Time for Bed???

Mom says it's time for bed, but I totally disagree. Instead, I think it's time to play! And you know what? That's exactly what I'm doing!

OH, we should play fetch now, too!

I say that Mom can just sleep tomorrow...

Free-Range Buttons

Mom and I went to visit Grandma again this weekend! You know what I like best about Grandma's house? I can be "Free-Range Buttons." At least that's what Mom calls it.

See, Grandma has a really big yard and it's got a fence all of the way around it. You know what that means? Freedom! NO leash! I can explore and sniff and check stuff out and even roll in the grass! I get to just enjoy being me and being a doggie.

Here's a pic of me enjoying the space in Grandma's yard and sniffing some pee-mail from my cousin Hoss.

Checking out some more stuff on my way back inside...

I didn't have to wear my leash at all this weekend...until we came home. It was awesome!

But I guess I let the excitement of being Free-Range Buttons get to me this weekend. When we pulled into our parking spot at our house I "accidentally" jumped out of the car before Mom could put my leash on me. Oops!

Never fear, though. I knew exactly what I was supposed to do. I pottied in the front yard and then I ran to the door and waited for Mom to let me inside.

I LOVE being Free-Range Buttons. Don't ever want to lose that privilege!

Not What It Seems...

This picture looks like I was rolling on that green ball, doesn't it?

Nope! That's how I took a nap last night. Fooled ya! He he he...

Oh, Mom says I'm overly furry now. I'm o.k. with that, though. I'd rather be furry than groomed!

My Big Plan

I decided tonight that Mom didn't need to go anywhere after she got home from work. She needed to just spend the evening at home with me. Makes sense, doesn't it?

So here's what I did...

That's right...I went and took a nap right smack in front of our door. Mom couldn't open the door at all with me snoozing there, so she was stuck inside.

Unfortunately, my plan had one minor flaw. I didn't anticipate the draw of the cookies. Yes, Mom lured me away from the door with cookies. And then she went to her meeting.

But at least the cookies were yummy.

Oh -- Mom says to ignore the stuff all over the door mat, except for that dark spot by my face. That's where I drooled. (Must have been dreaming of cookies...)

Running out of Steam

A few nights ago I wanted to play with my squeaky squirrel, but I also needed to take a nap. So what happened? Well, my squeaks got slower and I played myself right into a nap, of course...

COOKIES!

At a Twitter party not too long ago I won a prize from Lainey's Pawtique! Does that name sound familiar? Well, if you've read my blog for long, then you may remember that I got another prize from Lainey's Pawtique a few months ago! Pretty cool, huh?

They make such good cookies that it's now my goal to win a prize from them every couple of months. That way I am sure to get regular cookie deliveries! (Well, that or I need to get Mom to order me some of those yummies!)

Anyway, the last time I got my cookie prize, it came in a super big box. Since Lainey's Pawtique knows I'm addicted to toys, they actually sent me a HUGE stuffed dog along with my cookies. Isn't that cool?!

Well, once again, my cookies arrived in a super duper big box...

I had to act like I was ignoring Mom so she'd put down the stupid camera and open the box for me.

As soon as the top flaps were open, I dove right in.

I pulled that stuffy out of the box and it just kept coming and coming!

This time Lainey's sent me a HUGE caterpillar stuffy! I went to town...

I played like crazy with that caterpillar! Want to see me in action? Here's a little snorty snippet...

Not much can distract me from a new toy. I'm sure you probably know that if you've followed my antics for very long. However, when I saw Mom lift that bag of cookies out of the box, I knew exactly what it was and I was entranced...

After Mom gave me a cookie, I went a little nutso. Here's me acting like a crazy dog:

And I even barked and barked, insisting I get more treats.

I really don't understand why I couldn't eat the entire bag of cookies at once. They were YUMMY! Anyway, between the cookies in my belly and all of the playing that I'd done, I really wore myself out. It was time for a nap.

Thanks for the awesome prize, Lainey's Pawtique!!!

New Toy from Grandma

Ack! It's been a full week since I've posted. Good grief! That's just terrible. Mom claims she's been "busy." I'm telling you, the woman has her priorities all goofed up...

Anyway, last weekend when Mom and I went to visit Grandma for Mother's Day, I found a new toy to play with. It's a cool stuffy ball! I carried it around with me while we were there. Mom kept laughing at me and telling me that it was "not a toy" and it was "not for doggies." That didn't stop me, of course. Mom said it was a "Cubs collector's item" of Grandma's. Whatever that means.

If I say that it's a toy, then it's a toy.

And guess what...Grandma agreed with me. She even told me that I could HAVE her stuffy ball. Mom forgot to pack it up for me when we got ready to leave, but Grandma noticed. She even brought it all of the way out to the car for me! She told Mom, "don't forget Buttons' new ball!" HA!

My Grandma seriously rocks.

So here's me getting ready to roll on the new toy when we got home.

Playing...

More rolling on (OK, maybe not "on" but "near") the ball...

Yep. My Grandma rocks!

My New Car Seat

You've probably seen pictures of my special seat in the car. Mom got a booster for me so that I could be safe and still see out the window. She puts my pink seat belt on me and it attaches to my seat. Pretty spiffy, huh?

Well, when Mom and I go for rides in Grandma's car, I don't have my special seat. Mom takes my spot up front, so I have to sit in the back. Without my booster, it's hard to see out the windows. But, you know me...I figured it out. Here's where I sit now:

Perfect view out all of the windows of the car! And if anyone is behind Grandma's car, they get a good view of MY behind! He he he...

Mom turned the flash on for this next picture 'cause she thought the shadows were messing up her pictures. Of course MY view was seriously messed up when I was blinded by the stupid camera...

Pretty nice booster seat I discovered for myself, don't you think? I refuse to ride in the back of Grandma's car anymore without jumping up there...

Strutting My Stuff

On Saturday, I strutted my stuff at the Mutt Strut!

The Mutt Strut is an annual fundraiser for my local humane society. Last year I helped to raise $220 for the shelter. You know how much I raised this year? $225! Isn't that great??? Thanks so much to everyone who helped sponsor me!

Last year my friend Molly walked with me in the Strut. Well, my Aunt Ronda has two doggies and this year it was Gus's turn. He's still just a puppy, so he had a lot of energy for strutting. Aunt Ronda even had to put him in time-out a couple of times when he got a little too excited. Can't blame him, though. There was a LOT of stuff going on!

This was the biggest Mutt Strut my humane society had ever had. They raised over $22,000 for those shelter animals! Isn't that amazing?!

Different vendors had tents set up at the Strut. Mom & Aunt Ronda both won squeaky toys at one tent!

Here's Gus waiting for the Strut to start...

And here's a little time-out...

The opening festivities included the Blessing of the Dogs. It's good to be blessed. The guy in the white robe is the one who did that part.

And then the Strut began!

I strutted like a pro, of course.

Mom kept trying to get a picture of Gus and I walking together, but he was a little busy.

The park had a cool drinking fountain with a bowl on the bottom just for dogs.

I kept close to Mom and Aunt Ronda for the Strut. I get a little anxious when there are other dogs around...and there were a LOT of dogs at the Mutt Strut!

After we finished our walk, the doggies did paw print painting and agility stuff and had contests and did bobbing for Milkbones. Me? I worked on acting pathetic. I was tired and I wanted to go home. The other dogs freaked me out.

And I mean I really, really acted pathetic...

Gus liked watching the contests and stuff, though. I think he had a super time.

Here's me and Gus taking a break. Mom says it took multiple attempts to get a picture of both of us looking at the camera...or at least facing the right direction...


Lots of the dogs who are up for adoption were at the Mutt Strut. They even showed everyone all of the cool tricks they can do. And you know who else is up for adoption at the humane society? PIGGLES!

OK, so Piggles is a piggy, but he could do tricks just like dogs. Mom was a little obsessed with Piggles. He strutted right along with all of us!

Anyway, you remember how I said that Mom and Aunt Ronda both won TOYS from a vendor? Well, when we got in the car to leave after the Mutt Strut, I saw Aunt Ronda put Gus's new toy in a plastic sack on the floor of the car.

You know me and my toy radar. Well, just as soon as everyone was distracted, I made my move.

I acted all innocent when I thought they might be on to me. (That gray blur on the left is Gus.)

And then I settled right back in to playing with Gus's toy.

I got a pink whale toy...but I had fun playing with Gus's toy while I could!

Super Sneaky at Supper

I was super diabolical during supper tonight. Mom usually puts little pieces of canned doggie food in with my kibbles. That way she THINKS she can "trick" me into eating all of the kibbles, too. I usually just eat the kibbles anyway, though, because I'm hungry. She's really not tricking me into anything.

See what I did tonight, though?

I ate all of the canned food but left a lot of the kibbles! He he he! I even spit some of 'em out after licking the canned food off.

The canned food is really so much better, though. I'm sure Mom can't blame me for my new tactic.

By the way, Mom says that last picture is proof that I need a haircut. Personally, I don't care if she can't see my eyes through the furs...