Happy Birthday to you, you smell like a zoo, ..... I'm ONE!!!!!!!! Blow out the candles - it's my first birthday. Since I'm about the same as a seven year old little boy, I thought I'd make a funny joke! Wanna hear another one?

Do you remember what I looked like when you first adopted me? Here's our family photo to help you remember. The woman keeps it on the fridge just for me. Every time I get an ice cube snack I see it and feel all warm and gushy inside. I still like ice cubes a lot.

Remember how tired I used to get after a little bit of play and a nibble of food? Man, I had to take a lot of naps back then. Potty training you guys wore me out!


Mom, remember when you let me drive?! The Woman doesn't do that - she sticks me way in the back, and keeps yelling "Dub, sit D.O.W.N.!" I like driving better. Riding in the back, you fly all over the place. I think it may be the Woman's driving but I'm keeping mum about that.


Last night I made a wish for snow for my birthday, and The Big Guy Upstairs obliged. Such fun, I made tracks all over the deck and yard, and because it's my birthday Woman didn't yell at me when I tracked in wet slush all over the kitchen floor. That usually makes her go crazy. Wonder what else I can get away with, it being my birthday and all? Hmmm, where's the cat box and cat food?

So I went to the dog beauty salon with Elway. Woman said we both stunk to high heaven, so we got baths, pedicures and that lady brushed us like crazy. Then she stuck us both in front of a big whirly machine forever. I didn't like it much, but something told me not to mess with her. She looked like she'd been around the block a time or two. We came home with fancy schmancy snowflake bibs on.

One of us still has ours. The other one was snatched in a matter of hours.

We smelled good for at least a week, til Woman forgot she left us outside. It was such fun running through the wet mulch, chasing each other and laying down when we got tired.

When Woman remembered us, and saw the mud all over our bellies, there was heck to pay. We had to go to jail for hours, or til, as she put it "you can stay in there til the mud dries and falls off!" She yelled something about wasting $80, but her voice got garbled at that point and I didn't understand everything she said. I think that's a good thing.

So - back to my birthday celebration. Look who came to spend part of it with me - the kid!

He had brand new chalk. I thought the blue tasted the best. Better than the goldfish crackers I usually steal from him. Not quite as good as licking his face tastes.

So, wanna see my present? I thought so.


It's the most delicious, wonderful thing - a sock necklace! And it's been worn long enough to be all nice and smelly. Elway and I play tug of war for hours with it and it just doesn't wear out. Wonderful, wonderful.

Woman told me you're coming to see me in just about a month, so we can go to the Dairy Queen drive-through for my ice cream cone then. I wouldn't miss celebrating with you for anything. You're not going to believe how big I am. Hurry, hurry - come see me and we'll play for hours. Maybe Mom will let me drive again, huh, will she, huh, will she, huh....? xoxox Dubbie