The Peacemaker

Guinness loves everyone, even if they don't love him. Once in a while, we encounter a malicious dog. With such a dog, Guinness might bare his teeth and bark back. But the norm is that he remains quiet, subdued, and backs away if the other dog's body language indicates he does not want to be friendly. With that attitude after meeting the hostile dog a few times, the oppugner begins to soften his demeanor towards Guinness until they are friends. This has happened in recent months with Shamus, a Wheaten Terrier (Terror? ha!), and a 15 year old yellow lab, Ben.

Guinness and Shamus

Dangers in the Park

Yesterday, Guinness found a couple of piles of birdseed shells/husks under spruce trees at doggie park. Apparently, some idiot cleaned out their birdfeeders in the park. It was futile to keep him away from the phony treat while off leash, so I reasoned: it will not hurt him; it will all come out in the end.

Late yesterday, he seemed to be gagging, so we ran outside. Nothing happened. In the middle of the night, he was barking in the den. We relented, allowing him to sleep with us so that we could sleep -- never considering that he might be in distress. This morning before daylight, Grant said he pooped everywhere, sometimes diarrhea, and to watch where I step when I go out. Then I remembered the birdseed shells. Oops! We went out again a couple of hours later, and he pooped quite a bit more! I saw that it wasn't diarrhea, but just all those shells coming out as small pieces.

I didn't want to take him to doggie park to eat more, yet how could I ever take him back if it wasn't cleaned up. So I decided to take the pooper scooper, a bucket and garbage bag, a sign asking the culprit to please not do this again, hammer, and nails. I tied him to the baseball field fence and went to work. I found four piles of the stuff and filled my 2-3 gallon bucket. After I hung a sign on the one deciduous tree that had a pile of the stuff under it, now cleaned up, I took a photo. ha!

Fun Day at the Park

Now that freezing temps and snow are here, no one is regular at doggie park. Whatever time of morning I go, I usually find some friends there. Today it was Crash (the other chocolate), two Wheaten Terriers, and Guinness (with the green collar). Guinness did his own thing for the most part this morning which included stealing my mittens numerous times. He also met the Wheaten Terriers' "mother" for the first time, and did NOT make a good first impression. He was determined to pull her gloves off and, since he smelled treats in her pocket, kept jumping on her. Meanwhile, the other three dogs played and played -- mainly erotic games. LOL They were soooo funny!!!! Usually one was at Crash's head and the other at his tail, but Crash loved it!


Friday, Shayla, a Golden, was there. When we arrived, she was racing around the field with a large, dead crow in her mouth . Her mother was desperately trying to catch her and remove the frozen bird, but Shayla was not to be caught. We two other dog mommies there tried to help. When Shayla was nabbed, only for a few brief moments before escaping, she had NO intention of giving up her prize. Once, while her mom held her, I managed to break a large part of the carcass, with entrails exposed, out of her mouth, then the mom was able to remove the rest. What a gross experience!

Time for a Car Wash

When I go out in the car, Guinness usually comes with me. Today, we traveled to my grocery store which is next to Petsmart. Guinness always hopes that the trip is for Petsmart, though we only shop there once every couple of months. He starts barking and jumping around as soon as we pull into the parking lot, and he continues to bark after I leave the car. Sometimes he gets all the other dogs in parked cars barking with him. Quite the cacaphony.

Today, a sloppy, snowy day, he was more insistent than normal that he was going shopping too. The little sneak! As I slipped out of my driver's seat, he rushed me from behind, pushing me through the door and escaping across the parking lot at high speed to the wide sidewalk between the two stores. A grocery cart collector was hot on his trail. He made a sweep past the automatic doors of the grocery store, opening them, but thankfully he never noticed! He ran to an elderly lady wearing a full length mink coat who was calling to him. She grabbed his leash (I always leave his leash on him in the car so that I can grab him if he tries to escape.). "I have had two labs," she said, "so I understand." Another store employee dressed in white came to meet this crazy dog. He jumped on her, leaving muddy paw prints on her work clothing. She said, "It's OK. I wear an apron anyway." Both women followed us to our SUV as I pulled out the ramp for him. They offered to hold his leash for me. I thanked them, but said, "He will calm down better with just me. Having you here will keep him excited."

After finishing my grocery excursion, I returned to the car to discover that his muddy, salty paw prints from his race around the parking lot, were smeared all over the front and back seats as well as the rear of the vehicle. This may have been his last time to go grocery shopping!

The Boy Goes Home

We had one inch of snow on the ground this morning! We skipped doggie park in favor of playing in the snow! Guinny was tied to a tree while Kevin made angels and slid down hill.

This character is not an angel, but he is cute.

On our way to the airport, Kevin started crying -- actually sobbing -- for at least 20 minutes! "I miss Guinny Winny. I love Guinness. Why can't he come too?" Poor boy. Nothing appeased him.

This evening, Grant could not find Guinness anywhere. Finally, he found him sleeping on Kevin's bed! He misses the boy too!!!

The Boy and Dog Have Bonded

Kevin had fun playing under the shelter of a grove of spruce trees at the edge of doggie park where I usually don't let Guinness go. So Guinness liked it too!

At the beginning of the week, I suggested to Kevin that Guinness could sleep with him. He was not overjoyed with that idea! However, he is so used to Guinness now and loves him so much that I thought it just might work tonight. After we read our bedtime story, I called Guinness in, he jumped on the bed, and I said "Goodnight." I expect they both will snooze peacefully until morning. Guinness will want to wake up before Kevin, so we will have to be diligent to not have Kevin awake at 7 AM too!

More Fun with a Little Boy!

It was late morning before Kevin and I made it to doggie park. Crash, the 21 mo. old chocolate lab we met a couple of days ago, was there again! They did some running together,

but also enjoyed just cooling it and sniffing together.

While Guinness rested on the grass, Kevin decided to roll around the field. Silly boy!

A bath kiss!

New Year's Day

We all slept in this morning, so we were late going to doggie park, but we finally had some friends there to play with! There were a 21 mo. old chocolate and two Wheaten Terriers. Kevin ran around with them as if he were a puppy too!



I am convinced that dogs know their own breed and even their color. Guinness always seems very happy to meet another lab, and especially a chocolate one!



Kevin brought two sticks in the car. He opened the little door between the back seat and the rear so that Guinness saw the sticks. Guinness forced his big body through that little hole to get the sticks. ugh.



Kevin chose Christmas carols for me to play on the piano and he sang along with me. At one point, I turned around and he was hugging Guinness, so I grabbed my camera. I couldn't choose one; I had to post four!

A Boy and a Dog at Doggie Park

We started the day with doggie park. Guinness's friends did not come today.

Kevin found a long stick to play with...

...until Guinness broke it in two.

King Guinness

Kevin watched some old Christmas VHS videos that we taped from TV for his Mommy and uncle back in the early 1980s. They are still as good now as they were then! ha! And Guinness enjoyed watching them too from his perch on the bed!


I thought I had trouble keeping stuffed animals on the stairs as a Christmas decoration with Guinness around! Kevin collected them, plus other toys too, and put them on the bed with Guinness.

Kevin Has Come to Play for a Week!

Kevin spent the morning coloring with crayons and markers. Guinness eagerly watched hoping to have some fun with this cute boy.

Kevin and I prepared the sandwiches for lunch and placed them on the table in the dining room, then returned to the kitchen to begin making Rice Krispie Treats while waiting for Grampy to come home. We heard a commotion, ran to the dining room to find that Guinness had eaten Kevin's sandwich and had the napkin in his mouth. I tried to snap a picture of this goofy dog, but he runs pretty fast, though you can see the Christmas napkin in his mouth. I guess that tells us that Guinness sees himself higher in the pecking order than Kevin!

Christmas Dog

Since the kids were young, I have decorated the stairs with Christmas-related stuffed animals. But, with Guinness, there is no way he would leave them alone. This year, I decided to put HIS stuffed animals on the stairs rather than have none! It worked very well! Sometimes he would play with one or two, but there were no chase games, because it didn't matter. I posed him with the animals today, and he was more than willing!

Do you see the stem on the floor? Guinness's doings... He has done that twice now -- pulled a stem out of the garland decorations. sigh But no big deal; I just push it back in.

Our Best Friends

Doggie Park has changed in the past few months. One friend moved away. Others' schedules have changed. Instead of meeting at 7 AM, there is a new grouping that meets at 8:30. Most of them are Goldens -- four or five of them! Our old friend Holly is among them. Also Frank the candyman and Mad Mattie, a barking Border Collie, usually make an appearance. Often, Guinness is the only dark dog. A couple of days ago, a 6 month chocolate came. He and Guinness had great fun running! I am convinced they know their own breed!

This morning, the ground was coated with glittering, soft, cotton fluff snow. I hoped that the flashing diamonds in the snow would show up in the pictures. The view down the bike path was fairy-like with bright sun and twinkling snow. You'll have to take my word for it.


Today, there were only Holly, Wilson, and Guinness. A little fluffy dog stopped by for a few minutes. Here Guinness is begging his master for a treat.

Guinness is making a bee-line to grab my mitten. He spends much of his playtime stealing my mittens surreptitiously. He immediately is treated so that I can have a warm hand as soon as possible!

Holly and Wilson love to wrestle! Guinness only wrestles with Marley, a large Golden who has an uncanny resemblance to Aslan from Narnia, but he was not there today.

Guinness spies a dog entering the ballpark.

It is a dog that does not like other dogs, but Guinness seems to be blind to who the dog is until he runs up to him. Wilson wants to check him out too.

One of them finds a stick and they have a tug-of-war.

Holly comes along too, and it is a threesome!

Guinness relinquishes the find to his friends.

At home, I manage to snap a shot showing the snow jewels! Click to enlarge.

While I clean up the yard, Guinness cleans up where I spilled birdseed yesterday.

New Trick

For the last month or so, Guinness has found something to do while we are out of the house to let us know his displeasure at being left behind. Unless the weather is too hot or too cold, or for a convenience reason, he usually does travel everywhere with me.

No harm done. It's actually kind of cute. (You have to be a dog lover to say that! LOL)

Leaving NC

Kevin has a "jungle gym" bed. He climbs a ladder to the bed, which has play space beneath the bed, and glides down a slide to leave his bed. This morning, Guinness shot up the slide and was on top of Kevin's bed!!! What a goof!!! He certainly loves having a child to play with!!!

We had to say goodbye this morning. Kevin cried and Grandma did too! What a sweet boy! Somehow or other, Grandma and Grandpa need to move closer!!!

In spite of rain in our eyes, the skies were cloudless and beautiful! My new SUV has a humongous sunroof so that it is almost a convertible! Guinness loves it!

Black Friday

We spent Thanksgiving with Steve and Kevin in NC. While Grant, Kevin, and I were out shopping, Steve was home alone with Guinness. Steve was working upstairs and heard some noise downstairs, but did not investigate. When he returned to the kitchen, this is what he found --

I think he looks INNOCENT!!!!

Thanksgiving Day

Kevin was VERY tired last night, got to bed late again, and we hoped he would sleep in. Not! The day began with Guinness awakening at 7 AM, wandering into Kevin's room, and licking Kevin's hand. He awoke happy, but not impressed with the lick.



We saw two deer in the backyard today. Here is one.