My family revealed !!!!

Hana tagged me to play the 'reveal your family" game and since I still don't have any cake or presents to show you from my birthday YET (ahem ahem), I guess I may as well play the game. (Copper, I am going to get you a present, I promise, just be patient!)

Hana's parents are astronauts, judging by the picture she showed on her blog! How cool is that?! It must be super cool to have parents that fly around in space in red suits. I bet they bring her Tang and stuff.

Tang and astronauts are things MY secretary knows something about.... not because she is or was an astronaut, but because she watched them in the news growing up as a girl in central florida. Now-a-days astronauts going up in space are about as news worthy as interest rates going up. They just don't get the same press they did years ago when moms and dads and school kids all over America held their breath while the astronauts were in space. But anyway, I am a dog and I digress.

This is my Mom and Dad. They did not meet on-line but they might have if the Internet had been invented then. Instead they met at a McDonald's after a football game. This picture was taken only a couple of days ago.

Yeah, I didn't believe that either. ............

They got married and raised two red short haired dachshunds ....... and a girl and a boy. The girl and the boy each got married, moved far away and adopted cats. (The girl DID also adopt a wonderful dog named Hershey.)

My Dad works for a company that makes electricity the nuclear way. He teaches and writes and asks people questions, as far as I can tell from listening to him and Mom talk while they eat dinner. He likes 'hard to understand' books, computers and sci-fi shows on TV. He reads newspapers from all over the world on-line for fun but he does not read my blog! (I know .. it hurts, but I am getting over it.)

My Mom has a new part-time job (6 days) and I'm not sure WHAT she is doing just yet. All I know is she works at the same place she used to work but in a different part, and she is leaving me outside now and not in the evil kitchen. She likes children, knitting, exercising, writing and taking pictures with her digital camera. She also likes to decorate ...... but she has a hard time making decisions about decorating so it takes her a long time to decorate. She likes to try to keep up with technology and computers and cameras and phones and so she considers herself a cool grandmother (which she is now that Hershey's Mom made her and Dad grandparents.) She also knows that Tang tastes pretty sugary and not too much like orange juice. She doesn't think astronauts drink it anymore either, but we can ask Hana about that I guess.

I am not going to tag Pippen, Meeshka and Zach because they can tell about their secretaries if they want to.

I got mail .....

Hey dogfriends and Girl Girl,

I got an email birthday card for my birthday. Go here to check it out. Yep, I am getting a new mother.


P.S. This is the cake I want.

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

Cover #1 - the sleepy pose

Cover #2 - the goofy pose

Dear dog friends and Girl Girl,

Today is my birthday!!!!! I am four years old today. My mother looked it up and my birthday is today, not tomorrow!!!!! Because she messed up, Mom says I can celebrate my birthday for two days! How about that!

To celebrate, Mom made two magazine covers with me on the cover! One has a sleepy pose and one has a goofy pose and I am not sure I like either of them actually because they do not show my handsome side. Tell me which one you like. (If you want to make a cover of yourself, tell me and my Mom will send you the link.)

I will let you know if my Mother comes through with any presents for my birthday.

Signed,

Copper - now 4 Years Old

All about me ......

1. Your age? I will be 4 years old on Tuesday, June 26th. Can you believe it? It's almost my birthday and I'll be FOUR!

2. Your age when came to live with your people? a wee puppy of 10 weeks

3. What color is the collar you’re wearing right now? Black

4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with? Oh my dogness, I would say it's a tie between Hershey's Mom, because she brings Hershey to see me and Miss Cindy my vet and next door neighbor because she smells neat. (a note from Copper's Mom, Copper loves the way she smells because she smells like other dogs and cats if she has been at work.)

5. How much do you weigh? a trim 14.5 lbs

6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever chewed up? That would be my beds.(Copper's Mom, uh yeah .... several of them) Hey, they were mine right?

7. Do you like other Dogs? Yes, especially small ones

8. Who is your best non-human friend? HERSHEY!

9. Squeaky Toys or Tennis Balls? No contest .... Squeaky toys

10. Do you like to be brushed? Yes, sort of.

11. Peanut Butter or Cheese? Cheese. I have to pick a favorite? I love both!! I know the sound of the cheese drawer!

12. Do your people cut your toenails? Yes, regretfully my Mom does.

13. Any formal education? Yes, I went to dog school at Petsmart and have a BA in 'sit.'

14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny? If I say Couch Potato will you think I am lazy?

15. Five nicknames your people call you. I can only think of three .... Copper Bopper, Sweetheart, Good Boy.

16. What is your best trick? Roll Over

17. Do you like kitties? Yes, but I do like to chase them.

18. What did you have for breakfast? one cookie, two if I can convince Mom that Dad didn't give me one (Copper's Mom, it's a dog biscuit)

19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)? If so, what? No

20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.? 6 months ago, but I see her everyday

21. Where do you sleep at night? On my mom and dad's bed.

22. Do you like to swim? I've never tried.

23. Can you make puppies? Make puppies? what does that mean?

24. Do you give kisses? Yes.

25. Can you potty on command? Yes I CAN.

26. To Cuz or not to Cuz? What does that mean??

If you'd like to play, copy the questions, paste them onto your blog and tell us all about YOU!!

Where is my orange ball????

This is a girl named Twyla from the article ... not me.

Hey dogfriends ..... get your peepol to read this article on msnbc on how to communicate with you and how to understand what you are trying to say with your tail and your fur. Don't you wish you could talk to your peepol with words sometimes? I do. Sometimes it is frustrating to have to tell them things and get them to listen. I know Ivy always tells us that her peepol never listen to her. But until Meeshka takes over the world (and I don't know where that plan stands because she hasn't talked about it in a while), we are stuck with talking to peepol who don't know dog language. So get your peepol to read this. Be sure to read the part at the end where it talks about Wyn, a Welsh Springer Spaniel and how he uses an orange ball as a credit card to get food from his peepol. That's all for now ....... I am going to go now and look for my orange ball.......

I GOT A PACKAGE !!!!!

I got a package in the mail today from Luckie in Singapore!! Actually, the package was addressed me and Hershey. Mom says I have to share it with him later. (Shucks!) The package had pretty stamps on it and a customs sticker that said the package contained 'toys.' I did not need to read the sticker. I could smell the toys ...... and the treats inside the package! Mom put the package down on the porch outside where the light was good and wanted me to POSE with it. POSE? What was she thinking?? I grabbed the package and took it out in the yard and started trying to open it by myself! Forget the pictures Mom, there are presents inside.



But Mom took pity on me and opened it for me and gave it back to me and I put my head inside and pulled out the presents. This picture is very blurry because I was very busy.

There were two stuffed toys with squeakers inside, a bag of tiny dog biscuits, a bag of pretzels and a note frm Luckie.

Mom let me taste one of the pretzels. It was yummy. I think they are pretzels. I can't read the words on the package so I can't tell you what it says. That is not unusual because I can't read yet. But even Mom said even she can't read the words. What language is this Luckie?

I picked out the stuffed chicken and will save the bear for Hershey. I will split the treats with him too. (Mom says I have to.) This is the chicken. Hmmm, he needs adjusting. I think he has too many arms and legs, I will have to work on that.

Inside was a note from Luckie. You can read the note. It says I can pull the pants off the chicken (it actually says RIP them off!) and Mom will put them back over and over again. Wow, that sounds like fun. I wonder if Mom will cooperate?

So decided to try it. I ripped the pants of first thing. No Mom, you can't take it away from me!!! No, I don't want you to put the pants back on yet. I just got them off.

Thank you very much Luckie for the package!!!! Hershey, you better come get the bear before I rip his pants off.

Time for bed Mom ....

Last night Hershey and I were waiting for Mom to brush her teeth before she went to bed. We jumped up on her bed to go to sleep. For some reason she decided to take a lot of pictures of us. I guess she does not know it is impolite to take pictures of people when they are sleeping. At least Roxie, Sammy and Andy's Mom doesn't take pictures of Maggie when SHE is sleeping. Maybe Mom took pictures because her bed was made for once. Maybe she took pictures because she realizes our feelings are hurt because she had professional pictures made of the baby and not us. Maybe she took pictures of us because she had 'furminated us' yesterday. Maybe she took he because she knows Hershey is leaving soon. At any rate, here are the boring pictures of us trying to go to sleep.


(Sorry, Mom can't figure out how to undo the underlining on this text.)

Mom, go away.

Our photography session .....

Since my silly Mom won't take me to a photography studio to get my picture taken (like she did the baby), I did some horsing around on the computer today and made these. Which one do you like best?

Above is the original picture.

Goofy colors.

Yikes, where did our eyes go!

Psychedelic black and white.

Old fashioned dogs.

I guess I just need to get Mom to take me to the photography studio. I hear they have ducks there.

Random thoughts and what we didn't do today....

Well, it is another boring day here at my house. Hershey is still here but we didn't do much today. We spent the morning in my terrible kitchen while my Mom taught 1st graders in Vacation Bible School. (What is she thinking?) But, Hershey kept me company and we took a long nap. We greeted Mom when she got home and we watched her as she ate lunch. (We - ahem ahem - do not get lunch.) Then she made us stay outside in the front yard while she went to look at pictures of the baby that she had taken at a photography studio. (She has NEVER had pictures taken of ME at a photograpahy studio.) While we were outside it rained really hard and Hershey and I had to get in the doghouse. Hershey seems to like the doghouse, but I know it is a DOG house and therefore I avoid it. After all, I am better than that. When Mom got home, Dad was already here and he had given Hershey and I our dinner .... SCORE! ... Dad gives you extra dinner!!! Tonight we will both sleep with Mom and Dad and hog the bed.

The baby (and all her stuff) is gone. I don't know where she went. (I miss her because she was tasty if you got to lick her.) In fact, her Mom and Dad are gone too. I guess they have gone on a long trip to a place far away. Nixon is still here. Yesterday he made us chase him. He came to where Hershey and I were taking a nap and looked right at us and when we woke up, he ran away really fast. Now doesn't that sound like an invitation for us to chase him? Well, we chased him alright and cornered him in Mom's closet. I barked at him (I said, "GET OUT OF MOM'S CLOSET NIXON!") until Mom came and picked me up and made me stop. Gheesh, a dog can't even protect his Mom's stuff. I am sure he was up to no good in there.

For a little guy, Hershey can sure jump up high. Whenever Mom puts up outside, he jumps up on the glass front door to tell her he wants in. He can almost jump up to the doorknob! (But also needs a stool to jump up on the big peepol beds!) Mom has given up cleaning the glass on the front door. He does not like to be out in the yard alone and for some reason I don't count as company. He wants PEEPOL to be out there with him, preferably his Mom or his Dad. He is a really big barker but only barks when peepol he knows are nearby or he knows he is safe and not in any danger. Maybe he is just insecure away from his house. Whatever, he sure is good company. I think I'll go see if he is ready to go to bed now.

My Mom is a dunce ...

Mom found this quiz about dogs on the internet. I am embarrassed to tell you what her score was. (4 out of 12)

How smart is your secretary?

Oh brother ... 4 out of 12!

Wildlife issues ....

Hershey and I have had lots of wildlife issues here at my house the last couple of days. They have nothing to do with Hershey being here, of course ..... it's all just a co-incidence.

First there was the orphaned baby raccoon. Miss Cindy took it to someone who was certified in wildlife rehabilitation and they will care for it and put it back in the wild. I guess that works?

Then, yesterday a very large and dense, well made robin's nest just fell out of a tree in the middle of the afternoon in my front yard. (Hershey and I think an evil squirrel knocked it out.) Hershey and I don't snack on baby bird snacks because we know it will gross our mothers out .......... and besides we were inside the house at the time. (We DID bark!) There were three newly hatched baby robins inside the nest. Two out of the three survived the fall from the tree. Unfortunately, there was no way to put the nest back in the tree and the remaining two babies died in the night. When my Dad took the nest to the trash can this morning to throw it away, he found a turtle trying to cross the street. He picked the turtle up and put him in the woods. Mom thinks it is the same turtle that she rescued the other day from crossing the street. (Maybe he is suicidal.)

I don't have a picture of the bird's nest but I do have pictures of the suicidal turtle. What is wrong with my wildlife?

This end smells wierd Mom.

Look what WE found!!!

I have the coolest neighbor EVER!!!! Miss Cindy is my neighbor and she is the coolest friend a dog ever had! She is a vet and today she brought me a BABY RACCOON! She brought it right to my house and let me smell it! Yeah, I know ... she rocks.

The baby raccoon (about 5 weeks) was orphaned and she was taking him to someone who would babysit him till he grew bigger and could go live in the woods again. He smelled so cool! Hershey and I barked and barked at him. Here are some more pictures of him and even a VIDEO!!! Yeah, my first video! Hershey's Mom showed me how to post a video.

Hershey is still here. We both got our feet trimmed tonight. It was AWFUL!!! Hershey HATES it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He got lots and lots of treats to try to bribe him to be good but he hates it. He has more hair on his feet them I do and whenever he comes to visit my Mom trims his feet. We both look very handsome right now and I would show you a picture but we are too tired from barking to take a picture.

I barked and barked at Nixon tonight because he went in my Mom's closet. I decided that he is not supposed to go in there so I barked at him and told him to get out. It didn't work and Mom made me stop. Shucks.

She tastes good ....

Well, I finally got my Mother to help me blog. That little thing that Hershey brought is taking up a lot of her attention. The baby tastes really good, especially if get to lick her right on the mouth, and she smells really good. I managed to get this snif in today while she was in her car seat. Mom does not like it if I lick her.

I really tried to drag this blanket away from her but Mom wouldn't let me. She also has some toys I have my eye on but so far I am staying clear of them for fear I will get in trouble.

Hershey and I took a nap today. We are pretty tired from chasing each other and barking. Hershey slept on his Mom right next to the baby. We have been barking so much, I think he got a sore throat. Plus, I think the baby keeps him awake at night. She certianly woke me up last night.

It is too bad my Mom didn't get a picture of the big fat slug. One got stuck in Hershey's fur when he rolled on it out in the grass! Man he really scored with that one but nobody was impressed! He is the master of rolling on stuff ... he does a way better job than I do!

Miss Cindy came to see me today. Well, I think she actually came to see the baby but I did get to see her a little. She said it was ok that Mom gave me my heart worm pill too early. She held the baby and paid less attention to me than ever. I'll forgive her I think.

This picture is for the Dachsies. The baby's great grandfather was holding her and he went to Texas A&M. Their Mom understands what that means. Granddaddy came here just to see her.

I'll try to write tomorrow. I need to go to bed, I am tired!

Hershey is here!!!

Friends, Hershey DID come to see me!!!! He got here today and we have been too busy running round chasing each other to take any pictures. We'll post some tomorrow. He brought Nixon and something else that's little. I haven't had much time to pay attention to it yet. It smells different and I get in trouble if I lick it.

I am sorry I did not post this week. My Mother has been to busy to help me blog. How can she be that busy?

Cats I don't know ...... and a cat I do know ....

Today's blog is about some cat friends I don't know. Mari and Tabitha are two cats that are technically part of my family but I don't know them very well. They belong to the boy, that used to live here when he was a boy, but who is not a boy anymore. He has a wife and two cats named Mari and Tabitha. I met Mari once and in fact I liked to play with her a lot. She lived here for a short time. I have never met Tabitha. This is Tabitha.

Mari and Tabitha both had rocky beginnings as unfortunate street urchins. They now live lives of luxury inside a comfortable house with sunny windows and deep cushions, regular food and people that love them dearly. Tabitha and Mari live far far away, even further away than Hershey lives. I never get to go visit them. Maybe someday I will. I'm not sure they would want me to come visit them though because I don't think they know anything at all about dogs. This is Mari.

Speaking of Hershey, my Mother has not mentioned anything about it but Hershey commented in my blog that he was coming to visit me. My Mother never tells me if he is coming because she says I get all hyper and look for him 24/7. In all honesty, she does tell me sometimes that he is coming, but not until a couple minutes before he is due to arrive which isn't much fun. But he himself told me in my blog, so maybe he IS coming? When he comes, he usually brings that cat friend of his named Nixon. Now, I KNOW Nixon! I know him really well ... well as well as a cat lets you know them. This is Nixon.

So, stay tuned and see if Hershey comes to see me.