Granny and Dad had an animated debate this week, about who actually writes this blog - Dad or I.

I was listening intently and when it all got a bit heated, I went and licked Granny's hand and calmed her down. I still have Granny wrapped around my little finger.......... 

Granny, being a tad old school (she claims dogs are smart, but they aren't THAT smart!), reckoned that Dad must surely write it. 

Anyway, they kissed and made up, but I thought I needed to officially set the record straight. 

Now I must fess up - I don't actually physically write this blog as paws on QWERTY keyboards don't tend to work out very well - for the blogger (or the dogger).

Besides, why would I want to when Dad can do it much quicker and I don't have to get my hands dirty? Dad says I should be in management.

Heres the truth - Dad drafts the basic outline and tone of whats happened in my (not) working week, and if I agree:

and when he is either gramatically challenged, being plain ignorant or is trying to misquote me, I let him know either like this:

OR if I'm in a good mood, like this:

As you might expect, this can take quite a while (and explains why Dad gets a bit tired sometimes), but when I'm happy with the finished text and have given editorial consent to publish, I give him the sign of approval, like this:

I trust this clarifies any confusion. Granny - its OK, I still love ya, despite you doubting my abilities (I know you are getting on a bit Granny, so I won't take it personally). Thanks Dad, you are doing your best (I know you are a bit limited) - keep up the good work.

Catch u later.

Dora Do Dog :)

Howdy!

Luckily for me, Dad organised a trip away for the long weekend with Aunty Rosie and Granny.

Apparently the APEC summit in Sydney was causing a bit of trouble, so we packed up on Thursday night and drove up to the Blue Mountains, about 90 kilometres out of Sydney.

It was a long drive because everyone else had the same idea, but we ended up in Leura to pick up the keys to the Bygone Beautys cottage we were staying at (which luckily for me was pet friendly) and we drove a short way back to Wentworth Falls and settled in for the night.

The folks at Bygone Beautys had gone to a lot of trouble, cause we had breakfast supplies including some bacon for me, and a big bone as well. They even gave us a greeting card saying g'day to me, Dora Do Dog, which I though pretty special.

I wasn't allowed to jump on the furniture or the bed, but Granny brought me a new doggy bed last week from the pet store in Drummoyne, which was really comfortable, so I didn't really need to put up with sleeping near any humans until I got back to Sydney. Granny is now getting like Mum - shes feeding me more and more kibble. Maybe she isn't such a soft touch after all!

My food at least was better than the oldies, cause they only got snails on Saturday night, which Dad cooked up. Not only can't he sing, but he can't cook either. Urg!!!!!!!!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T DORA STYLE!

It was pretty cold up in the mountains, so we had a fire going most of the time and the cottage was centrally heated. Whenever we went out, they dressed me up yet again in those silly dog clothes - thankfully the apricot dress Aunty Rosie bought for me has been banished so I didn't have to be humiliated yet again in front of my peers.

We went to see the Three Sisters at Echo Point, and the shops at Katoomba on Saturday.

Even though I was rugged up, I still got really cold cause it was bit wet, and Granny ended up putting me under her coat to keep me warm, and all the tourists came up and pointed at me and smiled. Granny drawing attention to herself again, I reckon!

Aunty Rosie and Granny got Dad an alpaca scarf and jumper at Leura, and I decided when they weren't looking to model it. They caught me but laughed - Dad really didn't mind me putting hair all over his scarf - he said I looked regal, whatever that means:

I JUST LOVE WEARING YOUR SCARF DAD! 

Granny headed back to Sydney on Sunday, so I hung out with Dad and Aunty Rosie for another night. We went out to Blackheath for a drive and then down to the Megalong Valley, and I saw this huge hairy beast (with a massive tail) out in the fields that I thought was some alien canine mutation.

I was a bit confused at first, and barked a lot, but Dad explained that the beast was in fact a horse, and that I really should be nice to other animals less fortunate than me, including cats. Appropriately chastised, I have now met a horse for the first time and will know in future to be more polite.

I was left alone for about an hour or so on Sunday night when the oldies went to dinner at Seven in Wentworth Falls, so I explored the cottage by myself, and they took me for a walk after dinner around the grounds. Lots of nice smells of flowers and a few spots to mark around the place. 

On the way home, we went to the Norman Lindsay Gallery at Springwood and I had my first excess for the weekend, a small piece of steak. I think Dad is becoming a tightwad!

Once again, thankfully back to Mum on Monday night for a few days peace from the Old Man.

Catch up with you soon!

Do Dog Dora

I have some plaque on my teeth now cause I’m getting older, so I get a regular feed of bones too, and sometimes I get my teeth cleaned with a toothbrush, if I’m really stinky.................

Q: Describe an average day for us?

A: Usually I wake up when Mum and Dad do, and I like to do a few stretches just to ease into the day. I then crawl up to them cause their breath in the morning smells pretty good to me, and I try to give them a kiss. That usually gets them up.

GO AWAY ROSIE - I NEED AT LEAST ANOTHER 5 MINUTES BEAUTY SLEEP BEFORE I FACE THE DAY! 

Then they take me for a walk and because I'm pretty sexy, I get lots of attention. Usually they dress me up in funny clothes and sunglasses, but to be honest I prefer to be naked :)

My Granny looks after me when Mum and Dad are at work, and I like to curl up in her lap and watch TV. She keeps talking to me like a baby which is a worry, but I know she isn't getting silly, she just loves me. 

Sometimes I just want to chill and go and hide under the couch or lie on the bathroom tiles when it’s hot. I might have a bit of a nap, watch TV and play some games before bedtime. 

Q: What’s your favourite game?

A: For some reason, my Dad likes to grab a microphone and sing when he’s watching TV sometimes. There are some words on the screen but he can’t keep in tune or time, I don't have the heart to tell him he's a lousy singer. I just have to sit there and try to act like I’m interested.

The rest of the week I get about an hour every day - on the weekends I sometimes go for a swim at the beach and also a run through the city.

Whenever I see Mum and Dad I get pretty excited and jump up and slobber on them (they don’t seem to mind) and I reckon that counts as exercise too.

A: I like to let all the other doggies know who the boss is.

See ya!

Woof Woof!

Another exciting week goes by in the life of the Boss Mutt!

I had surgery earlier this year after I got an abcess, and the vet decided to take a couple of my teeth out. It gives me a lop-sided smile and my tongue lolls about a bit, but I felt much better afterwards, and the missing teeth give me character, so my Dad reckons! 

Anyway, I got a bit shaky this week and had a bit of a temperature, and Mum and Dad were a bit worried, so Mum decided to take me over to the vet again, and get me checked out. 

It was all very pleasant, the handsome vet gave me some liver treats, and then they shaved my arm and put a little needle in and I had some really cool dreams. Next thing I woke up and I got another liver treat and lotsa hugs. There were some cute dogs at the vets as well, and I growled at a couple of cats, so it was a great time. Awesome!

Mum and the vet had a bit of a talk, and I had an X-ray when I was sleeping, and everything is good, just a canine virus (whatever that is)! Mum filled Dad in on her mobile and they discussed the bill - $300 - and they split it as usual.

Not sure how much $300 is - but is sounds like value at double the price - after all, it was fun! The best part of it all was having to wear this space helmet all week - I got so much attention from everyone (oh Dora, you poor doggy, let me give you a big hug :) you poor girly) -  I wish it could have stayed on forever:

GROUND CONTROL TO SPACE CADET 

Mum took me to see her friends during the week, and I spent a lot of time giving her hugs as well.

Friday night I saw Dad when Mum dropped me off and we watched a ton of TV whilst he was playing on the internet. He picked me up and showed me some pictures of dogs on the MUTTS4US website - it was funny, a lot of them looked like me!

I got a bit peeved and went and hid under the sofa for a while, but after about 5 minutes and a good feed of kibble and later some roast beef, all was forgiven!

On Saturday, we went for a really long walk around the city, over the Harbour Bridge and the Cahill Walk.

As usual, I was really taking Dad and Aunty Rosie for a walk, since I am pack leader (they just don't know it yet!). I barked at cars on the freeway, just like the big dogs I bark at when I'm with Granny. The only difference is the cars don't bark back and don't chase me!

Dad gave me a bath on Saturday. As you can tell, I'm not a great fan - I much prefer rolling in the mud than sitting in the tub, but I guess it keeps me clean and I smell a whole lot better.

I JUST LOVE BATH TIME - CAN'T YOU TELL?

On Sunday, I saw Granny and had dinner with her (Granny's kibble is much better than Dads). Aunty Amelia brought me some new clothes while shopping at Eastwood (thanks Aunty Amelia!), and I wore one of them today. Its a military green fatigue jacket with an orange reflective hood - it fits OK except I think my head is too big for it, and when walking at night I am certainly visible to everyone! 

GORTEX APPARENTLY! 

Anyway, back to Mums tomorrow, so I catch up with you soon. 

Dora 

If you need me today, I'm afraid I will be unavailable.

I should be able to get away with absolutely ANYTHING!

This is supposed to be all about my day, but I'll let you know what happened over the last week instead, cause I've been real busy!

Mum had a well deserved holiday to Queensland after a semester of her creative arts course, so Granny looked after me during the week.

Like Mum and Dad, her breath in the morning is pretty funky, so I don’t mind giving her a really sloppy kiss, and whilst she doesn’t really like this, it ensures that she gets up and gets my breakfast when I want it!

Her new leather lounge, which used to be off limits, is now a favorite resting place, and even though I have my own beige blanket, I like to jump on her new blanket, and she lets me.

I wonder what else I can get away with?

We watched a lot of TV and her favorite shows, like CI on Foxtel and CSI. I think that she is really a frustrated lawyer or policelady, cause she loves that type of stuff.

Anyway, thanks Granny for looking after me – luv ya!

Dad came over on Friday and I put on a real good show, and managed to give him a kiss too, right on the smacker. He wasn’t overly keen, I must say, but he gave me lots of pats and hugs, and I headed back to his unit.

Over the weekend we went out a fair bit, to Manly on Saturday and to the Rocks and Double Bay on Sunday, to do some shopping and to check out some dog friendly cafes (I think he has written up some reviews in the Forum). I got to sample a lot of different foods, like roast pork and lamb cutlets, but Dad was pretty strict, cause he wants me to grow up to be a fit doggy, without a beer gut like him!

We also went for a long walk around Paddington while he and Aunty Rosie (Hef’s owner) did some shopping, and we ended up at the pet store, where I got some treats and new toys (one of which I have been trying to decapitate ever since we got home).

We then headed over to play at Tunks Park at Northbridge, on Sydney’s north shore.

Dad has taken some tennis balls with him, and he wanted to play a game he calls fetch. He must think I am a bit thick, cause he threw the ball about 25 metres, pointed at it gestulating wildly and crying out “FETCH” to me.

I just stood my ground, ignored him and made him play “FETCH” by himself. What a drongo!

PLAY FETCH YOURSELF DAD, YOU WALLY! 

After humiliating himself with the "fetch" game, he managed to tread in another dog’s doo and make a mess of his shoes. If I could speak, I would have let him know that I have never been so silly as to step in a human’s or another dog’s doo! I just inwardly smiled to myself - maybe I can't drive, I can't sing (badly), I can't speak, but I'm not that dopey!

We then popped over to Aunty Rosie’s house for dinner with her Mum and Dad (who really spoil me), and I got to see her dogs, including Hef.

Hef is starting to grow up a bit, but he’s still a boy, not yet a man.

His mum Cindy wasn’t real friendly, but I guess she was just protecting her territory. We had a little wrestle and a few barks at each other and everything was cool.

Dad again tried to sing to karaoke, but he’s still dreadful. I was glad when he stopped - he sounded like me on fireworks night.

Mum came back on Sunday and picked me up on Monday. I can only really deal with Dad two days a week. I was really glad to see her, and gave her a kiss too!

Anyway, I’ll catch up with you again soon.

Dora