Now the white stuff has gone away and it’s a little warmer out. I’ve started going outside more, walking with my pack. That is, the core pack… the humans. (The Klingons are optional.)
I enjoy the walks. Dogs love walking. The way it should be on walks is, that both the humans are near me and I can see them. This is important. We all need to be together.
Hurry up, No. 2. You're lagging!
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: August 18th, 2009
My whole life so far it’s been brrr! outside. They say I’m a winter puppy. Now something happened. A whole lot of cold white stuff fell from the sky, and our back yard looks like this.
Here’s No. 2’s ladder, which he climbs to get the Klingons down from the roof when they get stuck up there.
I’m getting the idea that the humans would rather I go outside for certain things. This is now a problem, since the cold white stuff is taller than me.
No. 2 got out a shovel and dug some paths for me. Before, one of the humans always accompanied me when I went outside. Now I can go outside all by myself! I have no desire to climb the tunnel walls and flounder around in all that.
In fact I’d rather stay inside where it’s warm and toasty. Here’s the best thing to do with a leash IMO… lie down with it near a heating vent. No. 1 calls this pose “the flying frog.”
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: August 17th, 2009
One of my favorite toys is my rope. This can be dragged around, chewed, rolled on, and if somebody gets the other end, it turns into a most delightful game called Tug of War.
You can growl ferociously, grab onto your end with your teethies and pull, and try to get more of the rope than they do.
 |
Anybody wanna tug? How ’bout play with red ribbon… no, focus! Tug? Anybody? Anybody? |
Tug of War with my rope is the recommended way to play with Klingons, because they’re over there and I’m over here.
I wonder why they use their paws instead of their teethies. Anybody knows teethies are better.
 |
I always win. See? |
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: August 16th, 2009
One of the Klingons has decided that I am not evil.
This is the one.
The other day, she came right up to me and started giving me head-butts. I didn’t know what to do, so I stood stock still and tried not to make a move. That was hard though. She’s bigger than me so I ended up being buffeted around the room. Being head-butted by a Klingon is a little nerve-wracking, but I tell you what, it’s a whole lot better than being swatted.
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: August 15th, 2009
I was sitting on No. 1’s lap on the sofa, and one of the Klingons was sitting on the back of the sofa above us with her tail hanging down. This one.
Do not be fooled by this angelic pose.
I had been giving the Klingons a wide berth, but this seemed like a nice mellow moment, and I made so bold as to smell her tail. Apparently she did not appreciate having her tail smelled, because she reached down her paw and gave me a swat!
That was all I wanted of that, and I must say it was really very thick. No. 1 started boo-hooing a little bit, held me close, and told me she was sorry. Later on she told No. 2 that that’s when she knew she loved me.
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: August 13th, 2009
One of my jobs is to help the humans. I help No. 2 a lot.
Working in the study.
Reading math papers.
A dog knows his duty.
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: August 12th, 2009
 My bestest human. |
This is No. 1. She is sweet, loving, and spends lots of time petting me and teaching me things. |
 My also bestest human. |
This is No. 2. He’s silly, fun, and plays with me a lot.
What a great combo platter for a pair of my very own humans! |
 |
These are the Klingons. Sure, they look sweet now. |
I’m beginning to realize that I keep hearing the sound “Willie” a lot. However, when No. 1 is brushing me, I hear something that sounds more like “Wiggleworm.”
Can't I just chew the brush instead?
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: August 11th, 2009
The first day in my new home was a little confusing. It was all new and I didn’t quite know what to make of things. The new humans stayed with me in the kitchen, and as long as they were there, everything was all right.
Safe in a lap.
Even when I met my first Klingon.
Here's what they look like, in case you ever run into one.
I had no prior experience of these creatures. They are about the size of puppies but they don’t smell like puppies, and the way they act… most startling. The first time one of them saw me on the other side of the gate, it got its back up and emitted a spooky, un-doglike hissing sound. I wasn’t at all sure I wanted any of that.
But nothing else happened. They stayed on the their side of the gate and I stayed on mine. The only really bad times that day were when the humans left me alone in the kitchen, behind the gate. No good! No good at all! I let them know that I did not like it! I used every bit of my vocal range, from barks and yelps to yips and whimpers and whines and yodels, etc. Finally, just when my voice got a little tired and I quieted down, they came back!
The next time they left me alone, I was determined that I was going to get through that gate. I jumped up onto a chair as part of my plan to use my butterfly ears to fly over the gate, but instead I took a header onto the kitchen floor. I was so surprised and upset that I started puppy-crying.
The humans returned immediately, and one of them sat down on the floor and drew me into her lap, petting and soothing me. When she tried to get up I clung to her lap, so she sat back down and gathered me in again. That’s when she became No. 1.
That night I slept in my crate in the bedroom with the humans. I was used to this plan, because that’s what my breeder mom taught me.
I like my crate.
I went to sleep with the notion that my new pack was the two humans and the three Klingons. A dog likes to know his pack.
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: August 9th, 2009
On the day that the new humans took me away, they were talking quite a bit during the long car ride. I wasn’t too interested in that, but I did find crunchy treats in the compartment that opened in front of me! I didn’t wait to be asked, and snagged one immediately. Open it again! More! More!
The human whose lap I was sitting on (later she would become No. 1) was gazing at me, petting me, and thinking and thinking. Little did I know that she was feeling her way along to my name.
In my first home, they were going to call me Warlock. This turned into Little Man. Now, in the car, No. 1 said, “It’s like he wants to be a Willie.”
No. 2 replied, “Only if he can be Bertram Wilberforce Woofster and Willie can be short for his middle name.”
“Deal,” said No. 1.
One of many hilarious Bertie and Jeeves books
After that really long car ride, we arrived at my new home, where they had everything a puppy could want.
Settled in the kitchen.
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: August 5th, 2009
I was born an only pup into a house full of papillons (and one lone collie). There were other puppies in the house about my same age, so we did get to play together. It was a great place to start out in the world. My mother Ellie was a very good mother, and my human mom was wonderful to me too. She fed us shredded cheese and was exceedingly gentle and kind. My first home was a happy place.
Here’s my lineage. I don’t know what all those CH’s mean.
Mama's family tree
Dad's family tree
[No. 1 here... Willie has never been told that he is a 'mismark' for showing and was placed as a pet instead. According to the breed standard, a papillon can have no white blaze or a central white blaze. If they have a blaze, it's not supposed to touch either eye. Willie looks like a harlequin! Lucky us!]
 Ch. Little Lord Far-fel, aka Dad |  No. 2 says I look just like him, except for the color of course. |
Sadly, I have no picture of my mother.
One day, when I was about 4 months old, some very nice humans came to the house and played with me… in the living room! We puppies weren’t allowed to come in all that often, but I got picked up especially and lifted over the gate! Oh, that was a treat. I raced around and around, settled down for a minute on the knees of one of the visitors, then took off running again, then came back to the knees again. It was jolly good fun.
 Going-Away Picture | These new humans then took me away with them in the car on a long ride. I never saw my first home again.
Woofs, |
Edited: July 18th, 2009
My earliest memory is of being propped up in front of ruffly pillows and enticed to do adorable things.
Is this cute enough?
I look down on this procedure.
What do you mean I look like a box? I’ll have you know that papillons grow into elegant creatures. Just you wait.
Woofs,
Willie
Edited: July 14th, 2009
