Why Everyone Should Own a Dog

While mom is deciding where to go for our next trip, I thought I'd share this with you. Someone sent it to mom and she was laughing so hard at the end, I thought it must be pretty funny. And anything that gives people a reason to have a dog has to be worth sharing. So watch and enjoy - and then go to your local shelter and get a dog of your very own so you can get in on the fun!

Bob Has Been Tagged!

Claudia of http://www.workathomegrandmoms.com/ tagged me/us for a blog meme. Oh my oh meme!! Here are the rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1 ) What was I doing 10 years ago? I'm only 10 years old!

2 ) What are five things on your to-do list for today?
chase squirrels
eat
play with mom
eat
get mom to clip my toenails
and did I mention eat?

3 ) What snacks do I enjoy?
jerkey
bacon
cheese
biscuits

4 ) Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
Buy mom a house with an even bigger yard and more squirrels!
Take mom (and dad too) on the vacation of their dreams
Donate to local animal shelters so my fellow canine (and feline) friends can have the same chance to find a good mom that I did

5 ) Three Bad Habits
Eat too much
Sleep too much
Chase cats and squirrels

6 ) 5 places I have lived…
I have only lived with mom in our house in the country

7 ) 5 Jobs I have had
My only job is to provide love and companionship to mom
...and keep the cats on their toes
...and keep the yard free of squirrels
...and bark if anything stray comes near the house (stray people, stray dogs, stray leaves, the wind)

Thank you Claudia! People I have tagged:
Eileen at "Feisty Side of Fifty" http://feistysideoffifty.wordpress.com/
Kathie Thomas at http://vadirectory.net/blog/
Michael Walsh Kaizen Consulting http://business-growth.com/
Beverly at Talk2Bev http://talk2bev.blogspot.com/
Heidi Caswell at http://www.connectsimply.com/blog/

We're Hitting the Road!

I'm excited! It's summer and Mom has decided to take a trip - and I get to go along! She hasn't decided where to go yet. I heard her on that little thing she uses to talk to other humans last night. She was talking about ideas for a vacation. I think she is trying to decide between visiting Aunt Mai Lei in Dallas (okay, but they have an awful lot of cats that don't like to play with me), Christine in Corpus Christi (that might be fun. I can see baby John! I LIKE babies!) or Desiree in Florida (that gets my vote. I love the beach!)

Once she decides, we will have to get ready. That means a trip to see Dr. Karen. That's always fun. I know sometimes I have to get shots and that hurts a little bit. But the ladies at Dr. Karen's are always nice to me. They pet me and cut my toenails for me so I can walk better. And if I have to get a shot, Mom always takes me for a hamburger afterward!

I hear Mom talking to someone on that black box again. She is still not sure where she wants to go. I know! Why don't YOU help her decide. Vote for which trip you think we should take. I'll do my best to convince Mom that's where we need to go. How you ask? Don't worry. I have Mom well-trained! And I'll keep you up to date on all the fun things there are to do for dogs (and cats too I guess) whereever you decide we should go.

Our First Adventure - Fort Smith, Arkansas

I want to tell you about our first trip together. Mom (that's what I call my human!) and I had not been in Arkansas long and we wanted to go exploring. So we decided to take a drive to some other locations in Arkansas. We started with Fort Smith since it's not a long drive from Rogers.

We decided we would stay overnight so we could take our time and really explore the area. Mom called around to find a place that would let me stay with her. There were several to choose from including the Comfort Inn Fort Smith and the Holiday Inn City Center. Mom decided to choose the Holiday Inn since it is Fort Smith’s largest full service Holiday Inn Hotel connected to the Fort Smith Convention Center and conveniently located near: UA Fort Smith, UA Fayetteville, Fort Smith’s National Historic Site, Judge Isaac C. Parker’s Museum / Courtroom, the Fort Smith Trolley Museum and Fort Smith Museum of Natural History. Fortunately, I am under the 20 lb weight limit in the hotel's pet policy and Mom did not mind paying the additional pet fee. We did have to stay on the pet floor, but that was alright with me. It gave me a chance to meet some other traveling pet friends.

We packed our bags. Mom brought my leash and my carrier even though I don't use them at home. She just wants me to be safe so I don't mind. She also brought my favorite food and some bottled water, dishes for me to use, my favorite toy, and my blanket. She also packed a pooper scooper and some carpet deodorizer - just in case! Then she made me wear my collar with the ID tags and we were off! On the way we stopped at Dr. Karen's, my vet, to get a copy of my shot record.

The trip did not take long. When we arrived, we went to our hotel first. Mom let me out to stretch my legs and take care of business. Then we visited our room so I could have a drink of water and look the place over. I decided where I wanted my blanket, explored the rest of the room and then it was time to see the city!

We went first to the Fort Smith Dog Park located at the corner of Massard Road and Louisville Street. This dog-lovers park provides an off-leash experience and socialization opportunity for me and my friends while also offering special events and programs. It even has benches so Mom and I can rest and a pond! We played for a while and Mom chased a ball for me. She looks silly doing it, but it seems to make her happy so I always play along.

I was pretty tired and ready for dinner and a nap but Mom wanted to check out Ben Geren Park located at 7200 South Zero Street. She had heard about the annual Top Dog competition sponsored by the local Alzheimer's Association. It's held in the park each year in conjunction with the annual Memory Walk. She thought it would be a dog-friendly place to just walk around for a bit and she was right. I had a great time and I hope she lets me enter the Top Dog contest this year. I know I can win!

Now it was definitely time to call it a day. Mom stopped at the Wendy's drive through for her dinner and then we went back to the hotel so we could eat together. After dinner, we settled down to watch some television. My favorite Saturday evening lineup was on so Mom let me lay beside her and watch while she read her book. Soon it was time for one last visit outside and then bed time. We have to get up early in the morning so we can head for home!