Adoption day presents early!

So, I got a box in the mail just now from Ruby because it's almost my adoption anniversary and my dad thought we should wait to open it until the 2nd, but my mom said no and I said hell no and I got to open it and I got LOTS of cool stuff including a personalized hand-knitted bandanna!
So this was my haul: one bag of delicious Newman's Own peanut butter treats (Ike's mom here - thanks Ruby for healthy treats and no junk food!), one red, squeaky Popsicle, one blue Wubba and best of all, my tough-guy cool-ass bandanna! Oh and she also sent me a really nice letter that I am going to keep forever and ever and ever and ever.
This is a picture of me trying to tell my parents to cut the damn tape!

And this is a picture of me and all of my awesome new stuff (and Odin trying stealing my treats)!

And this is a picture of Duncan trying to convince me to send him to Ruby because she has such good taste in presents but I didn't because he was too big for the box.

And I'm not really sure what's going on here.

7 random facts/habits.

So, Gomer and Opie challenged me to a 7 random facts/habits post a few days ago and I've been thinking and thinking and thinking and now I'm ready but I don't know if I can come up with 7.
1. I like cats - Yeah Joe, I said it, and I mean it. I like cats and I'm proud. They're fluffy and I can use them as pillows and they're fun to chase and their food is awesome (and poop.)
2. I have the best mom and dad if the whole world - and that needs no explanation.
3. Last year, when I was de-boyified, I only had one nut down there and they needed to find the other one in my belly.
4. I have a bald spot on my stump/tail - my mom thinks it's because I had to be in a kennel a lot with no blanket (before I came to live here.)
5. When I can't fall asleep at night, I think about Martha.
6. When I come in from pooping, the first thing I do is play Get the Duncan - where I just chase Duncan.
7. Dessert is when I clean the cat bowls because they can't be trusted to get all the food.

Oh, and in case you didn't know - my adoption anniversary is July 2, and I'm super excited.

And here is a picture of Meg who was a very serious Boston terrier and who lived here before me and died 1 year and 2 days ago and my mom is still sad.

Roughing it.

OMG YOU GUYS - I ALMOST DIED! Well, not really almost died, but they tried to drown me in the St. Croix River - well, I wouldn't have drowned because my dad was holding me and the other time I was wearing a life jacket, but still.
I went camping this weekend in a little Northernish town called Taylor's Falls and then today we went canoeing and I am totally a sailor now and I got to sit around the campfire and eat graham crackers and hot dogs and I even got a little beer that spilled. And then I got to sleep in a tent with my mom and dad but I think we should have brought the big bed because that would have been a lot better. Oh, and I also got to eat some baked beans and we all enjoyed the consequences on the ride home.
So they threw me in the river - well, not really threw me, but you know what I mean and then after being wet like all day and being the most tiredest ever, I got a bath when I got home, WTF?
And the pictures were taken with the crappy camera because my mom didn't want to risk bringing the good camera.

This is a picture of me ruling the campsite.

And this is a picture of a field that we sat in for some reason.


And this is what we watched in the field.


And this is a picture of what I did during the horizon watching.


And this is a picture of me eating breakfast.


And then my dad did this.


And this is a picture of me braving the river.

And this is around the time they tried to kill me.

27 Questions.

Wally did this and he is the coolest so I'm totally copying him.
1. Your age?
6 years

2. Your age when came to live with your people?
5 years

3. What color is the collar you’re wearing right now?
black with silver studs (because I'm a cool dude)

4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with?
Um, I don't really like anyone but my mom and dad.

5. How much do you weigh?
21 pounds

6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever chewed up?
a bookshelf (but it was from Ikea so they replaced the shelf for $8 - awesome!)

7. Do you like other Dogs?
not so much

8. Who is your best non-human friend?
Duncan - my black cat

9. Squeaky Toys or Tennis Balls?
squeakies

10. Do you like to be brushed?
not necessary

11. Peanut Butter or Cheese?
cheese with peanut butter on it

12. Do your people cut your nails?
yup

13. Any formal education?
basic training at Petsmart

14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny?
couch potato

15. Five nicknames your people call you.
Ikenstein, Steiner, Silly McGuillicutty, Steinenheimer, Steiny

16. What is your best trick?
high five and roll over

17. Do you like kitties?
mostly

18. What did you have for breakfast?
Royal Canin Hypoallergenic and I licked my mom's cereal bowl and some bananna

19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)? If so, what?
a spider, maybe

20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.?
3 weeks ago - because my mom works there!

21. Where do you sleep at night?
between my mom's and dad's butts

22. Do you like to swim?
hell no

23. Can you make puppies?
used to be a professional puppy maker but now I'm retired

24. Your favorite place to visit?
my food dish

25. Do you give kisses?
tons of wet ones

26. Can you potty on command?
um, no - can you?

27. To Cuz or not to Cuz?
not to Cuz (contrary to my last photo)

New rug.

So my mom and dad went to a garage sale over the weekend a couple of streets where all the Victorian mansions are and they cost like a few million dollars which our tiny condo does not. And at the mansion garage sale, my mom and dad bought a wool rug for $30 and it's in great shape (for now) and it doesn't even smell like pee and my mom says $30 is really cheap for a wool rug, especially one that doesn't smell like pee. And you guys probably don't know this about me, but I love rugs and carpeting and one of my favorite things to do is to wiggle worm on them so you can imagine that I was pretty excited about my mom and dad buying me a rug.
So here is a video of me and Odin testing out the new rug.



Oh and BTW - my mom likes her new job. And I asked her for a mansion for my adoption anniversary next month and she said no.

Artichoke leaves.

So holy crap it's so hot around here and my dad finally put in the air conditioner but now we need the right kind of extension cord or something so it's off to the hardware store down the street that gives me lots of treats!
Oh and my mom got a new job at a clinic in Minneapolis that does a lot of specialized procedures with cameras in the belly and stuff and my mom is super excited and she should be because they just interviewed her yesterday and they offered the job today. And she said some of the techs that work there have been there for like 15 years which is a really good sign but we want to move to Washington or Oregon in the next few years so she won't work there for 15 years.
And the coolest thing happened yesterday. So like 5 days ago I was at my grandma's house on a Sunday because that's what we do every Sunday and some artichoke leaves fell on the ground and I ate them and my mom didn't know. And for the last few days I haven't been feeling very good and my mom thought it was just the heat and then yesterday I barfed up three whole artichoke leaves and now I feel better!
And my mom hasn't been taking a lot of pictures lately because she said the camera can't handle so much handsomeness so I'm bringing out an oldie that shows how I feel right now.

Rescue dog challenge!

So all you dogs that I am totally jealous of who got to go live with your mom and dad when you were a baby are doing this baby picture thing and it's making my mom really sad so I thought I would create a baby picture for her.
So here is the challenge - all you rescued dogs out there, go to the internets and steal a picture of a puppy who looks like you and make it your own and post it on your blog. I know there are plenty of you out there and I tag Wally because you were feeling down about not having any pics.
So here is my baby picture.


Oh, and don't forget about the voting: I am in the SPCA photo contest - here and here too! - and so is Martha and so is Ruby so go vote for us!

The deal with my mom.

So this is the haps with my mom - she went crawling back to her old job and they already filled her position so she is going to get farmed out to the other clinic locations (it's one of those corporate beasts) and she is also going to work on her pet sitting and dog walking business because she wants to be her own boss so she isn't so stressed all the time and she said that being a CVT (certified veterinary technician) should help a lot and that she is going to do it right and get insurance and a tax ID number and stuff - whatever that means. And luckily she's one of those people who doesn't give a rat's ass about her pride otherwise she would be super freaking right now. So she's feeling better as far as not totally freaking out and sort of having a plan now so I can rest a little easier because I hate it when she is on edge because I am such a good dog.

And it's starting to get hot around here so I've been lounging until nighttime when I am totally CRAZY and I run into walls and stuff and steal the cats' toys and kill them. And then my mom is all "Ikenstein, it's time to go to bed" and I am all "snort, chew, snort, chew" and that goes on for a while until I realize I'm the only one up and I get kinda lonely and I go to bed with my mom and dad and Odin and Saffron and Duncan stays up to raise hell and wake my mom and dad up with stuff crashing to the floor noises.

Oh, and I am in the SPCA photo contest - here and here too! - and so is Martha and so is Ruby so go vote for us!

And here is a picture of me because it's my blog and that's why you are here.

My mom is sad.

Ike's mom here: I started my new job at the humane society the other day and was absolutely miserable, and I'm not staying there. Their standards for what is considered an "adoptable" animal differ greatly from my standards and there is no way I can go through with selecting animals for adoption and sentencing the other to well, you know where they go. I cleaned kennels at the humane society in college quite a few years ago when it was run by a different organization and we did everything possible to get animals placed through the shelter or other rescue organizations that could work on their problems to help them become adoptable (of course the truly aggressive animals weren't eligible for adoption.) I based my decision to pursue this job based on those experiences - little did I know that times have changed and "temperament evaluations" have become the norm. So I'm back on the market - if anyone knows of anything in the vet tech or other animal related field in the Twin Cities area, let me know. In the mean time, I'm going to work on my business plan for pet sitting and dog walking.

Ike here - send good vibes my mom's way so she can get a job that is a good fit for her because she is really sad because she has been wanting this humane society job for years and it turned out to suck and I feel really bad for her except she will be home with me for a little while now.

And this is a picture of how my mom feels right now.

Madison.

So I got to go to Madison, WI to sit in a hotel room for a really long time by myself and I really don't get what's up with that but I really did like the hotel room because it had carpet which is my favorite and I got to ride in the car for a really long time. I also got to see a lot of dead deers (they are really cool, Wally) because they go in the road and get dead and I had really bad gas in the car and my grandpa said he was going to eject me out the sunroof if I didn't stop farting and then I pooped at a rest stop and I was better.
The hotel has a really huge bed that was awesome because my mom always makes me move at night because she doesn't thing I need to lay on my side to sleep like those deers on the side of the road and I got to run up and down the long hallways and it was awesome but my mom thought I was supposed to get a care package at the front desk and I didn't and she had to pay an extra fee to keep me there so that's what she gets for leaving me in a hotel forever.
And this is a picture of me riding shotgun.


And this is the pretty part of Wisconsin and my dad said it's pretty because there was a lot of big ice there like a zillion years ago - whatever that means.


And this a picture of some horses that I didn't get to meet.


And this is me in my really big bed.


And this is me helping my mom sleep.