Change is Good...Right?

So it's the beginning of a new year and per usual I've been hard at work outlining my goals and objectives to in order to expand my pack. One of the biggest obstacles that I'm still trying to come to terms with is the impending arrival of my new sister. As most of you know I'm allergic to all forms of change in my daily routine. My parents have been hard at work over the past 9 months introducing me to new sights, smells and above all rules intended to make my life easier when she comes home. I don’t know if any of you have had the pleasure of welcoming a baby into your house but I have to say I'm very anxious about this change; I mean where do I begin?? Do I immediately enroll her in The Paw Pack Puppy Program, throw her into playgroups and hope she can learn by example? It worked for all my puppy friends and took a lot less pressure off of my job. Do I have to share my toys and treats? I'll admit she seems to have quite the stockpile of treats in her room; I might have to swap out some of my used ones for hers before she arrives...I'm sure no one will notice. Will I have to be her dog nanny 24/7? For my friends who can't be off leash my mom simply hooks their leash to my collar and we walk together...I suppose that could work except I'm not sure if she'll arrive with her walking skills intact. What if she doesn't want to eat and sleep on my schedule? I get super cranky when my feeding schedule is off and I shut down all playtime after 7 pm; if she needs evening entertaining my parents are just going to have to step up and help; I mean really...I can't do everything! Most importantly will she be held to the same standards of rules, boundaries and limitations that I have to follow? If she gets her own rulebook then my parents and I are going to have a serious chat about fairness. Well I suppose there's nothing I can do but try and embrace this new change, pray she doesn't take away all the attention from me and hope she realizes that I will always be the boss of her…

Paw Pack Phobias

I've come to the conclusion lately that the more time I spend with my friends the more I am privy to witnessing some of their unique quirks. I'm not talking about the usual stuff like always needing to carry the biggest stick possible while walking or the tendency to indulge in mud-pies at the park; I'm talking about their strange phobias. Some of my friends are spooked by the usual things; shadows, doorbells, garbage trucks, vacuums, the automatic trash can at my house, and even my mom's potholder mitts! But as we are approaching the holiday season it's come to my attention that some of my friends are genuinely spooked by the ghosts, witches and scarecrows that have been decorating households and lawns all over town. I can't help not making fun of them; I mean clearly these figures are fake but nonetheless some of my friends proceed to bark, growl and run the other way when coming into contact with them. In any event I suppose phobias are not something to be taken lightly especially since my mom pulled a fast one on me and spilled the beans to all my friends on my secret phobia: Mirrors. Anytime my dad shoves a mirror in my face asking me "where's the puppy in the mirror" I break out in a sweat, tuck my tail between my legs and hide in the next room. In 5 years I have yet to locate this yellow puppy he speaks of; trust me I've spent lots of time looking for him! I think what scares me the most is not that I'm seeing another dog I can't find but it's the fact that half of my dad's body disappears when he holds the mirror in front of me; it's enough to give you dogmares for months...

Freedom

There comes a time in every dog's life when he needs to feel a sense of independence. For the past 5 years I've been under the watchful eye of my parents and after spending time with some of my friends I've come to the realization that my parents can be really strict at times. Some of my friends get to rule the house, come and go as they please and hardly ever have to ask permission from their parents to visit friends. I thought to myself one day; why shouldn't I be able to make my own rules; after all I am 5 years old; practically an adult! So for the past month I've been pushing the envelope a bit and taking field trips over to my friend Rocky's house. We have a great system set up; he sends out a special bark letting me know the coast is clear on his end and I strategically make my yard exit when I'm out going to the bathroom. As soon as my parents look away I'm off. I have to say there's no better feeling than breaking the rules; at first I was just going to visit occasionally but lately I can't help myself and visit him daily! Usually Rocky and I's social visits are cut short by one of my parents arriving to take me home. Let me just say there's nothing more embarrassing then your mother driving up in her car; giving you "the look" and herding you home...I've tried explaining my case to them; it's not like I'm going on a bone bender or hiking across state lines; I just need to be able to have a little more freedom. Maybe they'll loosen the reigns when I'm 6...until then I'm on house arrest...

Curious Canine

I've been told by my mom on many occasions that I tend to be a curious lab. Whether it is sitting on my favorite couch patrolling the neighborhood or simply strolling through the house taking detailed inventory of household items I believe that I am playing an important role in helping the household run smoothly. I'll admit it though...my curiosity has gotten the best of me at times. I have a small fascination with paper products; paper towels, napkins, tissues and especially holiday wrapping paper. I believe this fascination began with my dad allowing me to assist opening Christmas gifts as a young pup. What fun it was tearing apart the paper to shreds! My parents would cheer me on so I figured, this is great...best game ever! Shredding paper is an art form and really should be practiced regularly throughout the year so I'm convinced my parents strategically leave out paper products for me to practice with. I couldn't believe my luck the other day and while conducting one of my daily kitchen inspections I discovered that there was a fresh box of new tissues on the table. What a nice afternoon treat I thought! I immediately snatched up the box, brought it out into the living room (there's much more room for shredding) and off I went. Navigating around the box was tough but once I got into the meat of the box it was smooth sailing. I proudly inspected my work after a good 2 minutes of shredding; not bad I thought...but it could use some work. I have 8 months to perfect it until Christmas. I left the gift out for my mom to see when she got home but I think she was less than pleased when she saw my work. Clearly she thinks the present wasn't big enough. No worries I'll make her a bigger gift next time....

Valentines Shmalentines

So here we are again on the eve of the biggest romantic holiday of the year. My mom reminded me last week that all my girlfriends would be anxiously awaiting the arrival of a romantic Labbie gesture of love from yours truly. However after much debate on appropriate gift ideas (and the fact that Petco closes soon) I've decided that Valentine’s Day is really an overrated holiday. Today's Valentine’s Day gifts are really not suitable for my group of friends. Cards will be shredded, jewelry will be ingested and chocolate...well...that speaks for itself! I pride myself on the ability to give each of my girlfriends (there are quite a few now) and friends plenty of love and affection 365 days a year. Not to mention the countless gifts of dog treats, use of my toys and fun sleepovers I provide! I hope this year all of my friends recognize that love, affection and thoughtful gifts should be given year round and not just for one day. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Paw Pack Management Committee

So I'm happy to report that my pack and I had a successful year of walks and playgroups! We managed to recruit a solid group of members made up of Central Massachusetts’s finest dogs. Looking ahead into 2012 it is quite apparent that my mom is going to need some extra help and my position as Playgroup Ambassador will be changing and I'll need to appointment additional members to the management committee. Holding a management seat is quite competitive in this business and as you can imagine it's stirred up quite the competition amongst the other members. My friends are vying for the job of a lifetime and every playgroup is like an interview! The ideal candidates must possess the following attributes:

Strong leadership qualities, the ability to maintain calm-assertive behavior throughout playgroups and walks, properly enforce playgroup rules and regulations, treat all members equally, take new members under their paw and help them properly adjust to playgroups, supervise proper travel etiquette, assist in proper documentation of visits (Paw Pack Pawgress Reports). Higher level duties to include extensive research of local parks and trails, advertising and developing our brand in the dog community.

The role of a management committee member within the Paw Pack Adventure Club is an elite position. We have a great reputation to uphold and I have high expectations for each candidate. The application enrollment period is officially open!

Fall Fetch Fiasco

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. There are endless piles of leaves to play in, lots of hikes with my friends and of course there's always time for my favorite game of fetch! One of the most vivid memories I have of fetch happened one sunny fall evening last year. My dad had come home from work that day ready to play with me. As soon as he jumped out of the car he tossed me his keys. GAME ON I thought! I took off into the backyard at top speed with the keys flying in the wind when all of a sudden I took a sharp turn and lost my footing. The keys flew out of my mouth and disappeared into the millions of leaves scattered all over the yard. I frantically began turning up every leaf I saw trying to find the keys but turned up with nothing. I walked slowly back to my dad to deliver the bad news and within minutes we had assembled a key rescue mission. As my mom, dad and I paced around the entire property I started to get anxious. It was quickly starting to get dark and there was still no sign of the keys. I had really messed up this time...now I'll never get to play fetch again! All of a sudden my mom saved the day and found the keys hidden under a pile of leaves! After a brief celebratory key reunion I got a long lecture from my dad about the rules and regulations of fetch and was banned for life from playing with keys. Moral of the story...keys and fetch don't mix!!