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All this week mom and dad have been getting up at 5:30 or 6 in the morning in order to make themselves more into morning people after reading some article. I am not amused. As a luxury dog, I just want to stay in bed and hang out through the more mundane parts of the morning. However, I quickly realized that getting up early wasn’t a bad thing at all! In fact, the article said that the best way to turn yourself into a morning person was to go for a walk first thing because the sunlight helps improve your body rhythm and gets you up early. Well, darn it if I am not a morning dog now! When I hear the alarm go off, I know to run straight downstairs to my box to get my lead!

This morning was especially nice as you can probably see in the pictures we took while we were out there. A beautiful Sunday morning after a pretty miserable rainy day. And since it was so early in the morning, mom let me off the leash with no restrictions to stay close! I got to run everywhere and see boats and birds and all sorts of fun rolling places.

As I perfected my eau d’Winston, in the newly cut grass of the meadow (apparently they cut the grass so the cows will eat the new shoots of grass, also it tames the meadow which is a very good thing!) I realized that I would soon be leaving my idyllic meadow to head to the snow bound tundras of North Dakota… mom and dad both wondered out loud how I would adapt to the changing weather.

But rolling through the meadow isn’t the only way to perfect your eau d’Winston. As you can see the meadow was full of puddles even though the flood pond had receded a ways. I saw a bird and rain straight for it, and to my surprise, I ended up in chest deep water! However, when I managed to extricate myself, I realized how cool it was to run through the water at the edge! I always thought it was deep, but really I can just go through the water anytime! Mom says I better watch out or I am going to be spending a lot of time in the basement with Twag if I keep it up. I prefer to stay in the luxury of pillows and a bed so I think that I am going to stay out of the slough for a while.

On the way home we saw a squirrel!! We were turning the corner, when I just saw it in the middle of the road, and it froze, so I froze- but then it took off! Excited, I took off, yanking Mom around the corner (she almost dropped me, the camera, and whatever else she was holding), but when she realized there was a squirrel, she ran with me to chase it down! Unfortunately, it got up that tree in the picture before I could meet it, but I watched it from the ground in case it came down! As you can see, I also had no problems going into someone’s yard to check out the squirrel problems.

Speaking of infestations- look what I saw!!! Crazy right? That cat was just brazenly hanging out on the street! I couldn’t go get him because I am a good dog and I know I can’t go into the road (or my parents shout pavement and I am in trouble). But i gave that cat a good staring down. It is ridiculous the problems we are having on our street….

So when I got back, I had to get a bath of course. But to my horror, I discovered I was using puppy and cat shampoo!!?!??! Now, normally I get the help to purchase the groceries, but I had no idea what an affront it would be! And to make matters worse, the cat is licking the puppy!!?!? What is that about? I am issuing a formal protest right now.

Springtime is here, and I have finally perfected my dog scent. And, actually, mom is not disgusted by it. And in a complete change of doggy policy, because of it, I am let off the lead far more often! It is win win for everyone!

So basically this is how it goes, to get a truly good scent you need to roll in stuff. Mom was never too pleased to let me roll in stuff because she thought I was rolling in the nasty. I used to, dead birds, goose poop, lady dog pee. But it wasn’t quite right. But this weekend, after some amazing summer weather (21 degrees!!!) I finally got it right- wild parsley, clovers, bluebells, and dandelions! I started rolling in the parsley and clovers, and mom went over to inspect. Not seeing anything out of order, she let me off the lead! So like a crazy springtime dog, I was rolling everywhere! It was awsome!

I even have started to avoid the icky stuff and listen when they tell me to come back. So this spring has been awesome because I can run around the meadow free! Nice one for dog. (Its my favorite thing).

So Sundays are a lot of fun. Normally, we all get up as a family a little later, mom and dad will go to church (or not), and then in the afternoon- everybody comes over and I have so much fun with all my human friends who come over! Dad cooks meat, which I get a share of, which is great, and everyone loves me and wants to play with me. Sunday Roast Sundays are the best!

Since the weather has been getting nicer, we have also been doing outdoor activities on Sundays- flying kites, going for walks, and more recently- cricket.

Dad and his friends will put those sticks in the ground, balance a little stick on top of them and then throw balls and hit them back at each other for hours. Now this would be all well and good, except that I am not included. I have to be on the leash on the blanket watching, which is boring because I know I would make a great fielder! Its just crap. Anyway, so here I am on the sidelines watching, other dogs all over the park or the meadow, and I am strapped to the leash, what kind of crap is that?

Needless to say, cricket looks fun, and I am determined to play… someday…

I am a puppy athlete! If I am acting up, or I have too much energy, of if mom and dad know they have to leave me by myself for most of the day without a walk- Mom takes me running! Running is a lot of fun- it is a big game. Usually we run out to the meadow and around it, and then come back. I love chasing mom, or running around her, etc!

At first, the runs were mostly me next to mom or behind her trying to keep up, or trying to jump on her because I thought it was mostly a game. I learned to chase after mom if she started running- and in fact, when I was off the lead that is how she tricked me to come back to her to put the lead back on! Now that I have the hang of it, however, I tend to pull mom along- going to the end of my extendo lead trying to get her to run faster so that we can chase geese, etc! I always check back to see where we are going, but I think mom has to follow me more than I follow her!

Mom might prefer to jog- but I love to bound, it is a weird thing to look at, I don’t just gallop along beside mom, I fully curl up my body and sort of spring along in a bound. It is all very much fun. I use my bound to chase other dogs and geese because it makes me get into a pounce position easier. Often I’ll bound around the house like a maniac because mom taught me how to run.

Dad says there is only one downside- now if they are walking at the parks or something and I see a runner or a jogger, I immediately go after them!

Woof!

Picture: Mom and me rest up and have breakfast after a run.

Well I suppose I am the first person in the Bengfort family to graduate from an Oxford education. On Wednesday, I completed my puppy school! I am going to miss going to class and seeing all my friends- Mr. Darcy (who mysteriously disappeared for the last 3 weeks of class…), Molly the Dalmatian who always beat me up, Quincy who rode in a Smart Car (and I was her favorite!), Cocoa, a big chocolate lab who was scared at first, but soon came to the head of the class, Hettie, the dog that didn’t want to walk, and Tilly- the stinking border collie who upstaged me at the end of the class taking the teacher’s love away from me to her (Bitch! Literally…).

But has puppy classes paid off? Some might say it has- actually all the dogs were extra rowdy the last day, preferring to play rather than listen! But I think we all learned some important things. My parents probably learned the most about dogs. I still go through doors first, but at least I can sit, lie down, stay (sort of) and pay attention. I can kind of come (only if I want to), and kind of walk on a loose lead (especially with my harness on). But I think if mom keeps it up, we’ll work some sort of arrangement out. I am working hard at being and becoming a good dog!

At least one person doesn’t think puppy class has paid off- yesterday on a walk, dad got yelled at by an English lady who said he needed to train his dog better and more. (I may have jumped on her, and I wanted to play rather than come when dad was calling). Dad got chewed out- he didn’t say anything, but luckily the lady’s friend defended me saying I was just a puppy- and I am! I mean, I am 6 months on April 6, but that is besides the point.

One thing I am glad of- I don’t have to ride in a car anymore on Wednesday nights! I hate riding in cars…

Woof!

What a sleepy day- Friday is a fun day because Dad is done with work for the week, and so I usually get to go upstairs and sleep in the bed with them until late! It is a lot of fun.

After the sleep-in, and some breakfast- it is puppy treats time!

Puppy treats time consists of me getting treats for being cute. All I have to do is sit, lie down, and watch the treat like a hawk going back and forth until I get it! It is lots of fun and I get tons of treats, so many that I get full.

Then it is time to sleep- until it is treats time again.

The only thing is I haven’t gone out on too many walks lately, they seem to be slowing down. I try to bolt out the gate and get to Port Meadow or something interesting and pull Mom and Dad along, but they get mad and stop and show me their hand which has chicken in it. So I take some chicken then start pulling again. But mom ends up getting frustrated and has to take me home before we even get down the block! What’s the deal? I want to go to Port Meadow again!

Who knows, I do know that mommy loves treats time- she is always saying what a good boy I am and talking in a baby voice. So probably treats time will be soon!

Woof!

Hello, or should I say woof! My name is Winston Jacob Bengfort, otherwise known as Wraggles, Wrinkles, Winny, Win, bad dog!, Such a Puppy, Sit, Winston MacWraggles, Wrinkle MacWinston, Good Boy, or Come Here. why a dog needs so many names, I don’t know- I suspect it has to do with my mom who seems to come up with a new one every day!

Today, after a long walk in the rain, I decided that I should start my own blog. For one, it keeps me out of the rain- and for two I am four months old! I feel like I should be doing something with my life other than just sitting around sleeping, and looking for food. And since I am an English dog with American parents, I figure that I am just as interesting if not more than those other dogs in the park. So here it is- the world from my perspective (or at least the world as viewed from behind my ears).

I suppose I should introduce myself a little bit first- since many of you who are reading this have yet to meet me. My two main ambitions in life are getting toast- the most wonderful substance in all the world! And to become a wolf. I have been trying to get my mom and dad to run with me like a pack, but every time I get about three feet away, I get yanked back by that dang leash.

Which brings me to an interesting subject- the leash. Do wolves have leashes? I think not! And yet, every time I see the leash I get so excited. I don’t know why- I mean, I love walks as much as the next guy- a chance to see the worlds, meet other dogs, go to the park to eat cow poo, and jump on pedestrians! But when I see that leash, I go mad because I know that it will keep me from running into the road or jumping into mud or playing with bigger dogs and all those fun things.

I yearn for freedom. Every day that the kennel door opens when my dad wakes me up at 6 AM, I bolt out of it- not because I have to potty, or because I am going to get food, but because I am finally free! It is my den, however, so I do go back in and nap while dad makes coffee. I mean, have you tried to potty outside at 6 am in English weather? I don’t think so. When mom closes the door to the office so she can work, I sit at the door waiting, watching, ready to get out. Just so I can sit at the top of the stairs and look down, because I can. (Then I run to tear something else up, or grab socks and hide under the bed!)