Fun With Boxes

After Mommy and Daddy unpacked the box, it was fair game for me to play in. Naturally, I jumped in and pretended it was an airplane.

Brodie v. Crate and Barrel

A box arrived at the door the other day, and I was super excited to play with it and find out what was inside. Turns out, the box wasn't as exciting as I thought it was.

Attacking Daddy on the Couch

Sometimes Daddy falls asleep on the couch, and I jump up and smack his head to wake him.


Daddy might still be recovering from the long days and lack of sleep from his surgery rotation, but I don't care. I don't understand why we can't both be napping on the couch together.


I love my daddy.

"Big Boned" or "Husky"

I have heard that some of my readers have been worried about me since I haven't posted an update on my life in a while. Here's why I haven't updated in a while.

My daddy has spent the last two months on his surgery rotation. Because he was gone for the first month and home only for bedtime during the second month, I've had no one to wrestle with, so I've gained a little bit of weight. It's harder for me to type on the blog with this extra weight, so that's why you haven't heard from me.



Just kidding, I'm still all fit and hot for the ladies. Mommy thought this picture was funny since it looks like me if I gained a lot of weight. If I'm 60 pounds now, this is probably what I'd look like at 80.

Doggy Birthday Party

Last weekend I went to visit my lady love Mindy in Richmond with Mommy and Daddy. Since Mindy's birthday is August 27th and my adoption "birthday" is August 19th, our people threw an amazing doggy birthday party for us.




Mindy and I both wore festive Birthday King and Queen attire. We both got a lot of cool presents. I gave that really pretty t-shirt to Mindy. It says "Yield to the Princess" on it.



Uncle Andrew and Mommy held Mindy and I up to blow out the candles.



Because carrots are my favorite snack, Mommy baked a carrot cake for us dogs (dog healthy with no nuts or raisins). It sure was yummy!

Mindy is now 11 years old! I turned ? on my birthday. Since I never had a birthday before, I don't know how old I really am, but Mommy and Daddy tell everyone I am 4.

The Ce-ment Pond

The other night Mommy and Daddy took me up to the giant bath tub they referred to as a "pool."


Mommy tried to coax me into the pool, but I wasn't going to budge.


I much preferred checking the giant empty planters out with Daddy.


A nap pool-side. Does it get any better than that?

Sir Sniff-A-Lot

If there's one thing I love, it's sniffing things... oh and eating and cuddles. Mummy and Daddy often get a little frustrated with me when I spend too much time sniffing on a walk and not enough time doing business.



I also enjoy crawling around into bushes and leaves after a scent. It reminds me of my days in the wilderness.

Play Date

Mommy said I could have a friend over to play last night, so I called up my friend Spot. I've met Spot on a walk a few times before, but this was the first time we got to play inside together without leashes! Spot's mom is in Mommy's medwives group and her daddy is in medical school like my daddy. Spot and I like to wrestle and play chase.

Just like me, Spot was once a stray. She lived at the SPCA before she was adopted.

Fourth of July Weekend

I spent my first Fourth of July with Mommy and Daddy at Mindy's house for a long weekend. I always enjoy a chance to play with all of Mindy's toys, sleep in her bed, and sniff in her backyard.


Mindy and I both wore our patriotic bandanas in celebration of the USA! You can see in this picture how Mindy and I differ in our approach to the backyard. Mindy is waiting for someone to throw her the ball, and I am off sniffing something.


Mindy enjoys resting on the hardwood floors to keep cool. That's fine with me, because it means her bed is up for grabs!

Say Cheese

Mommy told me to smile for the camera, so naturally, I stuck my tongue out.

Rescue Anniversary

According to my paperwork, yesterday (June 5th) was the one year anniversary of my rescue from the Louisa County Animal Shelter. Most of you know that I was picked up as a stray by animal control. I spent five days in dog jail, and when no one came to claim me, I was eligable for adoption (or plan B- yikes!). My friends at the Green Springs Humane Society thought I was cute and had potential to find a mommy and daddy of my very own some day, so they rescued me and found me a foster home where I hung out until I met my Mommy and Daddy a couple months later.

Here is a picture of me that was posted on www.petfinder.com by Green Springs Humane Society back when I was looking for a mommy and daddy. I was a lot skinnier back then before I bulked up my muscles by doing push-ups all day!

A Visit to the Vet

Mommy took me to the vet today to have my annual wellness exam and vaccination updates. It was my first trip to the vet since I was adopted. I was a very good boy.

Everyone at the clinic said I was such a handsome boy and was the friendliest dog. My vet also marvelled at my "Giant Beagle" size (60 pounds!). He said I had good muscles.

Because I am positive for Lyme Disease parasites (which does not mean I have Lyme disease, I just have the bacteria that can lead to Lyme Disease), my doctor gave me some meds to kill the bacteria. I have to take 3 pills a day for about a month. Hopefully when I go to the vet again next year, I will test negative for Lyme Disease.

Here's a picture of me running around the exam room sniffing.

Mindy's Coming!!!!!

Hooray! Mindy, my bestest girlfriend, comes to visit me today! She will be spending the whole Memorial Day weekend with me. I'm so excited I could just jump around crazily all day! She is also bringing my grandparents and Uncle Andrew with her. I hope Mindy brings all of her toys. I like her toys better than my own.

I have a super fun weekend planned for us. It involves barking at stuff together, eating stuff together, cuddling together, and wearing bandanas.

America's Next Top Dog Model

Mommy and Daddy are big fans of the show America's Next Top Model. They know a lot about the industry from being such huge fans of the show, and they think I have potential. Here is a great picutre of me working my angles and smiling with my eyes as my Uncle Andrew holds me.

Like any Top Model, I'm sure you are dying to know what designer I am wearing. It's a team shirt from Mommy and Daddy's Medical Football League (MFL) team. Daddy was the captain, so I got to be the official mascot and have my own custom shirt. It was during my run as official mascot that my modeling potential was firmly established. I was the star attraction at every game.

Powdered Nose

I was helping Mommy bake cookies, and I somehow managed to get flour all over my face and nose.

Souvenirs

My parents went to Jamaica and all I got was this lousy bandana.

Mindy got one too. How precious do we look in our matching clothes?

Tailgate Party

I went to the kennel with Mindy last weekend. When our people came to pick us up, we were stinky and dirty, but still adorable. Our doggy cuteness was so great, that we had to pose for pictures in Mommy's car before we could get out.

My First Easter

I celebrated my very first Easter with Mommy and Daddy this year by going to the Richmond Easter Parade with my grandparents and Uncle Andrew. Dogs wore funny hats and clothes, so I wore my favorite Jester attire. I didn't win the pet Easter bonnet contest, but I was a crowd favorite because I showed more personality on stage than any other dog.

Brodie v. Laughing Baby on You Tube

What kind of devilish creature makes such a noise?

Westminster

It is with great pride that I announce to my faithful readers, that I, Champion Baldwin-Ross's Brodie MacBroderson von Brodenstein de Brodeaux, was crowned winner of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.


Okay, so I didn't win the show, but I am extremely proud of my brother Uno, who became the first beagle in Westminster history to be named Best in Show. This was a huge win considering that a beagle hadn't even won the hound group since 1939. I would also like to add that if I had papers and proper dog man parts, I'm pretty sure I could have won. Although, I would have to compete under a new breed listing, that of Giant Beagle, since I have about 20 pounds and 12 inches on Uno.

I heard reports from my grandparents that my best bud Mindy was cheering on Uno the beagle from her perch on Uncle Andrew's lap. Apparently the only dog she paid attention to during the whole competition was Uno. I'm pretty sure she thought it was me on TV.


I usually try to keep my political opinions to myself, but I would like to close by saying that if anyone out there has caught beagle fever and would like to get one of their own, you should look to your nearest animal shelter. For some reason, beagles are frequent residents of animal shelters even though we make wonderful pets. I was once a shelter dog myself, and I think I have done quite well for leaving my wilderness dog days behind and fully embracing the life of a family pet.

Brodie v. Kitties on TV

So I was watching Animal Cops with Mommy, and there were some kittens on it making a lot of strange and curious noises.

Go Patriots!

I am so excited that the Patriots are going to be playing in the Super Bowl. Although I am sad to retire my Steelers bandana and Yuengling Black & Tan binges with Daddy until next fall, I'm really happy to break out my Patriots gear to support Mommy's team. From now on, I will only answer to the name of "Tom Brodie."

Up to No Good

When the people weren't looking, I decided to play a little prank on Mindy while she was sleeping in her bed. I collected all of her toys and put them right on top of her! She even looks like one of her stuffed animal toys.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I've been enjoying the lazy dog days of the holidays. Christmas was the best! My grandmother Merrill made me my very own stocking, and because I was such a good boy this year, Santa came and brought me lots of doggy treats too. Mindy and I had fun wearing our holiday sweater finery. We even got to chase a rabbit that was in the backyard Christmas night.

Also, I got lots of presents from my friends, family, and fans. My great-grandparents in Massachusetts sent me some delicious treats that came in a bag. I made sure to sniff the bag thoroughly to make sure no cookies got left behind.

I also got some tasty treats from my cousins Mac and Rennie in New Hampshire. Don't you love the great action shot of me with the rawhide chew that they gave me?

I partied a little too hard early on New Year's Eve. By the time the ball dropped, I was passed out and missed the whole thing.