Birthday Antics
Not mine. I had my antics back in February.
But I’m not very high on the Antic Scale anyway. I’d rate myself a 3.5 on the Antic Scale. Although I used to be a 1.2, so I am definitely upping my antics as I age. My husband, in his younger days, was about a 7.8, but now he is around a 3.6, as he has calmed down in recent years. So in effect, after nearly 25 years of marriage, we are finally sort of compatible.
Anyway, not my Birthday Antics. Not my husband’s birthday antics.
The Dog’s.
Theo turned one on July 3rd.
It was a very good reason to celebrate. The whole family – me, hubby, Theo himself, and especially our two cats Stewart and Lillian – are extremely glad that we are no longer living with a puppy.
No siree. Theo is a grown-up dog.
All mature.
Except for the antics.
Here’s how he spent his birthday…actually the whole weekend, since it is kind of neat to have a holiday weekend and a birthday at the same time.
Saturday:
Picnic with his aunts and uncles (my sisters and their husbands). He ate: crackers, a little pizza, the extra shredded mozzarella from making the pizzas, a bit of strawberry shortcake, extra whipped cream from the shortcake, and a bison bone (yeah, he actually had one doggie thing.)
Sunday (the actual birthday):
This was a big day for Theo, and he filled it well.
First thing in the morning, he crept quietly by me as I was reading at the kitchen table, and ate all the cat food. Fancy Feast is WAY better than kibble.
Then he posed for a birthday photograph.
He helped with the gardening. He stole the trowel, stole my gardening gloves, and jumped from the patio wall into the daylilies, at some cost to the daylilies. And did you know that you can dig up daffodil bulbs, and they bounce almost as good as a ball?
Birthday dinner was big. When we go to the bison farm for Theo’s bones, we also buy ground bison for ourselves. Nice healthy burgers. So for Theo’s birthday, we opened a pound of bison and split it three ways. Yes, Theo got a 1/3 pounder.
The evening mostly consisted of various staredowns with Stewart the cat.
Monday (4th of July):
Theo occupied the morning with his very favorite past-time. Destroying that horrible menace called a shower scrubbie. Guess how many yards of netting you get if you shred a scrubbie. If you guessed a gajillion, you are very close.
With perfect weather, it only made sense to go for a ride in the convertible. Theo likes to ride between Hubby and me – back paws on the back seat, front paws on the center console, nose in the air, catching the breeze. (Yeah, I know, I know.. he should be buckled in, but once in while around town, we indulge him…please don’t call the SPCA on me.)
We took the convertible to a nearby lake, where Theo could bark at the hot, arguing families ineptly attempting to get their boats out of the marina. We encouraged him.
Then on to ice cream. In our little village of Litchfield, Connecticut there is a dairy farm called Arethusa. This is not an ordinary dairy farm. This is owned by the same guys who own Manolo Blahnik shoes. They have more money than anyone should, so they have decided to share it with cows. Their cows sleep on mattresses, get massages, have special shampoo for their hair type & color. As you can imagine, these are very happy cows, and they produce some mighty tasty milk. The ice cream parlor is only a few miles from our home. My husband had a strawberry cone. I had a cup of vanilla and two spoons. Theo had his own spoon, but not his own cup.
On the way home, the townfolk were firing the cannons on the Litchfield green. I cautioned my husband that Theo might understandably freak out. “Nonsense,” said Hubby, I’ll just cover his ears.” And so we sat in the open car with hubby’s hands over Theo’s ears. Oh yeah, it was SO effective against cannon fire. But Theo didn’t pee, so we were satisfied.
We did leave Theo home went we went to the fireworks display later in the evening. We live out in the woods, so he didn’t have to cope with any explosions from the neighbors, but my guess is that he would have found it pretty tame after the cannons.
Fetch was in order late in the evening. Fetch is Theo’s favorite game. It is pretty much his only game. I throw toys – his favorite is a beat-up bunny who no longer has ears, but still has an excruciating squeaker – while I watch TV, while I do the dishes, while I brush my teeth. I am throwing a turtle-thing right now as I write this blog.
But eventually, we got to our favorite part of the day. Theo’s bedtime.
Sometimes – often – Theo hates to go to bed. But other times – like after the long holiday/birthday weekend, our little one-year-old fell asleep still holding his bunny.
Happy Birthday, Theo.
notquiteold 
Yes, I would think Fancy Feast is better than Kibbles! He is a lucky but spoiled grown-up dog!
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There’s no comparison… cat food is the clear winner.
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Ooh, the terrible twos have begun.. Happy Birthday to one lucky dog! 🙂
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He is much better than his puppy antics, except for the stealing things. He takes anything and everything he can find. If he can tear it to shreds, that’s the best!
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Theo is just about the cutest ‘adult’ I’ve ever seen.
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Yes, he’s adorable. That’s his weapon.
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OMG, he’s too cute! And this was hilarious!
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Thanks
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Happy birthday Theo!
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Awwww….
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Happy birthday Theo. I hate to tell your folks, but you might just be able to get away with antics for several more years. We have been waiting for Katie-girl (sheltie) to grow out of puppyhood for several years. Nine to be exact. We thought maybe at seven she’d slow down, but she going to be ten in December and just this year we’re starting to see the adult. Enjoy your puppyhood Theo! It’s not over till the fat lady sings and she’s not even in the concert hall yet.
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I would be happy if he could do one thing: walk nicely on a leash.
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Sounds like a little bit of dog obedience might help that.
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I can’t believe he’s one already! He is one pampered pooch, and understandably so.
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I can’t believe he’s grown up, and I can’t believe how much I adore him.
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What a cute and sweet tribute to Theo! Though you did get me with a huge case of Cuteness Overload with that last photo of him sleeping with his bunny.
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Yes, he did get to me with that pose too. He was sleeping right next to me, and I realized he still had the bunny in him mouth. So adorable.
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What a cutie! My cats would give him a smack down if he ate their food. Of course, they never let any just “sit around.” In my next life, I want to be your pet.
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Oh, my two cats smack him once in a while… actually quite often….
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Happy birthday little ‘teenager’ you!! My three year old Great Dane still sleeps with a stuffed toy in her mouth too (usually a bear or bunny). I hardly think they ever grow up 🙂
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I kind of hope he doesn’t grow up too much. I want him to stay a sweet baby, but on the other hand, it would be nice if he would listen to me once in a while.
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LOL! My Stella (Newfie) was exactly like that in her puppyhood, which lasted 4 years! She is now 7 years old and finally calmed down. We do call her Stealtha, since she does reconnoissance maneuvers around the house to see where we are, then stands on her two back legs to help herself to whatever happens to be on the counter/table at the time. Yes, she does look at us completely satisfied and proud of herself when her tactical exercise is done. Dogs! Love them!
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OMG, Theo is also a very proud thief. His downfall is that he has to come and show me what he’s pilfered.
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Happy belated birthday, Theo. But don’t worry; puppyhood lasts until at least age 2…
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That’s both wonderful and terrible news.
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Yeah. Sorry. Although Duncan turned 2 in April, and I don’t think he got the memo.
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fabulous writing & sentiments
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Thank you, Mr. Ordinary.
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I have given a friend this link. She has been struggling with a neurotic puppy for months. I hope it will give her faith that it all gets less stressful in time.
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My little boy is still a TREMENDOUS amount of work… but I love him more every day. I don’t know how I every lived one happy day without him.
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