Lamb Chop

Last week, Megan bought Duncan a big Lamb Chop toy. At first, he treated it like all his other toys, killing it and grabbing it when he needed something in his mouth to greet people with. But last night, tired after his excellent day, he discovered that Lamb Chop is also useful as a pillow, and for snuggling with while lying on the air conditioner vent.

Duncan's Most Excellent Day

What a great day! We started off well, lucking into a dog party in the park on our morning walk. There were at least 8 other dogs (it was hard to count!), including his friends Watson and Ruby, and they were able to play off-leash, though it was too hot for running around much.

Then – O Frabjous Day – we laid the sod!! The end of the long, long, pool project. We officially have a lawn. Duncan seems pleased, and was lying in the shade for a while enjoying the cool grass.

And – best of all – Aunt Marnie brought puppy Cerys for a playdate. She's 5 months old now, and already outweighs him by about 10 pounds. And more important, she mostly stands up to him and gives as good as she gets. They had a wonderful time playing together, and the new sod survived remarkably well:

Chewy Bamboo

So after moving 50+ cubic yards of fill and topsoil, we finally have a flat backyard. All it needs is a last-minute final smoothing, and it will be ready for sod next week.

Why does the smoothing have to be last-minute, you ask? Well, we raked and we rollered, and we ended up with a nice smooth surface. And then we let Duncan loose on it. It's no longer smooth!

He's having such a great time playing in the bigger space. We've played ball, tug, and frisbee (he prefers the purple one that Owen gave him to the blue one Santa gave him) as well as kill-the-bamboo.

Here are a couple more pictures from the last week or two. Look at those paws!

Wash? Why?

Duncan's grass provides convenient morning shade to supervise from.

Hideout Moving Day

Today was the sad day; we couldn't put it off any longer. Duncan's hideout had to be moved. He isn't the only one who may be upset by the change; this little guy has been seen several times pulling off bits of the old seed heads.

I think Duncan knew something was in the air this morning. We found him – plus a selection of his favourite toys – plunked right in front of the "door" of his hideout this morning:

We rescued the last few occupants – Mouse(?) and his latest stick were still inside – and put Duncan in the house while we actually moved his grass. He seemed a bit surprised, but not really upset, to find it missing when he came out again...

I was sure I left it somewhere around here.

... and even more surprised to find it moved to the back of the yard:

We left a nice big hiding space between the grass and the fence, and made sure his toys were there to greet him when he explored:

Finally, he gave it the ultimate mark of approval:

In  other yard news, we found a long piece of plastic garden edging carefully outlining an area several inches under the former brick patio (why, we don't know). But Duncan quite enjoyed wrestling it into submission:

There's a Sad Day Coming...

You may remember that sometime over the winter, Duncan made himself a secret hideout in the big clump of grass beside the pool. But the pool is well on the way to becoming a lawn. What has happened to the hideout?

So far, it's still there. He does love cozy little dens, and he's been so good at putting up with all the change and confusion while he supervises the work crew. So we ignored all the good gardening practices, left the dead stalks standing, and steer the wheelbarrow around the clump. The new growth is filling in too, so Duncan has a bit more privacy. He pops in now and then:

I love my hideout. Nobody can see where I am...

But soon – maybe even this weekend – we're going to have to move the grass. And it will almost certainly have to be moved in sections; I doubt the hideout will survive. Poor Duncan will need a new one.

Do you think he'd like a doghouse? Something like one of these, perhaps? Personally, I'm leaning toward the castle with the drawbridge. After all, Duncan is a king's name!

Just Another Day on the Job Site

Tim's break!
Duncan enjoys the ice cubes from my iced coffee. Then he chews the cup.

Duncan is continuing to supervise as we fill in the enormous hole that used to be the pool. He has to stay indoors while the gate's open to wheelbarrow in the fill from the driveway – we're halfway through the second load of fill, at 10 cubic yards/load – but he likes to be involved whenever he can.

Yesterday we rented a roller to compact the fill. Duncan was not very happy about it at first, and was forced to bark quite loudly to make his point:

So Daddy explained the roller to him:

So you put water in there?

And he checked it out carefully:

It smells okay...

And then we push it.

Once he understood the process, he was quite happy to settle down and supervise from a safe distance:

Duncan Gets his Very Own Vet

Doctor Sparks! (almost)

We got wonderful news this week – Duncan's sister Megan has been accepted to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. In four years, Duncan's needles will be given by his own personal vet. In the meantime, he doesn't even notice them, as long as he has a treat to think about:

Congratulations, Megan! We've always known you have a special gift with animals.

With Bonnie (or possibly Clyde?)