More proof that Elwood is a goofball

Hi, everybody - Mu Shu here. I’ve been putting on some extra pounds lately, and I hate it. Now that the weather is changing, and the mornings are nice and cool, I’ve decided to take Dad on some walks. So this morning, real early, Elwood and I took Dad for a drag walk around the circle where we live. I was beat by the time we got back home! We were hot and tired and panting. Dad let us into the backyard, where the sprinklers were still going. Elwood stuck his face down into one and kept drinking from it! What a goofball!

Elwood and his T shirt

Elwood had started licking a hotspot on his shoulder. So we took him to the vet. I knew the vet would shave a big bald patch there, and sure enough she did. She gave him a shot, gave him some antibiotics to take, and recommended I keep him in either a cone or T shirt, to keep him from licking and chewing his irritated shoulder, for at least 24 hours. I asked her for a cone right then, just to get him into the car and keep him safe all the way home. Well, like many dogs who are not used to those big “Elizabethan collars”, he froze up once the cone was on. It was hard to get him into the car, and near impossible to get him out when we got home. I had to take the collar off. So I put one of my old T shirts on him instead. He was only marginally happier. Sad dog! He hated wearing a T shirt, but we had to keep him in one for days because he kept sneaking licks on his hotspot when he thought we weren’t looking. Well, at least it slowed him down. Poor Elwood.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

The dogs do a lot of sleeping. Like, a lot of sleeping. They must dream, too, because sometimes they’ll make funny noises or twitch their muscles, as if they’re chasing rabbits. Best of all, they get into some funny positions when they sleep. Elwood likes to sleep on one of the many dog beds we have. Mu Shu likes to sleep with her back against a wall and a hind foot tucked onto the edge of a rug.

Mu Shu’s favorite sleeping places are at either end of the central hallway on the main floor, in the living room between the couch and the coffee table, and against the interior wall near the door of her office upstairs. She likes cozy, dark, cool places.

Elwood’s favorites are wherever we are. But seriously, he always winds up on a dog bed, or in the chair in the master bedroom, or sometimes when he thinks we won’t notice he gets up on the living room couch.

The dogs have lots of options if they don’t want to sleep on the floor. Downstairs, we have two big dog beds that are shaped like sofas. One’s green, the other’s red, and each has a back and two arms - perfect for how the dogs like to curl up, especially Elwood. Upstairs, there’s a big brown furry bed shaped like a cushion. Elwood spends each night in our bedroom on this chair that we call the Stripey Chair. We also have two round beds with raised cushioning around the outside. We call them ‘rafts’. One’s green and it’s in the master bedroom. The other is in the dogs’ office, and it’s such a lurid shade of velvet red that we call it the Pimp Raft.

Here’s a little slideshow of photos of the dogs sleeping in various poses and locations around the house.

And finally here’s a little video of the dogs being cute while catching 40 winks.

They call it a Roomba

Mom and Dad bought this new thing. It sounds like a vacuum cleaner, but it’s small, black, and round. It’s like a small, black, round squirrel, only it’s not furry. They set it on the kitchen floor and then it started running around in circles, bumping into the walls and cabinets. Just like a dumb squirrel. Maybe they thought Elwood and I would attack it. Sure, it got our attention. We sniffed it. But we weren’t scared. Honestly, I’d rather be outside, or eating treats.

Toys of the Month: Attack of the Cuddlefish

On a whim, I popped into a pet supply store on Platte St. on my way to pick up pizzas on evening. They had the standard things, from bowls and leashes to special treats and plush toys. I found one I knew Mu Shu would love - a fat and furry little hedgehog that made that low honking sound she likes so much.

Then I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted the perfect toy for Elwood. You’re already familiar with Elwood’s legendary underbite, from the Easter video.

Here is the toy I found staring at me from the store shelves.

Those of you familiar with artist Ed Heck will recognize Lil Fish. With that jaw and those fangs, I could only see Elwood’s twin. We brought the hedgehog and the fish home to the dogs, and they took to their new toys right away - the new additions were a big hit. Here is the uncanny first meeting between Elwood and his doppleganger.

From that moment on, Elwod and his twin were inseparable for the next two weeks. He carried that fish with him everywhere, at all times. He even ran with it all the way out to the back fence one day and brought it back inside with him. When Elwood napped or slept, he would cuddle up with his new fish. That quickly earned the new toy the name “Cuddlefish”. Look, they even lay passed out on the floor in an identical fashion!

And just for fun, here’s a video of Mu Shu trying to play with the hedgehog, but Elwood kept interfering.

Toys of the Month

We have decided to write about our favorite toys once a month. We’re calling it the Toy of the Month Club. We’re lucky that Mom and Dad give us lots of toys. We like the ones that squeak and honk! If we can get one of the toys outside, we play a pretty fierce tug-of-war.

To kick things off, we each decided to write about our Top 3 toys of the moment. I’ll go first.
Elwood’s Top 3 Toys
This one is called Pink Bone. It’s pretty much my favorite right now. It fits right inside my fangs and I like to throw it up in the air and catch it again.

Here is my Squeaky Ball. It squeaks when I bite it! It also fits nice in my mouth, and it’s got those ridges on it which makes it even easier to hang on to. And it rolls funny and it bounces and I love to chase it!

Yes, this is a cantaloupe on the counter. What? It looks like a toy ball and it feels like a toy ball. And they just left it sitting there in plain view.

And now Mu Shu’s going to write about her Top 3 toys of the moment…

Mu Shu’s Top 3 Toys
I call this one Squid Hat. Because it’s a squid but it also kinda looks like a hat, like a top hat or something. I love big toys that I can really sink my teeth into (I’ve chewed this one up pretty good). And I like toys that honk better than toys that squeak and this one honks! It’s my big honking squid hat!

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Farty Dog! I call him that because when I squeeze or bite him he makes this sound like… well, I’ll just let the look on his face tell the story.

Here’s a teeny tiny little video clip of me chomping on Farty Dog. Listen close for the sound.

Bananas on the counter. Oh, come on! They’re all rubbery on the outside, just like other toys, and they taste sooo good! Mmm. Mom and Dad kinda let me chew on one, once. And then, this one time, Elwood got a bunch down from the counter for me but then Dad busted me as I was trying to drag them away! They’re heavy!

Chomp and Howl

I pretty much live for getting dog treats. Mom and Dad keep a good stash of them up in that one cabinet. Whenever I want something now I chomp my teeth at them, bump my head into them, or maybe club at their legs with my paws. I gotta let them know who’s boss!

Elwood’s got this thing he does… I don’t know, I guess Mom and Dad think it’s cute or whatever. All he does is purse his lips and kinda go “woooooo” at them. And they fall for it every time! Suckers. Watch this video and you’ll see what I mean.

Happy Easter!

Mom and Dad brought us something fun for Easter Sunday. No, not Easter baskets. I’ll give you one guess. That’s right! Bunny ears. Yeah, those two are a real barrel of laughs.

Poor Mu Shu. She may be fluffy but she’s no bunny rabbit.

Hey, just because I like chasing rabbits that doesn’t mean I want to be one!

So they put these bunny ears on us and ran around taking pictures of us and now they’re posted on the Internet! But wait, it gets better. Check out the video. (We got them back in the end - cold noses and slobbery kisses!)

Hello world!

Welcome to Dogs with Blogs. Our names are Mu Shu and Elwood. We met in 2004 and it seems like we’re never apart! We just thought we’d let you all know what we’re up to all the time and what’s on our minds. Stick around!