Prince's Neighbors

We live in a neighborhood of dog lovers! Almost every house on the block has at least one dog. We see most of them when we are out walking Prince several times a day. On the days that are really cold, most of the dogs are inside "hibernating" with their owners. Since Prince has come to Hallmark Drive, we are getting more walking into our exercise routine, and that's a good thing.

This morning, Prince took his morning walk and then headed over to the next door neighbor's house to play with his buddies. Joey has two dogs -- Gidget, the Jack Russell terrier, and Rudy, a mixed breed. Some weekends her friend brings over Magic, a black mixed (chow?) breed.

Gidget is definitely the alpha-dog. She rules the roost, and if the playing gets to rambuncious, she heads to the deck to "supervise." Rudy is a little guy, but he is as fast as Prince and can give him a run for the money. Magic is close in size to Prince, at least I think so, under all that black fur. Magic is a bit more timid, but still a fun playmate.

Here are some photos of the morning's romp. Prince is now zonked on the kitchen floor taking a nap!

Magic, Gidget & Rudy

The "Gidge"

C'mon guys, let's run!

Petsmart Puppy Training 101

Hi, it's me, Prince! I wanted to tell you about going to school this week at Pineville's Petsmart. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was great! First, it's in a store that is filled with food and other animals. There are aisles to explore and hundreds of smells. Second, there are other people and dogs there, so I can make friends with everybody, and they can tell me how cute I am.

The first week was really more training for Nan and Bubba -- meeting Meghan, the trainer, and understanding how she teaches with positive reinforcement techniques (that means food!) We did learn two commands, "watch me" and "touch."

The "watch me" command is to help me learn my name and to always respond to it. Nan taps my nose with a treat in her right hand and says my name. Then she puts that hand at her eyes and says "watch me." If I look at her and hold my gaze for a couple of seconds, I get the treat!

Now, the "touch" command is a little more advanced. And Meghan says that we will learn another command soon that will link to this one. Anyway, Bubba holds a treat between the fingers on his left hand and a couple of treats (or kibbles) in his right hand. He puts his left hand near my face and says "touch." Once I reach out and my nose hits his left hand, he leads me away from that hand with his right hand and gives me the treat.

I have to practice both commands at home this week, and then show Howie and Buster Brown, my classmates, how good I'm doing next week. We are practicing 2 or 3 times a day, and I love the treats.

I am also working on a few commands outside of class. I can sit on command, and I sit on the side of the road when we are taking a walk and a car comes by me. Potty training is going well. I have learned to scratch at the door if I want to go out. I scratch, and Nan or Bubba gets my leash and off we go. Cool!

Here are some pictures from my first class. This is my teacher, Meghan, and my classmates, Howie and Buster Brown. Meghan knows a lot about dogs and training. She has had over 4 years of training, so there is no fooling her!

Here I am meeting Howie, the Boston Terrier, before class begins. Howie is only 4 pounds and I am 30 pounds. One swat of my tail and I might send Howie scooting across the training pen! He was afraid of me at first, and he would run under the seats to hide from me. But, by the end of class he was my buddy.

See, Howie let me put my mouth over his whole head..............and his back legs,too! He knew that I wouldn't hurt him. Buster Brown, a Peekapoo, is 5 pounds and all fluffy. He moves so fast and bounces around a lot, so he is harder to get a hold of!

Snow Day!!!

Tuesday we awoke to a white winter wonderland at Dragon Gardens. Although the snow did not last long, we enjoyed every minute of it. The ordinary becomes the fantastic. Adults become children. And the "huskie" in Prince came alive! Enjoy our pictures from our magical day.

Morgan's Weekend Visit

Morgan came to visit Bubba, Nan, and Prince for the weekend. Michelle and Steve were working on their National Review Boards presentations for their teacher certification. And we were having fun at Dragon Gardens!

Morgan and Bubba enjoyed a big breakfast to start the day. It was Bubba's second breakfast, but who's counting? Besides, he would need the extra energy to keep up with Morgan!

Morgan loves being outside. She is a pink blur in this picture, running with Prince. Dressed head to toe in pink -- and carrying her pink soccer ball. Prince wanted to get in on the action with the soccer ball and the running. It was fun until Prince got over-excited and started jumping up on Morgan. They are both 30 pounds, so it's hard for Morgan to hold her own. Needless to say, Bubba had to step in and remind Prince not to jump and to remind Morgan not to run unless she wanted Prince to chase.

Bubba walked Prince around the block, and Morgan and Nan tagged along. Morgan was excited to see the "neighborhood" and to figure out which house was "ours."

Because it was so cold, we planned some indoor activities, too. We made the first of three varieties (and 8 to 9 dozen) cookies -- oatmeal raisin. Then we moved on to sugar cookies. Nan had forgotten to put the butter out to soften, so Morgan decided to stay busy with putting (a bottle of) "sprinkles" in the sugar cookie mix prior to creaming in the butter and baking. Well, we learned a lesson with that approach -- the sugar hardens in the baking, so hard in fact that you could break your teeth trying to eat the cookies. The sugar cookies went in the garbage at the end of the weekend!

In the afternoon we went to see Madagascar 2 - Escape to Africa and left Prince to nap. Cartoon movies are great. The humor is targeted at an adult level, but the kids love the basic story. If you have not seen this one, be sure to get it on DVD. Nan loved the penguins! And we all loved to "Move it, move it!"

Morgan and Prince snuggle up before dinner.

Bubba and Morgan snuggle and read "Clifford, the Big Red Dog" and "101 Dalmatians" at bedtime. By 8 o'clock both Morgan and Bubba were having trouble keeping their eyes open. Not a peep from Morgan until she crawls in bed with Nan at 6 a.m. on Sunday.

After breakfast, a second round of baking (peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses on top -- the best of the weekend), and a long playtime in the bath, Morgan helps Bubba give Prince a bath. Prince was not happy about the event, and Nan thought the de-flea shampoo smelled awful. Fortunately for Nan, the smell disappeared after a couple of days. And Prince will not need another bath until the summer where Bubba can take care of business outside.

Nothing like building a tent! Nan helped Morgan construct the basics, and she filled her house with all the toys and dolls, as well as her books, clothes, and cooking utensils. Prince wanted to come inside the tent, but it was "girls only."

(Note to Nan's family: Anyone recognize the blanket for the tent? It was given to Nan by her Mama when she was about Morgan's age. The satin binding is shredding, but it is now Morgan's favorite when laying on the sofa and watching TV. "Nan's blanket" is what she asks for!)

Sunday afternoon, we all headed downtown to Seventh Street Station to ride the train -- the Lynx rapid transit. Bubba had as much fun as Morgan. He got to see all the new construction along the South Boulevard corridor, and she enjoyed "riding backwards."

Oh, man! This makes funny noises!

We headed up I-85 to the University area to take Morgan home. As usual, she fell asleep in the carseat. Hopefully, she was having good dreams about the weekend. Bubba and Nan did later that night!

Boots' Heroic Adventure - January 12

Boots at the Beach

For those of you who don't know my little sister, Boots, she is a fun person and also one who cares about her fellow man (and animals) a great deal. And she is not afraid to show it!

Last week, I got this '"wow" email on her latest adventure in Piney Flats, Tennessee. Once you read it, you will be asking yourself a few questions -- Would I have had the same courage? Would I have risked my own safety? What would I have done?

Even though there was no press or news reporting of the event, it's the simple things that people do everyday without thinking or without fear that make a difference in our lives. Thanks, Boots, for caring and more importantly for acting. We love you!!!



i had an incredible experience last night! i was pulling into one entrance of the white's store in piney flats and saw a guy run off the road into the big gully at the other entrance, so i pulled over to where he was and called the police. he kept gunning his engine, trying to get unstuck so i was afraid to go down till he turned the car off. the sheriff got there pretty quick and he and he went down the embankment (about 30' straight down! - super steep) and couldn't get the door open but a crack. he was working on trying to get the door open when the engine caught on fire. as soon as i saw the flames i headed down the hill - sliding on my butt. by the time i got to the bottom of the hole the man was out of the car, but very disoriented. i just reached out my hand and asked him to hold my hand and follow me. he grabbed my hand and we started getting away from the car. he was about 6'2" - 190 lbs and the cop was about my height, so we started hauling this big guy up the hill. about halfway up the hill, the interior of the car went up in flames. we kept forging ahead and then a couple of guys at the top hollered what could they do to help. i told them to grab his hands and pull and we'd push from the back to keep him from falling. the man was 81 years old and just got blinded by headlights turning into the parking lot. he didn't have a scratch on him. it was unreal. the car burned completely up but didn't blow up. the fire department had the bristol highway blocked off and rerouted all the traffic in case there was an explosion. i called the man's daughter on his cell phone and she and her husband came to get him. we were all hugging and so thankful that he was not hurt.

that's my adrenaline story for this week. it's kinda cool helping save somebody's life. i just couldn't believe that with all the spectators, i was the only one who took the chance to help. the cop thanked me and said he could not have done it by himself. then he gave me a big hug. the perfect end to a crazy day. all's well that ends well. never a dull moment.

i think i'll go to walmart and get a wonder woman costume for next time!

so.. what's new with you? e

Gettin' Fit with Fido!

Have you made fitness a part of your New Year's resolutions? We did.

John and I have both been working with a personal trainer and a neuromuscular therapist (at Performance Management) for the past couple of months. John has been working on strengthening his left leg and hip, and I have been trying to relieve my left shoulder and chest from 30 years of hunching over a computer. We have had great results and felt like we would soon be ready to go out on our own with some personalized exercise routines.

John and I joined a local gym this month, Lifestyle Family Fitness. It's five minutes from the house, so no excuses! We are looking forward to taking Yoga and Body Flow classes, as well as practicing our ballroom dancing steps on the hardwood floor of the group exercise room on the weekends.

We are also getting plenty of cardio with Prince. He loves his (2 or 3) daily walks around the neighborhood, as well as chasing his toys around the yard. The faster he runs, the more that we have to move. And that's a good thing!

And not to be outdone, Prince has some fitness advice for all of us for 2009!



Go outdoors everyday!




Eat healthy meals!



Get 8 hours of sleep!

Exercise daily!

Squeeze those abs, Bubba!

Going Rogue!!

Hi, this is Prince.

And I'm going "rogue" taking over the Nan and Bubba's blog today! Shhh.......

Boy, let me tell you, this is the life! (Sorry, Mark, had to steal that line.) Bubba was right. It's like going from being homeless and sleeping on cardboard at Union Station to moving in at the Plaza Athene' with 600 tread-count sheets and room service!

Eat!

I am having so much fun on Hallmark Drive these days. Eat, sleep, play....eat, sleep, talk a walk, play...eat, sleep, play... You get the idea. I'm a lucky dog!

Meals here are also better. "Chicken Soup for Puppies" is the mix that I'm on now. It has chicken and lamb as the main protein sources, and not as much corn. Best part is that as I grow, I get to have more in my bowl! And I get some treats during the day when we are practicing our commands.


Sleep! Look at that soft carpet!!!

Oh, it's not all play. I think I have the house-breaking, potty-training thing down. No accidents in the last couple of days. Since Nan put up the gate and keeps me in the kitchen and great room, that helps to keep me in view for my "I need to go outside NOW!!" signal.

Sit!

Also, I am working on some basic commands with Nan. I do pretty well with "sit" and we are working on "down" now. There are some rumors circulating around the house that I will be going to school soon at Petsmart. I will let you know how that works out.

Play!

On our walks around the neighborhood, I am getting to know the smells and sounds. There are quite a few dogs on the street, and I think I've met most of them (through the fences). Had a small altercation with one of those teeny-tiny lap dogs. Looked like a miniature dobie, and acted liked one, too. She wanted to take my head off. All I wanted was a good sniff or two...

Oooohhh, so warm!

I made a wonderful discovery this morning...the heat vent. Periodically, it blows warm air out of the floor! It feels soooo good when you have just come in from playing in the cold. Heck, it feels good anytime. I've got to scout out the house for more of these hot spots.

Me and the squirrel!

Nan bought this super cool toy for me. It's called a flying squirrel, and it looks like a square Frisbee with a curve in it. That way I can easily pick it up. I pretend that I am fetching and returning, but I just grab it and run! I LOVE it!!!

Bringing back the squirrel!

Look at me go!

Sometimes, I run across the gardens, and I don't think Bubba is happy about that --but I don't see any flowers coming out of the dirt. And, besides, I spend all day running on the grass. I just don't see the difference, but again, rumor has it that this will be part of my "formal training."

OK, I'd better sign off before Nan and Bubba discover me typing. I'll report back later -- after my nap!