Your attention please - THE DOG HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

OK, I'm back now!  I just spent the last 10 days at a resort!  At least, that's where my people told me they were going, and I'm sure they would provide me with at least comparable accommodations.  But, I'll tell you, I don't see what all the fuss is about.  I hope they don't take another vacation any time soon!

I checked my e-mail just as soon as I got back home, and to my great joy and excitement I found a letter from my sister!  I haven't heard anything from her since I moved here to Oregon four months ago.  And, she sent pictures!  Neat-O!  Here's what my dear sis had to say -
 
 

8/2/99 Hi Rocky!!      This is a Happy Birthday message from your sister, Cresstock Lady Jessica.  I keep hearing of your adventures from my people mom so I thought it was time you heard what you're only sister's been doing.      In the summer time I live in Alaska, and boy is it neat.  Especially all the nifty things I found to eat in the yard when I first arrived.  They resembled my kibbles (only larger) and come from some funny looking things with long legs and antlers that hang around my yard in the spring.  My folks were alarmed at first and thought for sure I'd upset my puppy system.  Anyway it didn't bother me a bit.      There's lots of exciting things to do here and I'm doing just about all of them.  I like to go out fishing with my folks in Cook Inlet.  Sometimes it's chilly and rainy so I just sit on the day bunk in the cabin with my toys around and make sure my dad, the captain, is doing his job.  Other times I love to go out on deck and help with the bait, but everybody gets all upset when they see me wandering off with their herring.  We spend a lot of time down at the dock while my folks are working on the boat.  I help them as much as I can with tools and especially paint brushes.  I'm very handy with those.  Most of the time I get bored and just take a nap on the deck.  One of my very best dog friends visits me every so often while I'm there.  Her name is "Jazz". She's a Rottweiler and has a wonderful growl.  Whenever I hear her do that I know she's wanting me to jump up and bite her on the lips some more.  I have other good dog friends that are Malamutes.  We take a long trip on our boat to visit them.  They live where there are lots of bears and it's their job to help keep the bears away from our cabin.  I really like big dogs, don't you Rocky?  None of those little whimpy things for us Staffies.  My neighbor dog is a Chocolate Lab by the name of Lars.  When I first got into town, I was trying to get acquainted, but all he wanted do was chase sticks.  So I had no choice but to help him out by nipping at his heels and other body parts.  It sure made him run faster.  After getting the hang of it, it's actually pretty fun to make humans throw things for you.  My humans do it often but sometimes I've got more important things to do like digging weeds out of my mom's flower bed.      I'm also good at digging razor clams and picking mussels.  I'm very fond of seafood, but I only get it when I dig it myself.  By the way, I saw the photo of you modeling your "latest swimwear".  I have swimwear like that also.  My folks make me wear it when I'm on the boat.  I spend a lot of time trying to rub it off. I'm enclosing a couple of pictures of myself just in case you can't remember exactly what I look like.  I'm sending one of me with my Malamute friend Nishka.  The blur in the picture is me.      Anyway, Rocky, keep up the good work there in Portland.  I'll keep you updated on things here in Alaska. Bye for now.....        Your sister, Jessie

Jessie! Hi! Way to go, sis!  Happy Birthday to you too.  Wow, a whole 6 months old.  You really look good, you know.

I'm so happy you found some nice people to live with you.  Calling them mom and dad is a nice touch.  I thought about that, and even tried it a time or two, but my people just got all mushy and wanted to hold me and pet me and stuff, and I have way more important things to do than that, so I just keep it on a owner/pet basis and we do quite well.

Yes, hanging out with the big dogs is the only way to go.  Little dogs are way too fragile and fussy.  You'd really like Callie, my Newfie friend, I think.

A ride on a boat sounds like a blast.  We don't do much of that sort of thing here, and when I dig in the sand, all I get is more sand.  I'm not sure herring sounds like all that great a treat, either.  My people still talk about the herring they had to eat when they were in Sweden last summer.  I think it's probably better left as bait.

That's really nice of you to dig weeds out of the flowers.  But, let me give you a little brotherly hint here.  You get WAY more attention digging up the flowers.  I mean, you can dig weeds all day and never see a soul.  Just dig up one flower and people come running from all directions.  Then you can play chase games, and hide and seek games, and my favorite, the 'Make the People Crawl Through the Bushes' game!  It's really way more fun than you can imagine.

I'm still not sure I want my people to get in the habit of throwing things and expecting that I'll just run and pick it up for them.  I know a lot of dogs do it, but I'm still not convinced that running back and forth is all that much fun.  I'd rather be chewing on something or sleeping.  I'll be interested to see how this all works out for you.  Last time I visited with Callie she sat me down and we had a long talk about this very issue.  She says if your breed is not specifically intended for retrieving, then you don't have to do it if you don't want to.  Sure, every dog knows how and is quite capable of retrieving.  That's not the issue.  It's more an issue of calling.  If you're a retriever, you're 'called' to retrieve.  You must retrieve.  The choice is out of your paws.  Our breed is a 'retired' breed, meaning that our original purpose is no longer necessary.  This means we can pick and choose whether we want to retrieve, herd, hound or whatever.  Callie's a nice dog and I don't think she'd steer me wrong.  Personally, I'm leaning toward a career as a lap dog.  I may give the retrieving another try since you seem to enjoy it, but I don't know...

I love the pictures you sent!  I hope you don't mind that I'm sharing them with the rest of my friends.  Write back soon!  Love you Jessie.

Rocky!

Now, tell me that isn't cool, huh!

Also, while I was at 'the resort', I got, in the regular mail, a packet of all sorts of genealogical information about all my relatives from my mom's pet people.  (now, there's a sentence for an english teacher!  But remember, I'm a DOG! And dogs talk that way.) It's really interesting and I'm looking forward to putting it all together so you can enjoy it too. There's a lot of good information that I'd like to share.

Well, that's it for now.  Thanks for dropping by again.  Until next time...

Rocky!

You go, girl!	Cool swimsuit!  Looks just like mine, except mine's blue!

I don't get this one.  Sitting by the door generally means you want to go outside.  Are you sure that's what you want?  At my house that just means you might get your feet wet, or worse, get cold when the temperature drops below 72 degrees. By the way, I love your collar.  I want one of those!