Yappy Puppy Days

It's a sure sign I'm now 3 years old as I forgot all about this and can't believe that it's been so long since I last wrote anything on here, and it's been such an amazing year although ages ago I was beginning to wonder what it was going to be like.

At the start of the year, I heard that my best friend Jakey Boy had been killed by a cougar and I was really upset and very down for a long time. I used to love going around the lake and having a play and swim with him at Bragg Creek but his mum and dad moved away shortly afterwards and with no Jakey to play with, we haven't been out that way too much this year. Not only that, but I heard another little dog had been attacked shortly afterwards, so mum and dad were obviously worried about me because I'm only a little dog and so we stopped going until things calmed down.

Since then though I've got a new bestest friend and although I still think of Jakey sometimes when it's quiet and I'm alone, I'm finding that things have got even more bonkers since my new friend came along that those quiet times have become few and far between.

Brandy is my new friend and big sister - well, she's only one year old but she is soooo big. We moved house when the Easter Bunnies were out in force and that's when Brandy joined our pack. She was only little then, but as the days went by, she just kept getting bigger and bigger and now she sits on me to try and squash me just so she can pinch my toys whereas before she used to run under my belly because she was so small. She really is pretty though and we really protect each other when we go the doggy park and mum and dad say that we have bonded really well. 

I remember when she came along and she was such a girl. She didn't like mud or water, and she wanted a girlie pink sparkly collar and whilst she would still like to walk around with fairy wings fastened to her back (because she really IS girlie!), she's also a bit of a tom boy and likes a bit of rough and tumble. You should see her at the doggy park - I just keep myself to myself and play ball with mum and dad, but Brandy is always in the thick of it and is usually chasing after another dog's ball or being chased because she keeps stealing the other dogs' balls. She also does this body barge thing and pushes her bottom into them to knock them over, but she comes to me for protection when they bark or growl at her and I end up having to threaten them with my ball and shake my head at them to tell them off.

She also likes her food and sometimes I have to tell her off for trying to have my portion as well even though mum and dad give her a little bit more because she is bigger than me.

Brandy really is pretty so when we had a visit off my nana and grandad and then my uncle carl and kevin, I was so excited to introduce her to them but didn't want them to prefer her to me, or take her back to England as she's my sister now and nobody else can have her. Thankfully we were both treated equally and I was told I was still a handsome little chap and Brandy was told she was a pretty lady. We couldn't stop smiling and wagging our tails for days!

Me and my sister playing at the doggy park

This year I've done lots more running with mum and we have done lots of running in woods and on trails and a little bit in the mountains. I've always loved my running, but recently I've started to dribble because I get so excited, and I can't catch my breath in the first 5 minutes of running because I have to bark and tell everybody how happy and excited I am. We run around the lakes now and it's so good because we keep seeing lots of Jack Rabbit although I've also seen the big local coyote and I wouldn't want to cross him as he does look big and furry. It's been really good though as Brandy has done a few little runs with me and mum too, but it's obvious I am the lead dog as I just focus and look ahead whilst Brandy just stares up at the stars and mum has to keep reminding her to focus and move on.

Puppy cuddles and kisses for mum after a run

We've got some new collars and harnesses and they are nice to run with as they are more padded and it feels like I am more free as they are longer than the old ones and I really am leading the way. I wore mine for the first time at a race with mum recently, and I felt so smart in it and everybody commented on what a handsome boy I was. Even Brandy was told she looked pretty in hers when she ran with mum later the same day and we both look like professional huskies but without the big fur coats. I get so excited when I see mum get the harness and leads out of the cupboard now and I just know that we are off on some other running adventure and have to howl in excitement. Even Brandy has started to howl with me and it makes us all feel like we are a proper pack – its ace.

Me and mum with our medal

Me racing along the river with mum

It was my 3rd birthday recently and I had a new toy and some really posh dog biscuits. I thought that was it, but then mum surprised me and I went on a run somewhere with lots of other people. Well, I had to bark at them of course to let them know I had to be at the front, but when we got going, some of them thought they were faster than me so I had to go really fast to get ahead of them and dragged mum along with me. There were some pretty lights in a park that we saw,and when we stopped running it didn't feel like I'd been far enough so I encouraged mum to do some more and we ran in some deep snow for a bit longer. I was so happy and it really made it a good birthday - especially with dad been at home all day, and having a cuddle off Brandy once I'd done my run.

Now it is winter again, I have started to wear my coat and booties, and mum has made me wear a Buff thing on my neck to keep me a bit warmer. I don't know exactly how cold it has been but my whiskers have frozen lots recently, and a couple of weeks ago, my paws got so cold that I had to keep holding them up one at a time for mum to rub them to keep them warm. It's hard work in the snow as well as although I've got long legs, I am only a little dog, so although I love bounding through the deep stuff, sometimes I get buried in it so I really do have to bound to make sure I don't sink. It makes my tummy really cold sometimes and other parts that I can't really disclose on here because it sounds cheeky. For Christmas, I asked Santa for a new coat to keep my belly warm, and he brought me a Canadian Dog Arctic Explorer Jacket and it is really really good and really really warm. It’s red like mum’s and has a furry hood which is ace as it keeps my ears warm although it really tickles as well. Me and Brandy had some new toys too although my sister pinched my squeaky duck and started to pull the stuffing out and she’s already shredded her smiling octopus so mum and dad have told us no more toys – yeh right!

Ready to explore the arctic

I have got so much more to tell about my brilliant year - things like the new house which is so big that we can run round and not really need to go outside, or meeting the dogs next door who think they own our turf so we have to bark and tell them off, going on holiday to different places and staying in a log cabin, swimming in the rivers and lakes, walks with Brandy up her very first mountain, and so many other adventures, but I'm tired now and need to sleep as I've only had 17 hours so far today, but what I will say is that I really do feel like a lucky dog and I am so happy to have such a loving family around me :o)