Wordless Wednesday

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Dog Cousins

By now you have probably infurred that I had a lot of guests - 4-legged and 2-legged - at my Brrr Mont Compound. They were my Puppy Transport Team and all their dogs.

In addition to my Momma and P-Daddy, there was a lot of P-Daddy's relatives: my Gramma and Grampa, P-Daddy's Sister and Brother-in-law, and a bunch of their kids: My Puppy Transport Team! I was not always a cosmopolitan metrosexual kuvasz. I came from TEXAS. Mama Clare drove me to Tennessee where I met Tyler and his wife Emily, and then they drove me to meet Tyler's sisters Lauren and Gillian. Tyler, Lauren and Gillian are Momma's nephew and nieces, so they are sort of like human cousins but they are also hundreds of years older than me so they are also sort of like my first parents and also like aunties and uncles, except for my cousin Josh. Josh is Tyler, Lauren and Gillian's younger brother but I feel more like he is a cousin. Josh isn't around with us any more, and we miss him a million times each day because he was just like me, a big beautiful boy who liked to run and play and hug me. But that is a sad story and I don't want to talk about that now.

Anyway, the Puppy Transport Team all have dogs too, and because sometimes I am a little mixed whether to call my Puppy Transport Team auntie or uncle or cousin or mommy, it made my furry head hurt to figure out if the dogs are second cousins or great uncles or what. So I just call them all cousins. It's easier that way.

BENJI (left) AND BUDDY (right) aka The Grumpy Old Men:

BENJI

Benji is the grumpiest old man. He's really only 6 but he is cranky enough to be 623! He growls at everything and barks at me all the time, even in my own house. He would just like to sit in someone's lap all day or be held. He belongs to Uncle Tim and Aunt Sue.

BUDDY

Buddy is Benji's dog brother and family brother. He's calmer and quieter but that is because he is a little more confident because he's a little older and was there first. Sometimes when Benji isn't there we sneak in a few seconds of playing but then Benji comes over and yells at me and it's so loud we can't really play any more.

Here is a picture of cousin Josh snuggling with Buddy and me in Brrmont in 2007. I was 10 weeks old and already I was bigger than Buddy. hehe

THE GEORGIA COUSINS

The Georgia Cousins belong to Tyler and Auntie Em. They rescued my Georgia cousins after they met me- Tyler and Auntie Em were the first leg of my Puppy Transport Team and I must have impressed them with my amazingness because after they handed me over they had to get not just 1 but TWO dogs to fill the void I left! (they have their own bloggy, too, but Auntie Em hasn't updated it in a while...)

TOM

Tom is the littlest of my dog cousins. They thought he was 2 when they got him but he is so calm and well-behaved that now we think he is older, like a grownup or something. I don't think I've ever heard him bark. He looks like a Ewok and here he is chewing on my knuckle bone, which is so big he can't even move it because it's bigger than his head, bol! The humans seem to really like him, but I think he's a little boring because he doesn't play or get naughty or make any noise or farts or sling drool or anything. booooring!

but ...

I saved the BEST for last ...

...

HUCK (aka TIGGER)

It's always a party when Huck is around - we wrassle like there's no tomorrow. Huck was the first Georgia cousin and he shoulda been named Tigger from Day One. I think his humans got Tom to play with him and tire him out but so far I've been the only one able to tire him out. Every waking moment, we played and played. Sometimes Auntie Em had to put Huck in his crate just so the humans wouldn't have dogs barreling around the house. Oh yeah, and Huck would try to mark MY house, especially MY Momma and P-Daddy's stuff. That really annoyed the humans!

Biggie swims, 2009 edition

I just got back from 2 weekends in Brrr Mont where it was pretty warm but still not as hot as it is here in New Dork City, and there were 10 people and 5 dogs including me. AND my diaries cleared up JUST IN TIME for me to go back on my raw food *and* steal the little dogs' food and rawhide chews, which I used like toothpicks after my meal. I did let my dog cousins share my big knuckle bone, though only one of them was strong enough to move it.

It was great - my whole Posse was there - basically the Puppy Transport Team plus their support team. And I got to play and get barked at and petted and it was AWESOME.

The BIG NEWS - well, there was lots of big news but this is the only big news that my brain can handle tonight - is that with the help of Cousin Huck and Auntie Em (hehe, I just like saying that) I finally showed everyone once and fur all that Yes I Can Swim and Maybe I Even Like It A Little When It Is 942 Degrees Out. (I heard it was over a thousand degrees in New Dork City, so boy was I glad I wasn't there.)

So first my humans didn't take me to the Beach where it slopes in all gentle-like. Instead they took me to a more deserted area where you have to climb down some bushes and slippery rocks to get into the water. A few hundred yards away, these 4 guys were setting up their fishing stuff. Before Momma let me off the leash P-Daddy went to have a talk with them and then I charged over and showed them who was boss. It was quite a fearsome display, very loud and full of fur, but they were appropriately respectful of my authori-tay so I let them stay. There were lots of other people at the pond too, but the rest of them were pretty far away and I did not think they were much of a threat. Plus it was 942 degrees out and I was wearing a fur coat, so I decided it was ok to just keep an eye on them.

Speaking of keeping an eye on stuff, as soon as I got back from telling those fishing guys that I was in charge of the pond, look what I saw:

Huck swimming all over the place and Auntie Em and ... most dangerous of all ... Momma was already in WAY over her head!!!!! As soon as I turn my back she gets into trouble. Sheesh, Momma! That is SO NOT SAFE!!!!

I waded in as far as I could stand and cried to her to come a little closer. Good thing I've clicker-trained her well, so most of the time she comes when called, especially when she hears the urgency in my voice:

After Momma squirted me on the head, I realized it felt pretty good to get in the water.

But you know what is even scarier than when Momma gets in over her head?? When P-Daddy goes swimming. He might drown and I really had to go check on him so many times. It was really tiring work but someone has to make sure P-Daddy and the rest of my Posse don't drown.

Stay cool, everyone, and don't swim alone! I can't watch you all.

Lifeguard Biggie