i am chunk

one great afternoon snack

2011-10-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

Bully?

Bully!

my big, funny slumber party

2011-09-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

Usually at night I get to sleep on a big, poofy bed in Eva's extra-big kennel. This is because I like to scoot around the living room on my little behind (it feels sooo good!) while Eva Peace, the cats and the Lady and the Man are sleeping.

But for some reason the Lady and the Man don't think this is the best use of my time. They say it's gross and then they get out the carpet shampooer and make loud noises with it all over the floor for a very long time.

I love sleeping on my big bed in my big kennel, so it's pretty ok with me.

But sometimes I get to share Eva's bed in the people's room. This is a special treat and I think it's so very fun. It's like a big, funny slumber party.

When I get to sleep there, I smile with my happy teeth and sneeze my excited sneezes and get all frisky. Sometimes I even forget I'm not supposed to try to hump. But then we all settle down and the lights go off and it's time to sleep.

This is what I look like when I'm supposed to be sleeping in Eva's bed but get too excited to actually sleep.

The people say they sometimes have a hard time sleeping when I get to share Eva's big bed. Probably because I'm so cute they can't stop poking at me and taking pictures. So none of us gets the best night of sleep. But we all seem to think it's worth it.

I usually steal Eva's blanket, but she doesn't seem to mind. I do it on purpose because then she has to cuddle up closer.

a farewell to tee shirts

2011-09-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

My itchies have been getting better and better, and I haven't had to wear my tee shirts in months. So the Lady and the Man decided it was time to clean out my closet. The Lady thought it would be a good photo op, so we pulled all of the shirts out and put them in a big pile in the back yard.

How did my skin get better?

Mostly through a lot of lotions, potions, special baths, extra good food and time. When I first moved to California, my skin was a real mess from when I lived in the Sad Place.

Bad Rap started me getting better, and when I came to live at the House of Eva, my skin kept getting happier.

But I was still crazy with itchies sometimes. So I went to see some more doctors who looked at my skin all over, especially on my tummy, toes and armpits where the itchies were the worst. They poked and swabbed, scraped and looked closely, but there were no mites or creepy-crawlies. Just some yeasties and lots of irritated skin.

They gave me more lotions and sprays, and said I should get special baths to keep fungus and yeast from growing on my skin. I also got some special pills to keep fleas far away from me while my skin was healing and extra sensitive. And I got to pick out some special food that doesn't have any wheat or grain or corn that might make me even more itchy.

Sometimes the grasses and pollens in the air make me a little bit red and scratchy. So I get an allergy pill in my food and the Lady and the Man wipe my skin off with baby wipes and spray a special spray on my really itchy spots.

Now that my skin is better, my man boobs have shrunk back to a respectable size and though sometimes I have to kick a little itch here or there, I don't have to itch, itch, itch anymore.

At first, I kind of missed the warmness of my tee shirts. But my hair is growing in thicker and shinier, so it keeps me warm all on its own. Besides, even though I probably won't have to wear tee shirts ever again, winter is just around the corner and I know my fancy sweater is just waiting in the closet for me.

And maybe I'll have better luck getting more smooches from Eva when I'm all dressed up and ready to go out on the town.

Here I am thinking about making a move.

Here's Eva Peace ignoring my advances.

a rose among the thorns

2011-08-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here I am, taking some time to stop and smell the roses.

green thumbs

2011-07-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Behind the house is my yard where I lay in the sun and chew bones and dance around with Eva Peace. But a few weeks ago, the Man and the Lady took us past the gate to the little yard on the side of the house. Flowers grow back there, and sometimes I go with the Lady or the Man to water them. This time, we brought some new plants with us to put in the dirt-filled boxes that Eva and I like to walk in.

Here I am helping hold the trowel.

Handing the trowel over to the Lady so she can dig a hole for the new tomatoes.

Chaperoning as the Man waters a new tomato plant.

Here I am making sure there's enough water to make tomatoes with.

Me, getting ready to watch my tomato plant grow.

No sir! That cage is not for me--I am not a tomato!

Getting hugs and pets now that the planting is done.

(PS: Don't worry about the funny thing on my ear in some of the pictures. I just had a hematomato growing on my ear that had to be fixed at the doctor's office. It's all better now!)

the house of eva...

2011-07-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

Have you heard my big news?

Today after Pit Ed class, the Lady and the Man signed a special paper that said I get to be all theirs forever and ever.

So now, the House of Eva is...

the House of Eva AND Chunk!

summer footwear

2011-07-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

They told me I had the wrong kind of feet to go with these kind of shoes. But I think I pulled it off.

What do you think?

he who lies with cats

2011-07-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

There are two cats that live in the House of Eva. A little grey one and a loud orange one.

I used to think I wanted to nibble on those cats. They were so fluffy and chubby and tasty-looking. And they move really fast, which made my ears stand up and my eyes go all buggy.

But the people said no, I could not chase them. And then Eva showed me how she just ignores them. That seemed to work pretty well; so I tried to do what she does, and now we're friends.

See?

one hard-working boy

2011-06-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

I'm a busy little guy with lots to do. Besides my regular everyday jobs of taking my people for walks, showing Eva Peace my happy teeth, watching for squirrels in the backyard, practicing not itching and eating up all my food like a good boy, I have four different jobs that I go to during the week.

On Mondays, I go to Auntie Shannon's with Eva and we play with our friend Jackson and see Auntie Shannon's dogs. I love going to Auntie Shannon's. I get to sit on the big bed, play on the deck in the sun and show off what a beefcake I am. On the mornings we go there, Eva and I get up early, go for a walk, eat breakfast and then we get in the Man's big truck and drive to Auntie Shannon's. She meets us at the door and is so excited to see us. She always makes a fuss over how sweet Eva is and how handsome I am. It makes me feel special.

Eva and I doing our important job of helping Jackson take a nap.

Here is Eva holding hands with Jackson.

Then there are the days I go to work with Lady at her office. Sometimes I go together with Eva Peace and sometimes I get to go all by myself. I get to sniff and explore, and there is a special blanket just for us so I know exactly where my place is when it's time to settle in. I like to sit and watch the Lady working, and the other people who work there come and talk to me and pet my head. Sometimes I even get cookies.

Here I am practicing my "give me cookies now, please" look.

Eva and I share the blanket and watch the Lady work.

Mister has his very own classroom, so sometimes I get to go and hang out with his students as another one of my jobs. Everyone thinks I am so cute and funny. At first, some of them didn't know what to think of me. And I didn't really have much experience with teenagers, so I didn't know what to think of them. They can be very loud and move fast. But the Mister told them how to come up to me quietly and let me sniff their hands so I could meet them, and once I was comfortable, I showed them that I have happy teeth and a soft head that likes to be petted. So now, everyone is excited to see me.

Here I am getting a cuddle at school from one of my new friends.

On some other weekdays, my job is to stay home and make sure that everything is safe and the cats are behaving themselves in the house. On these days, I get a special treat like a peanut butter Kong or a bully stick. Then I settle in on my big bed and chew and lick and listen to the radio until the Lady and Eva come home at lunch. Then we'll go out and play in the backyard and enjoy the sunshine. These days are nice and relaxing, and they give me a break from all the hard work that I do the rest of the days.

Here are Eva and I doing our very important job of chewing our chewies at home.

can't a guy get some sleep around here?

2011-04-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

Oh, I see how it is.

Every time a guy tries to catch some beauty sleep, someone's either flashing the camera lights, putting a blanket on me, cooing about how cute I am or putting their big ol' feet on my head.

Sheesh.

our day in the country

2011-04-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here are Eva Peace and I getting ready to go.

Eva Peace and I love to go for walks. It's fun to stretch our legs and smell things and meet new people, and I love to leave proof that I've been everywhere by kicking up dirt and making piddle on every tree and bush and clump of grass we walk by. We usually go for a walk in the morning, a walk in the afternoon when the people get home from work and a walk at night before we go to bed.

Us, still waiting. The people are always soooo slow.

But there are special times when we get to go for extra long walks in new and exciting places.

One day, we went to a big park where there were trees and rocks and grass and leaves. We spent hours and hours walking and jumping and sniffing and digging and piddling on everything. It was great!

We sniffed and snorted and looked all around while the people got ready. I could hardly wait to get moving!

Here I am waiting for everyone else to catch up.

Along the trail, we met a few other people and dogs, but it was mostly just us. I got excited whenever I saw birds in the bushes, and there were places on the grass and rocks that I could tell other animals had been. I sniffed and sniffed and sniffed, and I kicked up dirt and tinkled everywhere I could. I wanted to be sure anyone else around knew I'd been there first!

Eva and Mister jumped up on a big rock and posed for the camera. I was to shy to jump up that high, and I didn't want to be picked up, so I just stood on the ground and wagged and wagged while they were up there. Maybe next time I'll be brave enough to go up high, too.

We spent all afternoon walking and exploring. I like my walks around our neighborhood, but this was extra great! I'd never been able to walk so far and smell so many good things all in one place before. We even got to run up some hills and down others. I smiled the whole time.

Here I am saying goodbye to the park

It was warm in the sun and we'd been working hard. Eva Peace and I were so thirsty when we got back to the car that we drank a whole bowl of water together. Then we napped on the backseat while we drove home.

Me and Eva in the car, dreaming about our next adventure.

i love to sleep on people...

2011-03-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

it's the bestest place to sleep!

teaching eva peace

2011-03-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

Eva is usually the one that teaches me things, like how to sit and wait politely for food, and how to be brave when loud trucks go by when we're on a walk.

But sometimes, I get to teach Eva things that I'm good at. I try to teach her how to smile with her happy teeth in the mornings, and how to find the best sunbathing spots in the backyard. The most important thing I'm teaching Eva right now is how to be calm and happy in her kennel.

Eva is calm and happy all of the rest of the time, but she does not like kennel time when the people leave us home alone. When it's kennel time, Eva complains by snorting and making little drool bubbles. I think that's silly. I love to be in my kennel. It's got three soft and warm blankets, a water bucket, chew bones and a peanut butter kong. It's even right in the living room, so I can see all of the action and look out the big window. My kennel so much better than the little barrel where I used to live. And Eva has an extra big kennel to make her feel even better, so I can't figure out what all the fuss is about.

The lady and the mister tell me that my special job is to tell Eva Peace that she can be calm in her kennel, since that's one of the things I'm best at. So my kennel gets to be right next to hers in the front room, and when the lady and the mister go out, I lay down and show Eva just how easy it is to be happy and quiet.

And I must be a pretty good teacher, because since I've been teaching Eva the happy-and-quiet game, she doesn't snort and make drool bubbles much any more. In fact, she'll lay right down and chew her chewies and lick her peanut butter kong until the people come back home. I think that proves I'm pretty good at teaching Eva Peace things.

Sometimes when Lady and Mister are home, we even go and hang out in Eva's big kennel and chew chewies together. There's room for two in there, and we fit great. I like to think this is teaching Eva how fun and comfortable kennels can be.

Here's proof:

chunk vs. the angry itch

2011-02-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

My itches are less itchy every day, but to help me get better, I have to have special baths twice a week.

I don't really like baths.

It's not that I don't like the extra cuddles and kisses and snuggles I get after my bath, when the people tell me I smell so good. And I like doing zoomies around the living room with Eva Peace after we've both had baths and get all crazy. But I don't like being so wet and having to stand in the tub during my bath. The people turn on the bathroom heater so I'm not cold, and they put a special mat down in the bathtub so I don't slip around and get scared. So it really isn't that bad. I just don't like it as much as I like laying on my bed and chewing on my chewies.

Sometimes I act extra shivery and pathetic so the people don't make me take a bath. But that doesn't work so well. They just pat me on the head and turn up the heater and tell me I'm being a brave boy.

Here I am perfecting my I-am-so-pathetic-right-now look.

After I get rinsed off, I get all soaped up with medicated shampoo. Then I have to wait for five whole minutes while it soaks in. The people usually give me a massage all over while the soap is sitting, so this part I kind of like. (But I try not to let on. That would blow my whole pathetic routine.)

Me, getting un-soaped.

When the shampoo is done working, the people dump water all over me to get the soap off. They're careful not to get it in my eyes. I'm careful to shake and fling water all over, so that way the people have to be wet and soapy, too. I think it's only fair.

After I'm rinsed, you'd think it would be time for me to get out of the bathtub. That is what happens for Eva, but it's not true for me. Because my skin on my tummy is still itchy and working on getting soft, I have a special medicated rinse that I have to use. It has to soak in for five minutes. I don't think that's necessary. It seems like so much waiting and soaking. But the people tell me I'll feel better when it's done. So here I stand.

Standing and waiting for the medicated rinse to soak in.

Finally, after they rinse me all over again and again, it's time to get dry. I would like this part, but the towel that Eva and I get to use is a big fluffy pink towel. That's when I'm glad the bathroom door is shut so no one can see me getting dried off with a fluffy pink towel.

Here you can see how thrilled I am with the pink towel.

After I get dried off in the tub for a long time and I'm not dripping anymore, New Mister picks me up and puts me on the floor. Then I get toweled on some more until I am mostly dry. I like to get toweled on my chest and tummy, where it itches the most. Sometimes my feet stomp because it feels so good. I also like to get my ears dried off, and I'll even help the people dry off my face by rubbing it on the towel and their pant legs.

Getting my ears dried off.

Me, getting my chest itchies itched with the towel.

This is the part where they call me the Queen of Sheeba.

Then, I finally get to get my shirt back on so I'm not so cold and naked anymore. The people tell me that every time I take a bath, I'm closer to not needing to wear my shirts. We'll see. I'm not sure I'm ready to let them go.

Then, when all the rinsing and soaping and rinsing and soaking and toweling is done, I get to have my favorite part of the baths... the COOKIES!!

chillaxin'

2011-02-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

warm and wooly

2011-02-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Even though there's no ice and snow here in Cal-i-for-nia like there was in the Sad Place, I can still get cold sometimes when I go outside.

So New Mister and New Lady got Eva and me some warm clothes to wear. We get to put them on when they take us for long walks on rainy days and on cold mornings and nights when our breath makes fog in the air.

Eva and I modeling our new winterwear

Eva has a shiny brown jacket that matches her eyes and I get to wear a fancy-pants grey turtleneck. I think I am very handsome in my new sweater, and I wag my tail extra hard when I'm wearing it. Sometimes I get so happy, I even do my special little tap dance and show my happy-teeth.

The people show their happy-teeth when I wear it, too. New Mister says my sweater makes me look like a professor, and New Lady coos and giggles and follows me around the house with the camera when I've got it on.

Here I am smiling about how much I love my new sweater

Eva likes her jacket, too. She gets so frisky when New Mister and New Lady put it on her that sometimes she forgets she's not supposed to remind me how to play humpty-dump, and she chases me around the living room for fun. Sometimes I let her catch me, mostly because I know I'm so cute in my sweater that she'll lick my ears even though our people won't let her humpty-dump.

Me and Eva check each other's outfits before we go for a walk

Even though I usually get to wear tee-shirts around the house because I like to scratch my tummy a lot, wearing my sweater makes me feel different. Maybe that's because tee-shirts are every-day wear while my sweater is for fancy outings. And oh, boy, do I like going places!

Me taking time for a close-up while Eva gets bored waiting

my exciting visit to auntie shannon's!

2011-01-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here are me and Eva on the big bed

Today is the most exciting day. New Mister and New Lady both had to go to work for a long time; too long for Eva Peace and me to stay home alone.

So we got to go to our Auntie Shannon's house! She's come to see me at the House of Eva before, and sometimes Eva gets to go over to her house for special play dates, so I was really excited to go and see it for myself.

Auntie Shannon has four dogs that live at her house, so there are so many nice smells and treats and beds here. The best part is, she even lets us get up on the big bed. We have one at home, but it's for people only, so I've never been up on a big bed before. I hopped right up on this one to check it out. It's soft and squishy and kind of like the couch I get to sleep on. I've decided I love getting up on the big bed!

My new, fancy shirt

I got so excited to be at Auntie Shannon's house that I forgot to ask to go outside and I piddled in the house. But it wasn't on a soft place, so she cleaned it up quick and was real nice about it. She even had to put a new shirt on me, since I got a little piddle on the shirt I was wearing. And guess what? Look at the fantastic new shirt I got to wear! It's not plain white or blue like the ones I usually have. I think I'll suggest to New Mister and New Lady that we get me some fancy shirts like this one to wear around the house.

Along with her other four dogs, Auntie Shannon has this strange kind of dog at her house. It has no fur and makes funny noises. It even walks on its back legs instead of all its legs like Eva Peace and I do. It kind of looks like a

Eva and me napping on the big bed by Jackson

person, but it's much smaller than any person I've ever seen before. I'm not scared of it, though. It seems harmless, and it's much quieter than a garbage truck, which is really the only thing I'm afraid of.

Its name is Jackson. Eva told me that sometimes it feeds her cookies, so I've decided to hang out close to it and hope that it gives me some cookies, too!

I'm having a great day at Auntie Shannon's house. It's still early though, so I've got a lot of exploring and napping to get to!

car ride!

2011-01-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

Wowee, do Eva Peace and I like riding in the car!

The new smells coming in and the new places flashing past the windows make us all crazy-like. We snort and smile and sniff and sometimes we even get to show off our happy-teeth to the nice ladies at the coffee shop drive-through.

getting comforta-bull

2011-01-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

Eva and I have the same favorite place on the couch. It's the corner at the far end. It's extra cushy and warm, and it has an arm rest to lean against and put our heads on, so we race to see who gets it.

Eva usually wins.

But that's not a problem. I'm a little guy and I can make myself fit just about anywhere.

i like to chew

2011-01-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

and chew...

and chew!

missing you

2011-01-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

Dear Chunk

Missing you in Oakland, man. Remember when you used to share the dog bed with me and the people would get those crazy smiles on their faces and grab that camera again? Yeah, we felt a little exploited, but looking back, I really liked those times.

The new square head that's living in your kennel now moves around real fast and he doesn't dig the dog bed scene like you used to. The people said I'm not allowed to play with him too much because we get too excited. Shucks. That ain't right.

You and me - we were tight. Sure, you tried to hump me a lot but I knew it was just your way of saying hello.

I hope you're having fun with Eva. She's one cool tomato and you're real lucky to know her. Tell her I said, "Woo Woo!"

Yep. Thinking of you, little buddy. Sigh.

Love,

El-Man

'tis the season

2010-12-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

Here I am getting some snuggles from New Mister in front of the Christmas tree.

I think I'm in heaven, but they tell me this is just the good life I've deserved all along. Whatever it is, it's sure great!

baking and waiting

2010-12-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

Last night, New Lady and New Mister said they had to do some "holiday baking." I didn't know what that was, but I found out it pretty much means Eva Peace and I have to do a whole lot of waiting while the house gets to smelling so good that it makes me get all slobbery.

We didn't want to lay out on the couch when there was so much commotion and so many good smells going on in the kitchen, so Eva and I wandered around by New Lady and New Mister's feet. We tried every trick we know to get their attention: we sat and stared and did fancy dances and smiled and wagged and sniffed and licked our lips and snorted and wrestled and made drool droplets on the floor. But they didn't even give us a taste of the "holiday baking." Instead, New Lady brought in our bed from the living room and told Eva to teach me how to lay down and wait patiently.

Here are Eva and I waiting patiently. Sort of.

And here we are waiting some more.

And some more.

Finally, the "holiday baking" took so long we just gave up and took a nap.

I'm still not sure why anyone would want to do "holiday baking," since it seems like a lot of boring waiting and good-smell teasing, but at least our whole pack got to be together. And that's the thing I like best of all.

it's exhausting being me!

2010-12-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

I've been doing lots of fun stuff since moving to the House of Eva. What have I been the busiest doing? Here are a few hints:

my first week in the new place

2010-12-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

So much has happened since I left the barn-place and Elliot to go to the House of Eva ...

I've learned about weird looking animals named "cats," and that I shouldn't stare at them or they will spit at me. I learned about pet stores (yum), car rides (yay), garbage trucks (SCARY!), and a place called school, where I get to see all my buddies again. Here I am with New Mister, practicing something called "heel" at the school. It was hard to concentrate though because there was so much to smell in this place.

I got to go to a place called "work" with New Lady. It was full of so many people who seemed to want some love, so I gave away a lot of that. Someone said that they were going to "steal" me, so I'm not sure how safe it is to go there, but New Lady reassured me that we were okay.

I've been getting special baths for my itch, and every day my itch is less angry than the day before.

Best of all, Miss Eva lets me share her dog bed, INSIDE the house. Wow. It's my new favorite new place to be.

a very, very big day

2010-12-04T23:40:00.000-08:00

This morning, Elliot showed me about sharing a dog bed. I haven't felt this warm since I was a tiny pup with my mom in O-hi-o. While we were busy practicing 'good dog socialization,' the people told me that I would be leaving soon so I could learn more things in other places.

Wha? .... leaving?

They said another dog needed my spot here with the Nice People, so I had to be polite and 'graduate' just like Robin did to a brand new place. I couldn't imagine what they were talking about. Did I do something wrong?

Then a knock came at the door and all the dogs got crazy happy to see who was there. It was two people and a girl dog who smelled so good I felt dizzy. Nice Lady said we were causing chaos in the house-place, and we needed to go outside to say hello to each other. It was so super exciting and I forgot for a minute not to hump. Oops!

This New Mister bent down to see me and talked so soft that I felt safe, like he knew me all my life. Then he helped me meet the girl dog all calm-like so I wouldn't hump. She is sooo beautiful.

They said I was going home with her and she would show me more about being a dog. The people talked for a long time to each other about things like my food (my FOOD!) and my itchy skin and my life before California. They asked me to show off my "Sit" and talked about how I sometimes forget to pee outside. They talked about something called 'classes' where I would come back to see my friends.

Then it was time to leave the barn place and the people and Elliot.

I went outside to the car-thing and said good-bye to this place. It was then that I heard the name of the new dog friend who would help me just like Elliot did ... Her very wonderful name is Eva Peace. Isn't that perfect?

i play

2010-12-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

I'm not allowed to humpty dump dogs anymore, so I had to come up with a new way to be friends with dogs. Elliot waits for me to wake up every day so we can practice new moves. The people said their work is almost done and I'm "on my way." ... On my way where?

I'm not sure, but they smile now instead of sigh, so it must be good.

funny little front teef

2010-12-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

I gots'em.

long shadows

2010-11-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Back in the Sad Place, the season of long shadows came with bitter cold. The ground would turn hard and I would wake up to the white snow and angry winds. My feet would hurt and I had to stay inside my plastic barrel and wait for weeks and weeks until the shadows grew short again. Here in California, long shadow season is much kinder. The people complain about temp-er-a-tures "in the fifties" and tuck me in with extra blankets. That's very nice. I've never been so warm while waiting for the sun to come back.

contemplating comfort

2010-11-29T14:02:00.001-08:00

I still hear the sounds in my dreams ... The barking dogs and the wind and the sound of my chain dragging through the dirt. Then I wake up and it's all different. I'm still getting used to it. It's good here.

my first visit .. INSIDE the HOUSE!

2010-11-27T20:41:00.001-08:00

For something called 'thanks-giving' the Nice People said I could come inside the thing called the house to see where Elliot lived. WOW!

It was amazing! I followed Elliot everywhere and he showed me what houses were like.

<----- it was like THIS.

Every place in the house had soft places to sit and walk.

I got so excited for a minute that I forgot all about my favorite bush and peed, but Nice Mister said it was a good thing I peed on the hard floor rather than the soft places. I guess that was good.

Miss Sally was in the house place, too. WOW! She came over to see me and I had to stand very still and concentrate REAL hard..."Do not hump Miss Sally ... Do not hump Miss Sally ... Do NOT hump Miss Sally."

This part was extra good ... There's a big cold box-thing in the house that's full of food. FOOD!

Nice Mister opened it and it smelled like a hundred good things to eat. I wanted to spend more time looking inside, but I wasn't supposed to. I spent a lot of time waiting by the box because every now and then, the people would open it again and I'd get to have another look inside.

The people talked about me a lot when I was in the house. They said that they've never seen me smile so much. They said I was going to make a "perfect little house dog" for somebody.

I'll try my best to learn what I need to do to be a house dog because it's the very best place I've ever been in my whole life!

what? ... leave the barn?

2010-11-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

I didn't know that doing the thing the people call "Sit" and taking treats out of their hands and being next to dogs without playing humpty dump was so important. I thought it was what I was supposed to do to make everyone like me. So I worked on it real hard.

I even learned how to hold my pee until we go outside since it seemed to make Nice Lady so happy when I did that. It was work, but I concentrated real hard on that and she showed me a special bush that I think about and squeeze while I wait for her to take me outside.

But now that I can do all these things, they want me to leave ... Ugh! They said that I'm ready to live in a house and be a "real dog" and learn what real dogs learn in the houses. I don't even know what a house is!

Maybe I should pretend that I don't know the new things so I don't have to move again? The people said not to worry - that no one had asked for me yet, but someday, somebody wonderful was going to find me and then I could finally start my life. This all sounds very exciting but scary. Who are the new people? Are they looking for me now? Will there be a special bush at the new place to pee on and food to eat? It's almost more than I can think about, so I'm going to go take a nap.

another rule! (this one's for Elliot)

2010-11-21T12:40:00.000-08:00

My friend Elliot likes to put me in his mouth a lot when we play and my head fits almost perfect! I like being touched by ANYbody, so this is a fun game for me, but it makes the people sigh a lot and stop our games. They say we both need 'reminders' about nice play. I guess I'm not the only one who needs to learn new things. Geez - there sure seem to be a lot of dog rules in Cal-i-for-nia.

dog party!

2010-11-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

Today was dog party day. It was a blast. A bunch of my new dog friends came out and spent time with me in the yard and we ran around until our tongues were hanging out.

I've been practicing my play time manners and the people said I'm starting to act like a real dog. I don't know what I was acting like before, but I really like being a real dog.

One of my new best friends is a dog named 'Lola' who looks a lot like me. She's got funny ears, though. While we were playing, I heard the people talking about me. I think they said that I'm almost ready to start looking for a new family of my own. I guess that means I've been doing a good job learning the important stuff that I came here to learn.

Here are some of my friends. It sure was a great day.

itchy itchy itchy

2010-11-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is scratch my belly. Foster lady was impressed and took a movie of me when I was busy doing this. It feels so good. The people here tell me to stop, stop, STOP ... and I try - really I do.

I heard them say that I'm about to get "the treatment" because of the itch. They said I'm in 're-cov-er-y' from the place where I lived in the dirt. Today I got special wipes and a new friend rubbed cream on me that made my belly feel cold and quiet. I slept good after that. I heard that I'm going to get special food too. Special food!

I better keep itching since it makes everybody run around and try to fix me. I love that. Almost as much as I like itching.

I get to stay at the barn!

2010-11-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

My friend from O-hi-o named Robin got to do something called 'grad-u-ate' to a place called a foster home today. Everyone seemed really excited about that, although I'm not sure why since it means he has to leave the barn and all his friends here. Good bye Robin.

My good news is that I didn't have to graduate! I get to stay in the barn!

I have important work to do here. The nice people smile at me a lot and say I need some "so-cial-iz-a-tion" with other dogs. I think that means I'm not supposed to play humpty-dump with the other dogs. I loooooove playing that game and used to do it all the time in O-hi-o.

But the people say we don't do that in California, and I have to learn new games. So my new friend is this big tall furry dog named Elliot. He's very kind and is showing me how to play with different rules. He's teaching me about "chase" games and "wrestle" games. When I forget and try to play Humpty Dump, my people remind me and we start over. In the beginning, we used to start over a LOT. I hope I can get this figured out so I can make everyone proud.

good-bye cone of shame

2010-11-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last week, Nice Mister put something called 'the cone of shame' on me after I went to the veterinarian place. I got real sleepy there and when I woke up, it hurt to walk and I had this crazy thing on my head. Everything seemed wrong.

I couldn't get my ears scratched like I used to and the sounds that I heard were weird. I slammed into my people's legs a lot and had a hard time eating my food. Nice Lady said I was "depressed" in this cone, but all I know was that I felt sad most of the time that it was on.

Yesterday - WOOO! - the cone came off and I could hear and see like I used to. Even better, I could push my head up against the Nice People and get my ears rubbed.

The people said I was acting much happier and showing more of my per-son-al-ity now. I jumped up on the sofa and pushed my head into Nice Lady until she started to talk sweet to me. Then, everything got fuzzy and I was as warm and happy as I've ever been in my whole life.

I am Chunk. And it feels really good to be me today.

man boobs

2010-11-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

Nice lady Berenice from a place called Animal Farm Foundation and Nice Lady Diane from the BADRAP place had to look me over before I could go to Cal-i-for-nia.

They laughed a lot when they e-val-u-ated me and said that I had "man boobs." Man boobs? ... Is that good? It must be, because it made them smile at me a lot.

I'm glad they decided to like me. Now I have to make sure and learn what all these new words mean. Here is a fancy movie of us at the o-hi-o place, before my big journey.

Note: The skin on Chunk's belly has been irritated from years of neglect .. Hence the swollen nipples. We're working on getting him better so we don't have to buy him a little Bro-Bra. :-)

how did I get here?

2010-11-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

This guy here is my new friend, Nice Mister. Before I came to live with him, I lived in a place called o-hi-o. LOTS of other dogs were there with me - two hundred dogs! I lived outside and couldn't go too far because of a big chain that held me to my spot in the yard. Sometimes I got to chase things like butterflies, but mostly, I practiced running round and round and kicked up big dust storms in my spot.

One day, I got moved to a big barn in o-hi-o with all my friends. I heard something about "dog fighting charges" and "cruelty and neglect." Those are big words for me. I was just so happy that in this new place, I got food every single day. Food is GREAT!

This here is the man who took me off my chain and told me about Cal-i-for-nia. His name is Chris and he knows Nice Mister, so they both said it would be good for me to leave the Sad Place and go start a new life. So many people were talking nice to me that I figured something good was happening.

So this page is where I will tell you about Cal-i-for-nia and the dogs and people who live here. Thank you for reading about me. I had no idea I had so many friends who cared about little old me!