On Wisconsin!

In the morning, Buzz and I depart for our home state! Yay for Wisconsin.

The first time I drove from Michigan to Wisconsin the weather was awful...very rainy and gray and drab. Visibility was pretty low and I was stressed. To get to Wisconsin, a person has to drive through Indiana and Illinois. In each state, the weather just got worse and worse. Then, miraculously, as I crossed the border into Wisconsin, the ground went from gray to bright green and the sky cleared and became a beautiful blue, with white fluffy clouds. And those clouds had holes in them and the sun beams poured down.

Literally, this was AT THE BORDER. Not around it. Not near it. At it. Later that day, I told my dad about the crazy wonderfulness of entering Wisconsin and he said "that's what I've been trying to tell you your whole life!" It's true. Wisconsin is like a religion to my dad. Can't wait to get home!

When we return, there will be many pictures of Buzz with my brother's dogs and my parents' dogs and my cousins' dogs. Until then, o reader, I leave you with these fine updates.


Buzz met our fo friend Soigne and was goo goo for him. Soigne brought Buzz a gift...a "tug-a-jug." Buzz cannot figure out how to get the treats out. He saw me put the treats in the butt so he's trying to open it there.

Since that hasn't been working, nor has flipping it between his legs or jumping on it, Buzz has decided to just stare the thing down.

Hey Buzz, you think you are a Jedi or something?



Buzz and my dear Re-re met this weekend. I think they like each other.



Bwa ha ha. Just a little!

Key, the stray, was back at our house briefly because he managed to get loose again and the only tag on his collar was the one I had given him! Hard to say who Buzz loved seeing more--Soigne, Re-re or Key--but together they made Buzz's week a lot of fun.

The continuing adventures of a puppy I call “Key”

What a lovely puppy!


Buzz is quite taken with the puppy, he follows him around, watches him closely and grooms him.

Having the puppy in the house has really shown me how sweet Buzz can be. Usually Buzz just interacts with other dogs outside and is very playful and kind of rough, but Buzz maintained his usual inside calmness even with our little visitor.
Last night, we all watched some television together and Buzz wasn’t worried or jealous when the puppy took over my lap and fell fast asleep. Buzz really plays the “big brother” role well!




The puppy is very accepting of Buzz’s attention; it’s amazing how sweet they are together.


After discovering that the dog was house-trained, neutered, and respectful of human dinnertime, I decided that the puppy definitely did have a home and decided I could give him a name without getting too attached, so I tested out a few on the dog and eventually we settled on “Key.” I know that dogs are supposed to prefer 2-syllable names that end in vowel noises, but guess what? I don’t care and neither does Key!


Unsure if the puppy had ever been crated, I fed him his dinner in Buzz’s old crate to start him on crate-training. That went just fine. At bedtime, Buzz went into his crate per usual and the puppy watched Buzz and then followed suit! Whew! So, we had a quiet night with 2 dogs in 2 crates.

In the morning, Buzz and Key had a fun romp in the yard and for the first time ever my dog corrected another dog for misbehaving! Key latched on to Buzz’s rear and Buzz turned, told him off, then moved along! I have honestly never seen Buzz stand up for himself or give a fair, clear correction. It was great! Go Buzz!



Key, for his part, was very sweet after being corrected. First he came over to me for reassurance, rubbing on my legs like a kitty-cat, then he approached Buzz calmly to restart their games.


The fun continued in the house : )
One of the reasons that I was sure Key had an owner looking for him is that Key knows a dog toy when he sees one!


Look! Buzz found a fellow tug-lover!



Update on finding Key's Family
After exercising everyone and feeding everyone I called the vet to make sure they could check Key for a microchip; they said yes. Before I could crate Buzz and leash Key, the Humane Society called to say that they were pretty sure they had found Key’s owner. I told them to pass along my information to his owner and before long a woman named Beth was standing on my porch with a leash in her hand.

Apparently, Key was adopted from the pound yesterday and within 30 minutes of being in his new home found a little hole in the fence and took off! That's why he had a collar but no tag. Anyway, I had attached one of Buzz's tags to Key’s collar yesterday and I told Beth that she could leave it on until she could get a tag for the little stinker.

Beth said that the puppy came with the name "Rusty" but she's going to change it because he doesn't respond to it. I told her I'd been calling him "Key" and she said "Key?" and he looked at her, ears perked...so maybe that's going to be his real name now!

Key and his momma have my information and we’re planning on playdates for the two dogs.

See you soon, baby Key! It was nice meeting you!

Oh Hai!

A little brown dog was running loose in the neighborhood for over an hour today. My neighbor's boys (aged 10 and 15) caught him and were going to take care of him and look for his owner; I told them to let me know if they needed help. Well, their mom said that she didn't want the puppy in the house, so the boys brought him over here.

So,here's my little foster!

Cutie, right?


The dog is really sweet and pretty well-trained for his age. He is housetrained, thank goodness! While he talks more than Buzz, he's not nippy or smelly and he's very calm.


Buzz really likes the puppy and has been giving him cuddles and cleaning his ears.


The puppy can't stay too long, though. Nice to have a visitor, but I hope his family claims him tomorrow. We've got a road trip to go on and work to do!


I'll try to get some better pictures in the morning. It was dark by the time the puppy came over and I don't have an external flash for this camera.

Am I forgetting anything?
Puppy is already listed as found on Craig's List and at the Humane Society. I put up a sign at the park saying "found brown puppy, call me 734-xxx-xxxx." In the morning, I will take him to the vet to see if he's microchipped and will put up more signs at the park.

And then I will write my dissertation. : )

Wish us luck for a peaceful night's sleep!

Unseasonably Warm, Especially Energetic

Buzz is usually a high-energy dog, but sometimes he turns it up to 11. Buzz had some extra energy last night, so I got out his tuggy for a quick game.

“Tug tug tug!!!!!”


But, while only played tug for about 3 minutes, Buzz continued to play for the next two hours.

“I’m on my belly, dominating the tuggy!”


“Look everybody! I’m doing a headstand and still dominating the tuggy!”


“I am the champion and the best!”


“What do you mean it is bedtime? I have tugs to dominate!”


Buzz, if you go to bed and sleep like a good boy, we can run at the lake tomorrow morning. Just be quiet and calm for eight hours.

“Deal! I will tuck myself into my comfy crate and dream of sticks and lakes and mud.”


Dear reader, in the pictures you will see if you scroll down, Buzz is burning approximately one million calories. The effect of viewing these pictures is unknown, but they may make you feel much less or much more energetic. You’ve been warned!

The calm before the storm.


Just smelling the smells and seeing the sights.


Starting to have a little bit of fun...


Picking up speed...


Drat! He's back on leash because we're approaching the smaller lake and it sounds like the swans are on the near shore.


Yep, the swans were right by the trail having a swim and a honky little talk.


Buzz was interested, but not too interested.


By which I mean that he made no attempt to eat them, but he did watch them closely.


Once we moved along, Buzz started to get some funny ideas. Like, why not walk on two legs for a while?


Prepare for lift-off!


It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s SuperBuzz!


He started to look a little tired from the bipedal walking and the flying…


See, he calmly stepped over this fallen tree! Tired, right?


Uh-oh, I spoke to soon!
“THE LAKE! THE LAKE! THE LAKE!”

(Yes, it is November in Michigan, but it was 60 degrees out today, so Buzz was not in danger of freezing.)

“FETCHING IN WATER IS MY FAVORITE!”


“I’m only holding still ‘cause you’ve got my stick. Throw it. Throw. Throw it. Throw the stick. Stick. Stick needs to be thrown. Throw.”


“Check out THIS AWESOME STICK!”


“I like this one, too! I LOVE ALL THE STICKS!”


“Okay, time to dry off!”


“What are you laughing at?”


“Oh, this seems to work better when I get out of the water and then shake.”


‘Oh, look at my dog, all nice and clean,’ thought the food lady who was prone to jinxing herself and speaking too soon.
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‘Oh well, at least he seems to be worn out now,’ thought the food lady who was prone to jinxing herself and speaking too soon.
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::::food lady smacks herself upside the head:::

Next on the menu: a love affair with a stick.


Or maybe tree is a better word for it.


Buzz seemed to agree that it was oversized, so he snapped little pieces off of it for a while and then tossed it aside. Just like a man. Sigh.


Oh, isn’t it too bad he’s not in focus here?


Dear reader, are you tired yet? Buzz isn’t!


Not at all!


Okay, maybe a little.