Home Alone

It was a very strange weekend around here. I stayed at home with The Boss all weekend and everyone else went away. I’ve stayed with The BFF before and sometimes all of the dogs have stayed, but this is the first time I stayed just with The Boss. Some nice people kept letting us out and feeding us, so that was okay. I got to stay loose in the bedroom and that was a nice change. Mom and dad took The Cowboy with them and I missed him. Life doesn’t feel right when I can’t see my cowboy.

The Boss tried to tell me that mom and dad had left and weren’t coming back but I didn’t believe her. Why would she say something that mean? They wouldn’t leave me forever. I just know it. The Boss said that since we were on our own we should see what was in the closets. She moved the closet doors and started pulling out clothes onto the floor. She really made a huge mess. That didn’t seem right to me so I stayed out of the way. I was so worried that mom and dad would be mad at me when they saw the mess. They were annoyed with The Boss but mom held me in her lap and told me she knew I wasn’t responsible for it.

The BFF said that she and The Red Dog went to a trial again. I thought she was lying before but now I think she’s telling the truth. She even had a ribbon. Great. Now everyone has ribbons except for me. She said it was a lot of fun and she got to visit lots of people while she was running (like the judge and a guy setting bars). I don’t think you’re supposed to do that but she said she wanted to make sure that they all saw her and knew she was pretty. If I was able to run I wouldn’t pay attention to anyone but mom. I would concentrate so hard on being a good blue dog. I guess The Red Dog had a pretty good weekend, too. He had lots of ribbons and The BFF said that he got Dairy Queen twice. Why can’t he just screw up? It makes it very difficult for the rest of us to compete with him. Maybe he’ll really lose his mind someday. He’s a red dog, after all. I keep hearing how red dogs are so crazy. Paws crossed for that day!

The BFF told me that The Cowboy met a bulldog this weekend. The bulldog even gave him kisses. I sure hope The Cowboy still loves me. She also told me that she got to see her brother, Chopper. I guess he’s an agility dog, too, and gets to play at trials. She said he was very handsome and that his mom and dad were very nice. The BFF is so lucky that she gets to see her relatives sometimes.

That’s all that’s new from the world of the Blue Dog. Maybe something exciting will happen soon…

I think The Red Dog is losing his mind

Just a quick note from a happy Blue Dog. Last night was the Top Chef finale. I'm SO happy that show is finally over. Everytime mom and dad talk about it, that silly Red Dog thinks they're talking about him. Top Chef. Not Top Sheff. Duh. Even I know the difference. Now maybe he'll shut up and go back to his other annoying habits.

The Cowboy

This is The Cowboy. He’s the newest addition to our family. We all adore him. He was so little when he first came home but he’s getting big very fast. Sometimes he sits in the high chair and gets fruit and cereal. We have all staked out a place on the floor around the big chair. Nothing has fallen our way yet but I think it’s just a matter of time. The Boss seems confident that the chair holds the key to our dreams. Who am I to argue with her?

I love The Cowboy. I try to be very gentle with him. I’m convinced that I’ll be his favorite. It just makes sense. Every little blue cowdog needs a cowboy. That will be fun. Plus, we have the same birthday. I’m exactly two years older than The Cowboy. Maybe he’ll let me sleep in his room. I’ll be sure to watch over him and keep him safe. I bet his first words will be “blue dog”. The others will be very jealous of me but everyone will know that The Cowboy and The Blue Dog are best buddies.

The BFF

This is The BFF. Actually, she’s “my” BFF. Her name is Rival, but she is also called “Rivey-dog”, “The Rival”, “Ry”, “Urkel” and “Stop It”. She is officially known as Stargate’s Crosstown Classic. The others all have baseball-themed names. I’m special because my name isn’t part of the theme. Rival is 4 days younger than I am so I try to be a good big brother and set a good example for her. Sometimes those youngsters just don’t pay attention, though. She is the only dog in the house with a tail. She thinks that makes her special but I’m not sure about that. People always tease her about being a border collie. The horror. I wouldn’t want a tail if it made people think I wasn’t an aussie.

The BFF also gets to train agility. She probably even trains more than I do. According to what everyone says I guess she’s doing really well. She told me that she got to run at a trial the other week but I’m not sure about that. She might be lying to me. She gets distracted easily. Mom jokes that she has butterflies in her head. That might be true. If she really gets to run in trials then maybe I’ll get to someday, too. I’ve seen her practice and I have to admit that she looks pretty good. For a baby. With butterflies in her head.

I love my BFF. We run and play and wrestle all the time. I’m a lot bigger than she is but she has this side-swipe move where she can take me out. I try to act stunned when it happens but I always see it coming. She can’t fool me.

The Red Dog

This is The Red Dog. I used to be scared of him because he acts tough. Now I know he’s just a wimp but I still let him think he’s tough. It seems to make him like me more. He is called “Sheff”, “Sheffield”, “Sheffie”, “Sheffie-dog”, “The Red Streak” or “Stop Jumping on Me”. Officially, he is MACh NATCh ATCh Sheffield Bleacher Bum MAD. Whew. That’s a lot of letters. I sure hope I get to have letters some day. Many weekends mom takes The Red Dog to agility trials. When he’s a really good boy he gets to have Dairy Queen on the way home (“DQ for a QQ”, whatever that means). I wish I could have all that Dairy Queen. I’m sure I could be a good blue dog if there was DQ involved.

The Red Dog came from aussie rescue when he was a little puppy. I feel sorry for him because he doesn’t have a fancy pedigree like the rest of us. He’s the reason that mom does agility since he has loved it from his first class. I’ve heard rumors that he used to have impulse-control problems, too, but he has learned to be a good boy. I just know there’s hope for me if even a silly red dog can figure it out. The Red Dog also likes to go swimming and to chase tennis balls and Frisbees. He’s very athletic. He actually retrieves the toys so he gets to play longer than the rest of us. Suck up.

Mom and dad think that The Red Dog and I are competing for the title “Neediest Dog”. I think he’s way needier than I am. He won’t even go lure coursing because it means running away from mom. He’s such a momma’s boy.

The Boss

This is The Boss. It was obvious from the first time I met her that she is in charge of the house. That’s okay with me. I like letting someone else make the decisions and she’s usually very nice about it. She also takes charge of protecting everyone from danger. At least I THINK that’s why she barks a lot. She has pointed out lots of enemies I never knew existed (like motorcycles). She’s very smart. Officially, she is Fairoaks Addison Brix n Ivy MX MXJ, but she is also known as “Addie”, “Addison”, “Addie-girl”, or “Drop it”. Mom and dad usually call her “the princess”. She is semi-retired from agility so she doesn’t play on the obstacles very much. However, she gets to play with the Frisbee when the weather is nice. She is really good at catching it and I’m trying to be just like her. She likes to go lure coursing, too. Sometimes she likes it too much, though, and doesn’t want her turn to end.

The Boss is the oldest dog in the house. She likes to have everyone chase her in the yard. We all start running after her and then she turns really fast and runs back past us. She makes the rest of us look like idiots when she does that. Still, it’s just fun to play chase. Sometimes she is really naughty. She likes to counter-surf and do other things that dogs shouldn’t do. I try to not pay attention to those things because I want to be a good blue dog.

Um. Hello.

Hi! I’m The Blue Dog, but sometimes I’m called Nayland. Officially, I’m Zuzax Inspector Nayland Smith, named for the dogged pursuer of the evil Dr. Fu Manchu in the novels by Sax Rohmer. I don’t really know what all of that means but it’s what mom and dad say when people ask about my name. Mostly they just call me “Nayland”, “Nails”, “Nailey-Dog”, “Blue” or “Off”.

I’m a two-year old Australian Shepherd and I live in the Chicago suburbs with my humans and three other aussies. It’s a good life for a blue dog even if I don’t have my own sheep. (I LOVE to play with sheep.) I have a big yard for running and playing and it’s full of fun agility equipment. Mom likes to train and compete in agility so all of us dogs get to practice and she gives us lots of treats. I try really hard to be a good agility boy but it’s tough sometimes. Apparently I lack impulse control. I don’t know what that means. When there’s a jump in front of me I want to take it. What’s wrong with that? It’s boring to stay when there’s fun to be had.

I like lots of different things. Last year we went lure coursing a couple of times and that was really fun. I know it’s just a silly plastic bag but as long as I get to RUN it doesn’t really matter what I’m chasing. I tried swimming once last year. It was by accident since I just followed my friends into the water but I didn’t hate it. Maybe I’ll get to try it again this year. I also like to catch the Frisbee but I don’t like to bring it back so our games are usually pretty short. Mostly I just like to hang out with my people, especially if I can sit in someone’s lap and be petted.

My friend, Fergus, gave me the idea to tell the outside world about my life. Fergus is a very wise dog. He’s a golden retriever but sometimes he lets me pretend that he’s a sheep. That’s what friends are for. Make sure you visit his blog and see what he’s been doing.