Hoover's Long July

   

     This hasn't been one of Hoover's greatest months. It seems like he has only gone outside to go to the bathroom and even that is a challenge. Except when he wakes my dad at 4:30 to go out. Sometimes he just does it as a practice run. When dad goes to let him out, Hoover sits down in the living room and won't go out. Hoover knows not to disturb the food goddess while she is sleeping. Hoover will walk right by mum to get to my dad.       
     This month has been really bad for Hoover because fireworks were going off for a few weeks before and after the 4th of July. We went for a walk on the 4th of July with the dogs. At around the midpoint of the walk, we heard fireworks. As I was walking Hoover, he instantly ran towards my dad for protection when he heard the booms. For the rest of the walk Hoover walked right next to my dad. He must have thought I was not a big enough shield to protect him. 
    Another bad thing this month for Hoover was the thunder. There were several storms during the month that caused some anxiety. One day when the storm was so loud, Hoover and Lizzie crowded around me. Josie was at the top of the stairs running in circles. She is stair-o-phobic. Hoover jumped on the sofa with me for comfort. I petted him to help calm him down. On another day, I decided to help soothe Hoover by playing some calm music. As I watched him while the music played, I noticed his eyelids were beginning to droop. He was soon asleep and I found myself becoming drowsy. So I took a little nap just like the big boy.
    All this coupled with the heat, has made Hoover outside-a-phobic. It's a struggle to get him outside and even harder to get him off our steps. We try all sorts of things to get him off the steps. It's not really a good idea to wait 12 hours or more to go to the bathroom. We eventually put him on a leash and tricked him into thinking he was going for a walk. However, once we got him out in the yard, he didn't want to move. When we tried to get him to move, he started bucking like a bronco. We couldn't help but laugh. He forgets his phobia when the neighbor's dogs are out and rushes the fence to talk to them.
    I hope Hoover has a better August. I know he enjoys the cooler temperatures come September and then he will want to sleep outside. Unfortunately, the IU football season starts and we can hear the cannons firing when we score. For Hoover's sake, I hope IU has low scoring wins. Is that even possible for IU football?

Josie is Still Here With Us to Celebrate the 4th of July

  
   Happy roarth of Kaijuly! Sorry, I have been watching Godzilla movies all weekend. The El Rey network finds all sorts of reasons to show Godzilla movies. They have Godzillathons for Independence day, Halloween, and December holidays. It is a good time to be a nerd. I have been celebrating in other ways too. I marched in a parade for my soccer club. The conditions weren't the best though. It was raining off and on. I juggled and dribbled the entire way. I was having a good time but I didn't look like it. Several people told me I looked like I wasn't enjoying myself. I was just focusing on the ball with a frown. I think I broke my juggling record once or twice. Too bad no one videotaped it, so no official record.There were several occasions where I managed to juggle great distances.
    Have you ever seen "Castaway"? I have my own Wilson.  I decided to take my reliable two year old ball, Bessie to the parade. Bessie has been through a lot, her cover has started to come off in a few places. After today, Bessie is soaked but she didn't let me down. In a couple of weeks she will be going to the IU soccer camp again.
   I had a soccer filled week recently. I traveled with the Olympic Development Program to Dayton, Ohio. It was fun competing at a high level of play and being with my teammates. We didn't have the best record, in fact we finished last but we were more skilled. We were the smallest team there. It was a good experience. 

   I don't understand why no one has adopted Josie. We have had her for about two months and only a couple of people have expressed their interests in her. All of those people have adopted another dog. Josie has many redeeming qualities. She LOVES being around people. She enjoys resting or running with us. She can be goofy. She chases her own tail. She also runs away from us or chases us around a table (depending on your view). She also has a thick skull. She runs into many things and I have accidentally kneed her a few times. She just keeps moving. She listens really well, too. Please check her out at Northern Lights Sled Dog Rescue.
    I hope everyone had a dry Fourth of July, unlike Indiana. I hope your dogs were sheltered from the fireworks. Hoover and Josie were ready to seek safety when they heard a boom. We're not sure Lizzie can hear them. Happy Independence Day!