Nikita v.s. the Vet

   Nikita faced her biggest enemy yet, the veterinarian or, the vet. Nikita got in the car with a struggle but this was the least of our problems. On the way there Nikita couldn't find a comfortable way to sit down. We had to take the old car because mum couldn't lift her up in the Element.  We took Nikita into the office and she was pacing too much so I took her outside. So I tried pushing the glass door and Nikita walked into it twice. I finally pulled open the door and we ventured outside. In my defense, I was still recovering from a sleepover.
     We took our turn to see the vet. When we arrived in his office, Nikita started pacing and panting heavily. She paced in circles for most of the visit. When the vet came in, she got herself stuck in a corner. She lay there listening facing the wall. When we got her on her feet, the vet listened to Nikita's heart . He had to close her mouth because she was panting so hard he couldn't hear her heart. Then, Nikita had her nails trimmed. On her first paw, Nikita was silent. On the second, Nikita finally became her usual chatty Kathy when it comes to trimming. The vet called in a tech who held her down. Nikita really dislikes having her nails tampered with. She whined and cried. Despite really bad arthritis, not the best eyesight and some deafness, the vet thought Nikita was doing pretty well for 14 years.
     Nikita was glad to leave the vet although she was grateful when he helped her in the car. Nikita respects the vet in some ways. Or she was just exhausted.

 I had some friends come over this weekend for a sleepover, although there wasn't much sleep. We mostly played downstairs. The dogs were sensible. They stayed upstairs and played with my parents. Hoover even came down and took his ball upstairs. He has some brains. The only other time Hoover came down was to get some tasty popcorn. He knew we were messy. My friends say they know where he gets his name. 
      The dog's are happy about school starting next week. They no longer have to deal with my friends and I. Now they can get all their sleep in without disruptions.

Random Thoughts on Competition and Animal Rescue

  This week I'm going to golf camp in the morning. To get prepared (because I haven't played much golf in a year) we went to the IU driving range. I am not a good golfer. I think I'll stick with soccer. We also went to the putting green and I had a competition with mum. I destroyed mum! I beat her once in about 10 games. I'm really gonna stick with soccer.

     I also learned how competitive my family is when it comes to sports. We got the old foosball table up and we went at it. Mum and I battled it out. We teamed up on Dad and he still beat us. Then we started putting handicaps on Dad, like no goalie. He still beat us 10 to 5. Dad played a lot of foosball in college! I still think I'm sticking with soccer.

     There's one thing I can beat both of them at, soccer! But to give me competition, mum uses many different tactics. One time she fell on me! Dad and I gave her a yellow card. Hoover helps on defense by laying in a lane. So when I'm about to take a shot I have to hold it back for Hoover's sake. I don't want to maim Hoover. 

     I've been to golf camp for a few days. The first day I won a putting competition by luck. I hit my ball half way to the hole and I thought I had lost. But, the next kid in line hit his ball and it hit my ball boosting it to the hole. I won M & M's! The next day was uneventful but on Wednesday golf camp was almost rained out. A big storm hit Bloomington but we continued. Although, all we really did was play dodgeball but it was still exciting. 
     Now, I was going to write about Shasta the sled dog when Howl the bird came along. Dad thinks I watch too much of Hayo Miyazaki's anime. I was at a friend's house today when we discovered an injured bird in his yard. We think a cat got him or her. There was a gash on his side. My friend and his dad got Howl in a box. Mum and I took Howl to WildCare. I hope he's all right. What's your tale of animal heroism? Stay tuned for more stories. 

Dog Speak

    Today's blog will be special. Today I will talk about how our dogs communicate with us. I'll start off with Lizzie because she is the biggest talker. The way Lizzie tells us she wants to be petted is she whines. And when she whines, she whines. She stops as soon as you place a hand on her and she starts whining again as soon as you take your hand off her. 
     Lizzie woo-woos when she hears the word walk. She has learned English! Hoover just follows Lizzie's lead. She has also learned the concept of time. Around 8:00 pm , Lizzie starts woo-wooing again, she knows when dinner time is. We really hear it when we haven't given her dinner on time. Lizzie also will woo-woo when she wants out but barks when she wants in.  Lizzie will bark at Hoover when she wants to play, but Hoover doesn't like her loud voice. 

      Next up is Hoover. He is a pretty quiet dog except when the neighbor's dogs are out. Then he is a big loud mouth. When Hoover wants to come in he knocks on the door like a fine old gentleman. However, when he wants to go out he waits by the door. Sometimes Lizzie has to bark to let us know they both want out. 

      Hoover LOVES attention. If he isn't getting it, he will paw you. His big paw can be dangerous. Everyone in the family has experienced a Hoover paw to the face. Hoover even uses his paw to acknowledge Lizzie and Nikita by patting them on the head.   

    When Hoover wants to play, he throws his toy in the air. Sometimes he will catch it and other times he'll toss it at you. That ball really stings if you get hit in the face. Hoover takes his playing very seriously, as you can see in the picture at the end. 
      And last but certainly not least is Nikita. She is more subtle than Lizzie and Hoover when seeking attention. She will rest her chin on a leg. She is usually sleeping so she doesn't ask for much attention. Nikita will also put her chin on your leg and stare at you if there is no water in the water bowl or she wants a snack.
       When it comes to going outside, we just kind of have to guess. If she gets up, that is a good indication she wants to go outside. When she wants to come in, she gives one very demanding bark. If we don't come to the door right away, she waits a little bit and gives one more demanding bark.

      Nikita also has a history of tattle telling on some of our fosters. In other words, Nikita is a snitch. One time Alue managed to get the pantry door open and pulled out Nikita's dog food. So, Nikita found mum doing laundry and started barking. She lead mum right to Alue. He was busted. She also has a history of ratting out other fosters, like Sebastian.

Alue

 

      This is a just a bit of how our dogs speak to us. How do your dogs speak to you?

Buddy the Stray

     

    To start off this week's post, I'll tell you the tale of Buddy the Tramp. Buddy appeared in our yard one day last week. We think he was a Jack Russell mix.  We know he wasn't a sled dog. Buddy was a stray and he roamed the neighborhood that morning. We tried to get Buddy into our yard but he didn't like leashes so we would have to lure him. I got a biscuit but Buddy went after a rabbit. At that point mum left for work and dad and I stayed to look for him. Buddy returned so I got another dog biscuit. Dad held Hoover because we were afraid Hoover might scare Buddy away by barking. Then I lured Buddy in with the biscuit. Hoover was then friendly. He just dislikes dogs on the other side of his fence. Buddy was friendly and liked being petted. He liked the dogs and the dogs liked him. The animal shelter came and picked Buddy up. He did NOT want to leave our yard. He had made himself quite comfortable.       
    If Buddy's owner doesn't pick him up, he will be up for adoption. It will be a few weeks before we see Buddy again because he has to be neutered and get a microchip as well as be checked for diseases. But I look forward to see him.  Mum already says we can't adopt him, darn!
     It was the Fourth of July recently and we celebrated with a cookout. There were lots of fireworks in the neighborhood and Hoover wasn't a fan.  He stayed inside and hid downstairs for awhile. Then he followed my parents everywhere. Lizzie didn't mind and Nikita couldn't hear. 
     The next day a friend came over and we went to Ellettsville to a cookout with another friend. We ate and had some Nerf wars. Then, we all went to a fireworks show. It was spectacular. I love fireworks. They are so fantastic and bright! I spent the night with my friends. We spent the night playing video games and watching a movie. We stayed up until three. We had french toast and bacon the next morning. It made me think of Bradford Woods. I was happy to go home and take a nap even though I couldn't sleep.

  To make myself feel better about the World Cup, I made my own World Cup Hockey tournament. I'm Argentina and Mum is Germany while dad is Albania. The games have been close, competitive and a little pushy. I have to put the Hockey World Cup on hold for the rest of the week for the Bloomington South soccer camp in the evenings. We will be having a World Cup challenge at camp!

Mini Camp Madness

     Hoover was a bad boy on Thursday. He murdered a baby rabbit. He caught the rabbit and its life ended. Hoover hasn't been on his best behavior while I've been gone. Hoover committed acts of thievery by stealing Lizzie's dog biscuit and ripping the stuffing out of dog toys. I think he has been bored while I've been gone.
     The next day I went to ODP mini camp. I would be there until Sunday. The first day we unpacked and practiced once. On Saturday, we practiced twice. The second practice we had a juggling competition. I actually surprised myself by getting 2nd place. The prize was $50 on Soccer.com to buy a jersey. The next day we did a 3 against 3 tournament and my team got fourth. The prize for the winner was another $25. I could be so rich! 
      I enjoyed being on the field and practicing with other kids. It was a lot of fun! When I got home, Lizzie snuggled on my sheets I brought home from camp.

     The food, was okay. My scrambled eggs looked like a cube. So, this was probably my least favorite spot for food. I also wasn't a fan of the mac and cheese. It was cold and the cheese was goop. 
     I have a couple of day camps in July but my overnight camps are over. I'll be spending time with the sled dogs. I'll read to the cats at the shelter and hog the air conditioning with Hoover. 
     The "Cozy Corner" may return soon, although it may look a bit different. The last one was not destroyed by "Hurricane Hoover" but by "Tornado Ian." That's another story, there was glass everywhere.
     I was hoping USA would beat Belgium. I bet the Belgium fans were hoping the opposite. It was a tough loss but it was fun being at camp during the World Cup. Now I am cheering for Brazil and Argentina. Who are you cheering for?