Baxter's 1st Birthday!

Today is Baxter's first birthday. Unfortunately, he was stuck in his kennel most of the day since we were at work, but this afternoon he got to join some of his friends at the dog park. Enough words. Enjoy the pictures!

Visiting Friends and a New Cousin

Baxter's been pretty busy lately visiting with friends and family, destroying toys, and taking a lot of puppy naps.

Recently, my sister added another dog to her family. She already had a miniature white schnauzer named Macie. She has now added a mini black schnauzer named Gracie. Baxter hasn't met Gracie yet, because she's still very small and Baxter sometimes get a little too friendly.



Just before my sister got Gracie, we visited with my mom's side of the family. Baxter and Macie were caught having a good time in the yard, exploring everything together. Normally, Baxter is instigating some sort of wrestling match.



Aside from that, life has been pretty typical. Here's Baxter checking to see if there are any new dog blog posts.


Baxter looks around, pondering where he's hidden his squeaky toy. Sadly, that toys has since been destroyed. If there's even a microscopic hole in any toy, Baxter will find it and he won't stop until it has been ripped wide open.


Baxter had a friend over last week to see how they got along. This is Jersey. She'll be staying with us for a couple of days next week. We'll be sure to post some pictures of the visit.




And lastly, here's a picture I had to snap with my cell phone yesterday as Baxter fell asleep with me on the couch. He loves his naps, especially when he can curl up with someone he loves.

Typical Baxter - "Crazy Dog"

Baxter tends to surprise us during the day with an impromptu running spree around the house. It can last for a few seconds, as he quickly runs into each room with an open door. Sometimes it can last for a few minutes. This often results in random items all over the floor, furniture out of whack, and a very tired dog afterward. I really don't mind picking up his toys or the occasional shoe or even moving the ottoman back where it's supposed to be when he's finished. In fact, I get a kick out of it, because there's nothing that really precedes this behavior. It's completely random. I think he just gets bored with his surroundings and decides to entertain himself.

The only problem I have is that we can never get it on video. Anytime we try to watch from a decent vantage point, he wants us to join in. He'll stop and beg for help in chasing a toy, or sometimes he'll simply chase us!

I was lucky enough today to have the camera ready for whenever he felt the need to play Crazy Dog. Of course, he immediately involved me in his little game. Below is just a little snippet of his insanity.

And here are a couple pictures just moments after. It's almost as if he stopped and fell right where he was.

Baxter Meets Jersey and Georgia

Our friends, Liz and Andy, have two mutts named Jersey and Georgia. Jersey is a black and brown, long-haired dog, and Georgia is short-haired and mostly black with some hints of white. Baxter had a chance to visit them today for the first time, and it was an adventure.

Georgia wasn't quite sure what to think of the little guy, so she played mean most of the time. She continuously growled and bit at Baxter's neck. Jersey was just happy to meet a new puppy and play. Baxter was pretty submissive most of the time, but he did get a few good hits to Georgia's face when he could.

Fun in the Snow

It snowed a little over an inch in Louisville last night, so Baxter got to enjoy his morning in the front yard.







After Baxter played for a while, he decided to start digging and rooting through the snow to find what was underneath.

Christmas with the Grandmothers

Baxter got to visit both of his Grandmothers for the holidays, which was exciting and tiring all at the same time. At my mom's house on the 23rd, Baxter got to play with Macie, my sister's dog. It seems Baxter is a bit too much puppy for Macie's liking. We actually had to put Baxter in a kennel for a while to let the little kids open presents and give Macie some rest.

On Christmas Eve, our Aunt Tracy got Baxter a nice Milkbone chew toy, which he immediately destroyed once we got home.



On Christmas, we dropped Baxter off at my mother-in-law's house for a while before we came back to eat and celebrate with Trista's family. When we got back, Baxter was barricaded in the basement because he was scaring all the little kids with his high-pitched bark and his energetic attitude. Luckily, I brought a Dingo bone and that calmed him down for about 10 minutes.



Then, he went back to barking like a raving lunatic until we put him in a bedroom upstairs and locked him in his kennel. That's when he fell asleep for a couple of hours.



Once he was awake and all the little kids left, we let Baxter roam around the house freely looking for scraps of food that might have hit the floor. He seemed pleased.



Today, the day after Christmas, Baxter woke up late to go out and to get food. He then immediately fell asleep for another 3 hours. I'd say he really enjoyed his first Christmas.

A Trip to the Dog Park

Four days ago, Louisville was covered in ice. Schools in surrounding counties were closed, and road crews were out in full force spreading salt. Today, the weather shifted nearly 40 degrees for a high of 70, the clouds parted for a nice, sunny (yet windy!) afternoon, and Baxter's Dog Park tags came in the mail. It was the perfect recipe for a happy, muddy, very tired dog.



When we first arrived, Baxter and I were the only ones at the park. He wasn't quite sure what to do or where to go, and he actually wanted to go back toward my car instead of in the fenced area. After about five minutes, another dog joined the fun, and allowed Baxter to get used to the idea of the dog park.



Within 10 minutes, several other dogs--all bigger than Baxter--showed up. Baxter tried to play with them, but he was the obvious runt of the group, so they all picked on him. This week's ice and this morning's rain absolutely drenched the ground. This was bad news for Baxter, since his defense is to quickly roll on his back to claw and bite. Every time he got up, there was more mud and hay caked to his fur.

About halfway through our visit, a couple walked in with their Border Collie, Sage. Baxter and Sage, both being relatively small and over four months old, became friends rather quickly. They stayed mostly on the concrete and enjoyed each others company away from the bigger dogs.



Below are videos of Baxter and Sage playing at my feet. The first one was when they first met. Later, once they got to know each other a bit more, Baxter became a bit more vocal and tried to get Sage to play more.