Hear Me Bark

It's a hit!

Rilo Kiley's popular song, "It's a Hit," is a pretty accurate description of my half day at day care yesterday. Seriously, I don't think it could have gone better. I bet you can guess who's still breathing a big sigh of relief even after more than 24 hours. (Tall!)

Speaking of Tall, she chauffeured me to the day care facility so I'd arrive promptly at 7:00 a.m. I remained calm until entering the building, but showed a bit of excitement when the caregiver human approached me. I was trying to play it cool, but I really couldn't help myself; I like her a lot. She took my leash from Tall and sent her on her way. Calm and collected spoo that I am, I didn't even glance back to see her leave.

The caregiver human told Tall she should feel free to call and check on me, which she did. Around 9:45, Tall called and one of the caregiver humans told her, and I quote, "Dixie is doing great; what a gem she is!" OMG. Can you even believe it?

In addition to playing with other dogs -- and playing well I might add -- I got a TTouch massage from one of the caregiver humans. It was delightful and very relaxing.

I had such a busy morning that I didn't realize how quickly time flew. Before I knew it, a caregiver human was ushering me through the playroom gates to Tall. That was okay though. I was exhausted and slept the entire afternoon away. Now that we know I can be good and not get expelled (at least not right away, anyway), I can't wait to go back to Pride and Pedigree!

Day Care Assessment Complete

Tall took me to my day care assessment at Pride & Pedigree and I pretty much passed with flying colors. However, Tall isn't getting her hopes up despite reassurance from Short Human. She is concerned that I'll get expelled like last time. I'm going to try to be on my best behavior though.

Pride & Pedigree is pretty cool. It's in an old warehouse-type building with lots of exposed beams an an exposed ceiling. They have separate areas where dogs are grouped by temperament rather than size. I hope I get put in a group with lots of labs and pit bulls. And maybe there will be another standard poodle! I didn't get to go in the rooms and observe things very closely, but I did see a large red barn that I'll get to play in. It looked way cool.

Tall scheduled my first day tomorrow just to test the waters. I'm going for a half day, so I'll be home by noon and will tell you all about it.

Naughty Is the New Nice

What I am about to tell you is a true story. If you are against cruelty to humans, you should probably stop reading here.

Yesterday, I heard Tall tell Short: "This has been one of the hardest mornings I've had in a long time and it's all because of Dixie." I've been in a very mischievous mood lately. I blame it on the rain. In fact, that's how yesterday got off to such a bad start.

Tall had the day off and decided to take me to the Alameda Dog Park since the rain had kept me from getting a lot of outdoor exercise during the week. Obviously, I was excited. As we walked up to the gate, we both saw several miniature lakes and I was afraid that she'd deny me my beloved fetch time, but she sucked it up and we went inside.

In addition to all the standing water and a steady rain, there were multiple piles of poop, obnoxious dog owners, and several dogs who kept stealing my ball. This wasn't shaping up to be the best dog park trip. However, we played for a while and Tall kept chasing down the dogs who stole my ball. Apparently, their owners thought it was cute; Tall was not amused. And Tall, like me, was soaked by the time we left.

As soon as we got home, Tall put me in the tub for a bath. As usual, I was pretty good until after my bath when she brought out the hair dryer. I wiggled all around and made it hard for her to dry me and after about five minutes of trying, Tall got frustrated and went out to get the grooming table. I was not happy. However, I stopped putting up too much of a fight because I was famished -- it was 10:30 and I still hadn't eaten breakfast.

After Tall fed me, all hell broke loose. I thought it would be really fun to rip around the house barking like I never had. If the neighbors were home, I'm sure we'll receive a reprimand from the apartment management. Like a fool, Tall kept trying to grab me so I'd stop barking, but I alluded capture by running into my crate. Furious, Tall slammed the crate door, which immediately bounced open, and  stormed away. I thought this was a fabulous game, so I tore out of my crate and chased Tall into the living room where she sought refuge, jumping, poking, and nibbling her the entire time. Tall finally made it to the living room, but she flopped down on the couch and cried a little. Still thinking this was part of the game, I continued to bark, jump, and poke. I now realize that it was not a game.

Tall finally got up, went to the kitchen, got a treat, and escorted me -- by the collar -- to my crate. I proceeded to sleep off my craziness for the next two hours. As I slept, Tall and Short began devising a behavior modification plan to "show me who's boss." I can hardly wait.

Hump Day at Casa Dixie

After spending a day and a half recuperating from seven days of playing my heart out at Wag, I decided to have some fun with the humans. I spent the majority of the day clearing the room by farting — nothing wimpy, either. These are robust, stinky farts that almost make Short Human gag. Despite this, Tall Human took a risk and enclosed herself in the car with me twice — once to deposit Short at — and collect her from — work. During the drives, I squeezed out several baby farts. Once we arrived home this afternoon and I was freed from my safety restraint, I proceeded to bounce-attack Tall in the lobby as Short watched and laughed. Good times.

After dinner, I took a nap and farted more. I awoke a little later and whined at the door so Tall would take me out. On the elevator ride down, I scooted around on my butt to scratch an itch, which made Tall feel guilty for having me groomed on Monday. Excellent. We headed back upstairs where I farted a few more times and took another nap. Shortly after, I whined at the door again. I had to use the facilities, but my main objective was to get back outside where I could eat some leftover stir fry that was dropped in the mulch in front of our building. I managed to bite off a piece of a gigantic onion, but Short caught me and made me spit it out. She walked me a different way where I took an obligatory pee as two skateboarders zipped by. I, of course, barked my head off. On the walk back to the door, I tried to get the onion I spit out, but Short was too quick for me. When we finally reached the elevator, we were joined by a small woman whom I tried to (playfully) maul. Short restrained me, but I farted again, totally embarrassing her and running the woman out of the elevator. Currently, I am attempting to take up as much space in their bed as possible.

All in all, I feel like today was very productive. I wonder if the humans are still glad to be reunited after their long trip.

I'm trashy.

I've been a naughty girl during my first day back at home from dog sitting in Davis. Things were going pretty well at first. I whined around 6:30 a.m. — which, I might add, isn't too bad for not having gone to the bathroom since 9:00 p.m. — for Short to take me outside. While we were out, Tall prepared my breakfast and left it for me. While I ate, the humans went back to sleep. I joined them a little later.

When I whined again at 8:10 a.m., I wanted someone to get out of bed and take me to the dog park. Tall seemed happy to oblige and headed to the bathroom to get ready. However, once she saw what was in the bathroom, the early morning cheer came to a screeching halt. Looking for a little fun after breakfast, I decided to sort through the bathroom trash. I found lots of tissues and toilet paper, a discarded deodorant container, pieces of dental floss, and, my personal favorite, tampons. I had lots of fun shredding the tissue and doing some other things, which I won't mention for those in my not-so-mature audience. Tall of course freaked out and made Short go see what I had been up to. As they stood there staring at the assortment of trash on the floor, I couldn't help but wonder what the big deal was. Apparently, it was a big deal to them.

After Tall cleaned everything up, we still went to the dog park, but she muttered and grumbled the whole way there. It was something like, "You better hope you don't get sick from that trash" and "Intestinal blockage is no joke, Dixie." I, however, tuned her out because I was looking forward to fetching at the park.

I'm sure my trash-digging escapades will be over for a while. The humans already have trash cans with lids on them, but I know they'll figure some other way to keep me out. Oh well. At least I had some fun when their guard was down!

More Leg Room

In the wee hours of the morning, Tall Human opened the door to my crate. Normally, I bolt out because I have to pee, but I think she mistook my sounds of getting comfortable for wanting to go to the bathroom. This time, I didn't bolt — I just stared at her, blinking sleepily.

Boy am I glad I didn't bolt because Tall got to see me spread out in my crate. I think she realized it was time to give me some more room. A growing poodle needs that, you know. Anyway, when Short Human and I returned from our early morning walk, Tall was putting my crate back together. Now, I have much more room. Ahhhh . . .

I guess I'm finally being rewarded for not having many "accidents" in the house. My last one was more than a week ago and it was their fault. Actually, all of my "accidents," as they call them, have been their fault. Shame on them.

Daycare Reject

My rambunctious personality has once again put me in a tight spot with Tall Human. After going for an evaluation (and passing with flying colors, mind you) at a new daycare and boarding facility yesterday, Tall dropped me off this morning for all-day play so she could get some work done.

When she arrived to pick me up, the owner and "top dog," as he calls himself, said to Tall, "I have some concerns about Dixie." He proceeded to tell her that I never tired once the entire day, I stressed out the other dogs by constantly trying to engage them in play (and not taking no for an answer when they didn't want to play), and had bad play manners. He also told her that I spent the afternoon with him or another employee one-on-one rather than being in the play group. Needless to say, Tall was not pleased with this news.

We all had such high hopes and were excited about this new facility because it's only about four blocks from our new loft, which makes it oh-so-convenient. Unfortunately, the owner/top dog told Tall that he thinks it's best if I don't return. Talk about rubbing salt in an open wound . . .

Luckily for me, Wag is more than happy to have when the humans need daycare for me, so I'm thankful for that. Not to knock this new place, but there were only five other dogs to play with today. I'm accustomed to three or four times that at Wag, which almost guarantees that several dogs can match my energy level.

Under-the-Couch Potato

Short Human slept on the couch last night so her lingering cough wouldn't disturb Tall Human. Around 3 a.m., Short awoke and reached out to pet me, but she ended up petting Mary, who was resting in my bed, instead.

Short was alarmed when she discovered I wasn't in my bed. She searched every room of the house, and when she still couldn't find me, she woke up Tall. A half-asleep Tall mumbled, "She's probably under the couch." A light bulb flashed over Short's head, and she ran out to the living room to check.

I was indeed sleeping under the couch. I was upset with Short for making me wear my Gentle Leader head collar before bed. Apparently, pounding on the pigs' cage was a no-no. Regardless, I hope she learned her lesson.

I'll stay put.

The humans started using the "stay" command on me a few months ago. When they started, I was barely able to hold a stay for 10 seconds. I have too much energy to remain in one spot for very long, and I wasn't sure why they didn't get that. But since then, I've decided that staying still for a little while isn't all bad, especially when I'm rewarded with a tasty treat or a game of fetch once I'm "released."

I'm not as good at the down stay as I am the sit stay, but we're working on both. Yesterday, on a whim, Tall Human decided to try out the "stay" command before she threw my toy. This was pretty risky considering how obsessed I am with playing fetch, but sometimes she's a risk-taker. After telling me to sit, Tall gave the hand signal for stay (see image) and then said "stay." Next, she threw the toy. We were both in shock when I actually stayed put. Not wanting to push her luck after I had stayed for about 10 seconds, Tall said "release" and I happily fetched the toy and returned it to her. We did this about four times during our game and I got better each time.

The humans would eventually like to have me in a down stay for an hour. This is a pretty big goal, but I'll achieve it one day. For now, I'm happy to savor my small success.

Drat. They hid my balls.

According to the humans, I'm obsessed with balls and playing fetch. I suppose this is why none of my balls were to be found yesterday when I emerged from my crate.

If you ask me, this was a sneaky, backhanded move. But I'm just a standard poodle (i.e., retrieving breed), so what do I know?