Too Hot to Tango

This is Milo, Mia and me!

So, we walked today with Abby the Black Lab. She is a nice girl and I am happy to be getting to know her better. we ran into Ziggy right off the bat too. Off we went to the beach and there was Milo the Pitt mix and Mia and Molly. For the record Mia is one of the greatest Poodles I know. She is fun and spunky! Everyone pranced around in the river. At one point there was some loud barking and some dogs started getting annoyed with each other. Not the kind of play annoyed that is fun. this is when the peeps are handy to have around. They broke it up and nobody got hurt. I got nervous though and ran over and laid down at my person's feet. I know it sort of ruins my image but I jumped up after ward and proudly displayed my tail and gave everyone a smile. We left and walked the rest of the way with Mia, Molly and Abby. We saw Pearl and Mel on the way. Pearl was very interested in Duke's comment yesterday about how beautiful she is. Of course who wouldn't want to hear that!

It was a nice walk with friendly talk coming from all of the peeps. Mia and Abby ran through the fields after the hill like crazy. I was too exhausted to run around. This leads me to my next problem. Both Jessie and Mimi go to a groomer and get short summer hair cuts. I see a lot of dogs that I truly respect getting short summer doos at the park. My peeps have been talking about sending me to the groomer but I don't know. I get so nervous thinking about someone cutting my fur. They better not go near my tail. That would be just too much for me. I think if I got a hair cut I might be cooler and not get so tired.Plus, I am a big boy and not tiny like some of these guys. It is a hard question for me. To cut or not to cut? That is the question. I better sleep on it.

Merlin

Duke and Sheila

So, we went out early again today. My peeps are packing up and doing their day trip thing. I wonder where they go. I know my walking person said that she will see her cousin that had out collars made. I wish I could go. I think they can not take all of us so we all stay home. I wonder what I can do to convince them to take me. Jessie has the blue eyes, Mimi is fuzzy and has a super good howl. I have the tail and the smile, enthusiasm and complete package of beauty. OK, the choice is easy. Why can't they see that?

Anyway, early has proved to be good for me. We saw Fast Eddie and Chloe right before we reached the river. Chloe and Mimi look a lot alike. The peeps all talked about Mimmer's upcoming surgery. They said the Vet that is doing her surgery was just out running with his dogs on the path. Now, that is a good sign.

We met a wonderful Dixie dog named Pixie. She was very fast and fun. I am not sure what mix of breeds she was. I will tell you this. She had a little cow bell attached to her collar. I understand why a person would do this because Pixie was not coming back etc. This is a lesson I have been trying to teach you youngins' for awhile. If you just go to them when they call most times, once in awhile you get to take off and they think it is a fluke. That way you have fun and you don't get a cow bell! Pay attention to me, I know.

So, down at the river I saw my pal Duke. He was with another Lab named Sheila. They are BOTH in the experiment I told about last week that Duke is doing. Now, I have 2 dog friends that are scientist.

All I know is that Duke (yellow) and Sheila (Black) got me running and playing like crazy. They may be scientists but they sure can play! We walked with them for awhile. Another Lab came by and we were all playing. I really like Duke's person. Do you know why? Because she is smart that is why. She looked around at tall the Labrapalooza going on and said "Merlin, you are still the prettiest." She is such a great person. Duke is a lucky boy.

So up in the top field I got a moment of solitude that was captured in the above picture. On the way out we saw Pierre and Benji with a Pomeranian named Lucy that we have not seen in awhile. Her person asked my person about Jessie. She said that Jessie is one of the sweetest dogs she has ever met. OK she is pretty cool too. It is always nice to run into pups and peeps that remember my old sister. She really is the Seer of the dog park to some. Well, we have a dog sitter visiting us later. I guess that is the least my peeps could do if we are going to be left alone all day!

Rex

So, we left very early this morning and I was afraid we would see no one. I was so wrong to worry. That person of mine does know what she is doing once in awhile. First we met a spunky little boy named Fezzik. He was half Shitzu and half Lhapso Apso. He let me know right away that big dogs did not intimidate him one little bit. We walked as far as the dog beach with him and his person. Along came Dexter and Fred. They were walking with someone I did not know. He is a Rhodesian Ridgeback, without the ridge named Rex. He is one year old and I immediately knew we were going to be friends. I went over to where his person was throwing the ball for him. We both made a couple attempts to chase after the ball but really we were waiting to see if anyone would run and if anyone would chase. That question was quickly answered and we were running down by the water and up through the fields over and over again. He is one year old and sleeker than I am so he got a pretty good jump on me. This kept up for some time. You can see in the pictures what fun we were having. As it turns out his family lives one town over so they do not come every day like we do. That is a bummer!

We were leaving and he started chasing me again. Our paws sort of got tangled up and we went rolling into a big ball of dog together. I got a little pinched on the bottom and yelped really loud. He jumped off of me right a way which proves he is a dog of good caliber.

We saw old buddy on the way out. He has a summer hair doo and is looking young and spunky. Toward the end of the walk Rex jumped on me and I was just so tired. I gave him a couple of hip checks but he kept coming at me. His person put him on lead so that I could have a little break. When did I become the old dog? I bet if I saw him on a cooler day I cold run circles around that boy. No matter what it is aways nice to make a new friend. I hope I get to see him again soon. I have not seen Bosco, Biscuit or any of my rock em sock em pals in a few day. Hey, get your peep to get in touch with my peeps and we can hang out. Don't be afraid of the fireworks over the next 2 weekends. They are just silly people trying to make loud noises to celebrate our freedom to run free and poop in the woods! Merlin

Weather

Mimi is having a big operation on 7/7/08. Good luck sis!

This picture is of Nanook. Yes, he is absolutely beautiful. He even has a tail that could be a contender to mine. not at all superior to mine mind you but a contender. He also has blue eyes. My sister Jessie gets a lot of attention for that too. I am considering contacts!
We got out early enough today to enjoy the outdoors and avoid the heat. We saw Bones, Josie and Jake right away. They were with a dog walker that had a bunch of dogs but I only remember the name Archie. It was fun to meet new friends while walking to the river. We saw those wonderful French Bull dogs, Pierre and Benji. They were really feisty today, jumping around. I really like them. At the river we met a dog named Milo. He was not my buddy Milo but another cool dog named Milo. I tried to convince this guy to play the chase game but he was all about chasing the ball. We left the beach and saw Bandit and a few others I didn't really know. I was not big on the running and playing thing until it happened. From behind me I saw that Aussie Cattle dog Jack. We tore off down the path at the speed of light. Ahead of us Abby (Mastiff) had just run into a beauty of a dog named Rhiannon( I think?). Trust me when I say there was running, jumping, mud puddle splashing and some noises that came from that place deep down in the soul of dogs having fun. It was shortly after this delightful time that I saw Nanook and Willie. I really do love those two even though I get jealous, a little. Up from behind us came Sculley, Sonic and Holly. They had their people puppy with them so my person had to oooohhhhhh and ahhh a lot. He is very cute and now he rides on their persons back instead of front. We walked out with those guys. Sculley had both ACL's repaired and he is doing great. I made sure to report that to Mimi as soon as I got home. It looks like it might rain and make all that noise again . It got me thinking about what goes on outside. Who gets to say when it rains, snows, sunshine? Is there a canine greater than myself? Yeah, right! With my smile and my tail it is hard to believe that there could be something greater. I fell asleep in the car on the way home today so you know I am chillin' at home this afternoon.
Merlin

no park, no fun, not feeling the love

Well, my person thought it was going to start thundering and she did not take me to the park. She did sit with me and give me big snuggles and told me why I wasn't going. While I appreciate all that I am a little sad about not going. I guess I should be grateful that I get to go almost every day! Mimi is waiting for the Vet to call back today to set up the date for her surgery. It is going to be soon I guess. I do feel bad about thinking she was faking. Oh well, I do love my big sister. Tomorrow I am going for a long walk and I will take pictures and I will love life! Today, I am feeling a little sorry for myself but our girl is here and she uses me for a pillow. I love that! I am going to go make myself available to her. See you all tomorrow on the trails.
Merlin

Big Day For Mimi

Hello Friends, Merlin has agreed to let me post on his blog again. I went to see the Vet today. I have a partially torn ACL. It will require surgery to fix it. My peeps are trying to figure out the best time for me to have it done. I feel good about finally getting this fixed. The bad news is until I have the surgery I am not allowed to do much of anything. After the surgery there will be weeks of rehab that involves mostly leash walks! I hate that. In about 10 weeks after the surgery I will be able to play but a full 6 months for complete recovery. I am glad my peeps are going to help me feel better. I met some very cool dogs at the Vet. I just want to mention how much I enjoyed meeting Bella, the Pomeranian with the broken foot. Also, the 2 Boston Terriers, Sonny and Cher. Mostly I enjoyed meeting Princess who had been rescued from a shelter just 2 weeks ago. She is a beautiful girl who has gotten a second chance. Hooray for peeps that rescued dogs from shelters, like me! Mimi

Well, the park was really nice today. My person and I walked a long way without seeing anyone that we really hang with. After the beach we saw Fred and Dexter. I could not focus on that because there was something very strange going on behind us. Now, I want to point out that this is the DOG park, AKA DOG walk section of town. I have come to accept some joggers and I have talked at length about how much I like the Disc Golf folks. Today there were 2 people without a dog. They were not jogging and had no disc anywhere. I got nervous and barked at them. What are they doing here without any of the reasons peeps come here? My person put me on lead and calmed me down. She let me go and I gave those folks a sniff and let them pet my head. I still find them to be a little bit suspect. So, we ran into my little Pierre and Benji pals. Their new sister had a bad upset stomach which was messy at best I hear!
Pretty little Bella came by. She did it! She reached the big birthday. Bella is 1 year old! They said she would not make it. Go Bella.Up the hill and right into Ziggy we ran. We are getting along fine these days. We chased a ball together and Ziggy dug a big hole while our peeps talked. A very cool Cocker Spaniel named Kirby came by and said hey.
We moved on and saw Big Scout and Clyde toward the end of the walk. Sweet Earnest and Birdy rounded out a really pleasant day.
Merlin

Little Buddy

So, today was really weird but worked out good. We left really early for the park. As I was headed into the park I heard a little noise behind us. I turned around and there was my little buddy, Lil' Scout. I have not seen her in a long time. When I was a puppy I used to chase her for long periods of time. Now, I think we enjoy each others company in a more mature, sophisticated way. I really do like hanging out with her. We did not spend much time at the beach because both my person and Lil' Scout's person seemed to have to keep moving because they have things to do. Can you imagine thinking there is something more important than the dog park? People, can't live with 'em, can't get to the park, open dog food, well lots of stuff, without them.
The walk was really good today. Sort of private because we were so early. We saw Pearl up in the big fields. I definitely could have hung with her for awhile today. We were headed in the other direction plus suddenly, Mel appeared. We all said hey, had a butt sniff and than 'Lil Scout and I went one way and Pearl and Mel went the other.
I totally enjoyed my walk today but at the end I was really just sort of stunned. As we were leaving we saw a little guy named Gus. I liked him immediately. Suddenly, there was Bosco. I yelled "Hey, What up, dawg?" He glanced at me but his person had the "chucker" and the tennis ball. I tried to run but my person gave me the "load up" command. Against my better judgement I hoped into the car. As if that was not enough my person went and talked to Bosco's person while I was left in the car. Insulting I tell you. Anyway, I might forgive my person if she was discussing how to walk with Bosco another day. I am still tired but I am thrilled that our girl is home! HOORAY!
I almost forgot to mention the storms again. There was a ton yesterday and our girl took care of all of us! During the night there were more and I just kept my head low and hoped it would stop soon. I think it worked.
Merlin