Happy holidays!

Friends, tomorrow I am off to camp, where I will not have internet access in order to blog. (My people finally found a place for me to go!) So I'll be back in the new year! See you then and happy holidays!

My ballet dance!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been busy reading all of my holiday cards from my DWB buddies, and filming my first music video! In the holiday spirit, I performed the long-lost movement from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker called "Dance of the Terrier." My long legs make me a natural at ballet, as you will see. I hope you enjoy it!

My Pet Peeves

Dory tagged me to list my seven most annoying things. Now THIS was an easy list to make.

1) I hate the Roomba robot-vacuum with every ounce of my being. It bumps into my legs if I'm not looking, and it bumps against my crate. It also picks up crumbs faster than I can. So sometimes I attack it and try to bite it.

2) I hate getting WET. I hate having baths. I have to have two baths a week because of my allergies with special shampoo. Yuck. I also hate going outside if the grass is wet or if it's raining. I stand on the sidewalk and "aim" for the grass so I don't get my paws wet.

4) My dad gets pretty annoying sometimes. I hate it when I'm trying to take a nap and he tickles my paws. Also, he thinks it's really funny to stick his finger in my mouth when I'm yawning and not looking, so I close my mouth on it. It's stupid and annoying. I think my mom agrees on this one.

5) I hate it when my mom eats French fries and she won't share with me, no matter what tricks I do for her without being asked. French fries are my FAVORITE.

6) Actually, I find some of my trick requests rather annoying. I enjoy the challenge of "Get the lights!" and "Find it!" but I find "Sit," "Down," and "Come" a little beneath my intelligence level. So I don't bother doing those.

7) Like I mentioned in my random facts, I hate it when dogs touch/fight/wrestle/get too friendly at the dog park. I always run over and bark at them. Knock it off! Let's run around instead!

One thing that's definitely not annoying - making new DWB friends!

I want to wish Dory a very happy birthday on Friday.

Also, I'd like to thank my terrier buddy Keeley for bestowing me with the Golden Rose Award! I am very grateful to receive the honor. Thank you Keeley!

I'd like to pass the award on to some other wire fox terriers. First of all, Ozzy and Romeo. They just lost their dad and are grieving for him. We are thinking of you every day, buds! Hang in there!

I'd also like to award Axel for his amazing work to keep the Blaineville WFTs safe from convicted animal abuser Marc-Andre Laporte. He started a petition that has 2500 signatures now! And, the Barkalot Boyz got their newspaper in Florida to cover the story as well! So Jake and Just Harry should be awarded as well. Thanks you guys!

My Xmas tree

My people and I live in a pretty small apartment. Last year my people didn't put up a Christmas tree - bah humbug! This year, my mom decided she wanted to get more in the holiday spirit. The only problem is, my crate now stands where the Christmas tree should go due to some furniture re-arrangement. There is no room for the tree!

So my mom brought the tree to her office at work so she can be festive there, without my dad and I. Bah humbug to her!

So my dad and I walked over to her office today to check it out. And since every other doggie has been posting very nice Christmas-themed pictures sitting patiently by the tree, she tried to get one of me.

I'm not yelling in this picture - she just caught me mid-yawn, expressing my feelings on this project. I'm also half-sitting-half-lying-down because I didn't really feel like obeying either command. Look how much of my gums are showing! Don't I look fierce? Or do I just look bored? At any rate, I think I look very handsome - I just got a new haircut.

St. Nicholas Day

Tonight is little Asta's St. Nicholas Day party! I've been warming up my vocal chords all day long because we're going to sing Christmas and Chanukah songs, and Jackson is even bringing his violin. Ahwrooooooo!! I think I'm ready for some dancing, too! I've tried to heal up my paws so I can have some fun tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing my old and new DWB buddies.

My friends Sam, Katie, and Zorra tagged me in a game several days ago.

Here are the Rules:
Link to your tagger and post these rules:
List eight ( 8 ) random facts about yourself.
Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them). Let them know they've been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

This is requiring some creative thought...okay, here goes.

1) I was born in Connecticut, lived in New Hampshire, and now live in Indiana.
2) My first humans called me "Skippy."
3) Now I'm named after a town in Massachusetts (Lenox) and a famous conductor (Leonard Bernstein).
4) I tore my ACL almost two years ago, and now I sit funny (legs to the side).
5) I am the only dog at my dog park that barks! I like to referee if dogs are wrestling, or fighting, or um...getting too friendly, if you know what I mean.
6) I'd rather play with big dogs than little dogs.
7) I sing along when my mom plays her flute.
8) I say "cheese" if you rub my belly!

Hmmm...I can't keep track of everybody who has already been tagged! I feel like I have learned fun facts about everyone already. This is hard. So sorry if you've already been tagged, but let me try:

1) Dory
2) Mackie
3) The 4 B's
4) Kirby
5) Sophie
6) Toby
7) Russell
8) Charlie

Thank you Dory!

I am so honored.

My new lab buddy, Dory from Boston, sent me a very special award! She received my DWB Holiday Card first, so she sent me a lovely certificate and prize! It's a cool pull toy with a handle for a person to tug on it too.

Thank you so much Dory! What a fun prize! I feel very honored and I'm glad to become buddies with you.

Holiday Traveling!

Over Thanksgiving break, I got to go visit some new friends named Summer and Torrent. Summer is a Golden Doodle and Torrent is a Malti-Poo. We had a great time running around their backyard, even though it was a little bit chilly.

My parents brought me along to Thanksgiving because they drove to my grandma's house. For Christmas, they're visiting my nana, and going on an airplane, and they don't know what I'm going to do yet. Has anyone ridden on an airplane before, besides the luxurious AireRuby? It sounds a little scary and I'd have to go in the luggage part of the plane in my crate. The place where I usually go to camp is full, and the only other place in town is BAD BAD BAD (where I tore my ACL and they lied to my people about what they did). My parents found a new place in another town, but it's more expensive than me flying. They are thinking about asking my grandma if I can stay with her for about 11 days, which wouldn't be bad at all! But I wouldn't mind spending Christmas with my people, either.

I want to thank all of my blogging buddies, especially Axel, who have been spreading the word about Marc-Andre Laporte's conviction on animal cruelty charges. His sentencing is coming up, and we can help the 50+ wire fox terriers involved in the case so they are not returned to him. My mom put a post on her "people" blog about it. Please help by signing the petition! (My grandpa just emailed me that he signed it, and I know there will be a lot more people joining him!)

The 12 Days of Christmas

OK, I am not as talented at song-writing as the brilliant Gus is (check out his latest songs!), but I'm going to give this a whirl. I've received so many wonderful cards all ready, and this is my musical tribute to them (to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"). Feel free to howl along! (And apologies for the fuzzy pictures)

On the first day of Christmas, my mailman brought to me - a card from Comet and BLU!



[Let's skip ahead a few days, or else this post will be very long.]

On the fifteenth day of Christmas, my mailman brought to me...

Simba's card from England

Cairo the Boxer

Bentley and Niko

Sherman/Penny/Lola

Husky song from Sitka

Snowy little T-man

Beagle and 4 Doxies

Sparky dressed like Santa

Antler-ed Jag and Ezzy

Friends from Indiana

Dooooorry the Laaaaaab!

Four Boston friends

Franki V

Randi by the tree

and a card from Comet and BLU!

Thank you to Simba, Cairo the Boxer, Bentley and Niko, Sherman, Penny, and Lola, Sitka and Tia, T-man and CC-man, Chloe, Ricky, Sophie, Lucy, and Teddy, Sam, Zorra, and Katie, Dory, Ozzie and Rocky, Waylon and Willie, Franki V, Randi, and Comet and BLU for their lovely holiday cards!

5K for me!

My mom went out to Columbus, Ohio this weekend to run a 5K with two of her friends. All three of them are pretty new to running (and formerly heavier to varying degrees - combined they have lost about 120 pounds), so this was nice that they could run all together. My mom was the slowest one - she finished in 36 minutes, 34 seconds - but she ran the entire way, which was her goal. It was her third 5K.

It was the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis, which happens in a lot of different cities around the country. All of the runners tie jingle bells to their shoelaces.

I should mention that I am my mom's paw-sonal trainer. I am her running buddy and I keep her pace for her. She started jogging after I had my knee surgery, to help me with my rehab, and to help prevent my arthritis from getting too bad.

So I think it was fitting that she ran in honor of ME! The runners could wear a sign that they were running for someone that they loved with arthritis, and she picked me. Thanks Mom!

I have been receiving so many nice holiday cards! I will put a post up about them soon.

My first card

Pleeeeease, Mom, let me take the hoodie off...

I guess I am stuck with the e-collar for a few more days until my paws heal up. I've really been trying to be good, but they are so itchy and it's just too tempting to nibble on them. I even let my mom cut my nails yesterday, which I NEVER let her do. Aren't I good? Don't I deserve a break?

I did get a brief respite from the hood so I could read my first DWB holiday card! Thank you Comet and BLU! I am so excited to start receiving real cards in the mail - just for me!

(My dad is helping with some of the cards. He's not as quick as me and my mom, so I still have some cards waiting to go out...sorry guys!)

Comet and BLU sent a beautiful card complete with holiday shapes and glitter! Wow! They are talented artists, and two good-looking dogs, too!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: His Most Serene Highness Lord Lenox the Encompassing of Goosnargh on the Carpet Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

I finally went and figured out my own Peculiar Aristocratic Title. My mom thought it was especially appropriate. You can see some of that Goosnargh in the bottom left of the second picture. Time to get out the Kids'n'Pets.

Happy fall!

Can you believe it's almost December? It's started to get a little bit chilly here, and my mom decided to try to get a nice fall picture of me before all of the leaves were gone.

It was VERY chilly in Ohio over Thanksgiving. I had a great time and I have some pictures to share - I'll put them up soon, probably tomorrow. My grandma took me on really long walks every day. No turkey for me, but I did get a chewy bone.

And then we got back, and I had to go right to the vet!! My paws are infected again, so he gave me some medicine so I won't lick them all the time anymore. I got my rabies shot also. My doctor is very nice, but I didn't like one thing he said. My mom told him that I was eating meat now, and he said I should GO VEGGIE again!!! He thought it was great that I was vegetarian. He is a vegetarian, and his dogs are vegetarian, and he said it couldn't hurt my allergies if I didn't eat meat. Hmphf. At least he said I could eat carrots for my treats. (What am I, a horse?)

I'm so glad that you are starting to receive the holiday cards! They are going out in waves, so please don't feel badly if you haven't gotten yours yet. I can't wait to start receiving them! This is so much fun!

Thanksgiving!

Have you guys heard about this Thanksgiving thing going on this week? Last year I went to camp for a few days, but this year, I am going with my people to visit my Grandma in Ohio! I am ready for a vacation. I am really hoping to eat some turkey, which I understand is what you do on Thanksgiving. Besides the turkey, you also are supposed to take a moment and recognize the good things in your life and what you are thankful for. I live a pretty good life, so let me do that now!

I'm thankful for my family that loves me very much.
I'm thankful for my vet, Dr. Koch, who takes good care of me when I don't feel well.
I'm thankful for my dog buddies in my neighborhood and for my dog park where I can play.
I'm especially thankful for my DWB buddies around the world!

OK, I'm thankful for cookies too. That's allowed, right?

I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving day with your humans and animal friends. I've got to get to work on those holiday cards!

My cool trick!

Hopefully I've made this work and posted a video of my coolest trick - GET THE LIGHTS! My people ask me to do this when they're in bed reading and too lazy to get up and turn out the lights themselves. They rigged up a little pull-rope with one of my stuffies attached to it. I pull on the stuffie, the light goes out! The other night I turned out the lights without being asked - I was ready for bed even if they weren't!



(Sorry it's a little blurry - my mom took the video on her cell phone.)

Good news, bad news

I am getting a new canine cousin! Meet Gracie, a lab-husky mix puppy. She is going to live with my mom's cousin. I hope I get to meet her soon. Isn't she a cutie?

Scruffy and Lacie asked me if I was an Illinois fan...I hope maybe they were kidding with me because we LOVE THE BUCKEYES!!!! And Illinois beat the Buckeyes this weekend, so they're not #1 anymore. I think Scruffy and Lacie are Penn State fans, right guys? I like the name of their coach - Joe Paw!

Next week is the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the Michigan Wolverines. This is a prime treat-eating occasion. Every time the Buckeyes score a touchdown, my mom screams TOUCHDOWN!, dances around the room, and gives me a cookie. And if she asks me what I think about MICHIGAN, I growl, and she gives me a cookie. I can't wait!

The bad news is that I am a cone-head. My people won't leave me alone (or go to sleep) without putting my e-collar on me because I still lick my paws when they're not looking. That makes me cranky. Last night I woke my mom up 4 times - she tried to let me outside, but I wouldn't go. I just wanted her to take the cone off, but no luck. That made HER cranky!

Don't I look much cuter without the cone?

I'm a Meat Mutt!

Thank you to everyone for their good wishes. I am feeling better - I haven't puked in several days! I went away to camp for the weekend while my people went to Chicago without me, but I had a great time and I came back full of energy. I'm still a little itchy, but better.

The change came, I believe, because I am no longer VEGETARIAN!!!

My dad is one of those crazy non-meat-eaters, but my mom eats white meat (poultry and seafood). About a year ago, my dad thought it would be good for me and the planet to put me on veggie kibble. Boooooring.... But now I am back to good ol' chicken Purina. Tasty! And I eat twice a day, instead of once a day like I used to.

I should have thought of the whole throwing-up routine a long time ago! It got big results, and no pills!

Funny outfits

Hello friends! Sorry I've been a little lax about blogging lately. My mom was sick for a little bit (but is much better now thanks to my taking care of her) and I haven't been feeling so hot lately. I'm still throwing up pretty regularly and my people can't figure out why. They've changed the times I eat and other things, and I think I'm going to end up at the vet next week, unfortunately. Plus, my paws have been super-itchy, and I've been licking them, which isn't too good for them, and now they're sore. Tough to type.

So I'm sorry I've been missing all of the fun DWB events happening this past week and I hope to be feeling better soon. I know I will be fine, and I want to send BIG good-well wishes to my buddy Jackson, who's getting tested in the hospital. I hope he's doing well.


So to make EVERYONE feel good, let's look at funny dog outfits! (I enjoyed reading about everyone's Halloween fun and seeing their costumes.)

Did you know Dick Cheney dresses his dogs up for Halloween? I read it in the news. He has two, and this year they were dressed as Darth Vader and Superman. That made me curious to see if Barney, who lives in the White House, gets dressed up for Halloween too.

It turns out he does! I looked on his website. He is a cowboy (on the right), while Miss Beazley, the other Scottish terrier, is a strawberry, and the cat, India, is a wizard. He has quite the website! Maybe when he retires from being "first dog" he can start a blog and join DWB.


This is my Uncle Walter, who lives with my nana. Walter's kind of a mama's boy and lets my nana dress him up in ANYTHING! He even has pajamas. This is his Mexican sombrero my nana got him when she went on vacation. He's had a lot of different outfits.




He also has formalwear for special occasions - his own tuxedo.


His best Halloween outfit was a Hallo-weiner hot dog! Nice buns, Walter!

And, to be fair, I'm going to put a review of my last several Halloween costumes, because I look pretty silly too.


Pirate - yarrrrgghhh!

Superman


Snoopy - I mean really. Why would you dress me up...as a DOG?


Yoda

I really hate getting dressed up.

Happy Howl-o-ween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from Lenny, the "Moose"!

(Coming soon to a blog near you: Merry Christmas, from Lenny, the Reindeer!)

Forever Foxed!

My mom wanted to reassure my buddies that she has done her best to Lenny-proof our own apartment for the past four years - I'm just too smart for her sometimes, heh heh! Anyway, my dad remembered several more things that I've gotten into that I shouldn't have:

His favorite granola
Honey Roasted Peanuts
Chapstick
Yummy ginger snap cookies from my Grandma

Maybe he should re-consider his "No people food" rule and I wouldn't have to go snooping so much!

Does anyone else out there eat weird or tasty stuff? Tell me what it is!

I want to send a big thank you out to my British buddy Jackson. His family has their own business making ADORABLE terrier cards, called Forever Foxed. It's very hard to find good WFT cards, so my mom was thrilled when her order arrived in the mail a few weeks ago! The cards are beautiful and she is sending one to her best friend for her birthday.

The red couch in the first one reminds me of a piano a little bit. Maybe I'll draw a picture of my dad on there playing, with me singing! I don't think my artistic skills are quite as good as Jackson's, though.

Go check out the cards! Thanks Jackson!

"DO NOT EAT"

I was kind of a bad dog this weekend. Have you ever seen one of these little packets? I ate one.



Yes, I see the warning labels now. It just smelled really tasty so I scarfed it down before my mom could get it out of my mouth. She was really upset and worried and they had to "make" me sick with hydrogen peroxide to get it out of my stomach. (My vet hospital was already closed, and my humans don't trust the emergency vet hospital in town.) And then my mom worried that some sort of weird chemical reaction would happen in my stomach with the H2O2. So as I was barfing up blue stuff (VERY GROSS - sorry!) my dad was searching the internet to learn about the packets. It turns out that it's probably not too bad that I just ate one of them, but it's definitely not a good idea to eat a bunch of them, according to the ASPCA. Don't do it!


I felt pretty yucky that night. But my mom was glad it was out of my system. And I felt fine pretty quickly.

My mom learned the hydrogen peroxide method from a nice vet nurse on a hotline she called on one of my other snack adventures.
(Lenny's mom here: I think you're supposed to use it only if the dog eats something that could cause a blockage, like candle wax in this case, or if it's immediately after the dog has ingested something that could be very harmful if digested. But always check with your vet first!)

I've had a few other delicious adventures; I've earned a little bit of a reputation for being a snack sleuth and sniffing out tasty treats wherever they might be. Nothing on the kitchen counter is safe, not even sitting on top of the microwave. (My long legs have even helped me get on TOP of the counter!) My nana always has to "Lenny-proof" her kitchen before I come visit. I can even get Tupperware open (leaving a few teeth marks), get over tall chairs, and open zippers to get what I want.

My mom was trying to make a list of all the things I've eaten that I shouldn't have, and she couldn't even remember all of them, but this is what she came up with:

Digital camera (teeth marks)
Cell phone (teeth marks)
My dad's conducting baton
Scented candles
Crock of margarine
M & M's
Dark chocolate candy bar
Milk chocolate/nuts candy bar
Lindt truffle chocolates
Reese's Peanut Butter cups (small size, but many of them)
Coffee grounds
Chewing gum
Breath mints
Cigarette
Plastic bag
Stuffing from my toys
Fish food
Cat food
Doo-doo - goose variety
Doo-doo - deer variety
Dead mouse
English muffins (my FAVORITE)
Milkshake
Crickets
Jigsaw puzzle piece
Mayonnaise packets (I sucked the mayonnaise out)

Heh heh, she doesn't even KNOW about some of the stuff I've eaten! I guess I'm lucky I haven't gotten too sick, especially with my chocolate cravings. Anyway, be careful out there, and always read the labels of what you're about to eat!

Taking over the house - one surface at a time

I have slowly but surely been carrying out "Operation Comfy Pillow" in my house. While my people are gone during the day, I sleep on the couch or on their bed. I do have my own bed, but theirs is just so much bigger.

A dog needs room to stretch!


When my mom gets home from work and sits on the couch to watch some TV, I always make sure that I get up on the couch next to her, just to remind her that it's MY comfy place and she needs to make room for me. I don't jump up there by myself (while they're home, anyway) but I put my chin on my mom's knee until she picks me up and puts me on the couch.

She thinks I sit funny. I can't help it. I haven't been able to sit like a "normal" dog since my knee surgery last year. Don't I just look cuter anyway?
My dad is turning in to a softy. He used to be Mr. Rules - no sleeping in their bed, no treats, no people food. (I get veggie treats now.) Last night he said I could lay in bed with them for fifteen minutes while they listened to something on the radio, but then I ended up sleeping on the bed all night, with my people scratching my belly. Ahhh!