Being a puppy is a busy life. And, my Master Tim is a busy guy - what with living out on the lake and all. We have been finding it difficult to keep up with the blogging since we don’t have internet out at the ice castle, but using Maria’s iPhone as a hot spot, we are getting to be more tech savvy. So here goes!

I have been going to the veterinarian at Garrison Animal Hospital, and have all of my shots taken care of now. This month, I gained 12 pounds! And last month? 7 pounds. So I am getting big, tall, and lanky. When I run, I feel kind of out of control at times, but I usually get where I am headed.

My butt has been really stinky. Sometimes like fish… sometimes just like stinky butt. When I was a 8 week old puppy, I dragged my butt and “scooted” on the floor all the time - to try and relieve the irritation, but nothing seemed to help. Not even taking a dewormer. So Master Tim asked the vet to squeeze out my anal glands, and boy did that help. The vet said they were “very full” and not working so well. After they squeezed them all out, wiped me clean, and sprayed my butt with perfume - things seem to be much better. Hopefully, from now on, the scent will come out a little at a time with my poop - like it’s supposed to. Then the other dogs will know it's me!  If not, the word is, I think Master Tim will be taking care of it by himself. Geez! I hope not! If he does, he better use latex gloves and KY Jelly, like my vet did!

So I am healthy and growing. That’s all good. The other big thing that has happened is - this lady that seems really important to Master Tim showed up about a month ago. They sleep together, and everything! Well, this lady’s name is Maria, and she brought two big, furry, scarey, intimidating dogs with her. One’s name is “Brody”, and he doesn’t seem to like me very much. His brother “Blue” is more tolerant, but he doesn’t like me much either. Shortly after they arrived, something really bad happened. Brody was grumpy and frustrated from his flight from Alaska to Minnesota. He was having trouble adjusting to the new surroundings. And, it was hard to exercise outside, because it was too cold. Everything came to a head, and Brody attacked me. I didn’t know what to do; I was just shocked and hurt. Master Tim came to my rescue. He tackled Brody, and hit him a few times, yelled and screamed. I think he was really scared too, just like me. Then Master Tim came and helped my ear stop bleeding. Ever since then, Brody has never attacked again. I think he knows Master Tim is the boss. So I have taken more and more opportunities to try and play with Brody and Blue over the past month. Things are going better and better. I mean, a few times, we have even played together and wrestled too. The main thing is, I have learned that I need to respect the big dogs. They let me know (by growling) to “back off” when I am too near their food, their bone, their toy, or jumping on their face. When I’m bigger and stronger, I may stick up for myself a little more, but for now, I have to listen and respect.

I have other dogs that I am friends with. Master Tim has a daughter named Lauren, and Lauren has two Pit Bulls named “Hugo” and “Mira”. When we arrive to visit little Hazel, or Lauren and Michael - Hugo and Mira just won’t leave me alone. They run, one on either side of me, looking down on me, and chase and tackle me. Not only that, but they slobber all over my sides, and it’s really gross! We wrestle and play a lot, and they are much more strong and powerful than me - so they usually win, but I still give it all I’ve got.  I find it fun to be able to jump on and play with dogs who won’t bite me, or be too aggressive. If they do pursue me too hard, I go hide under a vehicle. They don’t seem to want to follow me there. So that’s how I get a breather from those crazy pit bulls.

The Gutenkauf Family takes care of me a lot when Master Tim is working. That’s Gary, Master Tim’s best friend from high school, Gary’s wife Emily, and their kids Colton, Christian, Sara and Hunter. They sure seem to like dogs a lot as they ask for me to come over all the time. They have a dog too, whose name is Bodie. Bodie is a big yellow Labrador Retriever whose bark is worse than his bite. He makes a lot of noise when we play, but he is always gentle. I think I am a good influence on Bodie, because when I first met him, he would never play. He was just so serious. Kind of like an adult. Now that I’ve come around, he plays more and more, and his tail wags too - so he must be having fun. The Gutenkauf family takes good care of me. I get lots of fun, exercise, socializing, and when Master Tim picks me up after work, I am always all worn out and ready for a long nap.

Speaking of long naps, I don’t even use my kennel anymore at the ice castle. I sleep on the floor by the bed, with the other two big dogs- Brody and Blue. So far, I have never had even one accident in the night. I just wake up in the morning and start pacing and yawning. Master Tim seems to know that that is my signal to be let out so I can “go taking a dump” and “go taking a leak.”

Master Tim thinks I am a little skinny. I’m not super fond of eating large quantities of puppy food, but recently, master Tim started adding Alpo meat and gravy to my puppy food. Now, I definitely eat more puppy food! I’m going to see how much weight I can gain between now, and the time I go see the vet next!

One thing that is disappointing to me is that Master Tim and I have not been training very much lately. I think it’s because it has been so cold outside.  Some cold, I can take... but that wind???  When we can, we play fetch with the ball. I know how to sit, and stay, and shake, and so on - but I miss working with wings and bird scent, and working on my pointing. I don’t know why, but I just dig that so much. I’m going to try and get Master Tim to do this more with me - even if it is cold.

We are getting into a pretty good routine at the Ice Castle, even if it is small, and cold outside. We are always together, and us dogs get lots of attention and love. We are learning to all get along, and be a unified pack.  When it’s time for chores, we go to Granny’s house in Deerwood and I play with my red stuffed Santa and Master Tim’s old orange hat. Those are my old toys, and that is my old stomping grounds, and I love being there! I tear around the place like some kind of wild thing! The only thing missing is Maverick, Ben, and of course, Granny. Where are they, anyway?

I got to see Ben and Maverick today. I overheard Ben telling Master Tim that I was a “pain in the ass." Is that anything like having plugged anal glands? Well, I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I will admit, I did have an awful lot of pent-up energy when I arrived at Mavericks house today, and, I really didn’t know what else to do with it. Maverick is like that too. Well, I blame Master Tim. He should have exercised me more, before he left for work.

Well, that’s a lot to read, huh? Hopefully you enjoyed catching up on my life. I think in a few weeks, we are going to move the Ice Castle to the land somewhere. That will be great, because I miss being able to sniff the grass and trees, have more encounters with birds and squirrels, and all that good stuff. I will be sure to let you know when it happens.

Until then,

Sam E.  

What The Heck Is My Name, Anyway???

I know it's some derivative of Sam, but the fact is, I've been called many different things at one time or another. Sam. Sammy. Sammers. Sam E. Sam Elliott (when I'm really in trouble). Samson. Samsonite. Samsung. Samurai. Sammy McSamerson. Samwise. Samwise Gamgee. I feel like I"m forgetting some, but you get the picture...

I've also been called some things that definitely aren't derivatives of "Sam", which I think are expletives. I will leave that to your imagination...

Mostly, Master Tim addresses me as "Oh Sammy Me Boy!" What does he think he is, Irish?

All I know is, it's cold out there! I can't even poop standing on all fours anymore. I have to take turns doing it on three legs, so I can try to warm up one of my Oklahoma feet. Which is why I have to report that I love heat. Heat Seaters, I mean seat heaters, are my favorite. Master Tim rarely keeps me in the kennel in the truck anymore. He has found that all he has to do is turn the heat seater on "HIGH" and I will stay in the general vicinity. I also like to hover on the bench, right above the heater in the fish house - so close, that once, I singed the hair on my ears (they hang down a little bit you know). Potty training can become challenging when it is this cold, cuz going potty is all about time, and my Oklahoma body can't handle that much time out there! All I want to do is run back to the house where it's warm, and then when I get inside, I find out that I have to go even worse. Oh boy, that's when I hear things that are definitely NOT my name.

I've been having lots of contact with other dogs lately. Mostly Maverick (Ben's dog), but also Bodie (Gutenkaufs dog), Sozo (the house dog at Master Tim's work), Hugo and Mira (Lauren and Michael's dogs), and other random dogs that I run into here and there. Thing is, I usually have a chew toy called a "bully stick", and I worry about other dogs getting my bully stick, so my thing lately is finding just the right place to hide it. I carry it around in my mouth and look here and there - under a couch or table, in a dark corner beside a potted plant, and I leave it there - but not for very long, because I like to chew on them a lot. So I move them often - so often, that sometimes I forget where I put them, and then I have to hunt and sniff all over the place to find them again. Once in a while, I hide them so good that I can't find them at all, or, I can see them but I can't get to them - so I get frustrated and BARK! I think Master Tim and Granny find this to be amusing.

Granny gave me a Santa doll for Christmas! I love to tackle Santa. Chew on Santa. Body slam Santa. And run around the house like a wild animal, with Santa in my mouth. Sometimes, I just shake Santa, and take out all of my aggression on him. It's a good thing Santa is well made. I think he will last a little while longer...

I'm growing really fast! If you haven't seen me in awhile, you will really be surprised. Last time I went to see the puppy doctor, I gained five pounds, and I wasn't even gone for three weeks! Master Tim keeps giving me more and more food. I keep eating it fast, like it is the first food I've seen in days. If I don't, some other dog might get it, you know? Mostly, I'm getting taller, and building some muscle in my legs, but you can still see my ribs. I'm not fat or anything like that. Master Tim seems insecure about this. He keeps taking me, and cuddling with me, and telling me to stop growing so fast. For some reason, he likes me being a puppy. Once, when I woke up in the morning, he told me that I had gotten bigger overnight! I like being big and strong and powerful. Heck with Master Tim!

I like Holidays, cuz a few times, I got some people food - like turkey. Turkey is good!

Merry Christmas!

Sam E.

My First Day In The Ice Shack!

I know Master Tim has gone fishing before, but usually he leaves me in the truck. He comes back and lets me out often, but then he goes back fishing by himself. Well, not yesterday. Yesterday he took me with him. I chased the four wheeler for part of the time, and I rode for some of it too. When I arrived, the house was nice and warm, and I got to sit on a bench with Master Tim. Then I was given a Kong, filled with treats, and peanut butter. This is my favorite, and I worked on it for a long time, until I got tired and fell asleep. Then Ben came out to visit. After awhile, I heard Master Tim get excited, and then there was a fish! I smelled it and licked it a little bit. It was long and silver. Then we went back in the house, and Ben held me while we all looked at a big square filled with water. There was a little red and white fish swimming around in that hole, and I wanted to get it, but I wasn't so sure. I have never been swimming before. Later, at lunch time, Master Tim's Uncle Carl invited us over to his house for lunch. The men all had venison brats and beans. I wasn't allowed, but I did have some extra puppy food, and Master Tim let me lick the bean juice from his plate. That was a new taste I have never experienced before! All in all, it was a fun day. It beat sitting in the truck alone, and I didn't get lonely at all. I hope I get to go fishing again soon :-)

There's So Much To Talk About!

Sorry I haven't been here to blog, everybody, but I have been super busy learning and experiencing everything that I possibly can. Master Tim has been busy, taking me wherever he goes, and you know him - he has a big agenda!

I've been experiencing snow for the first time. We don't get that very much in Oklahoma, where I'm from - at least since I've been born. I like the snow we get in Minnesota. I jump and play in it. I eat it - especially if I feel thirsty. I've even caught snowflakes right out of the air! But one thing is sure - my feet get cold and then I want to go in the house.

Master Tim has been taking me on his trapline. I like it, because I get lots and lots of exercise, and I get to run and sniff in the woods - where there are so many interesting things to see, smell, hear, taste and experience. Sometimes I get super tired - so Master Tim carries me, or here's a new thing - we ride on an ATV. Running in front of the ATV is fun! Master Tim lets me take the lead, and he follows me. And he always seems to know when I am too pooped to go on anymore: that's when he stops and puts me on his lap. On the trapline, we don't catch very much - but one day we caught a raccoon, and another day, we caught a coyote and a bobcat. They were sure interesting to smell.

I go to work with Master Tim almost every day that he works. I used to worry a little bit when he left, but I soon learned that he always comes back very soon. He lets me out often to go "takin' a leak" or "takin' a dump", and we often work on our obedience training - like learning to "sit", "come", and the word "NO!". Before I learned the word NO!, I did some really bad things, like, I ate dog poop, deer poop, saran wrap, and a mushroom. I don't know, I was just curious, and it smelled kind of interesting - but Master Tim sure got upset. That night, I had a belly ache, and I had to keep crying so I could go outside. It was a Looooooong night, and I hope I never have to do that again. At work, I also get to visit lots of men who seem very happy to see me. Sometimes they get all giddy, and I feel powerful - making them happy like that. Sometimes, when I am in the truck - which I love, I get to be free! No kennel. Just me, laying on the seat. Master Tim turns on the seat heater for me, and I love the feeling on my growing bones!

Did someone say retrieving? I am a retrieving fool! Sticks, socks, hats, leaves, toys, dummies... it doesn't matter, I put it in my mouth and run around with it. Master Tim throws things, and I run and get them, then bring them back. Sometimes, I get a treat.

Today, I chased a pheasant wing. I know it was a pheasant, because Master Tim introduced me to it a few weeks ago. Anyway, somehow, it kept getting away from me. I chased it and chased it, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't catch it. When I got tired, I would lift my front paw, stretch out, and get real rigid with my tail. The pheasant smelled so good, and I was so intent, trying to figure out a way to get it. That's when Master Tim kept saying the word "Hooooold." He seemed really proud of me, and then we quit. I sure hope we can chase the pheasant again soon - because I'm gonna get it!

I've also gotten accustomed to taking long walks on the ice. I've been in thick cattails - which I like to rip out, run, and chew on. Sometimes, when there is no snow on the ice, I slip and fall, and I can hear Master Tim laughing at me. But you know what, I've seen him fall too, so there! One day, while fishing, Master Tim got a northern pike and a whitefish. He told me he was going to eat them for supper. I think they smell funny, and he can have them!

I'm always hungry, and always looking for food. When I get home from being somewhere, the first thing I do is race around the corner to my dish, and see if there is food there for me. Eating is my favorite thing ever, and for some reason, I feel like I need to eat as fast as I can. When I'm not eating, I also get treats, and I think my favorite is a toy stuffed with treats and peanut butter - but I also like chew sticks. They are challenging to eat. Sometimes I try so hard to chew, that I get tired and fall asleep.

Speaking of sleep - I do that an awful lot. Whenever Master Tim exercises me till I am tired, he puts me in my bed, and I go to sleep fast. I don't complain when I am in my kennel. I like it in there. It is comfortable, safe, and I am content to be in there. Usually, I take a lot of naps during the day. And at night, I sleep a long, long time. Other than the one night when I had the belly ache, and the first night in Minnesota after leaving Oklahoma, I have slept all night long.

I feel like I am growing up. I used to bite and chew on everything, but now that I know the word "NO!", I stop right away, and then Master Tim gives me something else to chew on. I also used to constantly fight to get away from whoever is holding me, but now I enjoy some good cuddle time, and a close, intimate nap too. But while I am falling asleep, I still whine and complain. There's gotta be a little drama involved, right? Now Granny copies me, and we take turns until I fall asleep. Whatever, Granny!

Well Ok, I guess that's enough for now. I've got to save something to talk about for next time. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty big week, wouldn't you?

Later,

Sam E.

I'm learning about water this week. Yes, Water. You might not think it's that big of a deal to a puppy, but it is!

So far, I just thought water was for drinking. My previous master gave it to my sisters and brothers and I in case we were thirsty. Then my new Master Tim did this same thing. I think this must be important. But something new came up this week - something I wasn't expecting.

I was out in the woods walking with Master Tim, and my new friend PJ. Master Tim and PJ act like they have known each other forever, but this was my first time with him. Anyway, we were walking in the woods, and we came to a small stream of water flowing through the woods. This was my first time experiencing water that wasn't in my water dish. Master Tim jumped across it and then called me. I was reluctant, paced back and forth, and wined. This was an obstacle that I hadn't encountered before. Then PJ stepped across, and I found myself alone on the other side. Again, Master Tim called me with "COME!" a command I am learning, especially when there is treats involved - but I still was unsure. But when I saw them start to leave, oh boy, my little legs kicked into gear. I jumped in, splashed, and found that low and behold, I was able to cross all by myself. The water was deeper then the water in my dish - like, up to my belly, or a little deeper. It was cold, and after I got across, I started to feel cold and shiver. Master Tim picked me up and told me what a big, good boy was. He snuggled me and dried me off, and we continued our nice walk. Later, when we got to the truck, he dried me off real good, and I took a nice long nap in my kennel, in the warm truck.

Today, I had my first bath!

I've got to admit, ever since I got to my new home with Master Tim, I've been sort of fascinated with the bathtub. I crawl in and out of it, and sniff and check it out. Well today, Master Tim filled it up with warm water - and then he got right in there! Before he did, he had given me a toy filled with treats and peanut butter, but I wasn't so interested in that as I was what was going on in that tub. I put my front feet up on the ledge, and peeked inside. I drank and drank and drank. So much water in there, and so different than the cold water I am most used to - I thought I might drink it dry, just like my dish, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't. Then Master Tim invited me in. I was game. With a little help, I was over the edge, and standing in warm water up to my chest and neck area. This was so much warmer and more enjoyable than that cold creek in the woods that other day. I think I could get used to this! Master Tim rubbed me and got me all wet and talked gently and soothingly - and thus, I had my first bath experience, and it was good! Master Tim says that eventually, we will add soap and toys and other fun things, but for now, this was enough. 

Who would have thought there would be so many new encounters with water this week? And you know what, I'm pretty proud of myself. I've proved that I can handle them all, so far!

I'm here to tell ya, I'm a holy terror!

Good Morning. My name is Sam Elliott, and I am a rabble rouser. A real bona-fide holy terror!

Each morning, I wake up with so much energy - I hardly know what to do with it! So I run around the house, helter-skelter, grabbing at everything in my way. So far this morning, I have: pulled up a plant and run around the entire house, spreading dirt everywhere, drug at least three rugs from where they belong, pulled clothing down off of the chairs they were hanging on, shredded a cereal box, destroyed a shipping box, spilled my water and food everywhere, attempted to chew on a chair leg and some wood trim, pulled my Master Tim's sweat pants down, and yanked on Granny's scarf. Never mind that I have several chew toys in plain view - I'm not really interested in having them, because I can have them anytime. I also got into a stack of Granny's christmas cards, an old book belonging to Grandpa, and a white teddy bear that I am completely infatuated with - no matter how much I hear the word "NO!"

In fact, if you really want to know, it is my belief, my world-view so to speak, that everything and I mean everything, was put on this earth for me to sniff, explore, taste, chew, and so on. When I am this  energetic, my master Tim doesn't know what to do with me - I can tell. He follows me around. He say's "NO!" all the time. He picks me up and tries to put me somewhere else. It's true, my attention span is short, and sometimes this technique works, but usually, I wind up back doing something I'm not supposed to do before too long.

We go outside for walks, and potty breaks all the time. This helps, and eventually I start to get tired, but each morning, there is about two hours of tension. Master Tim keeps threatening me. He tells me that musky season is open for one more day!

On the bright side, I am working on learning words like COME, SIT, and NO. My kennel training, potty training, socializing, and generally learning to be independent is coming along better than expected - so says my master Tim.  Right now, our biggest issue is how to keep me from destroying everything, and, how to keep me from piddling in the house. It's a full time job, but hey, I gotta be a puppy!

Later,

Sammy

Puppy snoring at its best! Just watch and you'll see...

This is what I do when I play really, really hard, I get really, really tired, and then someone holds me, I get content, and then...