Muppet friend

We dog-sat for one of C's friends. This is Frank, who is a pug. Frank has quite the personality- completely different from Harry. He was like, a little rough and tumble man- a bit brusque, but super cute nonetheless.

It was as if Harry had no idea what to make of him. "Is he allowed to be doing that?," it seemed like he was always asking. Frank was curious about the cats- a little TOO curious and they were a bit frightened of him. I think he probably fit their definition of "D.O.G" to a T, and they didn't want much to do with him.

We dubbed him a "muppet" because of his little round face and semi-circle mouth.

Harry's Summer (so far!)

Summer has really crept up on us this year. Spring really just came and went, without much ado. So far, Harry's done some traveling and like every summer for the past 3 summers, he's spent some time in "the country," as we like to call it.

The great thing about East Coast is that once it starts becoming nice out, everyone takes advantage. One of the things we did in early spring was to take Harry to the Public Gardens in the late afternoon to sit on a picnic blanket to read (in our case) or watch others pass by (in Harry's case). He also enjoyed some dog yogurt, as you can see from that top picture.

The past two weekends, Harry climbed into the car- well, really in his bag in the car- to travel to NYC and then to southern Massachusetts, where he spend his 4th of July by the lake, in "the country". He loves new, indoor areas. The first night we arrived at the lake house, he played and traipsed around like the happiest dog you might ever see. He opened all the doors in the house with an official nudge of his nose. We called him "The Sheriff", with all the attitude he exuded. He expended so much energy that he slept in until 10 a.m. the next morning!! You must realize that this is an extreme anomaly in his case- this silly dog wakes up between 4 and 5 a.m. every day in hopes of breakfast...

A tired dog is truly a good dog!

:: strapped in, ready for adventure ::

:: Playing fetch, out by the lake ::

:: Harry didn't go on the hike, but we thought about him while we were out there! ::

:: The Sheriff...and his sidekick ::

Pals in crime

We've had a visitor for some time now. This is Chelsea, Harry's "cousin" (aka my parents' pup). She's been staying with us while they traveled the world this past month. Boy, are they a handful together.

Why are they standing behind the baby gate, you ask? Because they can't be trusted in the kitchen alone. What is the reason for this look of determination and sheer hope? Someone's peeling a banana in the kitchen...and they think they'll have a chance. (And they're probably correct).

Harry's favorite fruit is the banana. We're sure of it. I've never seen him drool for any other food item except for a piece of banana. He usually comes running at smoothie-making time or when he recognizes that initial crack of the peel. 

What a little monkey.

Dancing shoes

 

Someone got a new pair of dancing shoes last week and is ready to let loose. Ok, they're not really for dancing and truthfully, they're not really even shoes. We've been getting some strange weather here again and it snowed twice this week...again. 

Harry, who really is not a huge fan of going on a nice, leisurely walk anyway, really has a tough time in the snow.  The slush and ice becomes very compacted between his toes and not to mention, the salt and snow-melt on the sidewalks really sting. It's utterly heartbreaking when he begins to hobble on three legs, stops walking, holds one paw up, looks up at you, shivering- as if he's asking if it's time to head home.

Dogs in the city really do need some type of foot coverage and these Pawz have been great.  They're like thin balloons that go on his feet and we think Harry even likes the extra traction the rubber provides him!

He's kind of a sight out there with his winter coat and red shoes.  I walk behind him and giggle to myself- his little back feet look like they're wearing little red heels. What a stylish guy...

Scratching and sniffing

We bought the cats a "real" cat scratcher recently. They have had many in the past: the Cat Scratch Lounger, a sisal one that hangs from the door knob, cardboard ones on an incline- you name it.  I guess we tried all the other ones because they're smaller and  much less obvious pieces of cat furniture.

Did I know that cats prefer ones they can climb on, fully stretch out on, and really dig their claws into? Of course, but I couldn't be convinced to get them a big one. Well, we'd finally had it with all the scratching on couches and yelling at them every time it happened, so we got them this. Here is Gregory, hiding behind the scratcher and Chantal's trying to hunt him. He has no idea she knows that he's there!

This scratcher is TALL and they can fully stretch out to use it.  Needless to say, they LOVE it.  The day it arrived, Gregory got to it first, so I think he felt that it was "his".  Every time Chantal came by (even just to smell it), he jump attacked her! He's better now and they both use it equally.  

 :: Gregory really enjoying the scratcher on day 1 ::

 :: a view from the top- Gregs still enjoying his scratcher ::

He's a real boy!

Harry is a dog. But sometimes, he seems more like...well, a real boy.  He can be the sweetest little guy at times and quite naughty at other times. But the thing about him is that he seems to really know what you're talking about with just the slightest tilt of his head. One of the sweetest, and most un-dog-like things he does is "going to bed". 

If we're up late watching television or studying, and he realizes it's quite late, he will jump off the couch (even off a comfy, warm lap), find his favorite toy of the moment, and head off for the bedroom to snuggle amongst the covers (using his toy as a headrest).  Sometimes, we won't have realized where he's gone because he's usually always under foot.  

"Where's Harry?!" 

"Oh, he's gone to bed"

This is how I found him last night as I was getting ready for bed. Is he not a real boy?

 ********

Le Barker Meridien has taken a long break, we know.  Over the past year, we were just so busy. Harry and the cats had a great, but exhausting summer and we will post some stories and pictures for all our dedicated readers to fill them in on what these little clowns have been up to.

We will also be slightly changing the format of the blog...stay tuned!