Happy Halloween!

Wag-a-Paw-Looza, Lowell MA

The day didn't start out so great. The peoples were setting up things for this "baby" that is supposed to arrive, and they seemed to think it would be funny to put me in this cage. I think it is undignified.









But then they more than made up for it later on, and it offically became an awesome day. My peoples took me to Wag-a-Paw-Looza, a great big outdoor festival for dogs. We're trying to raise money for Lowell Unleashed, a group that wants to get a dog park in Lowell. The first exciting thing that happened was that while Bridget was paying my admission and Jake was filling out the registration, I totally ran under the registration table and stole a doggie goodie bag! They caught me before I could get away with it, but the afternoon was off to an auspicious beginning! Treats! There were treats in that goodie bag!

One of the very exciting things there was the dog agility contest. We stood and watched for a while as other dogs ran through the course, and then we found out that I was welcome to try. Well, didn't I show my peoples! I was really good at the agility course. It didn't hurt that there were treats to be had. I, after all, very food-motivated.
This first step was easy!



















Here's the obstacles I ran between:


Here I am going through the tube!


I even walked over this scary see-saw thing!


I ran up and over this crazy thing:


















I even jumped through a hoop!




There were so many many many dogs there! It was amazing! There was even a doggie costume contest:

Pantry Security Update

The peoples continue to leave the pantry unguarded, despite my many recent attacks on it during their absences. Yesterday, while the peoples were out doing their shopping (which included buying new treats for me 'cause I'm such a good dog), I attempted to obtain treats with my own paws. I somehow (oh how the peoples wish they could have seen this!) dragged this sealed container of treats from the pantry floor all the way to my bed in the office. It shows the marks of a struggle, but it would not open! It was SO frustrating!

Signs of Fall: Walking in the Leaves and Eating Squid

Hi! Take a walk with me! It will be lovely!



Come on! Take a walk with me! It's beautiful here in the fall in Massachusetts! I love walking with my peoples!



OK, if you don't take a walk with me (or maybe even if you do) I will be forced to run into the pantry while you're in the bathroom, grab anything I see off the shelf -- even if it's dried squid snacks (seriously!) -- then run into the living room and eat them before you can get out of the bathroom. I am the snack food bandit!!! Woo hoo!

Sneaky Snack Attack

Got any more snacks???

Tonight while Bridget and Jake were off having dinner with some lovely friends, I got a little hungry. Oh yeah, they fed me my supper before they left, but, well, it's Friday night, and I felt like a little something extra. I remembered how great those animal crackers were, and thought maybe I'd look around in Bridget's school suitcase. Boy, did I score! After opening her suitcase AND digging into her purse, which was inside her suitcase, I found (and ate) the following:
-half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
-a ziploc bag filled with animal crackers
-a ziploc bag filled with peppermint-flavored Rolaids

You can see the evidence against me in the photo -- yes, I ate it all in my bed!
I'm glad she left the antacid, because, well, let's face it, I needed them after my snack attack! I did leave a few rolaids in the remains of the bag, and of course, a lot of shredded plastic. And I'm not a bit ashamed. I deserved those snacks!!!

I am an animal, therefore Animal Crackers are for me

At least that's my logic. Bridget brings little ziploc baggies of animal crackers to school every day. So in her suitcase, which she keeps on the futon in the office most of the time, there is always a baggie of animal crackers. Sometime between last Thursday (when she was last at school) and right now, I decided that I might like to try some animal crackers. It was quite easy for my ferocious teeth to rip through the ziploc and enjoy those yummy yummy animal crackers! I'm a dog, and I'm an animal, and if she thinks I'm going to stop eating animal crackers anytime soon, she has another thing coming.

Evil Things: Vets, Groomers, and You Tube

Here you can see my very fuzzy butt. Isn't it cute? I thought it was just fine the way it was, but no, the peoples, they enjoy tormenting me. They have found so many new ways to torment me this week, I am thinking of going out on strike.

First, I had to go to the vet this week. I have ear infections in both ears. I actually like going to the vet, because they're really nice to me, and they tell me how pretty I am and how friendly I am, and I usually get some treats as rewards just for being me! But now the peoples, they are washing out my ears and then sticking this gooey stuff into them. I don't like it one bit.

AND FURTHERMORE, after informing us of the ear infections, the vet also informed us that I, Carter Stephen Bridge, am "slightly overweight." Apparently I have gained a little over two pounds since June, which I guess is a lot if you're only 30 pounds to begin with. But Bridget has been gaining all kinds of weight this past summer and no one tells her to stop eating treats. I think I look great just the way I am. I'm going to call the folks at Dove and ask them to start a campaign for true dog beauty. I'm sick of the body image police!

Adding further to the woes of my week, I also went to the groomer's this week. They cut my nails and gave me a serious bath and CUT OFF ALL MY BEAUTIFUL CURLY FUR!! I can't believe it. I look like I'm half my real furry size!


Here I am, in my full furry glory, sitting in the car just minutes before I was deprived of all my glorious fur!

And here I am now, with no more fuzz!


My once fabulously furry paws, seen here:




Are now tiny little ones:


In other horrifing news, as if I have not suffered enough indignities, Jake and Bridget recently got a lot of laughs by playing this trick on me where they play a video on Jake's laptop. The video features a cat. This gets me a bit upset, because I begin to believe that there is a cat inside the house. I can hear it meowing! Even when the video was over, I was sure there was a cat somewhere inside or underneath that laptop. They found it so funny, they made their own video of it. I think You Tube is evil. But apparently, Jake is planning to post a video of my performance sometime soon. Stay tuned. Or tell them to stop tormenting me! Please!

Well, even with my haircut, I sure do like riding in the car. And my new fashion accessory is pretty cool too. Check me out:

On Food and Fights (but not Food Fights)

So I continue to get myself into some situations that Bridget and Jake are not entirely thrilled about. Yesterday I got into a bit of a scuffle with Crystal, the very large (probably 100- pound) black lab that lives two doors down. She came running out her front door without her leash (Bridget had me leashed & was talking to a neighbor) and got a little too close to me. I barked, and she barked back, and then, before I knew it, she was on top of me! It was crazy! Thankfully the peoples separated us and there was no harm done.

I've also continued to exercise my sweet tooth. It goes along with my (usually) sweet disposition. About a week ago, Jake brought home some sweets for Bridget, including some baklava and a piece of seminola cake from the Greek bakery. In the evening, she sat down and had herself a piece of baklava. She left the cake in the take-out container, with a lid on it, and then left the container (containing the sweet, sweet cake) RIGHT ON THE COFFEE TABLE!! Now, the coffee table is at nose-heighth for me, so I don't know what she expected. She never even noticed until the next afternoon! It was so yummy.

Then, on Monday night, Jake and Bridget went out to something they called "birth class" at a place called "the hospital." I was a bit concerned, because they left a while before my dinner time, but didn't feed me! When they finally arrived home, it was about a half hour after my usual supper time. Bridget went straight to the kitchen to get my supper, when she let out a big yelp! What could she be yelping about? Apparently, she saw this:



That would be a bag of extra food from the vet that they like to use as treats for me. I had been feeling peckish, and worried the peoples wouldn't come home, so I took matters into my own paws, went into the pantry, and opened the bag. Turns out the opening was totally perfect for me to fit my head right in there and crunch away.

I am one awesome dog.