The Beagle Blog:  The Life and Times of Rembrandt T. Beagle
 
I turn 4 months old today! Daddy says that in human years it is something like being 2 years old. He says I act like a "terrible two". I'm not sure what that means entirely, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the number of times I hear my name attached with the word "NO!!"

I haven't written in a while and it has been busy around here. Mommy finally came back home. She was gone for a long time. She left again yesterday. I was very sad. I tried to let her know I didn't want her to go. I liked being able to stay out and play with Cleo all day instead of going into my crate. Not that I don't like my crate, I get to eat in there, but I don't like to be left alone. I try to tell Mommy and Daddy that every time they come home. I howl at them to tell them how happy I am to see them when they come home and lick them until they push me away!
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Mommy and Daddy also left me with a new friend for a few days a couple weeks ago. They went on a flying machine way up in the air. Daddy said he doesn't like doing that and if he was meant to fly, he'd have wings. Mommy said they'd be fine and she does it all the time. Anyway, they went a friend's wedding. While they were gone, one Daddy's old students came and stayed with Cleo and me. She was so much fun! She liked to play with us and it was a whole lot better than going to a kennel (at least that's what Cleo says).

Mommy also took me to the vet. I like him. He has treats in his pockets all the time. Though I didn't like it when he stuck me with a needle in my butt. That hurt. And he made me drink some really foul tasting stuff that Mommy and Daddy says is to make me be healthy, but it is really gross. As gross as it tastes, I guess it is better than the having worms live in my stomach. Ewww. The vet told Mommy that I am in great shape and a very good weight. I now weight 15.5 pounds. I'm a big boy (but still small enough to curl up in Mommy or Daddy's lap!)

I found my new favorite snack a few weeks ago. Daddy bought us these square treats that he calls rawhide chips. He said they are chicken flavored. YUM! Mommy and Daddy always give Cleo one when they give me one. She eats hers really really fast. I like to savor mine. I'm really nervous she's going to try to take mine. As soon as I get one, I run to the office and settle down on my pillow or on Daddy's couch and munch away. Cleo always goes to the bedroom and eats hers on the bed. Mommy tells me not to run with food in my mouth, but I have to make sure I am in a safe place to eat my treat!

Well, that's all the news that's fit to type. Daddy's is sick and needs to check his email before we go to bed so I have to get off the computer. Check back soon!
 
 
So there I was with my ten brothers and sisters, my mom (Nina), the nice lady with the huge dogs when the two nice people came to see me. I didn't know it at the time, but this new lady had already decided that she liked me from the cute picture the nice lady took of me. The new man was a little harder to convince. He made me take this really hard exam. I think he called it the Volhard Puppy Test. He put some of my brothers through the same test. When my turn came, he put me in a corner of the puppy run and walked away from me. When he clapped, I came running to him. He picked me up right away and pet me and let me give him kisses. He mumbled something about, "good, good, a three." I'm not sure what that means, but it must be good.  Then he walked away from me and I followed. After he picked me up and I gave him more kisses, he rolled me over and held me on my back. I didn't like that as much, but he's stronger than me. The man kept doing all these things to me and after each one he kept telling the lady he came with, "That's good...another three."  (My dad said he'd attach the test below if anyone wants it).

Apparently I passed the test because then I got to go meet another dog they had waiting for me in their car. They called this black and white dog Cleopatra. (Later I found out that she was named after some queen that a guy named Shakespeare wrote about...my dad really is a nerd.) I played with the other dog for a while and then mama-Nina showed up. She wasn't entirely sure about this other dog, but decided Cleo was ok. I don't think she was ready to let me go home with these people though since she tried to drag me away by my neck and legs to hide me when we got back to the house and the new lady and the man were filling out papers.

I was very sad most of the way home. This thing they call a car is kind of scary...it goes really fast. All I really wanted was my mom and I whined for these new people to let me go back to her. Eventually, they let me sleep in my new mom's lap and I was warm and happy.
 
    After they made the scary car thing stop, I got to go into this weird smelling house. There I met a HUGE black cat whom I don't think liked me very much. I went to say hi and she ran away from me and hissed a little. Hopefully, she'll like me soon. The other kitty wouldn't come anywhere near me. She kept jumping to lots of high up things and I couldn't reach her to tell her that I just wanted to smell her. Then my new dad took me outside. I LOVED this part! There were all kinds of new smells, tennis balls, and sticks to chew on! And my new dad ran around the yard and I got to chase him! It was SOOO much fun! It was a little weird that my new dad kept telling me that I was a "good boy" when I went pee after he said "Go busy". Maybe it had something to do with being outside. Even now he still does it. It must have something to do with where I'm going to the bathroom. They also did this strange thing as soon as we all got to my new home. They kept calling me Rembrandt or Remy. I wasn't sure but I think they thought that was my name. I'm not entirely sure yet, but it sounds like an important name. Once I learn to read, I'll have to look that up!
 
    After I went outside, my new parents put me back in that car thing again. I'm still not so sure about that contraption. But then they took me to this cool place they called PetCo where everyone gave me treats and pet me and told me how cute I am! Then my mommy and daddy bought me all kinds of stuff to play with and this really really annoying teal thing that goes around my neck and makes a jingling noise! It itches, but it won't go away. I keep trying to pull it off, but it seems to be stuck there. 

    Finally they took me back to the weird smelling house and gave me food (I wish they had done this earlier...I like food!). Well, actually they gave Cleo food first and I thought I could get some. Cleo growled at me and it scared me. I ran away yelping and my new mommy and daddy gave me my own bowl of food. Cleo was kinda scary at first. She has different rules than my brothers and sisters did. But I'm smart and I'll learn them. Most of the time she runs around the yard and I chase her. She won't let me play with her ball, but there are others in the yard that I can play with.
 
    After dinner, my daddy took me out to play in the yard again for a long time. I'm very happy here and I know my new mommy and daddy love me...they let me sleep on their couches and they gave me my own little den (they call it a crate). Oh my daddy used this thing he calls a camera to make noises and then all the sudden I'm on the camera! He said he'd put all my pictures in the photos section for everyone to see.
    I still miss my mama-Nina and my brothers and sisters, but I know I'll be very happy here and well taken care of!
volhard_puppy_test.xls
File Size: 54 kb
File Type: xls
Download File
 
 
Wow! My first post! I'm very excited...have to be careful - dad might get mad if I pee on the computer. I'm still trying to get a hang of this holding it in thing.

11 weeks ago today I was born. In such a short time, I've had a very interesting life. My birth mommy (Nina) was found wandering in and out of traffic. A very nice lady who helps abandoned and abused dogs (mostly these really HUGE dogs called Great Danes) took Nina in and nursed her back to health. A few weeks later all 11 of my brothers and sisters were born. I was the biggest of all of them and got stuck in the birth canal. The rescue lady had to pull me out and I wasn't breathing. She gave me mouth-to-snout breathing until I started breathing on my own.

Since I was bigger than all my brothers and sister, the nice lady called me "Pudgie". Even though I was bigger than all my siblings, I don't much like confrontation so I didn't fight them for food. The nice lady had to help me out  and make sure I had food.

After 8 weeks of living with my brothers and sisters, my mommy, and all those big dogs, one of my sisters got taken away. Mommy was really sad that she went in the car, but the nice lady seemed to be happy, so when these two people came to see me, I was on my bestest behavior.

I'll have to continue my story later since my dad wants to take me for a walk. He said I have to pee now...even though I just did. I'm not sure, but I think he means I have to pee outside, not in the hallway.