and I was sorta assuming that mom and dad where supposed to look after ME!

My First Camping Trip

I hadn't been living with my new humans very long when one morning they got up real early, which was odd because it wasn't a work day.  Even more odd they started putting lots of food in a big blue box thingy which made me really excited...humans are just so totally weird don't you think?  I mean they put food in a big white box, then they take it out and put it in a smaller box... then they put it out in the truck!  I mean what the...?  So then they start putting other stuff in the truck...and then they put me in there too!  Dad said I had to sit in the back.   Well I did ... all the way to the gas station but then I saw this lady I knew.  She was the nice lady that lived in the house next to ours, so when she came over to talk to mom and ask how I was doing I saw my chance and snuck between the seats and took up my position on the front seat!  I'm cute like that.

Oh boy I could see everything now!  After a while we pulled in and it got even more weird.  Mom put me on my leash and we started off for a walk. We walked and walked, then walked a bit more.  Then there was this noise and Dad went whizzing past on one of those snow machine things with a sled on the back with all the stuff out of the truck in it.  I danced about on the end of my leash but he didn't stop!  I jumped up and down at Mom...was she daft?  Was she blind?  Hey Mom that was Dad just gone past, where's he going? Why didn't he take us? More importantly he had all the food!  But Mom just laughed and told me it was ok we would walk for a bit and then he would come back for us and we could ride in the sled.   Hmmmm well I wasn't too sure about THAT!  I had a ride in that sled last week and I really didn't like it THAT much.

Me starting out on our walk!

Me doing a spot of digging on the way!

Thing is Dad didn't come back.  We walked for ages... the snow was right up to Mom's knees and although it was fun at first I was tired now.  I sat down but Mom said we should keep going.  So then I jumped up and put my head on her chest and tried my luck at a cuddle.  It worked!  She gave me a hug so quick as a flash I put my front feet up on her shoulders and smartly walked my back legs up and put them round her waist.  There!  I get to be carried!  Well Mom laughed so hard she couldn't walk more than two steps so I got down.  Then I figured maybe if I did the same but on her back she would be able to walk more easy but this just made her laugh even more!  In the end I gave up on the whole thing and decided the only way to keep warm and keep going was if I walked behind her with my head up the back of her coat.

Oh boy this is a long walk!

After walking for what seemed like a whole day I saw this human coming toward us,  as we got closer a voice that I knew called out "Hey Lucky Dog!"  Dad!  Well I forgot I was all tired out and cold...I even forgot Mom was on the other end of my leash.  Dad came back!  He didn't leave us!  Oh boy I was so happy I just took off toward him...funny though Mom didn't seem so happy and she didn't seem to want to run like me!  Dad bought the sled, he had it sort of tied to him with my training leash and he seemed to want me to get in.  Ha!  Fat chance man, I don't get in no sled with Mom!  I'm only a pup I need Mom to make sure I don't fall out or somethin'.  He looked and me and read my mind it seems cos he said  "oh no!  No deal mate I can't pull the sled with both of you sat in it".  So there we were, three tired souls and an empty sled trudging on through the snow until finally they both seemed very happy when this little house came into view.

to be continued.

Sunday 27th January

Well like I say, there I was all alone sitting in the snow wondering what to do next.  I mean how's a dog supposed to know how to get back home, I was just a pup!  But luckily this man appeared in his big red truck.  He seemed nice and he let me get in his truck.  He wandered up and down for a bit.  then we drove around in this big circle like he was looking for something or someone.  He took me back where he found me and he walked about a bit more.  I thought maybe he was gonna leave me there, but nah!  He got back in and gave me a friendly rub on the head and said "Well I guess you better come home with me then pup".

It was a bit of a drive back and I sat there real good on the back seat.  We pulled up at his house and he went inside.  After a minute he came out again with this lady...oh my did she make a fuss of me!  They took me inside and used that phone thingy to talk to some people about me. Then the man disappeared and came back with food and toys!

So I stayed a few days, I made sure I behaved real good and I did all the cute things I could think of.  Well I must've done good cause from then on it seemed they 'adopted' me!  Not sure exactly what that means...but I kinda think I have a new mom and dad now cos I don't seem to be goin' anywhere else.  And that kinda suits me.  They are both a bit barmy, especially the lady.  She talks away to me all day long and sometimes she plays these really daft games...like hiding behind the bathroom door and then jumping out saying "boo!" First time she did that I fair nearly jumped out of my skin.  But then she laughed and made a big fuss of giving me a hug so I knew she was only playin'.  Now I wait just outside the door and then jump on her...keeps her amused anyhow!  One time she left me with this nice lady, while she went shopping she said.  Oh boy she was gone for three whole days, that lady can sure shop!  Anyhow I didn't mind.  The lady that looked after me was ace and when my new mom and dad got back they shared their 'shopping' with me!  I got a new bed, a new leash, more toys and my own proper bowls to eat and drink from instead of the picnic bowls they used cos that was all they had to hand.

Me waiting to jump on Mom!

Well my paws are tired from this typing stuff so I'm gonna sign off for now.  Come back tomorrow when I've had a sleep and a good chew on my bone and I will tell you about my first camping trip!