Footwear Fetish

Hello. My name is Thunder. I have a Footwear Fetish.

I love all types of human footwear. I love slippers. I love tennis shoes. I love clogs. I love dress-up shoes. I love boots.

No, I do not want to wear these types of footwear. What I want is to carry each one of them very proudly, softly, and carefully in my mouth, then smother it in kisses, then chew on it gently, and finally lie right next to it. I must have some type of footwear next to me when I take my naps.

I love mom's shoes. I love Annie's slippers, Emily's slippers, Emily's boots, Sarah's boots, mom's slippers, and Marie's shoes.

And I found out today I absolutely and completely love Miriam's slippers.

I admit my Footwear Fetish problem here because today I got caught chewing up Miriam's slipper.

Here's what happened:

Today as I visited some of my human-friends, I found Miriam's slippers behind her bedroom door. I carefully carried one of them from behind the door into the living room. I tried not to prance so proudly and loudly so not to arouse any suspicion from Mom as to what I was up to.

The slipper was not at all heavy, so it made carrying it all the way to the living room undetected very easy.

I could see that Miriam took great care in her slipper. It was so soft. It had little pink flowers on the top. It tasted so flowery and sweet and perfumy when I started giving it kisses. And more kisses. And more kisses.

Soon the kissing turned into biting. And biting. And more biting. I bit the pretty pink flowers. I bit the leathery sides of the slipper. I bit the bottom of the slipper. I couldn't stop. I had to keep biting that slipper until nothing was left.

Then I was caught. "Aha!" exclaimed Mom. "Now I have proof you are the one carrying my slippers and shoes all over the house and chewing on them! What is Miriam going to say when she sees her slipper all chewed up? She needs to wear her slippers in these cold Wisconsin days to keep her feet warm! No more slippers for you!"

I just couldn't stop myself. I had no self-control. I had to keep eating up her slipper!

My name is Thunder. I  have a Footwear Fetish.

Thought for you Humans:
What is your own guilty pleasure?

Top Ten Reasons to be Thankful this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in the United States is a wonderful holiday where we, in part, remember everything for which we are grateful.

My top 10 reasons to be thankful this, my first, Thanksgiving:

10. Dog-Toy, Walrus, Squeaky Ball, Silly Ball, Ball, Squeaky Weights, Squeaky Dog, Squirrel, and Fuzzy Wuzzy Man-Toy.

9.   Food Dish and and Water Dish. Sometimes Mom puts surprise foods in Food Dish, and sometimes she puts ice cubes in Water Dish. Yum!

8.   Chasing everyone and everything.

7.   Squirrels, birds, trees, geese, ducks, frogs, sticks, and fire hydrants.

6.   The Dog Digestive System that allowed me to throw up in the middle of the night the very tasty chocolate truffle and its wrapper I ate Thanksgiving weekend.

5.   My dog-friends (especially Ellie, Squiggy, Gus, Max, and Louis) and my human-friends (especially Marie, Ellen, AJ, Miriam, Stella, Annie, Dan, Jim, Melissa, Ben, Emily, Sarah, Alecia, Dr. Ann, and Mom).

4.   Climbing into the dishwasher and cleaning dirty dishes. Yum! Yum! (See my photo below.)

3.   Taking long walks, especially without a leash. My favorite places are Hobb's Woods, the Dog Park, and the cemetery.

2.   Car rides. I don't care where I go, just as long as I can put my head out the window and pretend to soar like the birds!

1.   Treats.

Thought for you humans:
What is your own Top 10 Reasons to be Thankful this Thanksgiving List?

Visiting the Dog-Emergency Room

I had to visit the Dog-Emergency Room yesterday.

The day started out in a fantastic way! Mom and I went to our friend Marie's house to help her put up Christmas decorations outside. I got to spend a lot of time outside, chasing leaves, saying hi to neighbors, and barking at the newspaper carrier. It started drizzling and so I got soaked and full of mud. It was the best day.

Then Marie and mom went to the garage to get out of the rain and I followed them. As they untangled strings of lights, I came across a little package of green pellets in the corner. I took a pellet in my mouth, chomped on it, and decided this was a tasty treat. I chomped on some more pellets and, because I have not yet learned how to chew with my mouth closed, I was chomping quite loudly, so loudly that mom heard me and literally flew across the garage to get out all those treats out of my mouth.

I didn't see what was the big deal. I was just enjoying some tasty treats, after all! Then Mom kept saying, "Thunder ate mouse poison! Thunder ate mouse poison!" I remember hearing the word "poison" before, like at home when I tried eating leaves off a plant or when I tried to eat dirt from the same plant. I can't eat anything that is called poison. So I guessed that the new treats I found were actually poison.

Mom and Marie whisked me into the kitchen and mom fed me something called hydrogen peroxide from a water bottle. It tasted horribly, and then they made me go outside so I could throw up. I threw up right away--over 3 times--and when I was finished, Marie and mom took me for a long car ride to the Dog-Emergency Room in Appleton.

On the way there, Marie and Mom said a prayer to St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. It is a good thing that I wear a St. Francis of Assisi medal around my neck. I knew I was doubly protected then! St. Francis of Assisi would keep me safe!

The nice Dog Doctor at the Dog-Emergency Room gave me some charcoal to eat and I got black charcoal all over my beard. He gave mom some vitamin K pills to give me all month. Everyone expects me to live a long, long time.

While my day yesterday started out really well as I helped mom and Marie decorate outside, it ended with a trip to the Dog-Emergency Room.

I really don't like poison.

Thoughts for you humans:
What thoughts or actions are poisoning you? How will you take care of your poisons?

Making Dreams Come True!

I did it!

I finally got the pinecone off the tree!

In our background, there is a nice everygreen tree that grows tiny pinecones in the summertime. It's a young tree, so it is not very big. It's just my size!

I like to go to the tree and play Tug with the branches! I do this every day, unless it is raining and then I can't even play outside at all!

I really like the smell of the pinecones, and I so wanted to eat one just to see if they taste as good as they smell. Did you know that pinecones are really stuck to branches? They are very hard to get off and eat! I tried getting a pinecone every day with no luck.

But one day, I decided it was the day to yank a pinecone off the branch. I went over to the tree and told it that I really wanted to get a pinecone and eat it. So I started pulling and pulling and pulling and pulling. One time I pulled so hard I fell onto my back! But mom kept cheering me on and then I knew I couldn't ever stop.

I wanted that pinecone. I set my sights on the moment I would I taste it in my mouth. So I kept pulling. And pulling. And pulling. And then....guess what? The pinecone popped off the tree and landed right in the middle of my mouth! I was jubilant at my success! I did it! I finally got that pinecone off and right in my mouth! I dreamed of this day and it was exciting in real life as it was in my dreams! Hooray for pinecones! Hooray for branches! Hooray for trees!

And the pinecone tasted even better than it smelled!

Thought for you humans:
What fills you with so much passion that you cannot give up until you have accomplished something? Who cheers you on?

Trick or Treat Day

It's Trick or Treat Day at my house!

I was all excited for the day because anytime my mom says, "Treat!?!," I get so excited I can't even sit down! Mom said all kinds of trick or treaters would come to my house! I even put on my new Green Bay Packers shirt to get all dressed up because all the trick or treaters get dressed up. Mom said I looked so very handsome in my Packers shirt.

And then, the doorbell started ringing. Trick or treaters came to my door and loudly proclaimed, "Trick or Treat!" I was ready to show them a trick, like "shake" or even "go get it" so I could get a treat.

Imagine my shock when mom gave the trick or treaters pencils and pencil sharpeners as treats. (What would they do with pencils and pencil sharpeners? Treats are supposed to be food things!) All these trick or treaters came to my house to get treats for themselves, not to give me treats! Kids came to my door all afternoon and they had heaps and heaps and heaps of treats in their buckets and bags--all for them! No one gave me one treat. I was so sad.

I thought trick or treat was for me to show off all the things I can do and then get a treat!

I think Trick or Treat Day is a rip-off.

Maybe they should have a Trick or Treat Day just for dogs.

Thought for you Humans:
What  has caught you by surprise lately?

Taking Time to Smell the Flowers

One of my favorite things to do in mom's garden is to leap as high as I can into a bed of big impatiens flowers. Those flowers are very pretty--they are purple, red, pink, and white. I love to jump into them because they smell good and feel soft when I land on them.

The other day I pounced right into the flowers and then I pounced right back out! I couldn't enjoy the good smells or the softness of the flowers because something either bit me or stung me really bad! It hurt so much that I cried and howled and tried to run away from the pain but the pain kept following me and it wouldn't stop.

Mom picked me up and tried to make me feel better, but nothing took the pain away. Mom decided I needed an emergency visit to the Dog Doctor. I cried and howled the whole time mom drove me there; she made the sound of the ambulance. But when I got to the Dog Doctor, I stopped crying and howling and started wagging my tail. I couldn't let all those nice people at the Dog Doctor hear me in so much pain!

But they knew just what to do and, after some medicine and ice on my sting/bite, I got to go home.

I'm feeling better now.

Thought for You Humans:
Once in awhile, on our own life journeys, there are bites and stings along the way. But it's up to us to figure out how handle those bites and stings. Do you give up and never enjoy life again? Do you let other people or pets take care of you when you are in pain? Do you even let others know you are in pain? How do you go about living once you feel better?

Taking the High Road

I took the high road today.

Mom and I went for a wonderful walk to Hobb's Woods. It was a particularly a good-smelling walk because of all the rain from last night. The birds were all singing, and the chipmunks were, well, chipping away.

At the woods, there is a point where I must decide which path to take. The low path takes us really close to the creek. And the creek was higher today than usual which means the frogs would be out in full force and we all know how much I love to chase frogs.

The high path takes us through the woods and up and down hills. We get an extra workout because of all the hills. Plus, the birds were so happily singing and the ground just smelled so good.

In making such a decision, it means that I get to enjoy a lot of good things and it also means that I will have to give up some things.

So I chose the high path. I knew I would give up splashing in the creek, chasing frogs, and getting my paws all grubby. But the high path offered me its own treasures--running up and down hills, finding sticks to nibble upon, birds to chase. What a great day for such an adventure!

I chose the high road and I found my happiness!

Thought for you humans:
When have you had to make a decision whether to take the high road or the low road? When have you chosen to take the high road by being true to yourself and to your moral system? When have you taken the low road and forgot who you really are in favor of the status quo or making yourself look good? Is it easier to take the high road or the low road?