Raining on my parade

JT is here this weekend. I thought we would spend most of the day outside while he and MaMala were swimming. But it was not really sunny and I guess the water was cold because they only stayed in the pool for a little bit then we all came in. But I did get a cookie so that was okay. I thought we might go outside again but then it rained. I do not like getting wet, but I really like to go outside and run around the yard. I hope it doesn't rain all night.

Things I have figured out

August 15, 2012: I have figured out that I don't like loud voices or sudden movements or loud noises or dropped books. I don't like to come into the house if I see or hear any such things and I sure won't stick around to see what happens next. I also prefer one person to more than one. It's too hard to keep your eyes on more than one person at a time. I don't care how many dogs there are; I am good with dogs.

Mischief

I don't know what got into me Friday night but I just did NOT want to come into the house. MaMala kept offering treats and goodies and I would get half way in and run away again. I made her cry...I didn't mean to but I know I did. For about an hour I was just sitting on the stone wall in the back yard and I got kinda lonely. Sid and Kaya came out a few times to check on me and try to get me to come in; Bridget came out once and told me to stop making MaMala cry and get in the house right away! But I just couldn't. Finally, MaMala came out with Sid, Kaya and Bridget on their leads and walked them up to the back of the yard, then back to the house. Well, it felt like a good idea to follow them so I did - all the way into the house. MaMala said "Finally" and shut the door. She gave us cookies and said, "Bed time!" I LOVE bed time - we go upstairs to our room (MaMala thinks it's her room but there are 4 dog beds and only 1 people bed so I think it's ours) and get in or on our cave beds...or under the people bed (Sid). I LOVE my bed - it's in a corner so no one can get behind me and I love to snuggle inside. So up we went and then the lights were out and we went to sleep.

Day 105 Good Bye to Toirin and Mibs

Today is a very sad day for me; my best buddy and playmate moved to California with his daddy. Toirin and Mibs are driving to Los Angeles to live with Sid's girl, Siobhan. I cried when MaMala left to take Toirin to Mibs' house to get ready for the trip. Bridget said I was making an awful lot of noise for such a little girl. I miss him so much already, he used to run and jump in the yard with me, roll down the hills with me, dig under the shed and bark at cats and squirrels and birds and bunnies and the neighbors. Who's going to do those things with me now? These other dogs are O-L-D, all they want to do is eat, nap, poop, sleep, eat, snack, sleep....you get the picture. Toirin was FUN.
Hmmm, maybe I'll get more treats now. Toirin was pretty good at snatching treats out of MaMala's hand, off the floor and even out of your mouth almost! Even if I do get more treats, I am going to miss him. He was my best friend. I am sad...Arooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 95 Dog Days of Summer

Things have been changing almost every day here. Toirin is here for a few days then gone for a couple...then he's back! I guess when Mibs is off work Toirin can go home but when Mibs goes back to work, Toirin has to come here. He says he and his GiGi cry when he has to leave her, but she forgot to close the gate once and Toirin got loose, so he can't stay there when Mibs is at work. Poor GiGi! I know how she feels, I am much happier and have lots more fun when Toirin is at my house. He is way more fun than all the old ladies and the old man that live here. I guess Toirin and Mibs are moving to California next week so who knows if I will ever see my buddy after that? I think California is a long way away from here.
Siobhan and another Matthew are here from out there and I let her sit on the chaise and pet me and even hug me. That was a little too close for comfort so then I jumped down but she gives good pets. I still have not surrendered to (so Bridget says) the ecstasy of a belly rub; that seems like a risky move to me. I mean, you're on your back and you can't make a quick escape if something scary happens. Just not sure anything is worth that.
It's been really hot outside but we still manage to find good smells and things to chase and bark at. Poor MaMala, sometimes we don't listen when she calls us to come in, even when it's really hot. Outside is so much more interesting than inside, even if it's 100 degrees out there. Of course Miss Bridget stays inside sometimes when it's hot; she says why be uncomfortable if you have no business to do? She's a little prissy sometimes. Or maybe lazy? She even gets treats delivered to her throne. I guess it IS good to be queen.

How I am Doing...straight from the beagle's mouth

Day 75: I just realized how different things are for me these days. I seem to be fully house trained - I know I am supposed to do all my potty business in the yard, not in the house. Unless MaMala is gone a really long time without Rachel coming to let us out in the yard (which pretty much never happens) I can wait for the next trip outside and I do.
I also eat with the other dogs now; I'm not sacred of every little noise or every time MaMala makes   a move so I can keep eating even with the other dogs bumping into me and MaMala doing stuff in the kitchen. So I clean my plate and even lick their dishes when they're done. Not that any of us leave much; we're all beagles after all!
Sometimes at night I sit at one end of the couch while MaMala sits at the other end. She usually leaves me alone, so sometimes I will sneak up and sniff her hand or lick it, if I am feeling especially bold. When Jimmy is here I like to curl up on his feet because they smell very interesting. And they are almost as big as me. I let him pet me too because he knows I like the pets but can't always make myself sit still when people get too close.
I let Rachel come up and pet me: she always goes slow and never puts her hand over the top of my head. For some reason that makes me really scared. Rachel always rubs me under the chin, which is pretty nice.
But my favorite new skill is taking treats from MaMala's hand (and Rachel's and Jimmy's and Siobhan's and Matt's) and... well if it's a salmon treat and we're in the house and they stay pretty calm, from all of them. I REALLY like salmon treats and kibble and canned food and...well, anything salmon. That is also a new skill: knowing what SALMON is!!!!!! I like that one a lot!

MaMala goes away

Day 63: QT here. MaMala went away with JT and Mibs for 5 whole days. She left us here at the house with Jimmy and The Dog Walker. It was pretty much like it is when MaMala goes to work except she wasn't here at night to take us up to her room to sleep. we like going to MaMala's room because there are 5 cave beds in it.  Toirin and Bridget usually sleep inside the cave beds, Sid starts under MaMala's bed then usually ends up in his cave bed the rest of the night. I like it under the bed but I usually sleep in the corner behind one of the cave beds. The beds are nice but it's summer time - too warm to sleep inside with that fleece lining. Kaya sleeps on top of her cave bed, which always makes MaMala laugh.
Jimmy slept on the couch while MaMala was gone; one night he was so tired after a day of working outside that he fell asleep sitting up on the chair and a half. I woke him up by licking his feet because the little black box he holds to his ear and talks to was making a loud noise and I didn't like it. He ran around like a crazy person, then left for work.
We got into some trouble because Toirin figured out how to open the dog gate with his big paw or his big nose - he is very talented. And someone (I have been sworn to secrecy) peed in the house a couple of times. One of us got sick too, but that could happen to anybody. Other than that, it was life as usual.
But boy, did we go crazy when MaMala and JT and Mibsy came home! We spent almost all Wednesday evening in the back yard playing and running around and having fun. And we got to sleep in MaMala's room!!!! Toirin deserted us and slept with Mibsy; that's his daddy.
Thursday we got in trouble again. The men came and opened the pool and MaMala was doing something called "backwashing" all day long. There was a lot of really interesting smelling stuff coming out in the water and we all kind of rolled in it. Well, I guess there's no kind of about it: we rolled, we stunk. MaMala was NOT pleased with us. Jimmy almost got sick because he was eating his dinner when we came in the house. If there was only one of us it might not be so bad, but there were four smelly beagles in the house. Of course the princess, Bridget, did not participate in our shenanigans.
The trouble we got into was we had to get baths. NONE of us likes being wet, so that was not fun at all. I may think twice before I roll in something stinky again. Maybe.
Here is a picture of all of us that Rachel, the Dog walker, took of us this week. Sid was busy smelling himself so you can't see his face. But that's my pack: Sid smelling his old self, with Toirin right behind him. I am way in the back, with Bridget right in front of me. That is Kaya looking back at me. That little pink pig on the floor? Toirin ate him later that day so no more pig to play with. He pulled the stuffing out of my little brown rabbit too. Sheesh!

Weekend in the backyard

Day 51: We spent most of this weekend outside. It was sunny and nice...and in the morning there were lots of smells to bark at. Poor MaMala! We do like going outside and making noise! While we were tracking and tending to our business in the yard, MaMala was working really hard. She cut the grass, although we have to stay inside when she's on that big red machine. It's LOUD! Toirin hates being inside when the people are outside and he pulled some papers off the table and tore them up. MaMala got mad and told him he was mischievous and spoiled. Like that was news to anyone or something.She cut all the weeds in front of the walls and out by the road with that yellow stick thing that makes a lot of noise. And she pulled up green stuff from between the stones in the walk. She was really busy! We were taking naps in the shade, chasing flies and bees, barking at the cats next door  and following whatever scent we could find. Some of us were also eating poop, but not me. Gross. Apparently certain beagles (Kaya) think it's a delicacy.

Rabbits

Day 47: This morning when MaMala let us out Sid and Toirin went crazy! At 4am they were racing around the yard, sniffing and yipping and, eventually, barking. Really loud. THERE WERE RABBITS IN THE YARD! And a great scent trail too. Poor MaMala! She was going nuts since the neighbors probably don't want to hear us singing at 4am. Bridget, always a suck up, went right about her business and went back in the house. Kaya was too interested in eating Bridget's poop so she didn't join. I followed the boys but didn't make a sound. Eventually MaMala came out with leashes and treats. Toirin got caught and taken in. I followed them in; Sid stayed outside for a long time but he did stop barking. Poor MaMala. Toirin never took care of his business outside so he peed in the kitchen. MaMala just shook her head and said "beagles!" while she cleaned it up but you can tell she wasn't really mad. And that she loves us lots even when we act like hounds. Maybe especially then. She let us out again a couple of hours later, before she left for work. I guess the scent lifted because there was no excitement...

Toirin's Great Adventure

Day 43 - Apparently when MaMala puts her yard shoes by the back door, she expects them to be there when she wants them. But I like having them with me on the chaise while she is at work. I can put stuff in them, like the nylabone or an antler or a stuffed pig. And they smell like MaMala but I don't have to worry about them trying to pet me or touch me or put me on a leash. Of course, they can't give me treats like MaMala can either.
I heard MaMala talking to someone with that little pink thing near her ear. Toirin got out of his yard yesterday when the Old Woman he and his daddy live with forgot there was no fence behind the vegetable garden and left the gate to the garden open. I am so happy that a nice boy found him at the park and took him to the vet. Since Toirin has a chip they were able to call his daddy to come get him. Now everybody is worried about it happening again. I guess the Old Woman is 92 years old (wow, that is O-L-D, since Bridget is almost 12 and she is ancient) and doesn't always remember to watch out for Toirin, especially when she is doing something else. I guess she was cutting her grass when this happened. So Toirin might come to stay for awhile. That will be fun for me, but I bet Kaya won't be so excited. He really drives her nuts with his barking; she gets right up in his face and BARKS as loud as she can. It doesn't really work because he thinks she is playing with him and so he keeps right on barking. Bridget's snarl and snap approach is a lot more effective. Sid just joins in. Then MaMala gets her little squirt bottle and sprays them with water; that works too! For 5 minutes.

Eating right from the hand that feeds you

Day 36 - I made MaMala really happy today. I feel like it's okay to take treats from her hand when the other dogs do. And so I did. You know what I figured out? If I take it right from MaMala's fingers, the other dogs (and by other I mean Toirin and Sid) don't snatch it off the floor before I can get it. That is very important when we are talking about SALMON TREATS, the most delicious thing in the world.
I'm still trying to get comfortable with the idea of letting someone pet me when I am resting on the sofa though. That's my relaxation time and I still don't know how Bridget and the rest of them can roll over and let a person rub their bellies. They do it all the time and seem to like it; maybe I'll give it a try. Some day. Probably not today. Or tomorrow, for that matter...

Touched by QT

Day 32 - well, I really surprised myself today. I think I surprised Toirin's daddy too. When Mibsy came downstairs this morning, I was so excited because I knew that meant we would get to go out in the yard. I ran up to him AND I TOUCHED HIS FINGER WITH MY NOSE!!!!! ALL BY MYSELF!!! I surprised myself so much I had to go hide on the couch in my favorite corner. Mibsy was so excited he was dancing around the room singing "QT touched my finger, QT touched my finger" over and over again. I cannot believe I was that brave. Toirin says Mibsy is a softy and the nicest daddy ever, so maybe I shouldn't feel so proud of myself. But I do!

Visitors

Day 31 I'm back! It has been a very busy few days at our house! First JT and Toirin came to visit us; JT is a small human and he is okay in my book. I still can't quite work up my nerve to take treats out of his hand or snuggle up to him, but when he sits next to me nice and easy, I like the way he rubs my ears. And Toirin and I had so much fun running around the yard as fast as we could! Sometimes I fell and rolled down the little hill in the back - that was fun too!!
A lady and a man came to see me; they are looking for a beagle to love. I think they liked me and they were very calm, quiet people, but I think I might be a little hard to take care of right now. I don't really know what to do when people talk to me - I don't always know what they want, and I sure don't know what they'll do next! Mamala is pretty good about letting me go at my own speed, which is maybe not as fast as it could be but it's the only speed I've got.
The Dog Walker came today and let us play in the yard, Then we got yummy salmon treats! I LOVE THOSE THINGS! I almost knocked Toirin over trying to get one tonight - and I got it! He is a lot bigger and faster than me but this time I beat him to it. 

About those pictures

These pictures were taken at different times since I came to live with MaMala. I am so happy I don't have to go out in that little pen any more! MaMala used to put me in there to do my business because I would not come back inside. Once I got out in that yard, there was no way I was coming back in! But now I know how comfy the house is and how yummy the food is so I come in pretty fast. (When I'm ready and all conditions are perfect. That means no people are too close to the door.) That is Kaya outside my little pen, checking me out.
How do you like that cave bed I am sleeping on? That is really Sid's, since it is the only one big enough for his huge self. The other three are all the same but Bridget gets to pick hers first. Because she is the Queen of All She Surveys.Humph.
And that is me hiding my brown bunny...caught in the act.

Pictures of me at MaMala's

Things I like and things I don't

Good news for Kaya! She needs stuff for her spine - an- something flamtories - so it won't hurt any more. But there is nothing wrong with her legs! She started taking her medicine and she is already faster up the steps. Which is good because she was holding me up! Not any more. I am so happy!
Some man came today and was making all kinds of noise outside. When we went out there was a new step and part of a new step. We all jumped on the partly new step and I think we broke it. It fell off the deck and we all fell too. It wasn't a very far fall - about 8 inches so no one got hurt. The other new step works just fine. I kept barking at him because he was making all that noise! All day long! How is a little girl supposed to take her naps with all that racket?
I got lots of salmon treats today - one every time I came back inside. Salmon is my favorite food, MaMala figured that out. She gives me salmon kibble and salmon canned dog food and salmon treats. (sigh) yummy! The bacon treats and turkey treats are good but salmon is way better. I never knew there was such a thing til I came here and now it's my favorite.
Time to go to bed - MaMala is whistling for us to come upstairs. I like going up there and everyone curling up in (MaMala, Sid and Bridget), on (Kaya) or near (me) their beds. I just don't want MaMala to see me going up and getting settled. I still don't know how to act around people and I would rather they wouldn't watch me doing stuff. Because then I have to watch them to see what they are going to do. It's exhausting...

Meeting new people and new dogs

 QT here. It’s been quite a week. After I met Sid’s girl, I met this new beagle, Toirin, and his boy. Wow, that Toirin is cute and a lot more fun than the old beagles I am living with. He likes to do what I like to do: run and play and roll down the hills. But he is twice as tall as me! I can walk under his belly without slinking! I have never met a beagle with such long legs. He says mine are the shortest legs in the world, but he is not even 2 years old, what does he know? Still I was sad to see him go home with his boy. The house is really quiet now that he’s gone.

I get to run around in the yard more now that I come into the house – well, I come into the house if no people are near the back door or if no one starts talking when I am getting ready to walk in. I still don’t quite understand what people will do. I totally get what dogs will do, but people are still a mystery to me. I do eat my treats now, instead of burying them – I have figured out that there is plenty of food here, I don’t have to really save it. But sometimes, I just have to bury that stuffed bunny in the cushions. You never know when you need a security bunny. I took Mom’s slippers from under the table and brought them onto the chaise with me. They are the perfect place to hide my Nylabone and the pink pig. (Mom has big feet.) She took the slippers back but left my toys.

There is a girl who comes to take care of us during the day, she smells like lots of dogs. Bridget said she is the Dog Walker, but that they can’t go walking until I learn about walking on a lead. I think that is the thing they hook onto my collar that keeps me from being able to get away. Bridget likes to go walking so she wasn’t very happy to just run around the yard. She likes to prance around in front of the other dogs because she is the boss of us. That’s what she thinks, and Sid and Kaya do too! I guess I do too; since I don’t know what to do all the time, it’s good to have someone show me.

I heard a dog barking while I was outside tonight and I gave him  a piece of my mind. I guess I was pretty loud because Mom heard me; I think it was the first time I have barked since I got here. I only bark when I have something to say. Sid barks for cookies, Toirin barks for anything that moves, including the air, Kaya barks at Toirin when he bugs her with all his barking. Bridget doesn’t bark. Period.

Someone new in the house

QT here. The past three days have been a blur: a lot has happened and I am still trying to figure some of it out. I know running into the house after I do my potty business outside is a very good thing. Mom and Jim always say such nice things to me when I do that. If they only knew that all I’m trying to do is beat that bossy princess Bridget back into the house so she doesn’t steal any of my buried cookies or my baby bunny. Oh, and to snuggle up on that comfy stuffed rocking chair before Kaya stakes a claim to it.

A new human came into the house today. I was scared of her since I never saw her before and she walked in like she lives here or something. So I hid in the corner for a while to see what might happen. One thing that happened is that Sid became a swooning idiot. Apparently he thinks this girl belongs to him, because he keeps talking about “my girl is home” or something like that.  I guess she DID live here before she moved somewhere called Ellay and is mom’s daughter. Since she’s part of the family, I decided it would probably be okay to get back on my rocking chair. And it was – that’s a relief. Now maybe I can get my ears scratched…if they don’t come up to me too fast and scare me off my chair.

Things change around here so fast, it's hard for a little girl like me to keep up.

What I learned in 5 days

QT here - I have learned so many things in this house in 5 days. I learned that furniture is a LOT more comfortable than the floor or even a dog bed. I especially like this couch (check out the picture) because there are good hiding places for cookies. I also learned the three other beagles who live here do not respect a girl's stash and will eat those cookies. I got in a little tussle with Miss Bridget over a nice treat, but mom intervened and we all settled back down.

I let myself into the house by coming to the back door and pushing it open this mroning and yesterday morning. I wonder why everyone was so excited about that? Oh, and no accidents in the house even though they don't try to put me in that silly crate any more. I am still not too sure about all these people but the dogs are nice, the food is good and the couch is AWESOME. My favorite place is still the backyard though. All that grass and all those smells!

Poor Kaya

Day 25...I heard the Visitor I had Sunday adopted another dog who was not so afraid of everything. Especially not afraid of people. Maybe she will decide to have 2 dogs? Or maybe I will just stay here with the Princess, Sid and Kaya until I learn to relax a little bit more around people.
Kaya is having some trouble walking. It looks like her back left leg doesn't want to work right. I feel bad for her because she tries to play but she can't really run. and the steps are really hard for her. She is usually really nice but Sid bumped into her back end and she snapped at him and yelled really loud. Poor Kaya. MaMala said Jim is taking her to the Vet tomorrow. I hope they can make her leg all better.

Noise

Day 24 It finally stopped raining today – not the whole day but enough parts so I could go outside and run around. Yesterday was hard – every time I went out it was raining so hard it made me cold and wet and want to come in. I hope tomorrow is better. MaMala was home all day today. Someone came to fix the leaking shower, whatever that is; he made lots of noise and ran a noisy thing called a vacuum. I do NOT like that. MaMala has a vacuum too but hers is not as loud as this one. But when he finished there was no more hole in the ceiling where the water had come through. MaMala was very happy about that! I spent most of the day on the chaise watching MaMala work at the table. I don’t know what is so interesting about that little black box she stares into all day. Boring! Nothing like a brown bunny or a pink pig or a salmon treat, the yummiest thing on earth!

My first visitor

Day 22: QT again. We had a Visitor today. She came to the house and was very calm and quiet. She sat on the other end of the couch and was very still so I stayed at my end. She s-l-o-w-l-y moved a bacon treat over to me and it smelled so good I ate it. Then she put another one near me but Sid snatched it! What a piggy! Then MaMala took Sid outside so I could get to know the lady Visitor better. She talked in a very soft, calm voice and I liked listening to her. She moved over little by little and pretty soon she was right next to me! But I didn’t want to run away like I usually do when someone gets too close; I’m not sure how she got so close without me noticing but she did. So I sat there and let her feed me bacon treats and rub my ears and belly. Then I licked her hand (I didn’t want to miss any of that yummy bacon). She put a leash on my halter and tried to take me for a walk; I didn’t really cooperate but she was very nice. We did make it outside and down to the walk but it was cold and rainy so we went back in. I was sooooo happy when she unclipped that leash!!! I jumped up into my corner of the couch and got ready to nap. The Visitor sat down right next to me! And picked me up! That was a little too familiar, I thought, but since she was talking so soft and nice and rubbing my ears and belly I let it go. I sat there for a while, then she said good-bye and left. MaMala said the Visitor would come back to see me again; that would be nice, I think.

What it's like here

Day 20 of life with MaMala: QT here, I am a little beagle girl, almost 3 years old and I want to tell you about my life! I came to stay in this house with these three crazy beagles, Bridget, Sid and Kaya, and 2 people, MaMala and her older son Jim. I have been here almost three weeks, before that I lived in a kennel with lots of other dogs and one lady. It was okay there, but it was noisy (lots of dogs barking all the time) and sometimes the other dogs pushed me around and took my food. I am kinda little and my legs are short so I am easy to move out of the way. This place is pretty quiet unless Mamala's grand-beagle, Toirin, comes to visit. He is a barky beagle, but lots of fun!

It was a pretty good day today. I got to go out twice this morning before MaMala left for WERK, wherever that is. She goes there almost every day. While she's gone we usually spend time sleeping on all the furniture. I like the chaise but if that big doofus Sid and the little princess Bridget don't hog all the space, the couch is comfy too. I like to change sleeping spots during the day. With so many choices, why stick with one? And they are all a lot softer than the ground or my old kennel.

Jim let us out when he got up, but then he left so it was back to nap time again. I hid the brown bunny in the quilt on the chaise because I needed to know where it would be. That makes me feel better. Some things you just need to know.

The Dog Walker came to visit, like she does almost every day. I guess she used to walk the other beagles on the street before I came to stay here. I don't know what they want me to do when they put a LEAD on me - I don't like anyone pulling on my neck. Maybe I am the one doing the pulling, now that I think about it. Any way, we stay in the yard now and sometimes Bridget whines about not going out of the yard for a walk. I guess I will have to learn to walk on that leash thing, even though I'd rather run all over the backyard instead. I have no idea why Bridget likes the walks so much. Maybe it’s because all the rest of the dogs can see her prancing around. Who knows with that bossy bitch? That is not a bad word when you are talking about dogs, you know. But she sure is a bossy one.

We got to go outside and we got yummy treats when we came back in. I like the salmon treats the best. They smell delicious and taste even better. The bacon ones are good, but salmon is my favorite. I can't believe all the good stuff there is to eat here, I never knew about salmon before. I had no idea what I was missing. Sometimes I get scared when we get fed or get treats; Sid makes a lot of noise, barking and jumping around and it scares me. I do NOT like loud noises or surprises. They’re scary! Then I run away and MaMala gets worried that I am not getting enough to eat.

I know MaMala worries about me a lot. I think she would like it if I would come sit with her or let her come sit with me. Maybe I will sometime but right now I am still a little afraid of being around people; I don’t have a lot of practice with that. Dogs are easy to figure out, but people are something else again. I like getting my belly rubbed or my ears scratched but not enough to just run up to any old person or let them come up to me. Not yet any way. The other beagles love to cuddle with the people…I am not so sure about all that yet.