logan the retriever X

Winter has come and gone

2008-04-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

and I've not updated since November. I guess you could say I'm part Bear, because hibernation has been the word of the season. It's been a very tough winter all over the place, and we've certainly had our share of the white stuff (which I absolutely love to roll around in). Spring has finally arrived and I'm learning how to play frisbee. Today I caught it for the first time - normally I just chase it and then pick it up where it lands. I can't get enough of it, though I would prefer to play 'chase me with the frisbee' sometimes.

Now that spring is here and I have a new game to play life is great. Now, if I could just have some snow to roll around in once in a while it would be prefect.

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me...

2007-11-14T18:13:00.000-08:00

you get the message. It's my 1st birthday, and I'm celebrating by mooching for cheese and whatever else is available. I love cheese, and every time I hear the fridge open I know there's a chance that I'll get some. Mmmm.

Anyways, the winner of the contest to guess what I'll weigh on my 1st birthday is MC from Mississauga who guessed my height and weight at 26 inches and 75 lbs. My actual height is 25 inches and I weigh 75.1 lbs. Weigh to go Mary. And thanks to everyone who took the time to take a guess. We'll see what my weight ends up being in another year, but I feel pretty good at 75.1 lbs.

I got some new jewellery

2007-09-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

Since we arrived at the new house I've been having all kinds of adventures. Playing with Roxy, the dog down the street. Playing with the hens, though they don't really like to play that much. Playing with Jessie, Christa's son. Sleeping on the porch. Sleeping on the floor in the living room. Sleeping on Stephanie's bed - though I don't think she knows about that.

I also got a new chain and a gold medal shaped like a heart with a number on it. Apparently it's a medal for being legal. At first I wasn't too sure about the jingling noise the medal made, but now I've gotten used to it. Unfortunately it makes it really hard to sneak up on the hens when we're playing.

No phones, no TV, no internet

2007-09-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

We do have electricity, and running water, and a fridge - no stove yet, though a Coleman has been doing just fine so far. Oh, and actually, we do a phone - Jeannette's cell phone - so we're not completely cut off from civilization. I haven't been able to update you recently because we have to go to the library in Windsor and use the computers there in order to update my blog.

Living in the country is just fine. It reminds me of the farm where I was born. Quiet, peaceful, lots of fresh smells (including my dinner off the Coleman mentioned above), and cool at night for sleeping.

Gizmo is starting to come out from his hiding place in the upstairs bathroom, and even ventures downstairs occasionally, though he still spends most of his time up there (I think he sleeps on Jeannette's bed because sometimes he smells like the blanket that's on it).

Jeannette has taken some pictures of me with the chickens, etc. and as soon as we can get them ready they'll be put on the blog. In the meantime, everything is just fine in my new home.

A bone is all I ask

2007-08-18T16:18:00.001-07:00

It's been very hectic around the house for the last few days, but a good chew bone has really helped pass the time. When the going gets tough the tough get chewing.

We're what?

2007-08-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of activity around the house lately, and with things being moved around I was wondering what it was all about. I heard today that we're leaving the house and going to live somewhere else. I'm glad that I'm going to - for a second there I wondered if I was going to left behind for that incident with the stuffing from my toys ending up all over the living room. Whew!

Here's one from January 07 for comparison

2007-07-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

So that you can see the difference a few months make here I am playing back in January.

So far MS from Newmarket is closest in the weight pool with a guess of 55 lbs - I weigh 60 lbs. I'm 24 inches tall at the shoulders so MS is definitely a dog person. However, I still have some growing to do and MC from Mississauga could still pull through with the guess of 26" tall and 75 lbs. Did I mention I like to eat.

With all that good food I have plenty of energy

2007-07-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Playing ball is probably the best game ever - apparently I'm supposed to actually give the ball back when I return to the person who threw it though. That doesn't make sense to me, since I ran all that way to get it, but that's what they tell me.

Go here to see me in action in the backyard.

Here's the book that I would recommend

2007-07-14T19:33:00.001-07:00

The recipes are delicious, and they come pre-tested by Cooper the welsh springer spaniel. After looking at other books written by vets and specialists this one really hit home because of it's fun approach to everything. And did I mention the food is great?

You can get Throw Me A Bone here.

Did I mention I love food - part 2

2007-07-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

A while back I mentioned that I liked food - actually quite a while ago. I still love food, and since Jeannette has started cooking my food rather than opening up a bag of that dry stuff I like it even more. In fact, since I've been getting fresh cooked meals I've had numerous comments on my soft shiny coat. Here's a picture from yesterdays menu. It had rice, ground beef, sweet potatoes, carrots, and a beef a jus. Mmm...

Today, Jeannette made corn dog biscuits with chicken weiners, and even though I only get them as a treat I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. BTW - make sure your family knows about the dog treats, because they really look good and Stephanie nearly ate one while Jeannette and Martin were out.

Dogs only eat grass when they don't feel well?

2007-06-08T13:00:00.001-07:00

I heard this recently, and couldn't figure it out. I love grass. It's green, tastes fresh, and has lots of moisture. Why would you wait until you don't feel well to grab a mouthful of the best thing since rawhide bones? Sheesh!

New house, what new house?

2007-05-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

After staying at the BRB Training and Boarding facility in Oakville for 12 days - where I had the chance to play with other dogs everyday - I was picked up this afternoon by Jeannette and Martin. They must have missed me as much as I missed them because they seemed really happy to see me.

They mentioned something about having a new house for me. Apparently it's in Nova Scotia. And we have chickens to play with, and lots of grass to run around in. Reminds of life on the farm in Guelph. I can't wait.

Don't you just hate it when...

2007-05-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

people take your picture when you have a stupid face on? It's really hard to stop a yawn, and when someone has a camera on you...well...you see what I mean.

Having a ball

2007-05-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

The suns out, it's really warm, and I'm having a ball with my new toy. Wish you were here.

My new icon

2007-05-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

Since I've changed so much since the blog was started I had Martin create a new icon for the blog. The truth is, some people thought I looked a little mean in the previous icon. So here it is - I hope you like it.

It's been a long time...

2007-05-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Since we had a contest on to see how big I was going to get I thought I'd keep you all in suspense for a little while. Okay, a long while. Well, the snow is all gone, I can play in the backyard - as long as I'm attached to some stick in the ground - and I still like to go for long walks down by the lake.

Still wondering how much I weigh? 40 lbs. Here's a picture from just last week.

I love the snow

2007-02-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

Let the guessing begin

2007-02-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

The guesses of how big I'm going to be have started to come in. See them here, or find the link in the Links section on the right side of the page.

4 weeks

2007-02-10T06:12:00.000-08:00

It's been 4 weeks since I came to live by the lake. I think I've grown. What do you think? I weigh 24 lbs now, and when I arrived I weighed 16.5 lbs.

I like to eat

2007-02-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

Recently, I've found that I can't help myself when it comes to food. Whenever it's breakfast time or dinner time and I hear the sound of the food bag I...I...I just have to jump all over anyone who gets in my way. Then, when it's so close I almost taste it, they make me sit down and wait. It seems like forever. Then, they put it down and it's all mine. Mmmm...it tastes so good.

Apparently, because I'm growing so fast they have a pool to see how big I'm going to be. I think I'll be as big as a house, and I'm going to eat enough to fill it.

Wasn't that a party

2007-01-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had a big party, with lots of people from the neighbourhood. They all came to see me, and some of them brought toys! I have so many toys that I don't know what to play with next (though I like to pick the noisy one because I like to see how loud I can make it squeak).

We had small people and big people over. And the small people had to be passed back and forth over the gates - the gates that make sure I stay in the tiled area of the house. The little people were fun to play with, and it was nice when they scratched my ears. I hope to have lots of parties like that one.

Finally, the weekend

2007-01-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

After a busy week of road trips, looking for a new home, and trying to stay warm outside (it was -17C today - do you have any idea how cold that feels at 5:40 in the morning?) I was glad to relax with the family and have some play time. It really is fun, what with all of my toys, and the plastic bags that I get to chew on once in a while (before they realize that I can reach them).

There's nothing better than a good belly scratch.

Busy week, for a dog (part 2)

2007-01-26T19:18:00.000-08:00

After getting back from the road trip I spent the week looking for a new room. There are lots available, but some are better than others. I found this one that looks a bit too 'artsy' for me, not to mention I think it's a bit small (did I mention that I'm 19 lbs now?).

If I did fit I'd probably outgrow it in 2 weeks, and that's a lot of money to spend on a house that you're only going to live in for that long.

Busy week, for a dog (part 1)

2007-01-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

I've had a very busy week. Last weekend I went to visit Jeannette's brother, his wife and their 2 fun children. We had a really good time, but because I'm still a puppy and I enjoy my naps so much, I slept a bit too much of the weekend away. I would have liked to have spent more time with them (they let me off my leash, after all).

Here's a picture of me with their shoes and boots.

It pays to advertise

2007-01-19T05:46:00.000-08:00

Lucky for me Jeannette managed to find this baby picture of me from the place where she picked me up. Hey! My ears don't really look like that. It was windy that day.

See - it says I'll weigh between 60 and 75 lbs. And they think I'll be big. Hurumph! That's not big.

Of course...the farm could be wrong...

It's cold outside

2007-01-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, I may have a fur coat on but it's cold outside. It's so cold that the sticks (I love chewing on sticks) are stuck to the ground, and the leaves (I love chewing leaves) break apart when I try to pick them up. It's too bad for Jeannette, though, because she has to put on her coat (I don't think it's fur, because it make a funny whooshing sound when she walks) and I almost don't recognize her because I can't see her face. I can't wait until it's warm again.

What I've learned so far

2007-01-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

The weekend was lots of fun, mostly because everyone was here to play with me. I also learned a lot of new things:
- going up the stairs by myself
- going down the stairs by myself (it was scary at first because I thought I'd fall, but I didn't)
- what 'no' means (sort of)
- what 'NO!' means (sort of)
- that I'm good at bringing things back when they are thrown
- that no matter how much noise I make I'm not getting to play until I'm supposed to
- that I can break out of my carrier if I bat at it hard enough
- that my new carrier has more room than the old one
- that my new carrier has a metal door and lock that I can't break out of (or can I?)

My new toy

2007-01-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I visited the doctor I got a present from Luke, Joanne's friend. I've been having a great time making noise with it. I think I'll be playing with it for a long time. Thanks Luke.

My first visit to the doctor

2007-01-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today Gizmo and I got up early and went to a place called Halton Hills Veterinary Clinic in Georgetown to see the doctor. I met some really nice people, like Kim and Joanne, who played with me and gave me some medicine so that I don't get sick. They said that I was good, but that I was going to be a big boy because I weigh 17 lbs. and I'm 15 inches tall. I don't know if big is good, but they sometimes shook their heads when they said it.

Now that we're back home Gizmo and I are resting. It was a long ride in the car, and the playing all day made me sleepy. Time for a Nap.

After a busy day

2007-01-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

I've had a very busy day today. I got Jeannette up for work this morning at 6:30. Took Stephanie out for a walk at 11:30. Took Martin out at 3:30, and then played with Jeannette until 10:00. I'm bushed. This new home is really tuckering me out.

Me with Jeannette

2007-01-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of me with Jeannette - she's fun to play with, and takes me for lots of walks, even if it's early in the morning and still dark outside.

My new home

2007-01-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

My name is Logan. I was born on a farm near Guelph, Ontario, Canada on November 14, 2006. My mother is a Retriever. On January 8th I moved to Toronto to live with my new family - Jeannette, Martin, Stephanie, Dustin, and Gizmo.

So far I've been out for walks near a lake (which is really close to where I live - we didn't have one of those on the farm!), walks to look at some houses, and had some fun playing with leaves in the backyard where I live.

At night, when Jeannette is home, we play in the room with the tall chairs in it. I have a blanket, and something to chew on. Jeannette doesn't let me chew on anything else. I've found some tasty bits of food that I think Gizmo left for me (they taste like Hill's Science Diet - don't ask me how I know, because I'm not sure, they just do) but so far he's not said anything to me so when I get the chance I'll ask him.

I have to go for my nap now. I have a green room with windows all around, and while it's not as big as the rest of the rooms I've been in, it's mine.