It Was One Long Day!

Dear Gavin,

Why do you live so far away?? Gramma said that you were meeting us half-way. That sounded good. Until Oscar pointed out that we would still have to drive home. I suppose the whole day would have been better if we had left Papa at home. He was in a bad mood.

Gramma told him that she planned to drive the first half since she knew he was tired and his neck was hurting, but he insisted on driving. I will tell you once again that I am not a fan of road trips. I am especially not a fan of road trips in Gramma's car. I don't care where I try to sit or lie down I can see trucks and cars whizzing by and I do not like it!! Oscar insists on sitting in the front seat with Gramma. Emmy sits on top of Oscar. Oscar says that this is the way they always ride and for the rest of us dogs to find another seat. He is so bossy. I prefer to ride in Gramma's arms, with my face buried in her neck. She will pet me and tell me everything is alright and I feel safe in this position.

Gramma has managed to get all three of us dogs in her lap before. But their were five of us dogs on this trip. Max, the new puppy wanted to ride in Gramma's arms. I know that he might look like me when I was a mere pup, but, that does not mean he can take my place! The puppy called Toni was jumping and leaping and going to the front and then to the back and creating havoc. There was a time when Gramma had all five of us in her lap. She had put our favorite big blanket in the back of the car, along with a kennel for new puppy, Max. Gramma got tire of all of us in her lap and she made all of us get in the back. New puppy, Max, went to sleep and I tried to stay still ..... really I did. Papa couldn't seem to keep the wheels off those kerdunkity things on the side of the road. Every time he hit them it scared me and I would jump into the front to Gramma. Gramma would ask Papa to let her drive, but he would say he was fine.

Gramma and Papa were not using happy voices and Papa hit the kerdunkity things one last time and I accidentally clawed Gramma when I jumped into her lap. She yelled at Papa to pull over and then she took the wheel. I must say that the ride was much smoother with Gramma behind the wheel. We can keep that between us, okay?

All of dogs finally went to sleep and we woke up, Gramma was pulling into a parking lot. I wondered if us dogs were suppose to get out and do our business, because Gramma was attaching leads to our harnesses. I looked up and I SAW YOU!!!!!!! You were right there at my window. I was so happy to see you, my boy. You did not reach for the new puppy, Max, no you did not! You wanted to see me!

The trip home was better. Papa tried to drive again and Gramma made him pull over again and he slept. Gramma was not happy with his behavior. He wanted to make you and your mom drive the whole way and Gramma wanted you to be able to get Max as soon as possible so that he would not be so attached to her. Gramma muttered while she drove. Papa can't hear very well anyway and he was sleeping, so he didn't hear all the things she said ......... but us dogs did. She wasn't happy, that's all I am going to say.

Us dogs were happy to get home. The puppy called Toni and I went into the back yard and ran and ran. We were worried that we wouldn't be able to sleep, since we slept all day in the car, but we did! I wish I could have played with you when I saw you. I was happy to see Max go home with you. I told him that he had to be good and play nice with you. He will grow and then he can protect you, too. Gramma says that he is happy to be with you and that he plays with you. She did say that your mom was really smitten by Max. That's okay, cause I know that you will always love me the best. I mean, what's not to love?

Your best dog, Wall-E

Nap Time

Dear Gavin,

Your new puppy, Max, sure does like to sleep. I enjoy a quality nap myself. I like to sit close to Gramma while she works on the computer and have a nice little snooze. I can feel her hand pet me from time to time and her leg is nice and warm. Oscar likes to be alone while he naps and the girl dogs like to lay in the sun, while us boy dogs like to be inside. We like to be close to Gramma, you know. In case she might need us. To protect her.

I was enjoying just such a nap yesterday with Max asleep behind me. He got up and then turned around to get comfortable, then went back to sleep. He likes to be close to Gramma, too. He is a boy dog, like me and Oscar.

He is too small to protect her. Gramma wishes he would sleep like this at night. I heard her tell Pap that she was up twice with Max last night.

Gramma sure does like to take pictures of Max while he sleeps.

And sleeps.

She even takes his picture while she holds him and he sleeps.

Last night she put him in a wash bucket and put it right beside the bed. She said she was tired of having to go all the way into the store to get him out of his kennel when he cried. Gramma says that he has separation anxiety. I don't know what that is, do you? Oscar says that he was taken from his mother too soon. Wait ......... that can happen? I don't remember my dog mother ....... did you ever see my dog mother? Did she look like me, or do I look like her? What about my dog father? Oh, no, do I have that anxiety thing, too? Will I need to have a shot? Do they have shots for that? Oh, I hope I don't have it. I can't get it from the puppy, Max, can I?

Gramma was laughing at me! She told me that I was fine and that she would take care of me. She said that I was just have a nervous personality. Is that a disease? Oh, I am so worried! How did I get this personality disease? You don't have it do you? I need a nap.

Gramma says that I can nap tomorrow in the car. The car? We are going in the car? I do not enjoy rides, as she well knows, so why are we going in the car? Oh, I am going to see you. I can't wait! I will sleep in the car so that I don't see other cars whizzing by and making me feel sick in my stomach. Then I will wake up and you will be there. I can ride if I get to see you. It will be okay if I get to see you. Gramma said that we are going to meet you in Iowa and give Max to you.

Max is leaving? Oh, that's another reason to get in the car! I wasn't going to mention it, but he getting way too attached to Gramma! He thinks she is his mother! He needs to have a boy. I am okay with him having you for his boy, after all, you are the best boy a dog could have. I will trust you to take good care of a little puppy who misses his dog mother and his brothers and sisters.

Your first scared little puppy, Wall-E

Max is LOUD!

Dear Gavin,

I should tell you that your new puppy is LOUD! Last night was the worst night so far. Gramma put the kennel in the store and put Max down for the night after she fed him and held him. He went right to sleep and we all went to bed. We were sleeping peacefully. I was in my usual place, snuggled next to Papa. Emmy was snuggled next to Gramma and Oscar was right next to Gramma's leg in his spot he loves the best. The puppy called Toni does not like covers. I don't know why. I asked and she said that her fur is heavier than mine, but so is Emmy's and she likes covers. Anyway, Toni sleeps between Gramma and Papa's pillows. There is no room for another dog ......

But, that is not why Gramma makes Max sleep in a kennel. She is trying to start his training for your mom. She is trying to teach him to sleep in his kennel. I still sleep in mine from time to time. My kennel is my safe place, you know. Gramma has these pee-pee pads for him to do his business on. She does not want him to learn to go in the yard. He did all of his business right where Gramma wanted him to right before bedtime. Gramma put one her old robes that smell like her in the kennel, then she swaddled your puppy. This looked cruel to me! She uses Papa's old t-shirts and she wraps Max tight with all of his legs inside and only his little head showing, Then she pats him on his bottom. He goes right to sleep!

So, there we all were, in the middle of sleeping a good sleep, when I heard it. At first I did not know what it was! Then I remembered that Max was here and he was yelping! LOUD!!! How could such a little creature make such loud noises. Gramma woke up and she went to see why he was yelping. When she came back she had Max with her. She swaddled him again and got back in bed holding him! Toni sniffed him and told us other dogs that it was Max she was holding. Oscar told her to go back to sleep. Emmy moved over to Papa with me. I could not believe she was going to let him sleep in our bed!

She just held him until he went to sleep and then she took him back to his kennel. I got down and went along with her. After she put Max back in his kennel she picked me up and held me for a few minutes. She told me that Max had a little accident in his kennel and wanted her to clean it up. Us dogs don't like it when our kennel is messed up. That is why Max was yelping. He wanted Gramma to get the poop out of his sleeping space. Hmmmm, I think Max must be kind of smart to know to call Gramma, don't you? I was impressed. I spent the rest of the night in my kennel and dreamed about you. Then later on I had a nightmare and had to go get back in bed with Papa.

I have to go help Gramma play with Max now, so that he will get tired enough for a nap. I will try to teach him to beg for a treat from you, okay?

Your training dog, Wall-E

All About Max

Dear Gavin,

I am not opposed to you having a new puppy, but how long will he be here? He cries a lot. Gramma says that he is lonely for his brothers and sisters. Do I have brothers and sisters? I don't remember that far back. I don't mind the crying so much, Gramma will pick him up and hold him. That's the part I don't like. She goes on and on about his puppy breath and how sweet he is and how cute he is. I do not care to hear this. And, if that isn't bad enough, Papa holds him, too!

All the people in the kampground think he is so cute. Then they say that he looks like me. That's okay. After all, if he looks like me and he is cute, then I am cute, too. And I was cute first.

Gramma took Max outside to play with all of us dogs. She was watching, so we had to be on our best behavior. I took this opportunity to get to know him. This is how dogs get to know each other. Emmy was ignoring him as much as she could.


While he was checking out something on the ground I sniffed his front end while the puppy called Toni watched. She was hoping he found something she could dig up. Gramma has been scolding her a lot. Gramma says she is running out of stepping stones to cover Toni's holes. I don't have a problem with the holes myself, but Gramma says that she could step in one and break her foot or her leg or her hip or even her arm. That would be bad for us dogs, cause then Papa would be in charge of taking care of us. I think I will have a long talk with Toni .........



Before I have that talk with Toni, I have to have talks with your puppy, Max, and teach him lots of stuff before you get him. This is a fire hydrant. Dogs like to pee on these. When I first came here, I was amazed that Oscar had his very own fire hydrant. Most dogs have to go for walks to find one, but ours is right there in our yard! For a long time Oscar let me think that Papa put that fire hydrant there just for him. I believed everything Oscar told me at first, even when he was teasing me. Emmy says that I was really gullible. I like that word, gullible. Your new puppy, Max, is gullible. I could have told him anything and he would believe me ............ but, I didn't.


He is cute, I suppose. He cries the same kind of tears I do!!




The puppy called Toni and I sat him down and told him some of Gramma's rules. We thought he was paying close attention, but he made a puddle on the floor as soon as we came in!





Toni still would like to play catch with your puppy. Gramma saw her sneaking up behind Max. "I am watching you, Toni, don't even think about pouncing on him!" said Gramma. She tried to say that she was not thinking that, but Gramma knows better .......... Gramma knows everything!

Gramma knows that I am missing you and thinking about you tonight. I promise to try to set a good example for your new puppy Max, who is very cute.

Your first cute dog, Wall-E

There Is A New Kid In Town

Dear Gavin,

Things around here were going just fine. The puppy called Toni was coming along with her training and not peeing in the floor as much. Gramma tells her what a good girl she is all the time. I don't suppose Gramma has seen all the holes she has dug in the back yard. I am enjoying having her to play with. I guess Gramma was right about me needing a companion to play with. Sometimes I try to act like I don't like her so much, but Gramma always knows what is best for me. Papa said so.

Oscar and Emmy are getting old and I did not realize just how much they sleep! I guess cause I was taking naps with them. Toni and I like to go outside and run round and round the yard. Emmy likes to lay in sun and sleep. Oscar refuses to go out unless he has to. Gramma says he is a lazy old man.

That cat that lives on the front porch, her name is Smokey or Spooky, depending on who you ask; well, she is very old and skinny! She likes to come inside and eat dog food. I personally don't have any objections, but Oscar is opposed to this. Gramma says that he is greedy and fat. I don't know what greedy is, but she is right about the fat part. Gramma doesn't want the cat to come inside because she gets sick when she eats our food and Gramma has to clean it up. That cat has a perfectly good house on the front porch, lined with a warm wool blanket. She has food and water, too. Gramma sees to that and Papa feeds her, too. So, I don't understand why that cat is so skinny.




But, that is not why I am writing this letter. Do you see this puppy? Gramma says that he looks like me. I don't think so. I have seen myself in a thing called a mirror. I barked until Gramma told me that I was barking at myself. I felt foolish when I realized that she was right. Gramma says that this white little puppy looks like me when I was a little puppy. Do you think so?

Gramma brought this puppy into our house and showed him to Oscar. He sniffed him, them glared at Gramma. I was outside and she brought him outside to see the rest of us dogs. Emmy took one look and turned her back to Gramma. This what she does when she is not happy with Gramma. The puppy called Toni wanted Gramma to toss the little white puppy across the yard so that we could chase him. She is really not all that smart, I tell you. Me? I thought that this was a visitor's puppy and that Gramma was just showing it to us.

I was wrong! Do you see this? Gramma is all huggy with this puppy, talking about the sweet smell of puppy breath. Oscar was so disgusted. Have I told you that he is not enchanted with the puppy called Toni? He merely tolerates her presence because he knows that Gramma will swat him if he tries to bite her. Emmy says that she will see if this new puppy would like to be groomed and Toni still was to chase it.

Gramma said that I had to write a letter so that you could see your new puppy! What? "No, I will not!" I said. Gramma explained that the little white puppy was homeless and that she thought he would like to live with you in Minnesota. She said that since he looked like me when I was a puppy that he would be the perfect little puppy for you. I was really upset until she explained this to me. I guess he does sort of look like me. He is really cute ..... like me. He does have puppy breath, I smelled it. So, I guess he should go live with you.

Gramma said he would need to sleep in a kennel. You know that I will not give up my safe house, right? Well, Gramma has a smaller kennel and he is sleeping in it right now. Gramma says that you will love this white puppy that needs a name. So, what will you name this white puppy that looks like me? Hurry and let us know. We can't keep calling him the puppy without a name!

Just remember that I was the very first puppy you loved, okay? I will always love you the best.

Your first dog, Wall-E

P.S. Hey, that's my blanket the puppy without a name is sleeping on!!

Ice Anyone?

Dear Gavin,

I have not been able to write for so long. Gramma is always busy these days. It is warm again and she goes out side to work on the gardens. It is okay. Us dogs go out, too. Well, except for Oscar. He likes to stay inside and nap. He is old, you know. Emmy is old, too, but she enjoys napping in the sun. Toni and I run and play.

The puppy called Toni is one strange creature, I tell you! Every time she hears Papa getting ice for his big bubba mug she runs to the door and cries. She likes ice! She acts like Papa is giving her a treat. She grabs this ice and goes off to eat it. She crunches it and won't share! So, the rest of us dogs thought we should have some of this ice, too.

I begged and Oscar begged. Emmy never begs, she just waits for someone to bring the treat to where she is ......... and they always do. Papa gave me this treat called ice. It was cold on my tongue! I had to spit it out and then Oscar grabbed it. I was going to just let him have it, but he spit it out, too. He said it made his teeth hurt. Papa offered us another piece of this ice, but we just left it there for the puppy called Toni. She ate them all and it was okay with us. Emmy did not eat her ice either. She has bad teeth.

I said that Emmy had bad teeth, but she doesn't have all of her teeth! Gramma said it was because she refused to let her brush them when she was young. Gramma has never even tried to brush mine! I have never seen Oscar get his brushed, either. Gramma brushes her teeth and Papa brushes his teeth. It make their breath smell minty fresh. I am not really sure what that means, but I heard it on TV. But, I was wondering why she was not brushing my teeth.

I don't want to lose my teeth like Emmy! Then I remembered that Gramma has this spray stuff she puts in our mouths, so I asked Oscar what that was. I like it, it tastes good and it doesn't hurt. She just lifts one side of our lips and sprays. That's all. She told us that it helps get the tartar off of our teeth. Is tartar bad? It must be if Gramma wants it gone!

Gramma says that my teeth look very healthy. She said that Oscar has healthy teeth, too. She said that he has always kept his teeth clean by chewing on his ball. That must be why Gramma does not scold him for chewing up his balls! The puppy called Toni must have the best teeth in the world ..... she chews up everything! Even ice!!

My time with Gramma is up, but always remember that I love you and to brush your teeth every day!

Your smiling dog, Wall-E

Training Pads and Jealousy

Dear Gavin,





The puppy called Toni is making Gramma crazy! She will go outside with all of us dogs. She even pees while she is outside, but when she comes back in she pees in the floor! Gramma keeps a bucket full of bleach water and she mops and mops. All day long! She scolds the puppy called Toni. But, she just wags her silly tail.





Gramma told Papa that she was sick of mopping. Sick of it!!

So, she bought these puppy training pads. She mopped the floor and carefully spread one out right where the puppy called Toni likes to pee ........ under the table.

She went into the store and when she came back in, this is what she found. She was not happy. This is the second one that Toni chewed up. The first one was in about a thousand pieces. It was everywhere. Papa found it and cleaned it up. He scolded the puppy called Toni. He was laughing, though, so I don't think she believed him. Papa is not a very good scolder.

Toni is hard to scold. She will just look at you and wag her silly tail.

Okay, I have a confession to make. I am not proud of what I did. I was peeing and pooping in the floor, too. I did not think I would get caught, really, I didn't. I was very careful. I did not lift my leg, I squatted like a girl dog. Gramma knows things. Things like pee splatter patterns. She was already suspicious.

She told Papa that she could not believe that one little dog could have that much pee. She said that Toni liked to be outside most of the day. She knew it was not Emmy, because Emmy always tries to make it to the door and that she leaves a trail of dribbles. She said that it was not Oscar because he liked to lift his leg and aim at something and it would have been on the table leg. Then she said that she just knew it couldn't be me, because I was a good boy and wouldn't do that. I really felt bad when I heard her say that!

Then, this morning, it happened. She caught me! In the act of peeing, squatting like a girl dog! I was so ashamed. Gramma was very upset with me. She told me that she was so disappointed in my behaviour. I started to cry my ugly brown tears, but Gramma said that my tears did not move her. She said that I was supposed to be setting a good example for the puppy called Toni. I hung my head and went to my kennel.

"Oh no you don't!" said Gramma, "Get out here and face the music, mister!". What? I do not hear any music, just Gramma fussing at me. Why does she say these things? She made me watch her scrub the floor where I peed and then sniff it. Really, she made me sniff the clean floor. It smelled like lemons in a pool. She told me to remember that smell and to never pee on her floor again. Gramma is a little scary when she is mad. She did not force the puppy called Toni to sniff the clean floor.

After the sniffing of the floor she made me apologize to Toni. Toni was sitting on the couch attacking her own tail. She would wag it and then try to catch it and bite it. She isn't all that smart. So I told her that I was sorry for making Gramma think that all the pee was hers. She didn't even look at me, she was too busy with her tail. After that, Gramma picked me up and held me. I looked her straight in the eye (I knew better than to look anywhere else). Gramma told me again that she was disappointed and that from now on I have to be on my best behaviour. Then she told me that she knew why I had acted so badly.

She said that I was jealous. "AM NOT!" I said. She reminded me that I was the new puppy once and that Oscar had been jealous of me. Really? I just thought he hated me. He growled at me and nipped me quite a few times. He would not let me have any food until he got all he wanted. Gramma said that he was jealous of all the attention she gave to me when I was new here. Maybe she is right. I really don't like it when she holds the puppy called Toni. I hate it when Papa plays with Toni. Maybe I am jealous. This Gramma of yours really does know everything!

I hope that you are having a good day and staying out of trouble. Your mom is a little bit scary, too, when she is mad. Papa says there is something about the women in our family. Just try to be good ... and whatever you do, don't pee in the floor!

Your jealous dog, Wall-E