The vet took the stitches out this morning, however, he said I still need to take it easy and not jump around for a couple of days. Mom WAS going to take me to the dog park but doesn't want to risk an injury to my healing skin. Yesterday, mom put me out on my 30 foot tie-out for the first time since the surgery! I was so happy to prance around and watch the leaves fall of the trees. The air smells interesting with hints of squirrel and fall. It had been two weeks since I got to play outside. Mom and dad commented on how the girls were able to be in my tie-out circle on their swings while I ran around and I didn't jump on them!  Big girl even played fetch with me for a long time.  

Mom took me to a trail for a walk since I couldn't go play with the other dogs today. I guess I was pulling on the leash 'cause mom kept stopping and made a picture in her mind of being a tree.  It was so distracting with all the leaves, birds, squirrels, bikers, joggers and other dog walkers and I have all this pent up energy!  I wanted to chase them all.  Well, maybe in my dreams. Woof.

Lets talk about cats. There are three cats who live here with me. Shadow, the torti, is old and slow. She is very grumpy and doesn't like me much. I am afraid of her because she whaps me with her declawed paws every chance she gets. Mom and dad shoo her away but she still sneaks up on me sometimes or sits growling in the hall and won't let me pass. The grey one is Mr. Waffles; he is very shy and stays away from me, although we have touched noses through the baby gate. Mr. Marbles is the black and white cat. He is very friendly and wants to hang out with me, but when I try to play he runs away. I guess he doesn't understand how dogs play. We agree chairs are his safe zone so I stop chasing him when he gets off the floor.  Hee hee, I love to "tree" the cat.

Mr. Marbles likes to hang out with me when I take a nap. He sleeps upstairs while I sleep  in my kennel in the hall. Mom thinks one day we will cuddle up together, but I'm not so sure.

On the way to the bus this morning little girl said "Look! Rocky loves me! He made me a heart shaped hole."

Little girl likes to play with me. Sometimes I get to pick the game and sometimes she decides what we play. Here I am riding in her wagon. She thinks we could be in a parade some day, but I'm really not all that crazy about this game. We went around the driveway a couple of times and then I jumped out.  Now lets go play fetch!

We hung around the hotel in-between walks and field trips. The girls are coloring in their doodle books but I had a different idea:

We spent a lot of time on the shore of  lake Superior. Every day we walked around the lakewalk. There was so much to see. There were quad-bikes, horse carriages, skate boards, street musicians and more! My people got excited when a ship made the lift bridge go up. There were lots of horns blowing as the bridge went up but I got used to it pretty quickly.

Every day we walked out to the light house on the right.

We went to the beach every afternoon. I got to run and play all I wanted! 

Little girl loved climbing on the breakwater rocks. So mom let me climb on them too!

I keep a pretty good eye on little girl. One time mom asked me to "find little girl" when I was 100 yards down the shore. There were lots of people along the beach, and half way there I kinda forgot what I was supposed to do, but mom said it again and I went running right to her! There she is! Mom had to run to keep up with me. See my pack sitting there? I understand I get to play when I'm on the long leash but stay with my people when the pack is on. I love Duluth!

On the second day at Duluth we went to a state park called Gooseberry Falls. We had a picnic lunch and then went to play in the river. I've never seen such a thing before!  My pack carries leashes and a water bottle. I thought this place was really cool. Mom puts me on a long leash when I get to play and puts my pack on when we go onto the paths.

Mom let me explore the river while Dad tried to keep up with the girls. The water was cold but fun to explore. 

My family went on vacation to a place called Duluth. I noticed they bought a second, smaller kennel and let me hang out in it for a week before we left. The day they loaded it in the car with a bunch of other stuff I knew something was up. I was happy when they put my favorite pillow and toys in the kennel and loaded me up when they left, but after about 15 minutes I got nervous and started to whine. They pulled over shortly after and  after several minutes of sniffing around and woofing at some birds I did my biz. Then I felt better. So they loaded me up again and off we went. They stopped every hour or so at a rest stop so I could stretch my legs. I understood what to do by the second stop.  

By late afternoon we arrived at a hotel called the Suites Hotel in Canal Park. We all waited in the lobby for our room to be ready and everyone was impressed with how well I parked. This was the last day of a huge blues festival so the room was not ready for over an hour from check in time!  There were other people and dogs waiting too, but my family picked a corner and arranged their stuff and a chair to make a quiet little cove. The girls and I got lots of treats while we were waiting.  

Our suite was finally ready and off we went. They all stepped into an elevator and to tell you the truth I was kinda freaked out. This little box made noise and vibrated! The next two times I balked at getting on, but by the fourth time I was an expert at entering and sitting down. 

Our suite was really cool. They let me sniff all around but after I jumped on the beds they kept the bedroom doors closed. My kennel was in the main room with the couch, table and kitchen.  Mom went to the restaurant next to the lobby for food because they were not allowed to leave my alone, and then we went to see lake Superior!

I love to play and chew on my toys. When I first got here I was loosing my teeth and liked soft toys. But now my teeth rip up toys pretty quickly. Mom tried all kinds of toys for me to chew. Oh, Oh, these didn't last very long. 

These toys are some of my favorites. I like squeakers. I ate the ear off the george, but mom is going to sew it up and give it back to me. I like the pink one because it has squeakers in every bubble!  The fox is nice because it doesn't have any stuffing for me to choke on. I like the way it shakes and wiggles in my mouth.

These are my favorite outside toys. My family throws them and I capture them. Now that I have some teeth, I'm getting pretty good at catching a tennis ball in my mouth! Hey, wanna play fetch with me? I like squeaker balls best.

We were taking a walk and met a lab down the way. That dog had the neatest trick! Little girl asked if she could pet him and the owner said yes, suggesting she throw a tennis ball. The lab ran up and grabbed it right out of the air! Little girl played for a long time while I watched with mom. So when we got home, I tried it too, but I couldn't figure it out. They are going to ask trainer lady about it. The ball bounces right out of my mouth. Maybe when my teeth come I will be able to do this trick. It sure looks like fun!