Looks Like She's Here To Stay

My baby sister, Mo, arrived, all squirming, wiggling, nipping 3 pounds of her about 3 weeks ago.  She's a Havanese (kinda rhymes with Hafta Sneeze), aka a Havana Silk Dog, from Cuba.  I told myself we were just puppy sitting, that if I was patient she'd just go away.  But between you and me, it looks like she's here to stay.

Her bed is now upstairs right next to The Nice Lady's (mine is still in the kitchen).  She gets fed twice a day (I only get fed once).  She has all kinds of cool new toys (I got a new rawhide that I can only have when Mo is in her pen cos she gets sick when she chews on it).  She got a new wardrobe (I was told I needed a bath).  Honestly, I'm feeling a little jealous.


But I'm also discovering that being a big brother isn't all that bad.  She follows me everywhere so if I do something I'm not supposed to, chances are she will get blamed for it (teehee).  She likes to run like me, so we race up and down the stairs a lot.  I taught her where the water bowl is and sometimes I share my ice cubes with her.  I'm showing her how to play ball, and that if you keep bringing it back to The Nice People they will keep throwing it for you (a little pathetic whining to remind them it is their turn never hurts).  I demonstrate "Sit", "Stay", "Dance", and "Shake" for her in exchange for extra treats.  And thankfully, when I'm all played out and she's still Energizer Bunny charged, I jump up on the furniture, where she can't get me, and take a nice little snooze.  


The Nice Lady says Mo will outgrow this puppy stage (good cos I'm not sure I'll have much fur left if she keeps hanging from it when I walk), and that someday she won't be so little and I can rough house with her a little more.  In the meantime I will just have to be patient and content with the little things, like Mo leaving a few pieces of kibble in her bowl for me to find.  I accept her peace offering and look forward to teaching her how to love The Nice People the way that I do.


To all you big brothers and sisters out there, hang in there.  I think it gets better, so let's find out together.


Love,
Merlyn

My BFF

I heard The Nice Man say once that if the animal shelter ever had a Cairn Terrier that he wouldn't be able to leave it there, that he would have to bring it home.  I also saw The Nice Lady roll her eyes at him when he said it and figured that was the end of THAT.  Imagine my surprise when The Nice LADY showed up one cold November day with a 6 month old Cairn/Jack Russell mix puppy!  

I was instructed to be nice to her (but of course, I am a gentleman after all) and we were put to stare at each other through jail bars (a.k.a. a baby gate).  Morrigan came to sit beside me and told me I was meeting my replacement (she's mean like that).  Soon the new puppy came to lay against the jail bars right opposite of me and that's when I knew we would be best friends.  The Nice Lady named her Stella Bean and we had many adventures in our short time together.  I taught her to play ball and she taught me how to open doors.  I taught her how to make the back of the couch nice and squishy for naps and she taught me how to bark at EVERYTHING.  I taught her that not all humans are bad and she taught me that some humans are very bad.  The people she lived with before the shelter had been mean to her, and had left her in the snow to starve and freeze.

Stella grew to love life with the Nice People and me, she even liked Morrigan although I can't say the feeling was mutual (Morrie didn't like the way Stella thought kitties looked best from behind with their tail streaking out behind them just out of her reach).  But one thing Stella could not overcome was her fear of everyone else.  She would shake and tremble, bark and snarl, and in general not act very lady like at all.  This scared the Nice People and me too, especially when she got in trouble for biting our grandma.  Poor Stella, she only wanted to protect the Nice People who had taken her in and made her happy.

The Nice Lady told me that Stella had to go to the Doggy Peaceful Place but that she would always be my BFF and would watch over all of us from that place where she no longer felt afraid.  That made me happy but I still miss our adventures.  We think of her every day at dinner and miss the way she would turn in circles while The Nice Lady got our bowls ready.  Wherever she is, I hope that she has lots of rawhides (her favorite toy) and tons of treats (she loved them more than I do).  If you have lost a doggy friend, I hope that they get to meet Stella in the Doggy Peaceful Place so that she isn't lonely.  I am sure they will love her!  She plays a mean game of "fetch the ball," sometimes she even lets you win.


Love,
Merlyn

A Man And His Dog

There is something really special about the relationship between a man and his dog.  Take The Nice Man and I for instance. Rain or shine, 100 degree heat or below freezing, he makes sure I get my morning walk.  He knows which telephone poles are mine and lets me stop and check my messages.  He takes me by my friend Baxter's house to see if he is outside chasing his red bucket or howling at any motorbikes.  He stops at Lil Blonde Girl's house so she can scratch my ears and give me hugs and kisses.  He carries a Sponge Bob Square Pants bottle with cold water just for me because all of this walking and socializing makes a dog VERY thirsty.  

When I walk with The Nice Man I hold my ears and my tail up as high as they will go to show the world how proud I am to be his buddy, and you know what?  I think if The Nice Man had a tail and gorgeous furry ears like me, he would hold them up nice and high as well so everyone could see how proud he was to be with me.  I love The Nice Man more than treats, and that's saying something because I REALLY LOVE TREATS!  Especially the soft liver kind that he's been giving me lately.  

Until next time, here's hoping that you all have found a Nice Man like mine. If you have, don't forget to hold up your tail and ears and to be generous with your kisses.  If you haven't, hang in there, the right one will come along for you, and if he doesn't, I will share mine with you until he does.  Just don't ask me to share my treats!

Love,
Merlyn

Introduction

Hello, my name is Merlyn.  Thanks for visiting my new blog.  I'll start by telling you a little about myself.

As you can see, I am a Cairn Terrier, a breed originating in Scotland and bred to extract small, furry things from underground for our masters.  You may recognize one of my ancestors, Terry, who played the role of Toto in The Wizard of Oz.  I've been told we Cairns have winning smiles, do you agree?

My family saved me from a home with a mean ole crotchety teacup poodle whose master was convinced would meet her end through my youthful exuberance.  So now my home is with The Nice Man, The Nice Lady, and The Nice Boy, Sam.  When I first came home with them they introduced me to a small furry thing I had never encountered before:  a CAT!  Her name is Morrigan, and she seems to be happiest when left completely alone.  Over time we came to an understanding of coexistence, but every once in a while (like every chance I get) I cheat and eat the food out of her bowl.  What?  I'm a dog, not an idiot!

Over time we have had others join our little family, but I will save their introductions for next time.  In the meantime, may you have more belly rubs than itchy scratches and may your treat jar be overflowing with yummy goodies.


Love,
Merlyn