Christmas Spirit

What a month!

We begin by discussing the holiday party at my house. Mom transformed the place into an amazing-looking toybox. There was a big statue of something called a "nutcracker" at the front door, a white tree with glittery birds and sparkling balls hanging off every branch, Santas with furry beards on the tables, and many more irresistible accessories.

Sounds perfect, right? It's not. Not if you're a Bedlington.

Mom said I couldn't have ANY of those toys. Not that I didn't try to nibble on a few. You should have heard her scold me when I knocked an "ornament" off the Christmas tree. What's an ornament, anyway? Before Christmas she'd have called it a BALL. I guess ornament is the word for a ball I don't get to play with.


The party was great, though. I got to hang around the house during the prep--all the cooking and baking was great. They never forget me when it comes to pork tenderloin. I'm generally a purist when it comes to meat, but I thought the cherry chutney added a nice tang.

For the party itself, I had to stay in the garage with the other guys. But it was nice and cool, and periodically guests would drop in to meet me. I'd just been fluffed and looked fantastic.

It was a lot of preparation for one evening's party, but I've licked my lips for weeks.


Christmas eve was pretty fun, too. I went to Hope's house, but Zoe was there, so I had to hang out in Wrigley's crate a lot. I enjoyed turkey and a tiny bit of stuffing, and I even got to play a little with Wrig. We shared presents and had fun like we always do, though it was a little noisier than usual with the addition of Faith, Erik, and Zoe. You can tell from the photo I was sleepy before bedtime.

Stay tuned for more details on the week with Erik, Faith and Zoe.

Alas, a photo!

Though I've already described the November holiday, I thought I'd share a picture.

Fun with Turkeys

I thoroughly enjoyed my first Thanksgiving. It was at Hope's house, so the fam took me on a road trip to Fort Myers. Oh, what fun! I'd share a picture, but apparently Girish--who calls himself a tech expert--can't successfully email us a picture of the whole extravaganza. But it was a blast nibbling on turkey, licking bowls, jumping on Meena--she never saw me coming, not once!--and sniffing around Wrigley's lair. Because I appreciate him lending me his crate for the evening, I didn't pee on anything in his house. Like The Godfather, y'know, it's all about Respect for the Family.

Now I've got to rest up for the party at Mom's house! As you can see, I'm already half-asleep with Morgan in the Big Bed.

After the party

Last night was Bob's post-birthday/pre-Thanksgiving/new-floors party. I was excited for him--and thrilled to have had two walks so that I'd be quiet at home while they went out.

They did not tell me, however, that the party was going to be HOURS long. And I was all alone in a crate with a few toys. I'll show them, I thought. So I tore up my bed.

When they came home, they just removed it and hugged me and told me how much fun they had. Not even a formal apology. Nobody even offered me a taste of tenderloin they served.

Mom had a lesson to learn indeed. So I kept her up all night--pretending to be restless just so she'd know what a bad idea it is for her to leave me for an evening while she's out having fun.

Look, I don't want anyone to suffer. I love my family. But I think I made my point clear: Next time there's a party, I want an invitation. (Or at least something from the buffet.)

Morning coffee

I'll write more about life later. I'm having coffee on the chair and want to enjoy life on the throne.

October update

Hope called this photographer, Shari, who came to the house to shoot photos of me and and Morgan for the family Christmas cards. Wanna see the link to all our pictures? Unbelievably cute. Hurry, it'll be too late in a few weeks to order yours online! http://www.sharibare.com/neville

Not long after, I had a major problem. Ingrown curls, lots of scratching, then that part got gross, and for a little while my perfect bedlington head didn't look so perect. But I'm on the mend now, chasing the cat and absolutely loving life.

Oh! Funny story. There's this guy that comes to the house every time something major breaks. Nothing's broken in a while, so when he came over he asked Mom if she got a new dog. He wondered what happened to the gray one. (see photo of me, left, at 8 weeks.)

Anyway, that's the update. Drop me a note and let me know how you're all doing!

Nev

Shave and a Haircut

Mom puts me to bed in my crate around 7, sometimes around 8. A few hours later, when I want to go out, I scratch on the crate's plastic floor.

The other night, I started scratching the floor while Mom was watching a new show on Bravo--Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, or maybe some other title with Gunn in it. The little I saw of it was fascinating.

Superstylist Gunn did a makeover on a really petite woman. He gave her a totally different hairstyle than the mop she was sporting previously.

I wonder if that's the reason Mom took me to see Christina, my stylist, the next day. She really snipped my coat into shape! The photo to the right, when my coat is just a little nappy, is the "before" pic. The photo below was taken a few hours later. Now I look just like a Bedlington should.

So, in the words of a Style Network show, how do I look?

Dog In A Sink

Every morning Uncle Bob comes over to walk me, and because I'm his first experience with puppies, he doesn't know that I'm not supposed to get away with zigzagging on the leash, running up on people's lawns, diving into bushes, etc. I love the novices! Needless to say, morning walks are awesome.


After the walk, Mom gives my legs a fast rinse because they're wet and grassy (thanks, Bob. I love it!). Here's how cute I am before the morning shower.

Family vacation

This week I met my other sister, Faith, for the first time. Very nice, much taller than Hope. I also met her husband, Erik, couldn't understand a word he said. Not sure he was speaking in English. They call it Swedish, but I didn't see any swedish pancakes around. (I love pancakes, swedish or otherwise. You should see me dance for them.)

The highlight, however, was cousin Zoe. Next to her, I look very big.
Here is what I learned the week they came to visit: 1) Legos are delicious. 2) Kids throw food on the floor. AWESOME. 3) Small people scream a lot, so I have to bark extra often to make my presence known. 4) Cheerios, while often a treat given to me for doing tricks, are readily available as treats when there's a two year old in the house who doesn't want to eat her own. She just dropped them over the edge of my playpen. Crunch!

I sound like a pig, I know. But as I explained in my earlier post, I am a HEALTHY weight. (Of course, that's what Hope says about her own weight when she's a little chubby...)

Call me Hercules (minus the crazy)

When I first came to Florida, I was about the weight of a good sized cantaloupe.
These days I’ve surpassed anything the produce department has to offer. At about 18 pounds, I am the weight of an enormous cat. Or a very cumbersome laptop. Also, the Master Massage Professional Portable Massage Chair.

It’s a good weight, a healthy weight, the vet says, and it looks like I’m going to be bigger than average. Same thing happened to cousin Wrigley; he came down here average-sized, then all the sun and fresh air made him sprout again. Anyway, these shots compare how I looked then, and how even more perfect I look now.

Mama knows best

Sometimes Mom has these crazy ideas--especially the idea that if an "incident" happens once to someone, somewhere, it can happen to me at any time. For example: the idea that you can get sick by going outside with wet hair in winter. Her kids always had to blowdry their hair before going out, but that made at least a little sense; they lived in Chicago where there WAS winter. Now that I'm one of her kids, even though we live in Florida she blowdries my pool-soaked coat before I go back into the air conditioned house.

No wonder Faith and Hope are so spoiled. I'm doomed.

But here's the other thing about her shtick. Sometimes, she's right. She taught me to swim at a very young age, when my fur was more "liver" (I hate that description of my beautiful, formerly taupe coat). "You never know," Mom used to say, "if Neville's going to fall in the pool when I'm not watching."

Like she's EVER not watching, right? I mean, she wears me around her neck STILL.

But it happened. I was chasing Quentin, like I always do, only he got really pissy with me and he kept inching closer to the pool. When I went to pounce, he ducked out of the way and I jumped straight into the water. How rude! And vindictive!

I swam to the steps, walked out and was fine.

Then mom made sure my coat was dry before we went back in the house.

Next up: Agility

According to one Bedlington breeder--Ashcroft Bedlingtons: "The sport of agility is growing ever more popular. The Bedlington Terrier can excel at this sport as they are a very athletic dog, and quite fast when they're motivated. Motivation might be the hardest part, as they can be stubborn, like any terrier. This activity will help you forge a super relationship with your dog as you must work as a team to succeed."

First of all, I'm not stubborn. I just don't like obeying sometimes, that's all. That might change when I get old enough to take "official" agility classes. Stay tuned as Hope finds out information on how I can jump over fences--without making Mom mad. Oh, you should have heard the way she screamed at me when I asked her about going under the fence. No, no, no! she yelled. Grownups can be so uptight.

Busy boy

So much has happened in the past two weeks. A review of the highlights:

I got my first puppy cut and will share pictures in the coming days. The groomer gave me a report card! I got excellent grades. Uncle Bob said before I got cut I looked homeless. Now everyone says I look just like a Bedlington.

I'm losing my puppy teeth and have several big-boy teeth coming in. This is very painful, so mom got me a few new toys to chew on.

I've been learning this thing called agility. There's a tunnel set up, and I'm supposed to run through it. Everyone cheers when I make it on the other side, so that's fun. There's also a contraption I run up, across, and down. They cheer when I do that, too. I like that they're so proud, but I wonder if they know that all I'm doing is chasing a piece of cheese. I'd chase it up a wall if they asked me to!

In other active news, I'm swimming a fair amount. It's not my favorite. Mom holds a hand under my belly, or sometimes she just holds my tail up, and I swim a few feet across the pool. It's exercise, and I guess we all need it. But my favorite part is when I get out of the pool and they wrap me in a towel and snuggle me.

The morning after

I had a lovely Independence Day that involved swimming, treats and a photo shoot. About the treats: I know that I shouldn’t be eating chocolate because of all the hysteria surrounding dogs and chocolate, but sometimes you’ve got to live a little. And it was a holiday. So I tried a nibble of my first brownie. WOW that was good.


Also, I’ve been vanity shopping again. This house is full of Labrador paraphernalia, and I understand that. It’s been all Labs, all the time, for more than 30 years. But I’m here now, and it’s time for Bedlington gear. While the family was at Chops for dinner last night, I hopped on the computer and found these great keepsake boxes that can have pictures of me, or pictures that look kind of like me. Thing is, I’m not sure if getting Mom one of these is the same as “shitting up the house.” So I left her credit card alone … for now.

Writer's respite

I'll post more later this week. I'm busy in the yard now ...

The perks of youth

Oh boy is it fun to be the youngest child! Wrigley and Hope are here for the week, so everybody's trying to make sure I'm happy with the new additions in the house. Here's how today went:

Morning walk: I took it extra fast because I can take advantage of my family for a few more days. Mom actually had to run. Ha! You should have seen her sweat.

Breakfast and nap: Delicious and relaxing as usual. Because I kept everyone up barking last night, they wanted to make sure I was extra tired. So after my nap, it was on to ...

Morning swim: I'm not a water dog. These people insist its fun, and all I am is wet. So I explained that swimming in circles is not as much fun as what they do, which is floating around on this foam thing called a "noodle." Today I was included in the noodle luxuriation--while Morgan had to do his water workout.

Awesome week. Yay to being the baby!

Grilled Beef Madness

There's this treat made by Cloud Star called Soft & Chewy Buddy Biscuits. The flavor Mom got me is called Grilled Beef Madness--for good reason. From the moment she waves the treat in front of me, I'm wild. I'll do anything for one of those. If I could, I'd do dishes and laundry. But right now all she asks me to do is sit and lie down. Yes, ma'am! (Treat, please.)

In other news I've been swimming often. We don't have chlorine in the pool, but instead a special saline solution that keeps the water clean and ick-free. It's better for my skin and coat, and Hope says it doesn't irritate her eyes when she swims with contacts.


Enjoy the pictures of adorable me during and after a morning splash. You'll notice, perhaps, how much bigger I look. I'm already 10 pounds!

Coolest brother ever

Morgan's been having a rough time lately.

I can't stop myself from chewing on his tail. My gums are killing me! So it goes with puppy teeth.

I also enjoy chewing on his leg. It's meatier, has more of a satisfying resistance when I bite down. Sometimes he barks at me. Usually he just looks at mom for help.

This morning I did some research on the breed--his breed, Labradors (or Labradogs, as my sister Faith calls them). Turns out they're not just cool with puppies. They're cool, period. Check out what two Labradogs are doing to stop crime!

From the Manila Times: It looks like it will take only a pair of Labrador retrievers to put out of business the video pirates that the government is trying mightily to run out of town. On Monday the dogs—Lucky and Flo—led Optical Media Board agents and representatives of the Motion Picture Association in separate raids on video outlets in Makati, Pasig and Mandaluyong. The association brought the dogs here to confiscate copies of fake Hollywood movies, child pornography and pirated Asian movies. In the first hour, the dogs helped the board and the association seize at least 300,000 pirated DVDs and CDs and arrest 11 people who will face charges of copyright infringement and violation of antipornography laws.

Proud to be an American...

There's an owl brigade in England. Yikes.

I read about it on the BBC earlier--but don't tell Mom, because if she finds out I can read, she might send me to school. That's what she did to her daughters, they tell me.

From the BBC: "A footpath has been closed in Lancashire following repeated attacks on dog walkers by a pair of nesting eagle owls. The birds, who are raising their chicks at Dunsop Bridge in Bowland, have become particularly territorial. ...

Lancashire County Council closed the path after about half a dozen people reported the birds swooping down to attack them and their pets. ...

'There was someone walking a border collie along the path and the next thing the owl came gliding along straight into the side of the border collie and knocked the dog onto its side.' ...


In other news, another photo of me. Getting bigger, whiter, ever cuter.

I, Philosopher

"Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty." -- Albert Einstein

Does embracing nature and its beauty extend to tasting it? Because I had an amazing time hanging out by the pool and nibbling on those delicious green leaves you see in the picture. Which brings me to my next quote, by a far more obscure gentleman, an American preacher and activist during the Civil War era.

"The dog is the god of frolic." -- Henry Ward Beecher

A memorable Memorial Day

How I spent the day off.

A Healthy Routine

I haven't written lately because I've been simply exhausted. My day starts early, usually with a call from my sister Faith at 3 a.m.--yesterday she had house drama--followed by a delicious breakfast and a nap. Then it's off for a workout! I walk every morning, because the President of the United States insists that more Americans need to be walking for health. The rest of the day is less structured, but I still stay active. Sometimes I play lifeguard in the pool, barking at Morgan if he swims too far from where I can bite him. Other times I play with my little frisbee. All in all things are good down here. Sure, it could be better. Mom could let me eat her shoes. She refuses.

So, aren't I handsome? Really. Aren't I?

Cat catcher

I was on the AKC Web site this morning and read that, according to some accounts, Bedlington terriers were once used by gypsies and poachers to catch game on the land of the gentry.

Game, I am told, does not include cats. Those Bedlingtons in the 1800s were seriously missing out.

Accessorize

Lately Mom has been talking about wearing "a bedlington scarf." I was totally freaked out. I know I'm not housetrained yet, but making a scarf out of me is unreasonably harsh punishment.

Then my sister Hope set me straight. Turns out, Mom likens me to a scarf when I drape my head and front paws over her shoulder. (Frankly, I think I'm more the size of a pocket square at this point.)

But I will be scarf-sized some day (housetrained, too). And hopefully she'll still be wearing me. Which brings me to my point: Fashion begins with a few good accessories. Since Mom's a fairly conservative dresser by nature, and I'm her primary accessory, I thought I'd jazz things up by accessorizing her accessory. In that way, the present is still hers. And I get to look extra cute.

Can you guess which one of these items above I asked Hope to pick up for me at Dog Bar, a doggie boutique in Miami?

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday I turned two months old. I feel amazing. What my folks say about getting older--it's just not true. There's nothing wrong with my hearing, even though they THINK there is when they ask me to come back in the house and I walk the other way. (It's going to take a lot more than "Here, Neville" to get me to stop chasing flower petals, let me tell ya.) My joints are also as fine as can be. I've been jumping on brother Morgan and chasing the cat all week, in fact.

Morgan makes a good case for the disadvantages of getting older, though. He says one day I won't be allowed to steal a washcloth from the bathroom and run with it around the house.

Well, we'll see about that. ...

Countdown to cutie

It has been far too long since I’ve written. Sorry. I’ve been very busy growing. Got a puppy shot (ouch!) and played a bit with my sisters. I’m the only boy here and I can’t wait to get home to my new family—there’s just too much drama living with girls. The biting, the scratching, the yelping. Oy! It’s enough to make my coat curl.

And as you can see from the picture above--we're hanging out in the playpen--it’s pretty curly already.

Saturday Mom and Uncle Bob are picking me up. I’ve heard they’re coming with goodies. Arf!

Burberry blues

I’m not even two months old and already have to face the hard facts of life.

I won’t get to know cousin Wellington, the big brown alpha dog. He got sick quite suddenly and the vet had to put him down. Without an autopsy, which Mom says isn't necessary for an old guy like Wellington, the vet's best guess as to why one day the dog was well and the next he wasn't, is that one of Wellington's tumors--common to Labradors later in life--ruptured. He suffered pretty serious internal bleeding.

Mom was inconsolable and the whole family rallied around her. While I'm disappointed I won't get to hump Wellington's leg or bite his ears, paws and tail--the puppy stuff I'll get so good at--at least I know I'm going to a home where I will be loved with ridiculous abandon.

To underscore that fact, Uncle Bob bought me a Burberry leash. Because of my British roots. Such a clever family…

My extended family

Until I get to my new home in sunny Florida, where I get to splash in a pool and play with my cousin Wrigley, a Vizsla, and my brothers Morgan and Wellington, both Labrador Retrievers, I want to share some pictures of my Bedlington Terrier friends and relatives here in Georgia. Click to view my some of my favorite photos!

Almost home

In several weeks I will be at my new home with my new brothers and cousin. Stay tuned for my arrival celebration...