Grape Did It

And lest you think

I'm being mean, he knows full well he's not allowed up there. Shortly after shooting this video - I mean like 10 seconds, while I watched the replay - he hopped back up on the couch.

He takes me so seriously

Because they are not allowed in our room

Identity crisis

Copper came through surgery with flying colors. I cried a little when they led him out into the waiting room for me to pick up. I don't know, it just kills me that I can't explain to him why I brought him to a strange place, had him drugged, operated on and now, "Oh hi Copper! I'm back to get you". But he doesn't seem angry, just keeps dropping his head in my lap to be snuggled and then settling down right next to my feet to sleep - way to pile on the guilt, Copper!

To make myself feel better though I think I will dress him up as something very manly for Halloween. Biker? Policeman? Nooo, too Village People. I've got it! I'll dress him as a ballerina so everyone knows he's not afraid to show his feminine side! I will have the world's most psychologically well-adjusted dog! Yeah, so I just got neutered and I'm wearing a tutu, you have something to say about it?! How tough is that?

Things I now know

1. He loves to vacuum 2. He can climb a pole in just under 4 seconds 3. He does not like fabric softener, it makes him feel oily 4. Sadly, he does not share my morbid fascination with cop/mystery shows 5. He says "nary" when he means "no". I cannot un-convince him of this 6. He does a mean Cartman impersonation 7. When he laughs he looks exactly like his mom

When we left WalMart the other day I grumbled that we were now old losers since we were leaving with a brand new vacuum cleaner and were excited about it, no less. Bud told me to speak for myself, he didn't feel like a loser. Evidence of number 1, below.

Frequent customer

At Panera this morning:

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Yes, I'll have a medium coffee please,"

"That'll be $1.52"

"No, that'll be $1.73"

"Oh, right"

New place

Suggestion

Try and not have a female dog in heat around an un-neutered, just maturing male dog. Just a suggestion. I've heard it's hell.

First day!

Big bully

Sadie and Copper haven't really established an alpha as far as I can tell. She asserts herself when she's tired of him trying to chew up and swallow her ears but he can also be food-aggressive. Because of this we try to keep an eye on them when they eat. I've also tugged gently on his ears and pulled his tail slightly while he eats so he knows it's not okay to snap at someone/another animal just because he's eating. But protectiveness of his own food bowl - though something to work on undoing - is understandable. What is totally not okay is when I come into the kitchen during meal time and find Sadie waiting patiently on the floor mat while Copper wolfs down the rest of her food. Wow. That fleeting feeling of overwhelming protectiveness towards Sadie I felt, gave me an insight into why mama bears will eat people if only to prove the point that no one and nothing is going to mess with their cub. After I pulled him away angrily, I tried to coax Sadie back to her bowl - she was so timid it broke my heart but finally I had him sitting at the edge of the kitchen and her finishing what was in her bowl. Once he was back to being nice I gave him an extra scoop in his bowl. I'm trying hard not to give Sadie preferential treatment just because she was my baby first and is so little and impossibly cute - and Copper has some pretty endearing qualities himself so it's not too difficult. But man oh man we had to have a small can of whoop ass pulled out this morning.