biting

I've been living with mom and dad for a long time now.  They have taught me, over and over, that biting is bad.  I admit that I bite (nibble really) when I get scared, but not hard unless I am really pushed to the limit.  That hasn't happened since my first days with them.  Still, when I don't know somebody, I want to bite their feet.  I would like to explain why, but I don't even know.  I don't want to hurt them, I just want them to know that I have my eye on them.  So when we have visitors, mom and dad only let me visit after awhile.  Usually I get to come out during parties, which is great because there is always food on the ground and everyone pets me.  But almost always I find someone I don't trust totally.  So I watch them. Mom says that is guarding and not okay.  Once I know you though, I'm all good.

Something happened today that freaked everyone out though.  Well, it freaked me out a lot.  It freaked mom out a little.  Dad was cool with it though.  That is Soooo the opposite of how our life usually is.  But.... Rocky BIT someone.  He was really sorry afterwards.  But dad said he did exactly the right thing.  I AM SO CONFUSED. 

I  am really the only one who saw exactly what happened. Mom heard it, and sort of understands. A woman came to the front door with some boxes.  Rocky and I barked at her...furiously.  Because that is what we are supposed to do, right??!!  But mom and dad didn't come and she just opened the door and came in.  Right into our house!!  And Rocky bit her right in the butt.  Not a big bite.  Not a dog mauling, I'm going to kill you bite.  Just a little pinch in the butt to tell her it wasn't ok for her to be in our house without mom or dad or somebody they knew to say ok.

She came back a little bit later with her boss.  They seemed to be really nice, but mom doesn't trust them.  They talked to the neighbors which mom says is bad because they are already scared of me and now they will be scared of Rocky.  Dad says too bad.  We are always good and on leashes or in our own yard.  Other dogs in the neighborhood run free.  He also says Rocky is a good dog because if someone walks in our house without mom or dad there to say it is ok, then they should be bit.   I have a lot to think about now.  I thought I knew the rules, but I'm not so sure now.  This person shouldn't have been bitten, but she shouldn't have come in the house.  She didn't mean to hurt anyone, but how is a dog to know???

Dad says a dog doesn't have to know.  If someone comes in without a family member's permission to bite first and ask questions later.  Mom says that is probably right, because we have the right to protect our house and our mom.  And mom will sleep good at night when dad is on his long trips.

Don't judge

Football season is cool. I get to wear people clothes almost every Sunday.  I love people clothes. Some people think that is strange.  Some people think tansvestites are strange. Those people are dumb.  They can't see that other people or dog preferences have nothing to do with them.  Sure children and animals need protected from bad people, but grown ups like me should not be judged for our choices as long as we don't hurt others.  

So I get to wear football clothes on Sundays.  Dad says it is good luck, but so far it isn't working for our Steelers.  I'm trying.  Sometimes I get compared to Bear.  That hurts my heart.  Apparently when Bear wore the Steelers clothes, it worked.  Plus Bear didn't have issues and everyone loved him.  But I'm a good dog too.  bear was so lucky.  He got to live with mom from when he was a baby.  I had a rough puppyhood.  But I love mom sooo much. It's just hard not to get jealous of Rocky sometimes, although he always listens to what I tell him to do.  I have to scare him a little, but I'm older so that is only fair, especially since he is bigger than me.  Rocky doesn't like clothes much, but he doesn't hold it against me that I do. And he dies like to play football like me. 

Kitty is another story.  She is judgmental.  Sure, I bit her face off once.  But she survived.  Now she loves up on me all the time.  But she judges me for liking clothes AND she gets to sit on mom's lap a lot. 

Halloween is weird and scary

Wow,  first mom and dad left with the suitcases, then Sam came over (we love Sam).  And then it started getting dark most of the time.  And something called Halloween happened.  I have no idea what it is all about but suddenly everyone became ugly or slutty.  No in between.  Even the little kids became weird looking.  I thought about that show mom watches about the zombies, but it didn't seem like a zombie attack.  Nobody was getting eaten.  Still, I didn't like it. I hope it doesn't happen again.

The big news though is that Rocky isn't having to stay in his box any more.  Mom says it is an experiment.  We only get to stay in the front rooms, so no couch laying and more importantly, I can't spend all day in bed which I don't appreciate at all, but we have our toys and our little 'dog' beds out there and we get to play if we want to.  So its cool. I hope Rocky passes the experiment test and maybe we'll get to sleep all day in bed again. 

Mom and dad are home, and that's cool, but we miss Sam.  Mom has been busy and doesn't want to play or walk right now.   She seems a bit down.  Plus she has night school.  And it gets dark too early.  These are all the things she keeps saying.  But she said we might be able to go to the park on Sunday if we are good.  She said Miley would like the park and Rocky could go to the dogpark for awhile.  I wish there was a lure course.  But a nice walk is good enough for me.

Here is a picture of the cat looking all Halloween like: