the case of the Valentine's balloons

The balloons daddy gave mom on Valentine's Day lasted ages!  For over two weeks they tormented me and I'm sure they would have done so for longer, if wasn't for them dropping down to a level where I could easily reach them.  Then what happened was, well... 

In my defense, they frightened me half to death when daddy first brought them inside - flapping and flailing all around, happy and cocky as anything.  Even when all of us were peacefully seated on the couch after our nightly dinners, the balloons would sway in the back of the room, taunting me.  That's why as soon as they came down to my level, I had to show them who was boss!  I was good about it for almost two weeks after all.

a walk in freezing weather

Mommy says we're strange dogs - Dorothy and I.  We love to play outside when it's cold in the snow or rain but if it's cold and dry we'd rather stay inside. That's exactly what's been going on over the past couple of days since it got cold here again.  So cold that the stairs froze, became slippery and looked like this:

That's why whenever mommy let us out to go potty we haven't dilly or dallied, we just do our thing and run straight back inside where it's nice and warm. We were going on day three without a walk but then this morning mommy said we had cabin fever and were driving her crazy so she layered up and dressed us too (something Dorothy HATES hahaha) and made us go for a walk to 'get rid of our energy.'  I didn't mind.  Once I had my sweater on, I was ready to brave the wind but Dorothy complained all the way about having to wear a coat and be outside.  The only time she stopped crying was when her feet were washed and she was at home on the couch again. I have to roll my eyes at this, girls!

my ear was blowing in the wind!

that's better

Dorothy couldn't wait to get home

boarded for the weekend

Last weekend mommy and daddy went to visit uncle Stephen in Dallas so Dorothy and I had to be boarded.  Usually this means excitement, favorite foods, loads of outside and play time with aunt Amy and uncle Sean but I'm starting to wonder if they're still around because we haven't seen them in while AND we were left with a lady we barely knew! 

She turned out to be ok - took us for two walks, gave us treats, sent mommy lots of photos, let us hang with her on the couch and there was another dog staying who was pretty cool... but she was no aunt Amy and we were very relieved when the parents came to pick us up.  Mommy's promised us lots of attention this weekend, let's see if she delivers!

the dreaded haircut

Last Wednesday mom and dad dragged me to the groomers: a place I hate almost as much as the vet.  It was my first haircut since we moved to Austin with a lady named Ginger that I'd never met before and I was terrified.  To add to the confusion, this groomer was right beside my vet - in the same building!  So that's where I thought we were going and I was shaking long before we even walked through the door.

Ginger was ok in the end.  She's only the third groomer I've ever had.  There was Karl, of course, who I always went to in Atlanta and the other was a lady who cut my belly during the first haircut of my life.  Mommy says she's the reason I get so scared but I've always hated the buzzing of the shaver and the screaming from the blow-drier too.

But I think Ginger is going to be my favorite because she asked mommy if she should blow dry me and I was grateful when mommy said to just let me dry off naturally like we do at home.  There was nothing I could do about the buzzing of the shaver though, Ginger said my hair was too matted to cut so it had to be completely shaved off!  Lucky it didn't take too long:

And because my report card was really good, I got a new toy to play with!  Although Dorothy did immediately take it away from me when we got home... but it was the thought that counted and I'm glad I don't need to get another haircut for a long time!

a word from Dorothy

Hi I'm Dorothy Mantooth, Baxter's little sister.  I've had a chance to look as his blog and I asked mom if I could also write something to let you all know a little about me.

The main thing to know about me is that I'm both a lover and a fighter.  I am friendly and cuddly to anyone but I also love a good rough-housing.  I get a bad wrap because Baxter says I can be too rough and most humans agree.  Even though I'm one and a bit, I still like to bite when I get excited.  Mommy calls it nibbling but Baxter disagrees.

Baxter is my best friend and hero.  I would (and do) follow him anywhere.  Luckily for me, he always makes good decisions so this hasn't lead to any trouble yet.  The most miserable times of my life so far have been when Baxter is taken away from me - like on drives with the parents or sleep overs at Aunty Amy's house.  I cry a lot and don't feel like playing until he's back.

I'm not picky about food the way Bax is.  I'll eat (and have eaten) literally anything.  My meal-manners are pretty great though - thanks to parental guidance - I've almost entirely stopped sticking my head into Baxter's dish while he's still eating.  Now I (mostly) sit and wait for him to finish his meals before I attempt to lick his bowl.  Sometimes this takes forever though since he's SUCH a slow eater and I tend to loose my patience and try to shove him out of the way.  He doesn't often get mad at me - but this really ticks him off.

The other thing about me is that, even though I'm a girl, I'm low maintenance: super low compared to Bax.  Mommy just has to wash and dry me, brush my teeth once a week, clean my ears once a month and take me to the groomers for a nail clipping every two.  Baxter gets the works - and often too.  He needs his ears and teeth cleaned way more than me AND always takes forever in a bath (especially after a hike when leaves and things get caught in his fur).  Plus has to go to the 'groomers' every so often for a complete haircut that always leaves him looking silly.

That about wraps me up.  Mommy's working on a funny post about how Baxter and I are completely opposite that she will post next week.  That'll help you to know even more about me.  Lots of love,
Dorothy

Christmas toy update

The toys we got for Christmas are in really good nick considering Dorothy and I have already had them for two months.  Each one only has small tears which mommy can easily fix beacuse luckily she knows how to sew pretty well.  

One thing mommy and I have noticed is how much Dorothy has matured: six months ago these toys would have been torn to shreds by the end of the first week.  Now we can enjoy them a lot longer and I'm glad because soft toys have always been my second most favorite kind of toys (after balls of course).

last weekend's adventure

Over the weekend we went on a family hike.  With so many parks around our new home this is becoming more and more frequent.  One thing that's never happened before is that I was allowed to get wet, muddy and very, very dirty even though mommy was around!  Its was the most fun!

We both paused when we got to the water but
mommy didn't pick me up so I went for it...

Once I reached the other side I turned back, victorious, to gloat

Dorothy really wasn't sure, so daddy carried
her over the first part

I talked her into giving it a go - usually she's the more
adventurous out of us two

I got super dirty!

Dorothy just poked her tongue at me because she didn't

I want to say it was worth it but the brush-out and bath afterward was truly horrible. Mommy hopes I'll think twice about getting so wet and dirty next time. We'll see...