IRS for 4 footed

surprise!

We went to the park so early today I was sure we would not see any dogs at all. To my delight I saw a gazillion cars in the parking lot. We parked right next to Holly, Sonic and Sculley. Sonic is a Greyhound who has a tail to tell. They actually make these dogs run and people yell for them to win the race. It sounded like fun until she told me some really bad parts of the whole thing. I am glad her peeps rescued her. Holly is a Poodle and Sculley is a Lab mix. Their person has been carrying her people puppy around for years at the park. At first he was hiding in her belly. After awhile he rode in a pouch on her front. Now he rides in a big pouch on her back. My person always gets really happy when we see them. She likes the dogs and their person but that baby really makes her smile. We walked with them all the way to the beach. You can see we all enjoyed the water. While we were there Watson the Malamute/Shepard and Willie the Husky/Shepard showed up. My person was going to leave but stayed so I could run around with those guys. Brody the Black Lab showed up and more running took place. When we left we ran straight into Abby who has her 13 year old cousin Taffy (I'm so sorry) with her. She had never been to a dog park so she was really nervous. We walked out with Abby and and that was great. She is such a beautiful Mastiff and very graceful for as big as she is. You could say the same about me. Go ahead! Say the same about me!~ Anyway, that was all fabulous and than guess what happened? Right in front of the parking lot! In the distance I saw him. BOSCO! Bosco, Bosco, Bosco. We ran and ran chasing that ball his person always throws. I was so happy to see him. I think the peeps were talking about getting together. I hope they do. Also, Ziggy and Lil Scout came by while we were all playing. As if that was not enough, when we were leaving in the car a strange thing happen. A HUGE bird flew into a tree right in front on us. My person stopped and opened the window in the roof of the car. There was this huge hawk in the tree looking straight down at us. It was awesome! My person was so excited because these animals mean a great deal to her. I was glad that guy did not land on my head! Until tomorrow...

Merlin the pleasantly surprised!

so many dogs, so little time

The summer brings with it so many things. First of all a little yellow butterfly almost landed on my nose. That is the second time that has happened this summer. I think little Bowie our feline at the Rainbow Bridge really misses me! Anyway, summer brings hot weather, thunder, lots of pups, peeps and new friends. I met these 2 dogs today that are in the pictures. Blueberry is an Aussie and Leroy is a Lab. They are very cool and I enjoyed walking with them. They had 2 people puppies plus a grown up person. The one people puppy was riding on the grown ups back. The other one probably crawled for one year and has been on 2 legs for 5 years. I liked these people puppies because they clearly loved dogs!

By the time we got to the beach there were a gazillion and 1 dogs. Maybe even a gazillion and 2. I knew some of them but some were new to me. I saw Nesta and her person had a people puppy that is only a few weeks old. I sort of always want to see these little ones but only a few people will actually put them down low enough for a good sniff. There were a bunch of people puppies that were older like Blueberries boy who were in the water. It is fun to run with all the dogs and have these small people around. My person thought the pack at the water got too big and she made up leave. I bet there were at least 15 dogs there. I had to go with my person. Blah, to her safety concerns. Let a dog enjoy the dogs of summer. Anyway, I have really good news. On the way out I saw Ziggy. She is looking and acting just a wonderful as ever. I am glad she is on the mend and back to the high life at the dog park.

Merlin the stinky, sleepy and happy.

too cute

Click here: YouTube - Lets see the Dog Whisperer do this!!

Merlin and his Labs

So, it was another very good, no bad walk day.

I must go back a day though and talk about the thunder. It happened in the middle of the night two days ago. There was so much banging, crashing, lighting up and loudness I could not believe it. I was downstairs sleeping with Mimi and I just was so worried that Jessie might be scared that I jumped over the gate and ran into my peeps bedroom and jumped on the bed. Jessie was already up there. I was right she was scared. My walks me all the time person got up and brought us both downstairs. We were awake for so long that we slept in too late to go to the park yesterday.

Anyway, this morning was great right off the bat. We saw Sculley, Holly and Sonic in the parking lot. Sculley has a super short summer hair doo. He still looks cool. We took off with Benji, Pierre and cute little Trixie. It was really nice to walk with them as always. We ran into Tango the Aussie along with Fred and Dexter. There was a little bit of playing. We were again early enough to have the morning dew still on the tall grass. The picture is of me taking advantage of the sweet nectar on the loving life.

At the beach today we ran into Scooter, Winnie, Pearl and Lola. All these beautiful Labs and me. We had a great time running after a stick and just dog play. Along came a Husky named Watson. He had a pretty good tail going on. We bonded immediately. We all left the park together. It was a really nice walk outside before the heat takes hold for the day.

When it gets too hot out my peeps and many of the neighborhood girls and boys get into this big tub of water in the backyard. There is splashing and giggling and laughing all over the place. My sisters and I are not allowed in this pool of water. Something about our nails and puncturing linings? I don't get it. We could all just go to the river and swim and splash together. Peeps, the make life complicated.

Merlin the high grass lover

Oh Happy Day!

We had a wonderful walk. My person did exactly what I wanted her tho do for a change. She left a little later on the weekend. We saw so many dogs my tail was spinning. We saw Denver when we got out of the car. As we walked we ran into Cody the dancer and Garbo the rescue dog from Connecticut. I was so happy to be just walking at the park today. It was not too hot and the high grass still held the morning dew. I ran for a little bit with Cody and Garbo but than headed into the high grass just for the heck of it. It is fun to feel the coolness on my fur. As we continued to travel toward the big hill we saw so many dogs pass us I would not know where to begin to name them all. On the way down the big hill we ran into good 'ole Amber. I was a little worried about her again because I had not seen her in awhile. Glad you are OK Amber. We could hear a bunch of hooting and howling coming from the beach while we were still up in the top fields. I was afraid that by the time we got there everyone would be gone. Fear not sweet Merlin! There were a ton of dogs there. I saw my BDFF Daisy right away and I was so happy. Let me see if I can tell you who was there. I am sure I will not include everyone because my brain is not that big. Here we go. Elvis, Bessie, Henry, Pearl, Daisy, Manny, Merlin, Cody, Garbo, a little poodle that I did not know and so many more. You can see in these pictures that is was just fun, fun, fun. My person and I walked out with Daisy and her person. I really was happy to see her.
Daisy said she had gone on vacation to another person's house that are friends with her peeps. She admitted that as a result of being away she has now become a little jealous of her person petting stranger dogs. Like, it is OK for her to pet me because me and Daisy are BDFF. See, just another situation where I am already on the "in".

Also, when I got home our girl exclaimed "Merlin Stinks!" Wow, thanks kiddo! I didn't even know.

Merlin the stinky.

SUNSHINE

Well, I am just so happy I bounced and jumped and peed a little bit. First of all our girl is home. She totally smells like the great outdoors and I am so jealous that I have to wait at home and watch the peeps. Today the sun is out! It has been so long that I almost forgot how great it is to run in the sun. We walked for a really long time completely alone. I was so happy that we were going to be doing the big loop without any rain that I ran and played all by myself. It was great. We finally saw dogs in the big field before the big hill. we have been going down the big hill lately. anyway, we saw Potter the Chocolate Lab and His bro Felix. Their person had a people puppy that has been walking on 2 legs for probably one year, on his back. That Potter is a feisty guy for being 3 years old. On the hill we ran into Fergus and "Lil Scout. Don't get me wrong, I love Fergus and 'Lil Scout but my person just yapped and yapped with their peeps. These are some of her favorite canine cronies, I know! I even jumped up on her once to tell her to move on. She did not take the hint. Yap, yap, yap! So, along came little Haily and her person was bleeding from her hand. She was trying to give a treat to a dog and the dog got too excited and got her fingers along with the treat. Here is a lesson for pups. Pups, try to follow the "gentle" command. While getting the treat quickly will give you immediate satisfaction, it is a short sighted reward. Peeps tend to not offer treats again after you draw blood. Anyway, I hope Haily's person is OK because she is one sweet person who always, always tells me how beautiful I am.

Off we went again on our own. I stopped at the beach and let me tell you the river is very high. I laid down in the water and it nearly went over my back. I do not like when the water goes over my back. I am a wader not a swimmer.

Anyway, it was a beautiful walk and I saw dogs that I really like. On the way out I saw Niles and Caber. Caber is all growed up already! They are handsome boys.

When I got home from the park today our girl opened up the door to let me in. I was not sure that she had stayed home. She was still there and I am so happy to have her back!

I also want to give a shout out to my friend Ziggy ! She got a bite and scratch earlier this week. Hope you are feeling better Ziggy!

Merlin the happy dog.

soggy

Guess who this picture is of? Merlin. That's right I had a make over.
Not really! This really is Merlin just not me. He is Merlin the Newfie. We ran into him, Kika and Vulcan at the dog park this morning. Kika hung out right down near the parking lot so his brothers had to turn back around instead of finishing the walk.
It did not matter though because at that very moment it started to rain. My person and I really wanted to walk today. So, we kept going and decided we would walk only on the paths with trees on both sides. This creates a sort of, natures umbrella of trees. I love my person for giving this theory a shot. Then, it happened. Thunder! Well, my person automatically knew I would be worried about Jessie home alone so she turned around. It was not because I was scared. No sir. Also, I heard my person say she did not want to be the tallest thing in an open field or standing next to the river if lightening occurred. I am not sue why she thinks that. I think it would be pretty. Don't you? Anyway, we headed out and got a lot wet but we gave it our best shot. I have the best news of all though. Really, better than an extra marrow bone in the afternoon, good news. Our girl is coming home today!!! I can not wait to see her! I am going to lick her face until my person makes me stop!!!!
Merlin the soggy but excited.

Wet Wednesday

I wasn't even gonna post today because I am really annoyed. My peeps were gone for 2 days and I had a dog sitter. Now, today it is raining. I mean come on. Can't a dog get a break? I decided to go ahead and blog though because today brought some good news. Mimi went to see the other Vet today and she came home happy. This guy said she was right where she should be for being 2 weeks post operative. I think that means after they shaved her and gave her that big cut on her leg. She can start going on 2 to 3, 5 to 10 minute walks a day. I guess you gotta start somewhere.Merlin the frustrated!

whats going on?

I am actually blogging before I go to the park today. I know that is very weird right? My peeps are leaving town today for overnight! I am not sure what that is all about but I know I do not like it. We are going to have our dog sitter tonight. Don't get me wrong she is a rockin' person but I think we are too old for a dog sitter. I mean I am 2& 1/2 Mimi is 6 and Jessie is 13. Why should we need a sitter. I was about to act out about this but I realized something. It is the thumb thing again. I can not open the door or get our food. If I had thumbs I would argue my point but I do see my person's logic. Maybe I can trick the sitter into extra treats or people food. HMMMMMM, this could work out OK after all.
Merlin, the scam artist.

HAZY

So, yesterday my person brushed me for like an hour. I tell you I just hate being brushed. I am not sure why but I just can not seem to not squirm like a worm. Today while I was at the park I could not stop showing off my tail. The benefits of this brushing thing is obvious but I still squirm. Look at that tail. It is just so fluffy and full! I love my own tail.

There have been lots and lots of really big thunder storms going on. My 2 peeps have taken good care of me and Jessie. I wish our girl was here though. She really is the best at making me feel safe.

Today at the park was a very strange walk. We should not go so early on the weekends. I saw some dogs but nobody even stooped by the beach while I was there. I call these dogs "the weekenders". The weekenders are those dogs and peeps that do not come every day. They are great but they are not in my posse and my person does not know their peeps. Therefore, there is very little talking, hanging, barking etc. Plus, all these storms had knocked down a lot of old branches and loose stuff off of the trees. It was hazy and really hot too. Just a strange day. But, there were these beautiful orange flowers popping up from an old tree stump. There is beauty everywhere.

We did not see Mama Bear today. I am sure she is around. Now that I know she has 4 cubs I am sure she will be around all summer. You gotta raise a family in a safe place. Right next to the dog park is the Community Gardens. So, she trees the youngins' gets some stuff from the garden, berries from the vines, down to the river for some water and back to the little ones. Why would she leave? No reason at all. I did wonder something today. Where is Papa Bear? How come Mama has to do all the work? Do you think he is a dead beat Dad? I don't know but I wish those cubs every good thing in life! Not just cuz I am scared of Mama either!

Merlin, the philosopher.

finally out and about

So, the last couple of days we had to stay home so some people could clean our house. U just do not get that. It was great that our walks me all the time person was out in the yard with me and Jessie and Mimi. Mimi still can not run at all. Bummer.

Anyway, we started walking with Big Scout and his person today. Guess what he told me. We better stop calling that Bear a he. Know why? Because Scout and his person saw 4 cubs treed in the exact spot we took her picture. They were on the higher path while we were on the lower path that day last week. So, that bear is trying to raise her youngins' at the dog park. I think we should name her. How about Mama Bear. OK I like that. So, no wonder Mama Bear hissed at the guy with the German Shepard walking past her. She was protecting her young. Don't mess with Mama. We did not see her today but her stories are at the park everyday.

We walked the whole time with Big Scout. He is a really mellow guy who really just hangs out. We saw Fergus and later Little Scout along the way. At the beach we saw Cashus,(he is a Boxer) Ziggy, Fergus
(again) and Alka. There was a lot of ball chasing and barking and obsessive stuff about the ball. I got involved in it but I let others have the ball. I really just want to run.

The picture is of me and Ziggy and Fergus.

Anyway, we walked out of the park and my person tripped and went to the ground like a mighty Oak! She got right back up and kept moving. Big Scout's person is always so nice to my person if she has a mishap on the trails. I never mention her falling because she gets mad at me for telling secrets! Whoops.

Anyway, I miss our girl and wonder when she is coming home. I hope it is soon.

Merlin the mellow.

Too Much Going On

So, today and tomorrow we have peeps coming to our house to clean it because of that terrible smoke from the yucko fire last week. My person needs to stay here all day today. Bummer! The fun part was that all 3 of us dogs and my walks me all the time person hung our in the back yard from 9am till 3:30pm. All day long we hung out and got lots of pets from her. She laid down on the hammock so I took my rightful place on the ground right next to her. She can totally reach my head and run my ears. It is a nice thing. My sisters barge in every now and then for a pet and sometimes I let them. Sometimes I just shove them to remind me that I am young but in charge.
Merlin the leader of the pack.

Pearl

So, I had not been to the park in 2 days. that is just wrong. Today my person seemed to be having walking issues. I gotta give it to her she took me anyway. Hip, Hip, Hooray! We walked up the little hill right in front of the parking lot. She took us down the short cut toward the bench on the top of the hill with the view of the mountains. We saw little Buddy the Bichon Frise. He is a spunky little fellow and I enjoyed walking with him briefly. When we got to the river I saw my good friend Pearl. Pierre, Benji and little Trixie were also there. Pearl was in the water trying really hard to get a grip on this big 'ole stick. A small tree or tree limb actually. I invited myself to that party right away. Pearl ran back up onto the beach so I had to do a little Merlin shuffle to convince her to come back. Convince her I did and we were off to a running, mud flinging, splashing good time. I ran up to the beach and put on a show right in front of my person at leg level. She always stands in front of a tree and sort of holds on. I wish she, or any of the peeps, felt free enough to come and join us. Instead they act like a little roll on the ground would be a bad thing. Peeps, can't figure them out no matter how hard I try.

We walked back out with all of these dogs eventually. It was a really good time. I really, really like Pearl. She is one of my BDFF for sure. I hope tomorrow brings us to another trip to the park and a gathering of all the very bestest 4 and 2 legged beings ever,

PS: We did not see any bears today. We did hear lots of stories and told some of our own. Word has it that 3 bears were seen together the other day! It's a family! Hooray. I think.

Merlin

BLAH

So, yesterday our girl went off to camp. She told me it is all outdoors and she stays in a cabin. So, why can't I go. I love the outdoors, children, especially our girl and fun. I think I would be an asset to her time away. Probably my walks me all the time person would go nuts if both our girl and I were gone for 2 weeks. OK I will stay home and take care of her.
Today is a rainy day and I am bored. I think I will go chase Junior. I would chase one of the other cats but Junior is the most fun!
By the way, Mimi is doing great. She is feeling so good that she gets mad that my person keeps her on the leash when we are in the yard (snicker). Merlin

No Bear Saturday

Well, hip, hip hooray, I saw no bear today. There are always more peeps and pups around on the weekend. We saw Fast Eddie and Chloe and headed out with them. Soon, Cody joined us as we walked to the river.

It was an upbeat stroll with lots of running and playing. There were people puppies everywhere. One dog showed up and he had 2 people puppies that were born at the same time.People make such a big deal when they have people puppies 2 at a time. Do you know how many were in my litter? seA lot more than 2 I tell you. These people puppies were really little and the dogs people had them in these sling things. They looked exactly alike. There were a tons of dogs at the beach. All of us who had walked together plus a bunch more. My Mastiff buddy Abby and I are in the water in this picture. There was also Elsie, Daisy, Bella, and many more. We hung at the beach for awhile and I started to think about this tree at the beach. It has been hanging on like that for my whole life. I have asked other dogs older than me and and they all say it has been like that for as long as they can remember. I was thinking we should take bets on how long it will stay that way. I predict that it will take 2 more winters until that tree pulls away and flies down the river.

I am so tired today! I think tomorrow I will stay home in the morning. My persons are taking our girl to camp tomorrow afternoon. I want to stay home with her in the morning! I am going to miss her while she is gone!

Merlin the sleepy head.

BEAR x 3

If I wasn't there I would not believe it myself but I saw the bear again today. As we were leaving the park today the bear crossed the path right in front of us. This guy is HUGE. He was so close to us I could not believe my luck. My person put me on lead and turned us around. We saw a person with a German Shepard who I do not know and told him there was a bear. He said he loved bears and kept walking toward it. My person and I slowly followed him. The bear was still right up on the right side of the path. The person and the German Shepard went all the way to the left side of the path and passed the bear. Well, that bear was going to let them know that this was his place and he let out a huge roar/growl sound. My person and I had already stopped following these 2 and so we just backed up and turned around. Before long we ran into an English Setter pup named Sadie. My person and I joined them and went toward where the bear was again. Well, we got to leave the park but we got a picture of the bear. He is a little hard to see but he had traveled down the hill and was laying on a tree just chillin' out. If you click on the photo you can see him right in the middle of the frame.

OK so bears and dogs both love nature. I think the bear is reminding us dogs that we are in his back yard. If someone came into my back yard at home I would want them to show my space some respect. I am ready for the bear to remind someone else now. My person and I get it.

I wanted to tell you so much today about Abby, Mel, Rascal, Fergus (pictured), Trixie and her brothers and so much more. As it turns out the bear really got the big story again today!

I will try to meditate on the bear today and ask him to please show himself to others while we all live harmoniously in nature.

PS: I do think the bear caught a sideways glimpse of my tail. Who wouldn't?

Merlin the I have seen enough bears for awhile.

FIRE and more Bear

Holly Marrow Bones! I do not even know where to begin to tell you this story. Last night after my people family ate dinner, Jessie, Mimi and I followed them into the kitchen to see if we were going to get any table food. This does not happen very often but when it does it is scrumptious and non of us want to miss out. There was some smoke in the kitchen and it made my eyes burn. The smoke detector went off and Mimi started to howl her best ever howl. I wish you could have heard it. Actually, if you live within a mile of us you might have. The rest happened so fast I was really confused. My, only walks me sometimes person opened the door that goes to the basement. She said something and my walks me all the time person, grabbed the phone and our girl and ran out of the house. My only walks me sometimes person got me and my sisters out into the yard. Next thing I know there are all these huge people in big coats and hats spraying water on our house and breaking windows and knocking down doors. I was so scared because I knew I could not protect everyone from these invaders. Soon I realized that they were trying to help us! They even came into the yard and brought fresh, clean cold water to me, Jessie and Mimi.
Finally we all got to go inside a long time later. My peeps got us all safe and secure. There was a fire in the basement. Our little feline brother Junior was down there but he is OK. Smart little guy jumped into a space that kept him safe. Our other felines, Zazu and Janis are OK too.
After all that when my person took me on my walk this morning, we saw the bear again. He/she was no more than 15 or 20 feet from us and we locked in eye contact this time. Bear was on all four legs and we stared right into each others eyes. Not a sound from either of us. I have to tell you this bear was so beautiful that I could not take my eyes off of him/her. My person firmly said "Merlin, Come" The bear turned and went down the hill. It was a great moment. My person was happy too. We had met 2 dogs at the beach named Berra and Syny. They were walking in front of us on the big hill when we saw the beautiful bear. As it turns out Berra had a big fight with a bear 3 months ago and had really big surgery and almost died. I am glad we saw the bear because they were afraid. Berra told me she went to play with the bear cubs and the mom got really mad and beat her up. Everyone knows that the most dangerous place in the world is the space between a mom and their baby. Don't try to get in there or you will be in trouble. Poor Berra was just trying to play and she got hurt.
We saw Abby the Mastiff at the beach. She went all the way across to get to the dead opossum. I already rolled in that weeks ago so I am over that. We also so Poe Poe the Poodle in the upper fields and news of the bear turned her and her person right around to get outta there. We had seen Haley and Molly on the hill who had told us they saw the bear in the big field too. On the beginning of the walk today we saw Vulcan, Merlin and Kika. Their person said if we need somewhere to stay we can ALL go stay with her. Now that is a true friend for sure. Also, I saw little Bella the Cairn Terrier. She is a beautiful little girl. When I was a puppy I used to bark at her all the time. Now, I just enjoyed watching her have fun in the mud!
Merlin the Dog with the Most Exciting 2 Days Ever.

The 3 H's

So, this morning something happened that has never happened in the history of Merlin. My person got up to get ready for the park and I went under the back porch to be in the dirt. It is hazy, hot and humid and I am humongous and hairy. 3 H's + 2 H's makes Merlin an unhappy
boy. It is true. I did not want to go to the park today. It is a monumental day.
More importantly, Mimi is so much better today! She is walking easier and handling going in and out without wincing.
I usually sleep downstairs alone. Last night Mimi and my walking person slept downstairs too. My person slept in the chair, on the floor and on the sofa. Mimi was sort of up and down all night. I don't mind them being down here but I am use to being alone and having my pick of the chair, floor and sofa to sleep on. I was not crazy about my person pulling the species rank on me. I know she kept getting up with Mimi but I think she should have waited to see where I wanted to go and than take the other options.
Anyway. I really want to walk in the morning. I hope i see Bosco, Biscuit, Jack or one of the others that I love to play with. Until then, I will keep an eye on Mimi and stay inside where it is cool or lay under the porch/deck.
Merlin the hot and panting.

She is home!

This is my poor sister Mimi, home from her surgery! The peeps say that this is a good thing for her but it does not seem so good to me. She keeps whining and complaining. I bet I would too if they did all of that too me. I thought our Vet that comes to our house was bad! She just pokes around and gives you shots. She has never shaved my paw and all this other stuff. This is supposed to make Mimi not limp anymore. I hope it works. Right now I am just scared and I want my sister to be OK.

My person took me to the park this morning. We just went down to the river and back. It is so hot that I do not even love going as much as usual. Now that is something when I say it is too hot. We did see Malcolm at the river. He is a beauty of a Golden Retriever. There was a family of 3 dogs named Sam, Jordan and Small Fry. I played with them a little but once I got the tennis ball away from them they lost interest. Mel and Lola showed up and I said hello but I was busy guarding the ball and trying to stay cool. We left shortly after they came anyway. My person had to get home and go my my sister. I really missed Mimi last night and I am glad she is home. I hope she is OK soon.

Merlin the Worried Brother.

It's all about Mimi

First of all, thank you Ziggy for letting us know where you are. I knew I didn't see you the last couple of days. Glad you are OK. Well, I know this morning is going to be all about Mimi. That is OK with me. She has been limping for so long. I am not even going to bug my person about going to the park today. Good Luck Mimi. Lots of peeps and pups have wished you well. Your little brother wishes you nothing but good stuff. Bummer you couldn't eat this morning sis! See you tomorrow. Merlin the snapping turtle, tortoise and bear seer. Merlin

Lions and Tigers and Bears....

Good morning! I did not go to the park yesterday and my person cut my wings yesterday. You know the area on the back of my legs under my tail. She did a fairly good job but it is still humiliating. I was going to tell you more about that but today was too exciting to care.
We got to the park and there were hardly any cars in the lot. I figured my person and I would have a nice quiet walk together. Right away as we started going down Chipmunk Alley I could tell something was off. The crows were screeching and some other birds were singing a song that was unusual. I ran up the hills on the left but kept an eye on my person. We reached the area where the woods on the left turn into the hill and there are still woods on the right. There was a loud rustling of leaves on the right. My person called me to her with a "walk with me". I followed her command and clung to my persons left hand side. Suddenly there was a loud thud that came from the same direction. My person threw the leash right over my head and we both looked to our right. Well, there it was. A BEAR!!!!!! It scampered through the woods really fast and made lots of noise. I saw it I did! I stood at attention facing the woods waiting for that bear to show itself again but she didn't. Good thing or I would have... I'd... Well, I don't know what I would do but I am sure it would be heroic.
We kept walking and we were alone for a long time. I took a dip into the river but we did not stay long. We did not see another dog until we were on the hill. I saw a Border Collie mix named Stella and I barked the whole story of the bear to them. Stella was a bit fearful anyway so I hope I did not scare her more. After that we saw Pierre, Benji and Trixie walking with Pearl. We told them about the bear and Pearl and I danced, ran and played a little while. After that we saw Rascal and later at the parking lot we saw Turbo and Molly. I told everyone about the bear. My person says,Bear medicine is good medicine. I am not sure what that means but I think a powerful thing.
Merlin the Bear seer!

Independance Day

So, it is Independence Day! What does that mean? I have no idea! I hope you all enjoy it though. I think dogs might get extra scraps of food at BBQ's. Careful, they are hot right off the grill. There were not as many peeps or dogs around today. I sort of felt like I needed to stay close to my person anyway so I did not mind. Down at the river we saw little Bobby that I met the other day. He was playing with Pixie from Dixie with the cow bell. Those 2 youngins' seem to have hit it off. They were having a blast. I went over to say hi but I felt like staying near my person. We went to the beach and I went in and got a drink. I did not even lay down in the water. Elka came by and let everyone know she was in charge. We left soon after and walked alone for a long time. My person and me. I had a moment where I wished I could hold her hand like our girl does sometimes when they walk. OK I finally realize one advantage to walking on 2 legs. Hand holding. Bobby, Pixie and Elka were walking behind us and I could hear playing, snarling, barking, running etc. I stayed with my person today. At one point Bobby's person asked my person if I was really well trained because I did not leave her side. Finally, someone who sees my loyalty and does not call me a mamma's boy. We saw Niles and Caber and together we all walked out of the park. Bobby tried to get my persons walking stick from her so he could play with it. She was not giving the stick up! Anyway, it was a doggie party of me, Bobby, Pixie, Elka, Caber and Niles. Good dogs all! I am off to the back yard to nap before the rain comes.

Happy 4th of July!

Merlin

I Love Trixie

These pictures are of a bunch of my buddies at the beach and the dog park communities newest, and cutes member, Trixie. She is Pierre and Benji's new little sister. She is just the cutest little bit of sweety you have ever seen. She was a little frieghtened and shaking. Her person held her to make her feel safer. When she got near me she stoped shaking and her person put her down in front of me. I gave her a little sniff but did not even try and play with her because she is smaller than my cats! She saw me as a gentle giant of sorts and that made me feel good.

We walked to the beach with Winnie and Scooter. They are just good old fashioned Black Labs who I enjoy very much. Winnie is older but Scooter and I started chasing a stick together in the river. Let me tell you I had fun. First Scooter had the stick and I chased her. I got the stick from her and she chased me. It was really fun and we teased each other alot. Suddenly, there was Pearl Than, Nesta showed up. So, there I am with 2 Black 1 Yellow and 1 Chocolate Lab. Again, it is Merlin and the Labrador Retrievers! I did not mind because one thing I know about Labs is that they love to play in the water. I can get behind that!

Ziggy showed up and for the first time in a long time we played together. We have sort of been getting along but today I chased her and tugged on her harness to slow her down when it came to chasing the ball, stick or whatever got thrown. I was having so much fun Icould have stayed there all day. My person called me to leave and I left with her. As she started walking away I turned and dashed back to the beach. She did wait patiently while I ran around one more time I left with her. The rest os the walk was nice. I was so tired that I was just happy to walk with my person. We saw Amber and later we saw Tango. Toward the end of the walk I had really slowed down and my person had to wait for me for awhile. Today, I walked her in and she walked me out. Well, Mimi got a hair cut today so she will be all set for her big surgery day on Monday. I have a secret. SSHHHH>>>> I am a little nervous about my sister going under the knife. Keep a good thought for her huh?

Merlin

no walk today

Well, there was no walk today. My person brushed me and Mimi and cut some of my fur. Can you believe that? She did not touch my tail. I am just so upset. She must have lost her mind. I never should have spoke so highly of peeps yesterday. As soon as you think you know them they do something "for your own good!" I am going to hide under the deck for the rest of the day. I dig a big hole and just lay on the cool dirt.

Merlin

Peeps

So, my person said last night that she was taking today off. I heard her say, "I am not even going to the dog park." I still was not surprised when she and I were getting in the car and headed toward the park. She loves going as much as I do. This leads me to the subject of peeps all together. We started walking today and ran into a dog I had never met before named Bobby. His person and my person started having the usual conversation... "how old? what breed? where did you get him/her?" So, this person says they got Bobby "off the street", they know he is young and they don't know the breed. That is usually followed by breed guessing etc. It is really dog park small talk. It got me to thinking about how lucky us dogs are that go to the park. I mean nearly every day the same people bring their dogs at the same time from sun up to sun down. That is a lot of peeps and a lot of dogs who have created this super community. WOW! So, than I thought who are the peeps that leave these fabulous canines? Was it a mistake or did they do it on purpose? Do they feel bad about it? My own sister Mimi and all 3 of our feline family members have been rescued from shelters. As I grow older I realize that not all peeps are the kind loving peeps that I am surrounded by at home and in the park. I am grateful and sad for those with bleak futures.
Well, enough of that! I saw Lola who is the most submissive Black Lab I have ever met. She sure is beautiful though. Fergus approached us as we hung out. I am so glad his mystery illness has disappeared. That was weird. We saw the famous Pierre and Benji along with Big Scout on the hill. We are going to meet Trixie in the morning! I just can not wait. In the top fields we saw Tango the Aussie who chased me like crazy while the peeps talked. That little girl really scares me! It makes me look like a coward but I can't take it! We saw Niles and Caber with the It's Pawsible crew. At the end of the walk we saw the fabulous Newfies! I love those big dogs! Well, actually, we saw Vulcan and Merlin. Kika was laying down somewhere down the path catching her breath.
Remember today that our peeps, while annoying sometimes, really have given us a cushy life. I will definitely give my peeps an extra snuggle today.
Merlin