Did you hear that now there’s an airline just for pets? You know, I actually flew once, when I was a little guy. I don’t really remember it much.

Nowadays, my family travels mostly by car. I even have my own travel bag! It’s always packed and it’s always in the front hall closet. We can grab it on our way out the door in case of emergency or a last minute “road trip.”

Here’s a list of stuff that’s in my travel bag:

1. An extra leash
2. Doggie first aid kit
3. Bottled water
4. Water and food bowls
5. Poop bags
6. Baby wipes
7. Treats
8. Paper towels
9. Tennis ball
10. Brush
11. Towel
12. Dog food- 2 days worth
13. Extra collar
14. Chew sticks
15. Tick removal kit

This bag is really handy for a busy dog like myself. I’m ready to go at a moment’s notice. I don’t usually need all the stuff that’s in the bag, but if I do need it, it’s there for me.
Where are we going next?

I LOVE to go for walks. Sometimes we go around the block, or down to the park or out to the lake or we wander the neighborhood with friends. I love it!

Lately, when we get back, Mom and Dad start fishing through my fur for burrs, foxtails and anything from nature that attaches itself to me. Even if we stay on the sidewalk, stuff sticks to me like Velcro. What a pain!

So a couple of weeks ago I got a summer haircut. It’s pretty short, except for my tail and ears. I guess I looked pretty funny the first couple of days- was that why they were laughing? Now that the weather’s really warm, I’m much more comfortable during the day.

And at night, if it gets cold, I get to snuggle. Snuggling is another one of my favorite things. I’m getting real good at it. I’ve never pushed Mom off the bed.

I think my new haircut looks good! Do you like it?

My New Look!

Now, this dog and I have never met, and he’s  much more famous than I am, but I would like to send a bark out to Gibson, a very cool Great Dane who is my hero.

Gibson is world’s tallest dog, a certified pet therapy dog, television star and, word has it, all around good guy.  A few weeks ago, Gibson was diagnosed with bone cancer in his right front paw.  As a result, his right front leg was amputated to prevent the cancer from spreading.

My humans and I would like to wish Gibson and his human our very best wishes.  To read more about Gibson, please click here.

I learned something about springtime recently.  Springtime means rides in really cool cars!  Riding in cars is one of my very favorite things to do.  I help Dad with the cars sometimes.  Lots of times we just play.  Dad will take something apart and I’ll grab a part when he’s not looking and run with it.  Sometimes he doesn’t know until he’s putting it back together that I have a part.  Then I’ll just click it against my teeth until he notices.

Since Mom and Dad have some cars that are about 80 years old- they have a lot of work to do on them.  One of the things that Dad did a long time ago- before I was born- was switch to an antifreeze/coolant that  is safer for pets.  I’ll have Mom explain it.

Mom:  An estimated 10,000 dogs and cats die from antifreeze poisoning each year.  Both dogs and cats are attracted to the sweet smell and taste of ethylene glycol based coolant and it’s extremely toxic.  When we discovered a safer alternative years ago we immediately switched- and never looked back.

Sierra Antifreeze is made with propylene glycol which is safer for animals and the environment.  It still offers the protection to your car that ethylene glycol based coolant does.  Having old cars, we get leaks.  Why take chances?  Sierra Antifreeze should be available at your local auto parts store.  If it isn’t,  put the pressure on.

Being Cocker ‘n Golden ‘n all, Mom and Dad are always keeping an eye on my skin, especially when I get the itchies.

They want what’s best for me, so I get talked about a lot! When I started to scratch more than usual, Mom knew it was time for some changes in my diet.

She decided on a fish oil supplement, then started looking around.  She called my veterinarian (shout out to Dr. C!) who told her there’s not much difference between fish oil capsules for dogs and fish oil capsules for humans.  The ones for dogs seem to cost more!  So now the whole family takes fish oil!!!

Mom takes the capsule, punctures the end of it and squeezes it over my kibble.  And boy does it ever smell good!  Mom can’t get the smell off of her hands fast enough, but I love it.  It makes me gobble up my kibble and clean my bowl.

It’s like candy, but it’s good for my skin and coat!!!   Who would have thought????

Well, I haven’t really been a bad boy- I just couldn’t help myself.  You see, I had a couple of accidents in the house in the middle of the night.  The house was all locked up and no one heard me pawing at the door.  I felt bad, but when you gotta go- you gotta go!

For a day or two afterwards, Mom kept looking at me with a funny look.  I’ve seen it before.  You think she’s looking at you and paying attention to you, but really she’s far, far away.  Then she announced “I can solve this problem.”

And solve it she did.

She went to the local craft store and bought some cord and some big jingle bells and knotted the bells on the cord.  Then she made it long enough to almost reach the floor from the door handle- about where I usually paw at the door.  Then she hung it on the door.  The next time I pawed at the door to be let out, she came over next to me, took my paw and hit the bells with it.  They made a nice happy sound.  For a couple of days, she did that with me.

Now, whenever I need to go out and the door is closed, I just ring the bells and someone lets me out. No more accidents!

OK, so my mom and I are getting together to work on some New Year’s Resolutions.  Ways for me to become a better puppy.  Mom could use some improving herself, but this gig is about me. (Maybe I’ll post some stuff about her when she isn’t looking.  It’s hard without thumbs, but I’ll see what I can do)

#1.  Charlie:  I’ll try not to pull so hard on the leash when we go for walks.  Mom looks funny with one arm longer than the other.

        Mom:  I’ll buy a Gentle Leader head collar.  You’ll hate it for awhile, but it works.

#2. Charlie: I’m gonna learn how to catch a Frisbee

       Mom:  I’m going to learn how to throw a Frisbee

#3. Charlie: I’m not going to bring rocks into the house any more

       Mom:  You’ve already broken that one. Drop it.

#4.  Mom: You’re going to respond instantly when I call your name.

       Charlie: Huh?

#5.  Charlie:  I’m going to try to stop jumping on people.  I know they don’t always like it.

        Mom:  We’ll work on it together.  We’ve let you get away with too much stuff these past nine months

                   and we can’t have you making enemies or jeopardizing your safety.  The more discipline you   

                   have, the more enjoyment we’ll all have.

Happy 2009!!! It’s going to be a Great Year!!!

Well, no wonder they were making such a fuss.  Today was the best day EVER!  Everyone stayed home with me today and the house smelled good all day long.

No one ever told me about Christmas stockings!  Today just keeps getting better and better!  Besides checking out everything my folks and my uncle got, I got a huge stocking of my own, full of treats and toys.  I played and played and played, and ran around the house, and watched the rain and the wind outside, and cleaned up crumbs and stuff.  I don’t care that that they didn’t put up a big tree or decorate the house- I had fun just with stuff I’m allowed to have.

Maybe I can do this- be a good dog ‘n all.

Hope your Christmas made your tail wag too!
Cool Stuff for Cool Dogs - at JakesDogHouse.com

I have to tell you, I’m getting pretty darn tired of hearing the word “No”. Every day I hear it more and more, and I know why too.

They think I was asleep and not listening to them, but I heard every word.

They were talking about Christmas and how much damage I could do. A Christmas tree, ornaments, decorations, packages- everything about Christmas is vulnerable to my playful nature.

And they’re RIGHT! All of that stuff sounds like an amusement park to a not-so-little guy like me.

Other dogs might buy into that “visions of sugarplums” hoopla, but NOT ME! I’ve got visions of breaking little bits of branches off the tree and laying them at Mom’s feet, of using the Christmas balls as REAL balls and tossing them into the air and chasing after them, of tearing off wrapping paper and leaving little bits of it all over the yard, and flossing my teeth with brightly colored ribbon. Maybe I’ll rearrange the decorations too- under the kitchen table needs some sprucing up.

I can’t wait for Christmas!!

Note from Charlie’s mom-

A lot of people ask me “How do I get my dog to fetch the newspaper like Charlie does?” My initial reaction is “He’s a retriever! He’ll carry anything in his mouth!” There’s a lot of truth to this, but fetching the paper is still a behavior that needs to be learned. Here’s what worked for us.

1. Get your dog used to being off leash and under voice control in the front yard. We’re still a little sketchy on the voice control part, but at least he stays in the yard.

2. Pick up and put down the newspaper several times while your dog is watching, repeating the word “paper”

3. Put the paper in your dog’s mouth, again repeat the word “paper”

4. After some repetition, the dog should pick up the paper on his own.

5. Walk enthusiastically back to the house, repeating “Good boy! Good Charlie! Good boy!” (Of course, use your own dog’s name)

6. Once back in the house, quickly exchange a treat for the newspaper.

This worked for Charlie and me, maybe it will work for you!!

OK, OK, I know I’m supposed to be growing up to be a responsible dog, but life can be so darn fun!

I already knew how to “Sit” when I moved in with these people.  That should count for something, but NOOOO- they want me to learn more.

This trick must have come from my retriever side, not the spaniel side.  If the spaniels next door had this opportunity they’d be running way down the road.

In the morning, every morning, I fetch the newspaper.  I’m not allowed to go out front by myself because I get distracted very easily.  My mom says I’ve got Doggie ADD.  So someone goes out with me to make sure I do my chore.

I get LOTS of praise for this trick and sometimes people driving down the street stop and watch me.  I like to show off.

But…once I get the paper inside…you’d better give me a cookie quickly, or I start shredding!

Sometimes we give our dogs human foods, but grapes and raisins are a no-no. They are not good for dogs and shouldn’t be used as treats. They affect kidney function and can be fatal. Most of the problems seem to be with a larger amount than just an occasional grape or raisin, but why take chances?

Recently I spent a whole day alone with my mom. Just me’n her. I had the best day! She was doing some cleaning and laundry and putting stuff away and I followed her around all day long. She had no idea how many regular household items can become toys for a puppy. And I had no idea how many things I’m not supposed to have.

These are some of the things my mom pulled out of my mouth that day-

Empty toilet paper roll

2 quarters

pen

bathroom rug

redwood bark (my favorite!)

Junk mail

the book that Mom’s reading (The Onion Express by Brad McClure)

this week’s grocery ad

a dust rag

a dish towel

brochure on Yosemite

I have lots and lots of my own toys, but I just get bored with them sometimes. I don’t like being yelled at, but being chased around the house and yard is some of the best fun a puppy can have.

Tears make Mom’s face real salty.

It’s hot with this luxurious fur coat on! I’m slowly learning things to keep myself cool. The kitchen floor can be comfortable sometimes. At night, the floor is nice in the bathroom, but occasionally I get stepped on or kicked (by accident, of course), then EVERYONE has trouble getting back to sleep.

Sleeping on my back under a ceiling fan feels sooo good, almost as good as playing in the sprinklers in the backyard. When I play in the sprinklers, I get toweled off afterwards. It feels really good, but then I’m HOT again. What’s with these people? Don’t they get it???

Then I discovered…ICE CUBES!! These things are magical. They’re almost clear, so it’s like they’re invisible. They chill my water dish and float to the top so I can grab one. They break into pieces, then there’s more of them. They click against my teeth like rocks, and slide across the kitchen floor really fast. Little bits of ice cubes feel good sliding down my throat and chillin’ my tongue. They make hot weather fun.

I’m one year old! We had a little party out on the patio and my family sang “Happy Birthday” to me and then we got to eat cupcakes. We had them outside so there wouldn’t be any mess, but these cupcakes were so good, I wouldn’t have left any crumbs anywhere.

Cupcakes aren’t a regular part of my diet. I eat a well-balanced dog food twice a day that gives me energy and keeps me looking handsome. Sometimes I try to sneak something I shouldn’t have (sometimes it’s not even food!), but my mom keeps a sharp eye and ear on me, and her fingers are in my mouth so fast I don’t even have time to swallow.

My favorite things right now are rocks- I like the way they click against my teeth. There are lots of them to choose from outside, but my dad says they aren’t good for my smile. They make a cool sound when I drop them on the kitchen floor, and an even cooler sound when someone steps on one in the middle of the night.

I love my life.

Hi there! My name is Charlie and I’m a Comfort Retriever.

A Comfort Retriever is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Cocker Spaniel. I have the best of both breeds in me.

Most of all- I’m a puppy, and my life is all about having fun.

Stay tuned as I keep looking for new ways to have fun and my people try to train me.

Who’s gonna win?

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