(05/12/1999)

Hi-dee-ho, Rocky fans!  Well, summer's not coming fast enough.  I'm sitting here in my nice new doghouse, listening to the rain drumming on the roof as I write this.  Just a few minutes ago the sun was shining.  I still remember that first sunny day back in April when I burnt my tender little tummy by sleeping on my back in the sun.  I'm a much more careful and wiser dog now at 15 weeks.  Two of my pet children took the video camera to Disneyland with them.  That's why there's no new pictures.  The old ones are still out there, though.  I'll put up new pictures as soon as they bring the camera back.  They are on a concert tour with their handbell choir.  I've never heard them play but they tell me they're really good.  Anyway, this is a dog's life, I'll tell you.  People are so funny - they hand me all sorts of stuff and say 'here, chew, please' and are so pleased when I do.  Then when I take the initiative and on my own decide to chew up a whole big corner of the family room carpet, they get all bent out of shape.  I don't get it.  I really don't.  I am beginning to think there's definitely something wrong with chewing on people fingers, though.  They have this funny little saying - "Bite a human, go to jail.  It's the law."  Actually, I don't think it's very funny, but I've made a resolution to bite less.  It seems to be working.  I'm training them to pet me more frequently and to hold me and rub my tummy and stuff.  Humans like to have jobs to do, so I just keep coming up with new things for them to do for me.  Otherwise they seem to get bored and bang on this big black thing they call a piano, and make these really strange sounds they call 'singing', stuff like that.   I've tried to demonstrate REAL singing for them, but all they do is laugh.  Not very appreciative of fine art I'm afraid.  I'm also finding that people like to go for walks.  I'm sure they'd walk all day if I'd let them.  I take them to the park so they can watch little kids (kind of like people puppies, I think) play baseball.  These kids appear to be pets as well, as I've met some of their owners.  Their owners are far older and more experienced than I am.  They've trained their pet people bring chairs and sit while the little ones play,  then their owners lay on the grass and relax. Someday I'll probably teach my pet people how to fetch.  Somehow they have this mistaken idea that I'm the one that's supposed to go chasing that stupid ball.  Hah!  Not me! Not on your life...  I need to nip that attitude in the bud right now.  Well, sunshine is calling me...

Rocky!