A Christmas Story, by River and Jasper

Twas the night before Christmas,
and here in the house
Cam and Scott opened presents
As they sat on the couch










Me and Jasper then jumped
On the couch next to Dad
Hoping Santa would realize
We aren't THAT bad!











We might wrestle every hour
But as you can tell
We do love each other and
For Christmas, all is well!

Wishing everyone peace and happiness in the New Year!

Where is my hair????

Hi! River Here!
Aunt Susan and cousin Ripley came to stay with us for a week! Aunt Susan LOVES me and Jasper because we sit still when she grooms us. Cousin Ripley hates groomings. Well, I adore the attention, and Aunt Susan was having SO much fun that by the time Mommy and Daddy got home they did not recognize me! Mommy says I look more like a very dark yellow lab! Hey...she's right...where is my hair?????

Last jump of the year?

Hi Everyone! Jasper Here! Thanksgiving was fun yesterday except when everyone tried to make me learn to shake paws, which I just do not do. Hey, I can "sit" on command about 50% of the time...what more do they want from me? Speaking of shake, guess what I did today? You guessed it...I went for a swim! The pond has LOTS of extra water in it right now which I think is just perfect (more to jump in!) but Mommy and Daddy got a little worried because they could not even SEE the overflow grate, which usually sticks out about a foot, so they went down to the pond with a really really long stick to try to clean it out.

Well, water is just FUN and I wanted to do MY part so of course I jumped in! The last thing I heard before I hit the water was Mommy yelling, "Jasper NO it's too COLD." What does she know - she hasn't been in the pond in 4 months!!!! Anyways, did I mention that it was 26 degrees outside and really windy? So I got out and jumped in 2 or 4 more times but then when I got out and River chased me around the yard, my fur froze! Normally I get out, shake, River chases me around, I shake a few more times, chase again and by then my fur is almost dry from the shaking and chasing. But this time when I shook NOTHING HAPPENED! I was frozen! I had to go hang out in the mud room til I melted. But it was still fun. Here is a picture of some of my frozen fur!

Halloween Weekend Tricks and Treats!

Happy Halloween! River here to tell you about Halloween day around here! First, do you realize we have been writing this blog for a whole year? Anyways, even though today is Halloween, Trick or Treating was last night and we had lots of kids to bark at - about 12 kids total which is kind of a record out here. Mommy put popcorn and candy bars and rubber mice in the treat bowl and the kids took lots of stuff.


Lucky for Tundra (the cat) there were toy mice left over! She discovered them today and even though I would have gone right for the Snickers, I guess Tundra likes mice better. She tossed a couple of mice out of the bowl and onto the floor to play with but she didn't get a chance because Jasper was waiting right there...and Mommy didn't realize this until she saw him chewing and he would NOT give it up and she had to dig a mouse out of his mouth, but not before he ate the tail! Mommy says she is pretty sure those two are in cahoots, whatever that means!


So then Mommy decided it was time for us all to go outside to play. She came outside, and Mabel and Moe too, and we had fun chasing each other and chasing the orange toy and running down to the pond. THEN, even though it was in the 30's and the pond water is really REALLY cold, you can guess what happened next...of course! Jasper jumped in...and Mommy hadn't even thrown a stick or toy or anything! He just HAD to jump in. Here is a picture of Jasper swimming back. Doesn't that water LOOK cold? BRRRR. I got in too, but only to my knees! So, it was a pretty good Halloween. Maybe you need to adopt a dog so YOU can have more fun on Halloween, too!!!!!!

See, We DO get along!

Hi! Jasper here. OK, so here we are, holding paws. Just so you know - we aren't ALWAYS wrestling!
And in case you are wondering, I did NOT cause the injury to Riv's leg. He just could not quit licking that spot on his leg so Mommy put some cream on it and wrapped it up. Here he finally got rid of that silly lampshade and he almost had to wear it again! I never get hot spots (maybe because I take lots of mud baths) and if I did I would be too busy to lick them, anyways.

I am SO EMBARRASSED!

River here. Can you believe this????? I get a little hot spot on my tail and the next thing you know I am at the vet, getting about 8 inches of my tail shaved, AND I have to wear this stupid looking collar!!! Just 'cause I could not leave the spot alone. Can you blame me? It itched!!!! Who wouldn't chew at it a little, just to stop the itching???? Now to make things worse my little brother Jasper will not stop barking at my collar. ARRRRGGGHHHHH.
The only good thing is that Mommy says me and the collar will not both fit in the crate and I bet she lets me get up on the bed. Plus, I have to take some pills and you know what that means - lots of PEANUT BUTTER! I still don't like the idea of this stupid collar but maybe I can work it a little....

Contact Lens Cases Taste Good!

Jasper here. Remember when I said cats are useful? Well, Tundra (the cat) knocked Lisa's contact lens case (with the contacts still in it) off the bathroom counter and I could not help myself - it just looked like a fun thing to chew on! Plus it tasted a little salty. Lisa says it was a good thing I didn't swallow the contact lenses. She caught us while I was chewing and Tundra was deciding what to knock onto the floor next. Sorry Mommy!

hole in Riv's head

Hey! Jasper Here! Mommy went on a long bike trip WITHOUT US! Can you imagine? Something called RAGBRAI and it sounds like SO MUCH FUN! Even though I really don't get the bike thing, mommy said there is lots of food and lots of people and even a few other dogs. I don't know why she did not bring me and Riv! I would have gone! I would do anything! I love everything! But we got to stay home with Daddy and he give us whole treats not half treats like Mommy so it was ok.
Anyways, when she got home me and River did our usual welcome, which means we ran straight at her, jumped up and down, circled, licked, sniffed, jumped some more, wrestled each other and then each picked up a toy and did a few laps around the furniture, like 30 laps, at full speed.
After we finished doing our welcome home laps around the furniture, Mommy was petting River and she said "OH YUCK." SOMEHOW, while she was gone, River got two big holes on the top of his head! There are two big holes and NO ONE is telling what happened especially not me. Here is a picture of the biggest one, and this is 5 days after Mommy came home and cleaned it out. Do you think his hair will ever grow back? See Mommy, you should not go away for so long!

Whew!

Whew - River here! It has been so hot and so busy around here with the grandkids. I love them but I am BEAT! Do you ever feel like you just want to lie on the floor and take a nap? Jasper doesn't, but I do.

Puppies came to visit!

Hi Everyone! We have been VERY busy. We just had more company! The grandkids came to visit for 10 whole days and in case you don't know, "grandkids" in dog language means "lots of treats on the floor!"

You definitely know I love my crate (and Tundra the cat loves my crate too), but Jasper isn't so fond of his. Well, we found someone who loves Jasper's crate! She and her brother locked themselves in it almost every day they were here. They also played puppies and they got really super good at "sit", "shake", "speak", and even ROLL OVER! For the record, me and Jasper do NOT roll over (Jasper still forgets "sit" sometimes) and I was not too excited about being shown up by a kid but since they spilled plenty of treats, I could live with it. Here are pictures of the kids playing puppies! We had fun and we miss them already!

Company! We Love Company!

Jasper Here! We had company today! Three dogs came to visit us - Bob, Kazi, and Libby - and we had fun! We get SO EXCITED when doggies come to visit. We went swimming and running and playing and I LOVE having company because there are more people around to throw stuff in the pond for me. Kazi is a FAST runner and I don't know if even I could keep up with her. She kept taking off and I think she even went around the whole pond once or twice and everyone would look for her and then she would just show up! And Justin threw Libby in the pond and she looked funny all wet. She is not very good at shaking water off - but Mommy says hardly anyone shakes water off like I do. Bob the dog had fun wandering around too and he got lots of sniffin's, and River got to sniff all the company's you-know-whats AND he got to chase sticks. It was ANOTHER GREAT DAY! Here are some photos of Bob, Kazi, and Libby:

Rainy Sunday

"The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play, so we laid in the garage all that cold cold wet day."
Here's us, keeping Mommy company while she was cleaning out the garage on a rainy and chilly Sunday in June. Aren't we helpful? Maybe you should think about adopting a helper!

Cat in my Crate!

River Here. Can you believe this? You know I love my crate. Well, Tundra loves my crate, too. Sometimes she goes in there for a nap and then when I want to go in my crate for MY nap, I can't cause SHE's in there and so I have to go nap on the chair. But the chair is good for napping, too, so I put up with it.

So, anyways, today Mommy was heading out for a bike ride and she got the super-yummy treats to entice me and Jasper to go in our crates, so we were VERY excited and we each ran into our own crate and got our treat and got locked in and then she left (Mommy knows she wouldn't have to lock ME in but she HAS to lock Jasper in.... )

WELL, when I ran in my crate I turned around for my treat so fast that I didn't see TUNDRA sleeping in the back, and neither did Mommy! I spent over 3 hours sharing my crate with the CAT! Now, I am a big long dog who likes to stretch out and I could not stretch out with Tundra in there. As if that was not bad enough, when Mommy came home to let me out and she saw ME curled up in the back and Tundra in the front - she didn't even let us out! She started laughing like crazy and went to get the CAMERA. Oh, the indignities. Next time I am checking out my crate BEFORE I go in!

A Face Only a Mommy Could Love

Jasper Here! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my mud holes! One of the best things about digging in mud holes is that Mommy almost ALWAYS comes out and throws sticks in the pond for me to chase before I go in the house! I don't know why she does that, but I don't care because I LOVE to chase sticks! Oh my gosh, mucking AND swimming - another GREAT DAY!

Walk-in Waterdish

River here. One of the BEST things about the pond is, we can get a drink WHENEVER WE WANT! I try to get drinks before Jasper starts jumping in 'cause he makes the water all muddy.

The Path

HI! River Here!

Did I ever tell you about the Path? Well when me and Jasper first moved in we saw this path going from the house to the pond. We didn't get it at first because the whole yard is grass anyways, but then the M's showed us that the path is the VERY BEST way to get to and from the pond. In fact, it is the ONLY way they go to the pond!
So now, this is the way WE go to the pond, too! You can tell this is the VERY BEST way because the path is always there. Here is our sister Mabel sitting in the path. You better not sit there too long, Mabel, or you'll get run over!

NOW We Get It - Why Ripley loves the car!

Jasper Here -
Check out these pictures we just got....Ripley went on a hiking trip WITHOUT US and it looks like she had the best time ever! She got to play in REALLY good mud - the kind that sticks to a dog's coat no matter what. We have good mud here at Camp Run-A-Lot but THAT mud looks AWESOME!
NOW we know why she likes to hang out in the car - I would not want to miss a chance to muck around like that either.
Can someone take US there? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE????

Cousin Ripley's Visit

HI! River and Jasper here!
Aunt Susan and Cousin Ripley came to visit us for 10 days, but can you believe Ripley spent almost the WHOLE TIME in Aunt Susan's CAR???!!! She didn't care if the car was outside or inside...she jumped in every chance she got and would NOT come out for ANYTHING!
Now, we like the car too but we would NOT just hang out there if it wasn't going anywhere. Especially not when there is a pond to swim in and geese to chase and mud holes to dig and grass to eat and sticks to chew, AND we get as dirty as we want and then Mommy just throws sticks in the pond so we jump in to clean off. (Do you know Aunt Susan gives Ripley real baths with SOAP??? )
PLUS, Cousin Ripley had US to play with, not to mention Mabel and Moe! FOUR other dogs plus Tundra the cat! We just don't get it. Do you get it?
Here is a picture of Ripley when our Mommy got home and Aunt Susan was leaving. Thank you Aunt Susan for taking such good care of us and giving us lots of walks and treats and nice haircuts.

It's like Summer!

Hi Everyone! River here. Isn't this weather great? Me and Jasper went swimming and I chewed on sticks and went back in the water and when I was all done I get a nice long roll in the grass. It just feels so good! Jasper likes to roll in the grass, too, and even Moe and Mabel, but not Mommy or Daddy. I wonder why not?

SPRING!!!!!!!

Jasper Here! Guess what??? My mud holes survived the winter!!!! As soon as I found them today I started digging, barking at the mud, and digging some more. This is what I did ALL LAST SUMMER - and it was FUN! I think maybe it started when I saw a frog in a mud hole once along time ago, but digging is so fun I don't care if anything is in the mud hole! I bark at the mud a LOT just so everyone thinks I am hunting. Here is a picture of me with Mabel and Moe (my sister and brother) today after some digging. This was before I stuck my WHOLE HEAD in the mud.


Then, I started thinking...if the MUDHOLES are diggable....I bet the POND is ready for swimming!


I could NOT help myself. I busted through the electric fence to get to the pond. It was only a little shock and SO WORTH IT! Here is me after I busted through the fence. Look, NO ICE! Once Mommy saw me on the pond side she knew what was next, so she got her camera to capture my FIRST SWIM of 2010! Then Daddy said he might as well take the winter electric fence down and now we can swim EVERY DAY! Good thing because River rolled in something and he STINKS so Mommy hopes he goes swimming, too. I LOVE SPRING!

River Has Fun, too!

HI Everyone! River Here! I want to dispel the myth that I am a chair potato and share some photos of ME snowshoeing. Don't get me wrong...some of my favorite things are my crate, the oversized chair, and treats...but I AM always up for a good adventure, too!
We went out one morning last week when the sun was shining and it was really cold. Mommy let me and Jasper run off leash and I remembered there is a big deer carcass by the pond. I ran over there and was scraping snow off so I could have a little frozen treat when Mommy showed up. I knew I was busted but I didn't want it to be a TOTAL loss so I rolled over the deer and even scored some deer hair on my own coat before I was snapped back onto the leash! Jasper doesn't seem to care much about deer carcasses but I LOVE them.
Even though I was on the leash, we still had fun! PLUS I got lots of nice naps the rest of the day!

Snowshoeing with Kazi!

Hi! Jasper Here! Today was SO MUCH FUN! Right after breakfast Mommy loaded me and her snowshoes in the car and we went across the lake to my friend Kazi's house. Kazi lives right next to a golf course and even though GOLF looks boring, golf COURSES are fun! In fact I bet us dogs have more fun on golf courses than people do. Me and Kazi ran and ran and ran - we tried to sniff every single tree on the WHOLE course, plus there were snow drifts and hills and ponds and woods and it was just FUN! Oh, I rolled in the snow a lot, too. I LOVE to roll!

River had to stay home because Mommy says it is one thing to have him take off on our property, but if he took off over there we would not know where to start looking! But he got to hang out with daddy and sleep in his chair so I don't think he minded. Here are some pictures of me and Kazi!

ANOTHER happy day!

Jasper Here! Mommy took me and River snowshoeing today and it was FUN. I ran and ran and ran. Here is a picture of me running back to Mommy and River, after I ran around the whole field. Mommy said she was in a risk-taking mood, so even after River taking off last time, we didn't have to wear leashes! Here is River, licking snow off his snout! Sorry River, I mean muzzle.


We BOTH stopped when we smelled something interesting...but Mommy said if we went through that fence NO ONE was going to get ANY treats. So we didn't go through THAT fence, but we did go through some fences later on. Maybe 2 or 8 fences. Sometimes I have to admit I go through fences and I can't figure out how to get back. I just stand there and bark and Mommy rescues me.



Now, can you guess what THIS is in the photo below? It's ME!!!! I like to STOP running sometimes and just ROLL. This is when Mommy calls me HAPPY JASPY!!!!! I don't really know why but I LOVE to roll in snow. Grass and leaves are ok too but Snow is the best. Especially icy snow. Today was not icy but still fun! Riv rolls sometimes, but Mommy says no one rolls with quite as much enthusiasm as ME.

It was ANOTHER GREAT DAY! If you are looking for a friend to snowshoe with, you should check out GRIN at www.grinrescue.org, or check out the SPCA or other shelters. I bet there are dogs there that would LOVE to take you snowshoeing, and they would even take you for walks and hikes and drives and swimming and play fetch AND keep your toes warm!

Brothers stick together!

Hee Hee Hee - Jasper and River here. We might not always get along but we NEVER rat each other out! A couple of nights ago our Dog Dad was fixing a nice dinner for our Dog Mom and he asked her to take the bread out of the oven and put in on the table. So she did and she asked Daddy if she should put it on the empty plate on the corner. Well, first he looked confused and then he looked REALLY mad and said what we think were some bad words and then Mommy looked confused, until he told her that it WAS a plate FULL of freshly shredded aged Parmesan he had grated. The plate was perfectly clean and dry and not a shred of cheese anywhere, and since no one saw anything, neither of us were in trouble! MMMMM We Love Cheese. CHEESE RULES!

Just Helping Out Around Here!

Jasper here. I am a big helper. I (and Daddy but he uses soap and water) like to make sure the dishes are really really REALLY clean so the dishwasher doesn't have to work so hard. River's job is to lick the floor in case any crumbs fell down. Us dogs are so helpful, why doesn't everyone have at least one?????

My Brother the Flight Risk

Jasper Here! Did you hear about snowshoeing yesterday? Mommy took us snowshoeing before she went to work and she let me and River BOTH run OFF LEASH! We love to run off leash! River doesn't get to run off leash too much because Mommy says he is a flight risk. After all, the nice people at GRIN said he was a stray (even after someone loved him enough to teach him sit, shake, stay, lay down, and even SPEAK!) JEEPERS! When me and River first moved here he took off and Mommy found him all the way down by the road, visiting an all-you-can-eat deer carcass buffet. Then another time Aunt Amy was watching him and he tried to take off but lucky for Aunt Amy they were in a football field with a fence around it. Then another time, we were at the beach and me and River both went in the water after a stick and instead of coming back to Daddy and Mommy, River TOOK OFF down the shoreline. Boy, did he run fast. Mommy and Daddy looked silly chasing him and he didn't listen but finally they got him.
Anyways, we were snowshoeing yesterday and even I was getting a little tired because the snow was really deep and plus I have to zig-zag all over to make sure I don't miss anything. Then me and River chased some tracks and then River just disappeared! I went home with Mommy but River didn't come, so we went back, and we still didn't find him, so we went home and got the car and called and called but he didn't come. Then Mommy put her snowshoes on again and headed into the woods and guess who shows up? Yup! River! He didn't tell anyone where he was or what he found, but Mommy isn't sure she wants to know....and you can guess who is NOT going to go off leash again anytime soon! Sorry River!