Buttercup is only a year old . I 'm teaching her how to get up on the furniture to be comfy and that it 's ok to beg for food at the table . I don 't know why everybody is mad at me . We 're getting to be friends and I think we should share things . When my mommy gives me a treat , she should give one to Buttercup too . Sometimes Buttercup 's mommy doesn 't agree . I think that 's not nice . This morning we both got " Happy Hips " after we went outside to pee . I always get one first thing in the morning . Buttercup really doesn 't need them like I do , but they 're really tasty since they 're jerky made from chicken . This morning I went out for part of the walk with Buttercup . I led the way . I can walk pretty fast . It felt really good to be out and about . My mommy made us come back early . SHE says I shouldn 't overdo it and she promises we 'll go a bit farther every day . When we got back I took a nice rest on the couch . This afternoon we 're going over to see her son and grandson and spend the night . That means I get to walk with Zephyr and Eva tomorrow . I didn 't really appreciate the Christmas dinner . I don 't like lobster and that 's what they had . They were very lively things . Fortunately none of them got on the floor , although one of them used its tail to splash my mommy . I settled for a little kibble , but what kind of Christmas dinner is that for a dog ? Not even any cheese as an appetizer . After dinner all the people sat around and watched a basketball game . My mommy 's daughter has a father - in - law who is so very , very nice . I sat on his lap for a while and felt so peaceful and comfy . Even after they left , I still felt really good . I was so relaxed that I got my picture taken . When we get a copy I 'll post it . My mommy 's daughter gave me a wonderful little pillow that I use on the couch and bed . It 's really hers but I took it over and now it 's mine . She says she 'll buy a new one for herself . People use them on airplanes . It 's small like me and is filled with little grains of something that I can push around to suit me . This morning I 'm napping on the couch . Buttercup and her mommy and daddy go for a four mile walk every morning . I prefer the couch . SHE says I 've got to start taking long walks again , but we 'll see . I do still hurt a little in my back . I 'm good about letting her put me on the couch , though . I did manage the stairs at her son 's house . They have carpet , so they 're not as hard for me to do as the ones in Damariscotta . It started out like most of our days on the road , but right after lunch we stopped . After a while we went off on some side roads and it went on forever . SHE stopped to get gas and go to the bathroom and I am strong enough to jump out of my car seat again . So I went in the back and emptied out all the bags I could find . I ate my fill of dog treats and drank all the water in my dish and tore up some old MacDonald 's bags and found my favorite toy , the hedgehog . Then I got on the back seat and took a nap . There was lots of sun today . We left the last place in Missouri just before it got light . This morning when SHE stopped for breakfast I had to stay in my car seat . I did get some bacon though . I didn 't feel like drinking much water while we were driving , but when we got to the motel , I drank and drank and drank . We drove through Oklahoma into the Texas Panhandle and are staying in a place called Amarillo . I had a wonderful time in the car today . SHE went to a Denny 's for breakfast and let me run around the back of the car . SHE forgot there was a bag with goodies in it and I got into it . I 'm really good at using my teeth to get things out of bags . I opened a box of kleenex , but there wasn 't anything good to eat there so I also found a box that SHE yelled at me about . It was something called a brioche mix and I got the package opened and took the mix out of the box , but I couldn 't open the mix . It smells pretty good . Then I found a package of peppermint sticks and tried to open it , but couldn 't . When SHE came out of the restaurant she brought me a piece of bacon . SHE gave it to me anyway , even though SHE also yelled . That was really good . I then got a little walk and we got gas for the car and I had to go in my seat . Then we just drove and drove again . Later SHE bought me a plain hamburger at Burger King . Now I don 't have to eat much kibble for dinner . SHE 's tired . We didn 't get as far as SHE would have liked , but it was starting to get dark and it was raining very hard , so we 're now in a motel . They let doggies stay here and even though I slept a lot today , I could sleep some more . Last night we stayed with Uncle Donald in Baltimore . He and Janet were very nice . I was a little upset when he carried me into the house and my mommy was still getting things out of the car , so I accidentally peed on a rug . I do like Uncle Donald . He visited us in Maine a couple of years ago . He took me for a nice walk after I got there . Then he gave me some great pot roast with carrots and potatoes . Uncle Donald and Janet have three cats . They didn 't like me being there , but I didn 't care . We left early because SHE was afraid of a snow storm . I guess there will be some snow in the morning . We hope there won 't be too much and that the roads are ok . We are packing up all my stuff so I can go on a road trip . SHE tells me we 're going to California to see her son and daughter . I know them and I 've visited before , so that 's just fine . She 's trying to explain how many nights we need to spend in motels , and it sounds like a lot . I don 't mind though because SHE 's there . I have a nice seat in the car so I can see out the window . Unfortunately it also has a hook - thing to attach to my collar so I can 't jump out . Not that I really think I can do that right now . I 'm making sure SHE doesn 't leave me behind . I follow her everywhere and am keeping a good eye on the suitcases . I have my own special bag that has food and treats in it . It also has my name on it . I 'm still recovering from a very busy day yesterday . I 'm tired and I 'm content just resting . It 's also very cold and windy outside so I don 't want to spend a lot of time there . Tomorrow I have to get up really early so we can spend the night with her brother in Baltimore . She says after that we 're on our own . Last night we slept upstairs in the comfy bed . SHE went up first and then called me . I didn 't know at first if she wanted me to go up the stairs . The last time I tried I got yelled at . But it seemed like that is what SHE wanted so I went up . I was pretty slow . I had to zig zag up , getting all of my body on one step before I did the next . My pillow was on the bed and I thought it was wonderful . I stayed next to it all night . This morning SHE carried me down the stairs . I really wasn 't up to it . I was scared . Then SHE took me to the beauty parlor ( that 's what SHE calls the place dogs go to get a bath and haircut ) . The lady there was very nice to me , but now my hair is really short and I have to wear a jacket outside . This afternoon we 're going to see my mommy 's bishop . They 're going to talk about her CREDO stuff . SHE said I could come too , woo hoo ! I 've met Bishop Steve before at the Interim 's and Consultant 's Meetings and he 's very nice . I saw him at the party after Ben 's ordination too . He even asked about me when I was sick . It 's very snowy out . SHE had to shovel the snow off the back steps ( all two of them ) before I would go outside and pee . I 'm not stupid . I like to know where I 'm stepping . The steps are not very high and are real easy for me to use . SHE started a fire in our fireplace ( she 's good at that as you can tell be the picture ) and we 're both sitting around watching the fire . I 'm doing a lot of sleeping . Yesterday the doctor took the staples out of my back . She says I 'm not supposed to jump or climb for a long time yet ( about 2 1 / 2 more weeks ) . It 's very boring . My back legs are working pretty well . I don 't loose my step as much as I did for a while . SHE carried me upstairs and downstairs today so SHE could take a bath . I like to sit next to the tub and when SHE comes out I lick her legs . If SHE leaves me behind I bark and bark and bark . I 'm a companion dog and I like to companion . Can 't do that unless you 're with someone , right ? SHE has been snipping off my hair with scissors . SHE says it 's because I have matts and I can 't go to the groomer . Now , not only do I have a bald patch on my back , I have a VERY bad haircut . SHE hasn 't tried to cut around my face so she laughs at me and says I 'm a fuzzy face . That 's not nice to laugh at a dog who can 't help it . She says after I get staples out on Monday she will have me groomed . The other thing is SHE isn 't feeding me enough . I seem to be hungry ALL the time . It seems like the medicine makes me want to eat a lot . I also am drinking a lot of water so I need to go outside every four hours or so . The nice thing is SHE has to stay around the house to take care of me . I 'm walking a lot better . SHE went upstairs yesterday and didn 't block the stairs very well so I got up about four stairs before SHE found out . After getting yelled at and trying to go down , SHE picked me up and carried me down . I really can do it myself . ( No Izzie can not . Her back legs still are not strong enough ) Thank you everybody for all the prayers . I feel so good being home . I know , my back really hurts , though . I don 't like my mommy picking me up , but sometimes I have to let her . We slept a lot yesterday afternoon . SHE put the futon down so we can sleep in the study . I can walk on to the bed just fine . Last night I had to get up a lot to go outside and pee . I never do this . I like sleeping too much . I also needed to drink lots of water . SHE says it 's my medicine . I try to scratch my ears , but my back legs don 't work the way I want . When SHE sees me trying , I get my ears scritched . It 's good , but SHE doesn 't know exactly where to do it . This morning I keep eyeing the couch and then walking away . My choice is either jump ( and I can 't ) or have her pick me up , which I hate . I 'm an " I can do it myself mommy " dog . This morning we spent lots of time in bed while she massaged my legs and back . Then she moved my legs around . The massage is great , but this leg moving stuff hurts a little . She says we have to do it until I 'm better and can walk really well . She 's promised me lots of good walks in a few weeks , after I get the staples out and the vet says it 's ok . I got to have a piece of bacon for breakfast . Boy did that taste good . I 'm sure I didn 't eat a thing at the doggie hospital . Speaking of the doggie hospital . I really had the staff doing what I wanted . I didn 't have to stay with the other animals . They took me on lots of little walks and gave me massages and the doctor wrote " Thank you for bringing Isabelle to the Maine Veterinary Referral Center 's Neurology Service , she is such a pretty little girl . " I don 't feel so pretty with a bare patch on my back and needing a haircut . She 's talking about getting me shaved , so it all grows in together . ( Note from mommy ) I only plan on having it cut really short . There are lots of matts only made worse by her surgery and confinement . She is two weeks beyond her normal grooming date . I 've had to cancel two appointments . My mommy and I drove to Millinocket which is north of here a long way near that mountain . We stayed with one of my favorite people , Pat . Unfortunately Oscar the cat lives there now . He and I have come to an agreement . I won 't chase him unless he asks . We greet each other briefly by touching noses and then try to stay out of each other 's way . I got my own plate of Thanksgiving dinner ( turkey , potatoes , squash , peas and stuffing with a bit of gravy ) I ate some of everything , but left most of the peas . I only like fresh peas , thank you . We stayed in the apartment so I wouldn 't have to do stairs . That 's how I met Pat . She rented us the apartment behind her kitchen when we moved to Millinocket . Our house wasn 't ready because the wife of the former priest was still living there . The first weekend SHE had to go to Bangor because one of the people in her church hit a moose and was very sick . I stayed with Pat in her part of the house and we became fast friends . It took my mommy a lot longer to become friends . Pat came with us on our last trip across the country . We had so much fun . Pat really liked seeing Teddy Roosevelt National Park and Glacier and Crater Lake and especially the Grand Canyon . I liked having two beds to choose from at night and getting only people food . Yesterday morning we left Millinocket very early . It was still dark . I recognized the doggie hospital when we got there and refused to come out of the car . Alas , SHE is bigger than I am and finally managed to corner me and pick me up . I showed her . I peed on the floor of the hospital . Then they took me inside . I haven 't seen my mommy since . They put me to sleep and now I am very groggy . They say I have to stay here three nights . I want my mommy ! ! UPDATE : ( 10 am ) I 'm awake and able to walk around . My doctor didn 't think I could . They don 't know what a strong dog I really am . Now if they would only take this funny clear tube out of my leg . They tell me it 's so I won 't hurt and they 'll take it out tonight . I hate being in a cage , but I need to sleep so that 's all for now . I have to have my back operated on Friday . That 's the bad news . The good news is that I don 't have cancer . I hope that means I still get to eat yummy dinners . Tonight it was more chicken , rice , broccoli plus some sweet potato . Then I had a great nap on the floor . I 'm tired of being picked up . I feel good enough to get on and off the sofa even if I have to scramble to get my back legs up . I 'm scared it 's really going to hurt when they operate on my back . I want to drive to California with my mommy so we may have to leave a bit later than she thought , because I 'll have to get better . Road trips are a lot of fun , but not if I hurt . I don 't want to travel in a cage . I can 't stand cages . I have a nice dog seat that lets me look out the window . SHE likes to sing to me . One of the songs is " How much is that doggie in the window ? " So we found the muppet version . It made her laugh so I think I 've done my job today . I 'm still pretty groggy , but she brought a roasted chicken home for our dinner and I 've already had a snack . Yum . We want to share it ( the video , not the chicken ) , so other people can laugh too . SHE took me to a new hospital . SHE said it was a special place that would make me all better . Well I didn 't like it much at all , although the people were very nice . First the vet tech looked me over , then I saw the doctor . SHE called her a neurologist , whatever that means . They said I was " bright , alert and responsive . " Of course I was . I 'm always that way . That 's me . They also said I had " a mildly hunched back and slight weakness in the left hind limb " and that I was " uncomfortable on thoracolumbar spinal palpation . Meaning my back hurts and my left leg doesn 't work quite right . I know that . I then had to go with the tech inside some doors . The gave me some stuff to put me to sleep and then I had what they called a myelogram / CT scan to see what was happening with my back . The next thing I know was I had to spend the night there . SHE said they took a little bit of something behind my tongue to see how bad it was ( a biopsy ) . They decided not to operate on my back . We have to wait a few days to find out how bad it is . The neurologist said she thought it was squamous cell carcinoma . Too big a word for a dog like me . I heard her tell my mommy to feed me soft food . YEA . That means SHE 'll cook for me all the time . I hurt again and I can 't jump up on things . SHE seems very worried , but I 'm fine . SHE gives me a pill in a yummy treat and that helps , but there 's something wrong with my back leg . I can 't feel it and I have to be very careful . SHE won 't let me go upstairs anymore , but I like sleeping on the futon . I can just walk onto the bed . It 's also a good place to rest when SHE goes out . I hate going to the doggie doctor . I shake and shake and breathe so hard I get the floor all wet . The doctor is very nice though . She doesn 't hurt me at all and is very gentle . The doctor says I 'm a very stoic dog . SHE says " gentle - gentle " all the time to me , especially when she picks me up . I 'm not supposed to wiggle when she says this , but sometimes it hurts . SHE says we 're going to see another doctor today . NO . I don 't want to . Help ! I got to run on a beach for the first time in ages . I think maybe since we left California . Beaches have so many wonderful smells . I do like smelly seaweed , but SHE wouldn 't let me roll in it . I also think the sand is fun to walk on . It 's easy on my legs . SHE and her friend Jane ( I like Jane , she gave me a McDonald 's hamburger today - plain , nothing on it ) took me on a nice long drive to a place called Acadia National Park . I got to walk a bit and that was nice . It was sunny and not really cold at all . The stone stairs down to the beach were pretty easy for me to manage . I think because they were so nice and deep . I didn 't worry at all about going down or up . I would like to have a beach like that near where we live . I like long drives when SHE lets me sleep on her lap . Sometime I look out the driver 's window and sometimes I sleep on my chair and sometimes I go into the back to see if maybe there 's some food . The McD 's lady gave me a dog cookie as a treat . That 's because I lean very far out of the car window so they know I 'm here and it often leads to a cookie . It 's a good trick . Bank tellers sometimes have dog treats too . Advice to my dog friends . Always stick your head out the driver 's window to let the drive - through people know you 're there . Now we 're home and I have to eat kibble tonight . You 'd think SHE 'd know by now that I hate kibble . Maybe I 'll nap first . It was hard work being with humans all day . I never really got to nap all that long . I love hiking . The first time SHE took me hiking was in Wyoming where we met . We went on a path near a very cold mountain stream on a very hot day . Now I don 't like water much and NEVER go swimming , but I needed to cool off , so when we came to a safe place that had some rocks to keep me from being swept away , I went in and put my tummy in the water . Boy did that feel good . Of course I got all sandy , but I really doubt I needed that bath to get rid of it . I 'm sure it would have just fallen out . SHE was worried it would fall out on her bed , so she dumped me in the tub . Then SHE grouched because of all the sand she had to scoop out of the tub . Anyway yesterday 's walk was great . It was cold , so I didn 't get too hot . SHE put an orange sleeve over my collar , but nobody could see it . I don 't see why anyone would mistake me for a deer anyway . Most people seem to think I 'm a tiny sheep . I don 't believe in going off trail . I might get lost . It 's hard enough keeping track of where SHE is and sniffing all the good things a dog can find on a trail . This used to be a road to an old farm . There are stone walls and a broken down shed in some places . Nice people gave the land to Maine so dogs like me can have nice walks . OK , that really was going too far . SHE dressed me as a pumpkin and then paraded me all over town . Now I must admit I liked all the attention , but really , does that woman have no shame ? No self - respecting dog would dress in orange and green and look so fat . I think I look much better in my basic black dress . It 's much classier . In addition , that dumb hat kept falling over my eyes . SHE finally took my ears out of the holes and pushed the hat back so I could see . A nice lady at the restaurant gave me some water and I got the eat the rest of the kid 's hamburger , so it wasn 't a total loss . The picture is of me sitting on the deck of the restaurant waiting for food , or some action . Humans can be pretty boring at times . All there was to do was watch the gulls . After we ate we walked over to where the pumpkin boat races were being held . The kid got to sit on his dad 's shoulders to see what was happening , but I got to sniff all the great smells on the ground . They had this monster pumpkin in a truck and there were lots of people milling around and dropping bits of food on the ground . That part was fun . Then we all walked home and took naps . I didn 't have to wear my costume for my nap . Here I am in my comfy bed . It is sitting next to my human 's desk , where she spends lots of time . For a while we got to snuggle on the couch where I could flop on the computer to make her stop working and pay attention to me . I don 't think that 's going to work here , but I 'll figure out something . SHE complains that I won 't go for long walks any more , but I do love sleeping on soft beds . SHE made me some doggie lasagna for dinner tonight . Boy it was good . SHE hasn 't made it in forever and it 's one of my favorites . It has turkey and cottage cheese and some tomato sauce and some cheddar cheese and pasta . Yummy ! After I ate I went outside for a little while and sat on the grass . I noticed there was some water coming down from the sky and looked up . It was fun trying to catch the water on my tongue . Now it 's time for a nap . Well I 've been home for two nights now . It 's so good to get to snuggle in a big comfy bed . I gave her lots and lots of kisses when I was picked up . The day SHE picked me up I had an attack of reverse sneezing . I feel as though I 'm about to collapse and I start shaking all over . I just can 't breath . SHE has been putting her hand over my nose to make me breathe through my mouth and that does work , but it takes a while for me to stop shaking . The doctors think I have an allergy and this usually happens in the Fall , so it may be true , but I don 't like it one bit . SHE thinks it also has something to do with stress and I do get stressed when I 'm not with her . Anyway we were on our way to see the vet when I had another attack . We were in the car and she had to stop to help me . The vet said the best way to stop it is to hold me head down and smack me in the ribs . Is that any way to treat a dog ? I get scared enough . I still sneeze , but no reverse sneezing since yesterday morning . I 'm supposed to take something called Benadryl to see if that helps . I do love being home again . I 'm in lockup and I don 't know why . SHE and I had a good snuggle this morning before we got out of bed . I 've really been a good doggie , so why did SHE do this to me . SHE said something about having to go on a trip , but I 've always stayed with friends before . I don 't know why we don 't know anybody here yet who would like a nice snuggly dog like me for a week or so . I can even get along with cats . SHE brought my comfy bed that I like to use while we watch TV , and my squeeky moose . If SHE thinks that will make it ok , she 's mistaken . I 'm trying to figure out how to get on the good side of the people here . Maybe they 'll let me go home . I 'm pretty sure I know the way . Oh , I got this message out by way of a very nice boxer . I had to give him one of my treats . My new groomer is very nice . She let my hair dry naturally and she uses scissors instead of clippers . I really like the store where I had it done . The front part has lots of wonderful goodies for dogs ( and cats ) . They even have homemade dog cookies . Most of them were much too big for me . SHE was looking at dog clothes . Fortunately I got her distracted . SHE said she was looking for a Halloween costume for me , but I really don 't want a dress with frills and a matching hat . I think my little witches cap is just fine . We 've used it the last two years . Maybe she 'll forget about the dress and I can just wear the cap . That 's bad enough . the problem with Halloween is all the kids who come to the door think I 'm the cutest thing ever and I think they 're frightening . Not only that they seem to want candy . Some of you may know that I fell down the stairs a couple of days ago . First of all the stairs are wood and my paws slip a little on them . It wasn 't a problem when I could only go up and down slowly , but I 'm feeling so much better . The doctor gave me some medicine that I 'm taking every day and I feel like my old self again . Anyway SHE had gotten dressed to go out and I refused to be left behind so I raced down the stairs and slipped and ended up rolling down the last half . I just missed knocking her down with me . I 'm a pretty brave dog and just got up . Of course SHE felt so badly that SHE let me go with her . It was just a short trip and I stayed on the floor of the car . SHE made us sleep downstairs that night , but really , I 'm ok . If your read my companion 's blog , you 'll see that I won . I don 't have to eat kibble any more except as a little snack if I feel like it . It 's taken me seven years to get her to see the wisdom of this course of action . But I won ! Yea ! I 'm not sure I like this moving around so much . Yesterday we drove to our new house so she could put some stuff in it . We didn 't get there until night so we spent the night . I didn 't really like sleeping on an air mattress . SHE kept me awake by tossing and turning , so I snored as loud as I could to let her know I was really awake too and marched up and down the bed trying to find a comfortable spot . Then she got me up at 5 : 30 in the morning to drive back to the old house . I got some good zee 's on the drive . Then because she had so much to do , I had to stay at home all day . Not fair . Oh boy ! Something is going on . My human is packing up everything in the house as fast as she can go . I 'm not letting her out of my sight . The only bit of sanity was when we went over to the church . The ladies were having their Summer Fair and were serving lunch . Everybody said hello to me and I sniffed around to make sure I knew everybody . There was a strange dog there . Kind of looked like the one that bit me two years ago . Didn 't like that dog at all . I asked her to leave . I don 't know why SHE gets mad when I growl . I got a hot dog . SHE only let me have only one , but I know there were more in the kitchen . They really spruced up the yard at the church while I was gone and they put in this funny pole with a whirly thing on top . SHE said it was a wind turbine . I made my usual tour of the grass and went over to see if there was anything new in the neighbor 's yard . Posted by Happy July 4 ! I 'm staying with my friend Pat and am living in the lap of luxury . Don 't tell my human I 'm having a great time . She thinks I mope the whole time she 's gone . I only do that for a little while , just to be sure she 's really out of here . I love sitting outside on the grass under the tree . I also like the back yard . The grass is very soft with lots of room to explore . Pat 's son did the landscaping . I 'm no longer on my meds . I still can 't jump up on to the couch , but I refuse to use the steps . I bark at her and she will pick me up most times . SHE 's not too bright , I just don 't understand why she doesn 't understand the difference between " I want to go out , I want a treat , and put me on the couch . " I know what I need . Mostly I sleep on my own little bed on the floor . Posted by I hurt a lot . I can 't get on and off the comfy bed so I spend a lot of time on the floor . I 've asked my human to bring my little doggie bed home from the office , so I can sleep on it . I don 't do stairs either and our bedroom is upstairs so she carries me , which I hate , but it 's better than being alone . Last night we walked over to the Thai restaurant and back ( it 's about a block ) . It 's an easy walk and we went very slowly . I like the little Greenies " pill pockets " our friend the deacon gave us . I take my aspirin that way and now I get another one for my new medicine . SHE says I have to go on a diet , but I 'm not very hungry right now anyway . Thank you for praying for me . My human put a poem about nasty dogs in her blog . SHE apologized to me , but she knows I get very nervous around mean dogs . One of them bit me a few years ago and it hurt very bad for a week . If one of them comes around me first I growl and then I hide behind my human . Sometimes I find out they really aren 't mean at all . I have had some nice big dogs as friends . I 'm a bit tired out right now . We went to a parade and then we walked over to the church for a party and then walked back home . I thought maybe people would like to see the inside of my church . It was taken when they had just finished putting in new light fixtures and someone wanted a picture of them . They hadn 't noticed that I was sitting in the middle of the aisle . Posted by Here 's me with my " loot " from my party . That nice little tin is now in the office at church and is filled with goodies for me . Posted by SHE is trying to teach me to use the computer so I can do my own blogging . The problem is my paws are too large for the keys . It 's a nice place to get warm , though and I know how to irritate my human . All I have to do is plop down on it . Then she has to scratch my ears and give me a backrub . O . K . I finally got my human to download the picture of my party guests and me . They 're a nice bunch of ladies who know how to treat a dog well . And I do mean treat . I have a very nice understanding of words and " treat " is among them . When these very nice ladies come to the church I sniff their handbags to see if there might be something good in them . My friend the Cheese Lady couldn 't be at my party , but she makes sure I get cheese on the Sundays that she does the coffee hour . I also like the people at the early service . They have their coffee hour before we go into the church . They make really good stuff . One of the men brought me a whole bag of dog biscuits for my birthday , even though he didn 't come to the party . It was such a big bag I decided to share with the dogs whose people come to our food pantry . I also gave them some dog food . I prefer people food , myself . My human says I 'm a " foodie . " I think that 's good , isn 't it ? Hi everybody . Today I 'm 11 . It 's also Cinco de Mayo . My human will post pictures of me after my party . We 're going to have Mexican food of course and we 've invited people from the church to come and share . I love my human 's chile con carne and the enchiladas with chicken and cream cheese aren 't bad either . I wonder what we 'll have for dessert . I hope there 's some cheese too . I love cheese . Actually I just love parties , except when there are a lot of children . They think I 'm a plush toy . So why did SHE put up a picture of kids celebrating Cinco de Mayo ? Humans , go figure . This is me relaxing after a hard day of watching humans play dominos . I also got to visit with another human friend . She made me scrambled eggs , but I wasn 't very hungry that morning . I was real glad when I found my human waiting for me after such an exhausting day . SHE was very tired too , but I made her laugh by licking her face . I don 't know why she makes faces when I do that . It was good to be able to run around my own yard yesterday afternoon . I went into the woods behind the house and then walked the perimeter to be sure we didn 't have any intruders . It was so nice and warm that my human and I ate our supper out on the deck . Last night was very noisy . The frogs are making an awful racket when the sun goes down . This is Eva . The first time I met her she was a puppy and she and her human came to Wyoming to visit us . It was my house and she tried to take over , but I wouldn 't let her . We were just beginning to get that all sorted out when they left . Now when I go visit , she knows that I 'm the boss and she leaves me alone . If she doesn 't I just hide behind my human . Eva and Zephyr love to run around the yard . I get tired watching . They did show me how to eat the avocados that fall off the trees . They are yummy . My human 's daughter took all these pictures of my family . Here are Zephyr and Wisp . They live with the kid and my human 's son and his wife . I 've never met Wisp , but my human has and SHE says I 'd like him except he also likes to sit in her lap , so maybe not . Zephyr is ok . I can boss him around . He 's very fast , but easily bullied , even by a small dog like me . They have another dog , Eva , who lives there too . Her picture comes next . They also have two cats , but I won 't bother with pictures of them . They hide when I come to visit and besides one of them stole my bed . This is Oso . Remember I told you about him in my last post . He 's not here anymore , but this big lion of a dog is probably catching squirrels and raccoons up in doggie heaven . I 'm sure he thought I was a squirrel . This is Bear . She lives with my human 's daughter and her husband . Oso used to live there too , but he went on the long sleep and Bear is now alone with her humans . She 's a lot bigger than I am and the last time I visited , Oso ( who was even bigger ) was still alive and the two of them ganged up on me . Not much fun thank you . Bear 's human takes great pictures . I 'm trying to get my human to take more pictures of me . SHE , however , never remembers the camera . It 's so nice that spring is here . There 's no more snow to pee on and the ducks and loons are returning . SHE pointed out two loons on the open water at the edge of the pond but my hair has grown so long I can 't see through it very well . We are now walking to church instead of driving in the car . It 's nice to find out where all the other dogs in town are peeing and to sniff out how they 're doing and I make sure that I leave my calling card as well . I get tied up while SHE goes into the Post Office to pick up her mail , but lots of people I know stop to pet me so it 's not lonely . Today it was so very windy , though , that the rope on the flag pole was banging and making me nervous . We stopped at the book store and it was open so SHE could order a book . I don 't know why SHE didn 't let me snoop around more . I love to snoop . You never know when a stray dog biscuit will show up . I got one at the bank . All we need to do is go to the drive - up window . I like to hide dog biscuits around the house so when I feel like having a snack I know where to find them . I especially like the sofa , but sometimes they fall in between the pillows . If I work at it long enough SHE gets the idea and comes and retrieves them for me . You know SHE 's not very bright . SHE doesn 't seem to be able to smell where I put them . Humans really need a lot of help . SHE found this photo of me on MadPriest 's blog . Good likeness don 't you think . Hooray ! I 'm famous . Hope they don 't eat the potato chip . Hey , I like potato chips . Maybe they 'll send it to me . From BBC News - Australian canine castaway found . Sophie Tucker - named after the famous US entertainer - vanished as Jan and Dave Griffith sailed through stormy waters off Queensland last November . But unknown to her grieving owners , the plucky dog survived a long swim across shark - infested waters to an island . There she lived on a diet of baby goats until being found by visiting rangers . The Griffiths were amazed to hear of the discovery and have now been reunited with their pet . " She surprised us all , " said Jan Griffith . " She was a house dog and look what she 's done , she has swum over five nautical miles , she has managed to live off the land all on her own . We wish she could talk , we truly do . " Comment : Now that 's a brave and smart dog . I wouldn 't mind having her as a friend . I only hope she doesn 't think I 'm a baby goat . SHE sometimes confuses me with a baby sheep and calls me Lamb Chops . SHE took me to one of her meetings today . It gets to be pretty boring . I sit under the table and snore . The best time is lunch , although I really didn 't like the left - over fried rice . Wandering around the church yard was fun , although I picked up some burrs which SHE didn 't remove until we got home . Of course she didn 't notice them until we were in the car on our way home . I 'm letting her write this while I take a rest on a quilt . I 'm all combed out ( except for my tail - - which we fight about ) and feeling good . Posted by SHE showed me the picture of all the dogs in church from USA Today and I approve . SHE laughs a lot when she goes to this Mad Priest 's blog , BUT ( love that word ) sometimes she finds something really good like this . I liked this picture the best . Now that SHE 's a priest and all I don 't get to sit with her and get hugs . One church we were at a very nice lady let me sit with her . She also brought me treats . Then some of the other ladies brought treats in their handbags . SHE didn 't know all this was going on for a long time . I made the mistake one Sunday of crossing the aisle when she was looking . Then the jig was up . What a fantastic day for being outside . SHE let me run around the church yard while she talked with the ladies running the thrift shop . There are now patches of grass showing up in the snow . I was finally able to walk over to the neighbors and sniff around . Haven 't been able to do that since last December . Can 't wait to get on the trails again . This is me hiking in Wyoming . There are good trails here too , only SHE hasn 't brought her camera along . I like having my picture taken . Just to let you know a little about me . My name is Isabelle ( Izzie , for short - - and I am ) . I 'm nearly 11 dog - years old . Church is fun . I sleep through the sermons , snoring when they go on too long to let her know it 's time to stop . I test out the cheese at coffee hour . Most of it is really good , except I don 't like American cheese and I don 't like Provolone . I like some cookies , but they don 't let me eat chocolate , which I really do like . As you can tell I 'm really into food . I don 't like walking through puddles and I don 't like getting wet , but I love long walks and mud is wonderful . If it 's really smelly I think rolling around in it is one of the best things ever . I asked if I could have my own blog since SHE keeps talking about me and I 'd rather talk about myself .