Time for a Decision. I need your help!

We're down to the wire here, and tomorrow is halloween and I have not decided which costume to wear. This is a really hard choice:

I know which one is the LEAST comfortable, but I don't want to sway your vote. Actually, I hate them all, but I only have to wear one for a couple of hours when I go trick or treating.  All I can say is, I am really happy that I don't have a mom who thinks it's cute or fun to dress up dogs like this on a regular basis. 

Mom is going to throw away all the candy I get because she said it's not good for dogs. I heard her say that to a friend.  She didn't think I was listening. Does she actually think it's any better for PEOPLE?!?!  I saw her eating a bunch of candy last night but she'd be mad if she knew I was telling everyone.  Why don't people give away dog treats on halloween?  Maybe I should write a letter to the editor of Dog World or some publication and suggest that.  People could put a little paw picture on their front doors to let people know that they have treats for dogs. You know, we have needs too and I am thinking about becoming an animal rights activist. 

Mom says it is really hard to post comments on my blog, so you may need to email me through her to tell her which costume you think I ought to wear:  judi@judibumsteadphotography.com.

Gotta go. Need to chase those black cats so they don't scare you tomorrow night.

COWGIRL TINK

This is the most ridiculous thing in the whole world.  You can tell by the look on my face that I am not happy with this.  But mom doesn't seem to care.  This stupid hat is choking me and squishing my ear.  What is she thinking-- That it's halloween or something?!?! Actually, I do have several halloween costumes that I will be modeling for you next week to help me decide which one to wear when I go trick or treating.  But that's next week...

Mom walked into her studio yesterday and found me resting on this horse

Mom decided that since I was showing an interest in horses, NOW was the time to introduce me to riding. Mom had a bunch of horses when she lived in Santa Ynez. This was my first try at getting on. Well, what do you expect from a novice?!?!?

Something's not right about this

2nd try was much better.  At least now I am facing the right direction

I was really starting to feel a little confident when mom said we needed to put it up a notch.  She sat me on a horse that was STANDING.  Are you proud of me?  I'm starting to feel good about this.

THEN I thought, ok, I am young, which means I think I can do ANYTHING!  Mom said she used to think she could do anything when she was young too.  She used to ride bareback at a full gallop.  But that was only after a couple of glasses of wine. I don't drink.  I'm underage.  11 months.

Anyway, This was my first try at TRICK RIDING. And this was without any wine.  I think I could have a future in this.  

Well, gotta go.  Happy trails!

GREAT WEEKEND!!!

I have had a wonderful weekend so far.  Last night I went to Uncle Devan's baseball game at the park and played with Grace and Luke.  Then today,  mom and I got up at the crack of dawn to go to Ventura to photograph the Color Run 5K just for fun!  We went with Auntie Tina. Here we are playing around before the race:

There were thousands of people at the Color Run. Some were friends and coworkers of mom's and their families:

The most exciting part of the run was when they sprayed paint on everyone:

This was the purple station.  People were really into this.  There were four color stations--yellow, pink, purple and blue.  I got a little of the pink and the blue on my face by sniffing for food on the ground. Overspray of the paint.  I am a mess tonight.  Besides the colors, I walked for about an hour and a half on pavement and got super dirty. I went to Lazy Dogs for dinner and I was so filthy that I didn't get fawned over. This was a first. My self esteem is suffering. I guess I need to work on liking myself for who I am inside rather than my appearance.

The bottom line is, it's time for a bath tomorrow. Ugh! Just the thought of water makes me nervous.  Are there any alternative ways to get clean?!?!?

I May Need Therapy

A couple of posts ago, the one  "Bummer Week for a Puppy" I mentioned briefly that I may need therapy.  Admitting this to all of you got me to thinking.  As long as this is no longer a secret, I may as well talk about it some more. I hope you don't think less of me after I bare my soul.  I'm kind of a "let it all hang out" kind of a puppy.  I think I got that from my mom.

The most glaring thing I am struggling with is the fact that I am 11 months old and still not totally housebroken.  This is embarrassing to admit.  It's not something I like to talk about, and it certainly does not make my mom happy.  I know what I am supposed to do, but sometimes I just can't seem to do it.  Mom thinks it's a psychological problem rather than a physical one.

Another bad thing is that I grab anything that is on the ground.  I think it's because I am so tiny and things are right in my face.  I eat leaves, toys, socks, shoes, anything leather.  This does not make mom happy either, and when I do this she tells me I have an impulse control disorder.  I will have to look that one up to see what it means.  I know it's not a compliment.

There are more things I need to work on, but I don't want to overwhelm you with my problems.  Mom said that I need to end this blog on a positive note, so I am going to tell you what I do really well:

Fetching:  I am a fantastic fetcher.  I chase the ball and actually DROP IT for whoever is throwing it at me.  I guess all dogs don't drop it.  Mom gets pretty excited when I do that.

Going places:  I am an excellent traveler.  Except for mom's day job, I go everywhere with her, and people rarely know I am there.

Posing:  This is what I do best.  Mom picks up her camera and I just shine! I look straight at the camera and just FREEZE in the position mom puts me in. She thinks it's pretty amazing. She thinks I should be an actress. I think I need to be 100% housebroken first though.  Can you imagine walking onto a movie set and having an accident on the floor?!?!?  Wow, that would be my last job!

Here are some examples of my posing skills from the last two weeks:

Well, I guess I better sign off now.  I am going to google my problem areas to see where I can get the help I need.  Any suggestions??? And, thanks for listening.  I feel better having talked about it.

Bark and Park at Conejo Creek Park yesterday

Yesterday mom took me to Bark and Park.  I felt more secure around the stuffed animals than I did around the big dogs. They were really mellow.

Then I saw these dogs GETTING IN the little kiddie pools!!!  Can you belive they actually LIKE water?????  This first one even put his mouth in the water.  I was really scared and thought he was trying to commit suicide or something! I was about ready to call 911 but then he jumped out of the pool. What a relief!

There were all kinds of dogs loving this stuff.  I need to ask someone why some dogs like water and others hate it. I have a panic attack even when I hear the bathtub faucet turned on.

Bummer week for a puppy

This was an incredibly bad week for me.  Mom had 5 photoshoots in 7 days which means I had to stay home alone alot.  Right in the middle of the week she was working for the Cancer Support Community shooting "Paint the Town Pink" at the Thousand Oaks Mall.  She decided that since she could dress me in pink and put me in a pink carrier she could bring me along.  It was REALLY fun!  Gregory Harrison was there as a special guest.  Mom says that unless you are 40 or older you may not know who Gregory Harrison is.  Anyway, mom thought it would be fun to have a picture of Gregory and me in this blog.

There is something that I haven't told you about myself.  I am not sure how I developed this bad behavior, but when my mom is holding me and someone tries to take me away from her, I get very mean and aggressive.  I am not really proud of this fact.  Hopefully I will find a way to work on this...perhaps therapy.  But anyway, Gregory went to hold me and I growled, barked, and tried to bite him.  This is not a good thing.  Gregory, I am really sorry, because you are very a nice man.

Since I wouldn't let Gregory hold me, mom just had someone take the picture of her holding me standing next to Gregory:

This is Molly Buck, a friend of my mom's. She was at the event too.  I let her hold me.  I was trying to see if my tongue could touch the top of my nose in this picture. I almost accomplished it:

A few new tries and I think I will have this tongue thing down pat!

This is as good as it gets

There is no place I would rather be than with Grace Ellen.  Here we are at a recent visit to my house. If you want to know more about Grace, she has a blog at Team Grace Ellen.

My New Best Friend

I had the best weekend!  I met Belle, a tea cup Maltese puppy, and she spent Saturday and Sunday at my house.  She is the first dog I have ever known that is smaller than I am, and I actually learned how to PLAY with another dog...SOOO much fun.  I wish she lived closer--she's in the Pasadena area.

Belle is really tiny.  She weighs 2 pounds

I can hardly wait until Belle comes back to my house!