Caity's World - Tales From A Jack Russell Terrier

Social Networking

2011-02-14T12:12:00.008-06:00

It seems as if people don't communicate face-to-face the way they used to anymore. Now they do what is called "social networking". Since my friends have all joined the world of cyberspace I'm jumping in too.

Hello social networking world! It's me Caity!

I too now have a Twitter and a Facebook to keep in touch with all of you.

It has been so long since my last post you can imagine I must have a lot to say - you will not be disappointed.

Mommy finally graduated from college. Yes can you believe it? Now she has no excuse to be away from me during the daytime. Well unless you want to count that thing she calls work. But we'll get back to that later.

Remember my new feline siblings, Cleopatra and Jade? They aren't kittens anymore. They now are full grown almost 2 year old cats. " I call them little demons" even though there is nothing little about Cleopatra. In fact I don't think I have ever seen a cat's butt the size of hers before. Actually this works in my favor because now I'm not the only one who begs for food.

The little demons are sisters but Cleopatra or "Patra" as they now call her is the feline leader. I used to think my late sister Shadeau had an attitude but she had nothing on Patra.

This cat thinks she owns the place! Doesn't she realize I was here first? Of course she does have a cat brain which means she doesn't understand some things. When she was little I was kind to her, now that she is bigger she wants to take over my window seat! Actually both of the little demons do.

No one is allowed in my window seats while I am there. The audacity of them to even consider sitting there amazes me. Now when I want to use one of my seats I have to tell Mommy and wait until she removes them. Sure I could share, and sometimes I do, but not all the time.

I still guard the house. We moved into an apartment from the condo so I lost my large patio. I guess it is ok because my new window is right in front of the laundry room. Each time someone passes by I bark at them unless they are extremely boring.

My other feline sister, Jade is a real piece of work. She belongs to Taylor, my other owner and Patra is Mommy's. I think Jade belongs on the short bus.

Each time someones name is called she answers as if they are calling her. She constantly eats my food and has an odd obsession with opening cabinet doors. Oh and did I mention she pees in the sink? Nasty!!

Now the bathroom doors have to remain closed because she is too mentally challenged to use her own litter box. In fact she uses Patra's litter box - much to the dismay of Patra.

The funny thing is that Patra always gets her back for it by using hers. At night Patra chases Jade around the house. It keeps me awake but I think it is funny to watch.

I don't think she fully understands the concept of food. Sure she eats, but not nearly as much as Patra. When Mommy offers her something different from kibble she doesn't eat it. Except for that time she ate the fortune cookie.

Jade is so attached to Taylor that she fears the shower will cause her eminent danger. Each time Taylor decides to bathe, which is never as often as it should be, Jade frantically claws at the shower curtain and screams. Of course this is insane - I agree. She doesn't stop screaming until Taylor turns off the water and opens the curtain. You can hear her saying, "I'm ok Jade," LOL. Truly it is a sight to see.

My brother Symba is still vain as ever. His days are spent staring at himself in a mirror blowing kisses and telling himself how pretty he is. Mommy has been telling him lately how sexy he is so I'm sure it won't be long before I hear him saying "symba sexy bird" and blowing kisses.

I guess the most exciting thing I need to tell you is about Mommy's new business adventure. She loves photography - as if you couldn't tell from all the pictures of me. Sure I'm beautiful, but I get so tired of that flash going off in my face. I have grown weary of siting still while she snaps pictures of me. Thankfully she came up with this idea.

Mommy wants to start her own pet photography business. Yes it is a great idea! She hasn't come up with a business name yet, but she is excited about starting this new venture.

Her idea is to invite pets and their owners to her studio (when she gets one) to dress up and participate in a photo session for a reasonable fee. Mommy has clothes, props and all the fun stuff for a great photo. Never mind having to go to the mall to meet with Santa or the Easter bunny. Mommy will take care of it all.

I will keep you posted on future developments with this.

Until next time keep barking and give your owner a sloppy wet kiss in honor of Valentine's day today.

xoxo

Caity

Where Is My Mommy?

2009-10-30T22:24:00.000-05:00

Mommy is never home. Neither is the "other one" that is not so smart. Speaking of not being smart, can you believe they leave me here with these two devlish kittens? I mean seriously - why bring them home in the first place? If I had it my way I would take them back to the home they came from. They eat my food, drink my water and play with my toys. No of course I don't want to share. What Russell does? Would you? I don't care how cute they are either. Each time they come rushing from their room they always want to greet me by brushing up against me. I dont' know about them. Maybe they are a little cute.

Back to mommy not being home. She is gone all the time at work and school and it makes me sad. I miss her so much. When she comes home she gives me kisses, plays with me and tells me how much she misses me. If that is the case then why not stay home and play with me all day?

I am left with Symba. He calls himself "pretty bird" but they should teach him to say "messy bird" instead. He throws his food onto the floor each time they feed him instead of eating it in his cage. They should just throw it on the floor in the beginning an let hiem loose. Oh they can't do that - I forgot - the kittens would have a field day.

On other homefront news, the "other one" has permanently moved into my room with mommy so now sometimes I sleep in her bed because she has candy. I like it when she has candy. She is not smart enough to hide it in a good place so I steal it from her when she falls asleep. You know what is so strange about her? She sleeps with her mouth open. Sometimes I sneak up beside her and look inside to see if something will crawl or fall out, but so far nothing has. If anything changes I will let you know. So far she has been really good about keeping the bed free of liquids - I will just leave it at that.

My birthday is coming up on November 6th. I will be a 9 year old toddler. Yes a toddler because I still like to eat carpet and other things that are on the floor. I found a yummy pencil the other day. I wonder what I will find today?

Well thanks for reading my posts. I am sorry it has been a while since I last posted, but Mommy has been busy. Mommy please spend more time with me at home. I really miss you.

Love Caity

Long Time No Posts

2009-06-29T21:41:00.007-05:00

Hello my friends. I haven't posted in a very long while because I have been grieving. Really deeply grieving. In fact my whole family has until just lately, but I will tell you about all that later.

Remember my sister Shadeau was on Prozac and acting all drugy and stuff? Well she was actually ill - really ill. She had some sort of lymphoma ( I think that is a form of cancer) and we lost her within two weeks. We had to put her to sleep in the doctor's office. Mommy and my other owner came home crying so terribly. No one did anything for days. We all missed her so much. Mommy even put her pictures away for a while because she couldn't bear to look at them, it hurt too much.

Well we have now come to terms with her death and look forward to seeing her again when we all go to heaven and meet Jesus, but until then Mommy surprised my owner and me with two little kittens (rugrats I call them), but I guess they are kind of cute the way they hop around and all. They get into everything and act worse than newborns or toddlers. I guess in a way they sort of are newborns. They were only 5 weeks when they arrived in our home. They are now about 8 weeks and they eat like crazy. They eat everything - even MY food. I don't like that and Mommy knows it.

I especially don't like it when they come into my room to play then fall asleep on my special window seat. It makes me sad and I cry to Mommy to make them leave. She says she will get them their own, but in the meantime I have noticed that she has been keeping them off my things. They are always chasing each other, running through the house and playing. I looked at them, smelled them, and well - I guess they can stay for now. Their names are Jade and Cleo (short for Cleopatra). Jade is the climber and Cleo is the bad one. I say that because she is always getting into things, always bothering her sister, and always eating my food. Silly kitten. Can't they tell the difference between terrier food and kitten food.

One thing I don't like is the fact that they get that yummy food that comes in a can. Each time Mommy goes into the kitchen to prepare their meal I think it is for me, but she tells me I am overweight and on a diet. How cruel! Diet Shmiet - I want some canned food too!!

Oh well, I will keep you posted as to whether their behavior improves as the get bigger, and how well or not so well my diet is going. Let's just say when Dr. Longsie sees me she won't be a happy camper.

For now - it is on to better days. Rest in peace Shadeau. I really loved you and still do. You will never be forgotten.

CAITY

Here are the latest pictures of the "rugrats".

JADE

CLEO

Two New Sisters

2009-06-12T23:10:00.004-05:00

It has been some time since my last post. I was grieving. My sister died. She passed away so quickly I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. She had some sort of lymphoma. I miss her so much.

For several months it was just me, but then last week mommy brought me home two tiny little sisters. They were 5 weeks old - 6 weeks now. They run and play and get into things. I haven't figured them out yet, but when I do I will keep you posted.

In the meantime here is a picture of one of them. Her name is Jade. The other one's name is Cleo. I will get you a picture of her later.

I know my big sister Shadeau is in heaven. Jade and Cleo help me not miss her quite so much.

Thanks for reading.

Caity

Stupid Fish, Blue Pills, and a Barking Ball of Fur

2009-03-24T20:29:00.006-05:00

Hello again,

It has been quite some time since my last post because I have to depend on Mommy to do the typing and she has been quite busy. She leaves me every day to attend what she calls college and sometimes work as well. I don't really understand what these things mean, but they don' t seem to make Mommy very happy. She is always in a hurry when she leaves out the front door and never has time to play my game of "escape" where I go outside and pretend it is time for a walk. My other owner always tries to trick me into going into the front door, but as I have already explained in other posts, she is not too smart so I usually win and she ends up having to try to catch me, then chase me into the house. I love that game.

Mommy added more of what she calls fish to the tanks. I don't know why she keeps buying these things. They really are pretty stupid. All day they swim around or chase each other and some just stare at imaginary things outside the tank. They must be pretty dumb. Now that I think about it, they look pretty dumb too.

My sister, the cat with the attitude problem, finally got into trouble for not using her litter box. She was urinating on everything that belongs to my other owner because she doesn't like her. I don't think she likes anybody, so why she singled her out I have no idea - I am just glad it was not my stuff. Could you imagine if she wet Harry or Hermionie? They would be very upset, not to mention the smell. Speaking of Harry and Hermionie, I have been trying to get the point across to my owners that they don't need arms to be happy. Each time I attempt to remove one of their arms it magically gets reattached by the dumb one. I am surprised she can sew. Anyway maybe one day they will realize that I like them better without their arms.

Back to the cat - so she now has to take something called Prozac. Mommy was laughing because she said that my owner and sister were so alike they even take the same medication. I am not exactly sure what that means, but I feel sorry for sister. Each morning Mommy and the dumb one take sister and shove this gigantic blue pill down her throat. I try to comfort sister afterwards because I know what it feels like to have to swallow something you don't want. She got them back though, I think she bit Mommy and scratched the dumb one. The strange thing is that now sister just sits in one spot and stares at imaginary things like the fish. Do you think the blue pills turned the cat into a fish? She now acts just like them, especially the one they call "Psycho". Mommy called Dr. Longsie and told her she didn't think the medicine was working, but Dr. Longsie said that it sometimes takes several weeks. Mommy didn't like the way it was making sister act - like she is a fish - so she stopped giving her the blue pills. Right now sister is still sitting as still as a statue staring at something that only she can see I suppose. I can't believe they turned her into a fish! I have to figure out a way to turn her back into a cat. Even though she wasn't a very nice cat, I liked her better before with the bad attitude than the way she is now, because I have no one to play with. Not that sister ever really played with me, but sometimes when I tried to kiss her she would at least respond in a negative way. Now she just stares. I bet if she were standing up and I ran by her really fast, she would fall over. Poor sister.

I just have to tell you about the strangest thing that happened the other night. Mommy and my other owner brought home this small ball of fur that smelled different, didn't know how to use a litter box, ate my food, smelled me, then tried to nip me with it's teeth. I didn't at all enjoy the experience. I am a Jack Russell, how dare they bring this Lhasa Apsa whatever fur ball thing into my home? I was so upset I sat in the special chair Mommy bought for me and pouted at the dumb one all night long. It was sad to see her holding this thing. It clearly didn't belong. I guess they got my point because the very next morning it disappeared. I saw them pack up it's belongings and they went out the door with it. When they came back - no fur ball. Then they gave me lots of kisses and love (even the dumb one) can you believe it? Usually she just ignores me and tortures the cat with her kisses (she has bad breath you see so sister has to smell it each time the dumb one gives her a kiss). I was happy to be given attention so I didn't mind her breath. Well at least not as much.

Our home is almost back to the way it was. Some of my owner's things were moved back into her room so now there is more room in the living room. We still need new carpet Mommy said, but it is almost "Home Sweet Home".

Before I go I want to mention our new sleeping arrangements. See my owner not only has bad breath and is a little on the dumb side, but she has bladder issues too - just like sister. So Mommy has to buy her a new mattress and until she can - she has to sleep with us. I have to actually share my side of the bed with her. So far she has been nice. It has even been kind of fun. Mommy makes sure that she doesn't move my blankets or take up too much space so I guess I can deal with it a little longer, but I do enjoy the nights she decides to sleep on the sofa. On those nights Mommy and I get the bed to ourselves, just like old times, but for now - we don't mind sharing and are happy to have her.

Until next time.

Caity

Changes, Changes, and More Changes

2009-01-28T15:19:00.002-06:00

I haven't been able to write in a while because Mommy has been busy destroying the house. She says she is remodeling, but all I know is one room has no carpet and all of my sister's furniture is in the living room. It makes it more difficult to eat the bird seed my brother drops for me.

Apparently the remodeling has something to do with both of my sisters. My feline sister has been using the carpet, blankets, and anything else she can find as her litter box. At first, after the wet the bed we thought it was because she was angry with my owner, but Mommy took her to see Dr. Longsie and they said she has a urinary tract infection - and a bad attitude.

My owner/other sister made several messes on the carpet that were beyond repair, so Mommy said she had to rip up the carpet, have the floor repaired, then replace it. It has taken longer because it is more expensive than Mommy realized and the flooring requires some additional work before anything can be done - so our home is a mess. Each time I go into that room my feet touch the the concrete and get cold, especially in the mornings. My sister doesn't like it either, but maybe she should have used her litter box and we wouldn't have this problem.

Oh she also has to take medicine for her urinary tract infection. It is this bottle of white liquid that has to be refrigerated. Mommy puts it in a needle type thing and my other sister/owner holds her. She hates it. As soon as they are finished she always runs away to hide. I tried to comfort her, but she wasn't feeling friendly - not that she ever is - but it was worse this time.

I know what it is like to to have to take medicine. Mommy gives me something she calls Benadryl for my allergies. She used to give me pills, but I decided I no longer liked the taste of them so now I get a liquid. It tastes like bubble gum and makes the fur around my mouth all sticky. I try to hide from her,but its like when she wants to give me a bath - she always finds me.

Mommy got a new bicycle! She even said she might get one of those seats and put it on the back so that I can ride too. That would be fun. She could be my chauffeur. She said something about wanting to lose weight. I hate the word diet. She is always telling me I am on a diet and that I can't have things. Like when I go to the pantry and try to paw the door open, sometimes she tells me that I can't have any treats. Every now and then I do the cute "head tilt" thing she likes and I get my way. Other times my sister will toss me some cereal or I just pick up after her (remember she is the messy one).

We recently got satellite TV so when Mommy leaves the house she always leaves the TV on for me to watch. This week I have been watching CNN. It's not a show for Jack Russells. I mean how many times can they talk about this thing called economy. It seems like they show bad things. I want to see happy things. I must find the remote and figure out how to change the channel to something different.

Mommy started a new job at her school's computer lab. She is good with computers so things should go well for her. I miss her when she is not home, but I have more time now to do things like go through the garbage and search for hidden treasure. The other day I found a tootsie roll. Boy was it good!

Well thanks for stopping by to read my blog.

Until next time.

Caity

Painting and Remodeling

2009-01-15T13:14:00.002-06:00

That's is what Mommy calls moving the furniture around and changing the colors on the walls - remodeling. I don't think she likes it too much. I'm not overly fond of it myself. The other day I got brown paint on my white coat. Of course I already have brown spots, but these spots didn't belong. Mommy had to wash them out which wasn't at all a pleasant experience.

My sister (the cat) has been in major trouble. She keeps going to the bathroom in her bedroom, even though she still uses her litter box. So far her favorite things to pee on are blankets, pillows and my other owner's bed. Anything that is on the floor gets perfumed with cat urine. So it was decided that my sister would go to the vet to see if there is a physical problem. If it turns out that it is just mental and that she likes peeing on their things - I'm not so sure she will get to stay around much longer. Mommy already had to rip the carpet out of of one bedroom. She wasn't too happy about that. Also she is always having to wash clothes. I think she is tired of that too.

I heard her mention something the other day about changing her name to Cinderella. . . hmm.

Until next time folks. Thanks for reading.

Caity.

Cats, Princesses, and Candy

2008-08-28T11:23:00.005-05:00

I have been out of touch for a while because Mommy has been busy. I'm not allowed to use her computer, so I have been keeping my thoughts to myself for a while. Mommy started school this week and it has been crazy. I don't really understand the sudden sprint out the door she does, but I always know when she leaves the radio and lights on that she will be gone for a long time. To me it seems like ages, because I miss her.

My sister was mean to me the other day, but she got scolded. First Mommy and Taylor were painting Taylor's room and I decided to see if they needed my help. Taylor made me sit in the bed and watch, but when I went to check on my sister, she was in a bad mood and hissed at me. I looked at her like she had two heads and wondered what her latest problem was. Taylor immediately rescued me and scolded Shadeau. A few days later Shadeau decided to lie in the middle of the doorway of the kitchen. Why anyone would do that I have no idea, but she is a cat, so what can I say? I wanted to get into the pantry to get some cookies. When I walked by sister she made an ugly face, but the next time I tried to pass by her she actually raised her paw as if to strike me. How rude. Taylor scolded her for that too, then picked me up to comfort me. I have not idea what sort of mental issues Shadeau is having but when I see Dr. Longsie this week I am going to ask her if there is something Shadeau can take to help her feel better. She is NOT a nice kitty.

Mommy made me a new bed. It is really high and right next to my favorite window. It is so high mommy put a set of steps next to it so that I don't have to jump but can just walk up and lie down. Taylor called me a princess and said I was being spoiled. Aren't all Jack Russells supposed to be treated this way?

Last week I played in the clean laundry. I love the laundry because it's so warm when it first comes out. Mommy wasn't happy about it, but Taylor thought I was cute.

I saw my Me-Mee yesterday. She came over to use the computer. My Me-Mee is like my grandmother. She is the one I go to when I want food and Mommy and Taylor say no. Me-Mee is so trained now that each time she visits I simply have to bark, then take her into the kitchen. She knows the drill. When she is here I get extra kisses, and if there is something like a candy in her purse I get to stick my head inside and get it. Well usually I just stick my head inside and if I find something I cry and paw at her purse until she lets me have it. This works really well with Taylor too, because she is a teenager, which means she always has something good in her purse. She just doesn't always remember, so I remind her by scratching at her purse until she gives in.

Speaking of candy - Mommy says it is not good for me to have any, but I just love mints and lollipops too. So now each night before bed I tell Mommy that it is time for my candy treat. She doesn't agree and sometimes I have to resort to crying. I know she always gives in eventually when I do that. Taylor says she is a softie. The other night I got a lollipop. I thought it would be nice to share the video with you.

Have a great day.

Caity

Tummy Trouble

2008-08-17T10:58:00.003-05:00

Mommy got me a new toy. When it arrived it was a bit smaller than she expected and at first I wasn't sure I liked it, but then I really liked it. Until my mean spirited sister began sleeping in it. Mommy would push her out and tell her it was mine because we all know what she would do to my new toy. She would make it smelly with cat urine (she's strange like that). Anyway she kept doing it so to solve the problem, mommy washed the seat really well and gave it to one of our neighbors who has cats. Mommy said that for Christmas she is going to get me a really nice bed like hers (but doggie sized) so that I can have somethings special again. Mean evil cat sister.

I was sick the other night. Mommy was emptying the dishwasher and this plastic bowl rolled out of the kitchen. So of course I followed it, found it, and began to eat it. Taylor was on her computer and as usual not paying attention - I can get anything past her, and mommy was still unloading the dishwasher. So by the time they realized what I was doing I had already ingested some pieces of the plastic bowl.

Boy did my tummy hurt. Mommy was up all night with me until like 5am in the morning and of course I threw up all over the carpet, and I mean all over (in almost every room I think). Mommy spent most of the night when she wasn't taking care of me scrubbing the floor. She mentioned something about having to have it steam cleaned. I feel much better now, but I'm not allowed to have any more plastic. Mommy watches me like a hawk now! I can't even enjoy licking my foot like I used to. See I have allergies since my skin is pink and my fur is white I get allergic to stuff and I get itchy. Sometimes I get really itchy and I lick or bite myself because it feels better. When mommy sees me I get in trouble and have to take medicine. Then she gives me another oatmeal bath - which I absolutely hate! The itchy medicine she gives me makes me so sleepy so sometimes I spit it out when she tries to put it into my food. Do you think she is trying to trick me? Mommy wouldn't do that. Mommy loves me.

Yesterday I got to eat the neighbors. I haven't seen the cats out lately but the neighbors have been coming and going. I eat them each time they leave their front door, just like a good Jack Russell should.

Oh did I tell you I got some cake and a bit of frosting? Mommy made a white cake with white frosting and I got the first lick of frosting and a tiny piece of cake. She is still under the misconception that I am on a diet. I wonder if that is why sometimes she forgets to give me my evening time kibble. She is always late with it and I have to remind her. She forgets to eat sometimes herself, so I understand.

My sister has been a bad cat lately. She has been sneaking into my room and getting under Mommy's bed. She has her own room and her own bed and Mommy doesn't want her in here because of what she did to Taylor's room. Don't tell anyone ok? My sister peed in Taylor's room and each time Taylor leaves her clothes on the floor they get peed on too. My sister can be mean. Mommy checked to see if she had a bladder infection, but Dr. Longsie said that she was just being a diva and that she was being territorial. The nice man at the pet adoption place said my sister didn't like me and was jealous. Isn't that sad? Who wouldn't like me? Mean sister!

So each time she sneaks into the room, Mommy runs her out with a water gun. Taylor stole the water gun and hid it from mommy, so now Mommy uses a shoe to scare her from under the bed - and now Taylor is in trouble. Life is so busy here. Even the fish got moved. They were in mommy's room, but now they are in the study. I'm glad because they kept me awake at night and I didn't like it when mommy would stare at them and talk to them.

My brother got moved too. He is now in front of the window because Mommy said he liked to look outside and that he had been a bad bird for throwing his seed all over the floor. I offered to help her with that problem, but she gave me one of those looks.

Well until next time. Have fun.

Caity

Food is a Wonderful Thing

2008-07-25T11:15:00.012-05:00

Dr. Longsie told Mommy that I am "food motivated" and that she should give me less. Of all the things that could motivate someone what is wrong with food? Dr. Longsie is smart, but I am determined to outsmart her. After all I trick Taylor all the time. She can't even catch me when she tries. I love to trap her around the dining room table; just when she thinks she has me I run the opposite direction. It is so much fun because she is easy to trick.

When I am outside on the patio and mommy tells me it is time to come in - sometimes I pretend not to hear her. Even if I look at her I pretend not to understand the words that are coming out of her mouth. I'm not ready to come in yet - don't they understand. Then she sends Taylor out to get me. To make her feel better I pretend to listen to her, and go inside. I don't want her to feel bad. Besides, she is the one who gives me the most food. I don't want to mess up a good thing.

Mommy gives me Dr. Longsie's recommended dose of kibble. On good days sometimes I get a little bit more. Before Mommy talked to Dr. Longsie I was getting baby food and fresh carrots almost every day. I just had to go into the kitchen and tell mommy that I wanted her to open the refrigerator. I like Dr. Longsie but maybe we shouldn't visit her quite so often.

Today mommy said that I was going to have to get a bath and that she was going to have to cut back on my food again. How could she say such awful things to me? If the bath wasn't bad enough - now she wants to take away more food? This can't happen! If it does, then I will just have to count on Taylor. When she eats she always leaves a trail. Mommy calls it a mess, but I think she is just being nice like my brother who shares his food with me by dropping it on the floor. Taylor doesn't drop it on the floor, but she leaves it on the the table.

Dinner with Taylor - We're having chicken!

Just yesterday Taylor was having one of my favorite meals - oatmeal. She sat at the table and I decided to join her. I tilted my head to the side and gave her my saddest face so she asked me if I wanted to have a seat, then pulled out one of the chairs for me. I jumped into the chair, but just as I did she was almost finished eating. So quickly I leaned over and swiped a lick from her bowl. I think she was surprised, but I wasn't. When she left the table to go into the kitchen to wash her bowl I decided to do her a favor and clean up the leftovers on the table. So I jumped from the chair onto the kitchen table and proceeded to lick up her crumbs. When she turned around she was again surprised. I wonder why. She called mommy and said for her to come quick. Uh oh . . .

Mommy came and stared at me as if I had grown another cute head. She then told me that I was allowed a seat at the table, but not allowed to get on top of the table, because that is where people eat. I didn't understand what she was talking about. She just said that is where people eat, but told me I am not allowed on the table. Where does she think I am supposed to eat? So I sat down - on the table.

Mommy picked me up and placed me on the floor. Gave me another puzzled look and walked away.

What I think she fails to realize is that I have always been able to get on top of the table. I just never did it when she could see me. Before we moved to our new place we lived in an apartment. Each time Mommy and Taylor would leave they would raise the window so that I could look out and they would waive goodbye to be as they left.

Usually I would spend my time barking at people, other dogs, cats, and of course the children. See their parents would send them outside and no one was watching them to make sure they didn't do bad things - which they always did. So I barked at them each time I saw them and kept them away from my window.

Eventually I grew tired of standing at the window and realized that I could see better from the table. So I tried it and it was GREAT! Not only could I guard my window, but I could lie down on the table while doing it and enjoy leftovers. My secret was safe until one day when I was literally "caught in the act." Mommy and Taylor were backing out of the driveway and looked up to wave goodbye to me one last time. What they saw when they looked up was me standing on the table.

For a while after that I noticed they were very careful to push in all the chairs when they left, but that didn't last for long. Now I have my very own seat at the table and someone to share their food with me - even if they don't plan on it.

It's good to be a Jack Russell.

My Rainy Day

2008-07-21T17:39:00.004-05:00

This is my latest YouTube video. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

~Caity~

Neighbors and the Nerve of Cats

2008-07-21T15:38:00.013-05:00

It has been a little while since my last blog entry but I have been busy. It is not easy being a Jack Russell, but it sure is a lot of fun. Hermionie, Harry and I have been playing and guarding the house.

I have been making new friends on YouTube and of course getting into the garbage each time I am left alone. I don't even have to blame Hermionie for it anymore. Mommy says its her fault because she knows that I will get into things when they leave. Now why would she think a thing like that?

When I am not out taking Mommy for walks around the neighborhood, I spend much of my time on the patio enjoying the outdoors (well as much of it as I am allowed through the gate). I still can't understand why Mommy insists on putting it right in front of the entrance. Doesn't she know it blocks my view and prevents me from exploring on my own? What a wicked contraption.

When we first moved in to the new place Mommy said she had purchased something just for me. I was so excited! Was it a new toy? A new bed? Although I did get those things soon afterwards, it was this useless gate. She painted it a pretty green to match the rest of the outside and paid this strange man to specially install it. What I don't understand is why didn't anyone ask me if we needed a gate? Now even when I stand up on both legs I can just reach the top of it, but not quite enough to jump over it. I used my paws and tried to unlock the latch but didn't have much luck. Since I can't crawl under it or around it - I guess I will just have to chew my way through it. Something tells me Mommy wouldn't like that - so I better not. At least I can see through it, but I can't get out. Mommy said that is the point.

What frustrates me the most about the gate is it prevents me from doing one of my most important jobs - keeping strangers and other animals off the sidewalk below. Each time they walk by I give them my most ferocious bark and growl at them until they disappear; but I never really get to chase them like I would like.

The lady in the downstairs condo uses the sidewalk to go in out out of her gate. Mommy doesn't understand why I always bark and growl at her when I see her. It is because I don't like her using the sidewalk. So each time she comes and goes, if I am outside I verbally express my disapproval of her actions. I think it is working because once I get a good bark going - she disappears.

The neighbors across the way have several useless cats. I think they are useless because I can't see that they serve any real purpose. They just sit in the window all day and stare at me. They can see the gate so they must know that I am confined to this area. Nevertheless the neighbors have now begun to let their cats outside. This one particular cat is black and white. Mommy said he is pretty and a nice cat,but I don't think cats are nice at all - just meet my sister.

She scrunches her face up and gives me dirty looks all day, and even makes rude noises when I walk by. She doesn't welcome or return my good morning kisses and she gets complains when I want to sit next to her. No, cats aren't very nice. They have bad attitudes and sleep all day. What fun is that? Now I have to deal with the neighbor's cat. The nerve of them to let him outside on my sidewalk.

Cats must also not be very smart. For instance, the other night we were all sound asleep and my sister decided that she wanted a cup that was left on top of the computer desk. Taylor had been drinking water from the cup earlier in the night and had left it out. Heaven only knows why but my sister is obsessed with water. Each time she sees it she runs as if she is back in Egypt worshiping each drop. She gets this strange look in her eyes as if it has some magical power. I think she is just silly. It's water. The same stuff Mommy bathes me in all the time - who would worship that? So anyway, my sister decided that she would jump into the chair and then jump onto the desk to get the cup. What she did not realize is that the chair spins. So when she jumped in and took a leap onto the desk, the chair began to spin and she overshot her landing by quite a bit. It woke everyone and I barked because we thought a bad person was trying to get into the house. Once the lights were on and we saw that it was just my sister, we all gave her a dirty look before going back to sleep - silly cat!

My Sister

Garbage, Fireworks, Diets and DoDo

2008-07-13T10:35:00.007-05:00

I took a little break from keeping in touch with all of you. I must say I have been very busy keeping mommy on her toes. I have many exciting adventures to tell you about but let me first start with my latest discovery. The garbage - you wouldn't imagine the wonderful things that are inside. Each time mommy and Taylor (that's my other owner - the one who named me) leave they tell me they love me and to be a good girl. Meanwhile I am thinking "wow I have the house to myself." So when they leave the first thing I discover is the garbage can. It has one of these flip tops which means it is easy to knock over. So once I knock it over it is feast time. The bad side to all of this is when mommy and Taylor come back home they are not at all happy with me. Mommy scolds me and I quickly run to get Hermionie. It wasn't me who got into the trash! It was Hermionie! I hold her in my mouth so that she can receive the scolding my mommy doesn't buy it. She puts away all my hard work into another of those huge plastic bags and then puts it on the counter so that I cannot reach it. So I walk around for a while with Hermione and I sulk until mommy tells me she forgives me and gives me and Hermione kisses. All is well again.

The holiday was fun. Mommy said it is called the Fourth of July. I don't really know what that means but I love the noise they make outside. This time Mommy, Taylor and I stayed inside and listened to the loud noises from the window. I got to bark at the people who walked by and the loud noises. It was a lot of fun. Hermione and Harry watched too.

I took a walk outside by myself without mommy and Taylor. They were not happy at all. Once they found me mommy put me in time out for most of the day. Even when I grabbed Hermionie it didn't help. They said I escaped and ran away from home and that someone could have hurt me. They were worried and sad. It made me sad too. At the time though it was a lot of fun. See mommy was moving boxes in from the car when all of a sudden she got one of those terrible headaches things where she grabs her head, squeezes her eyes shut and curls up on the floor with her head covered. Taylor was in the back going through a box and my Me-mee was over helping with boxes. Me-mee left the door open so I thought it would be nice to take a stroll. I ran out the front door and down the steps without anyone noticing. I went around the corner and found this nice little girl. I went inside her house and played with her family. Next thing I hear Mommy and Taylor calling me. The family heard too and we all went outside. They gave me back to Me-mee and told her that they were going to keep me because I didn't have a collar on and they thought someone would come to look for me. Mommy came out and was not at all happy. She said I would be wearing my collar from now on and thanked the people for taking me. When we got inside mommy said that they would have kept me because they wouldn't have taken the time to put signs up saying they had a lost dog. She said I would have been gone for good. I thought about it and realized that I had fun that day, but that I sure would miss my family. Now mommy keeps me in prison. Each time I go out the front door I have to wear this horrible collar with my name, address, and doctor information on it. I hate it. When Mommy puts it on me I try to scratch it off but it just won't work. Mommy loves me, but she sure is strict.

Did I tell you about my "diet"? Dr. Longsie told mommy that I am overweight. What a horrible thing to say. She told mommy that my food has to be measured and that I have to have even less food than before with no treats. Before mommy used to give me fresh carrots, animal crackers and baby food, but now since I have been helping myself to the garbage my food has to be rationed like I'm some criminal. Thank heavens for Me-mee. She comes over and tells them that I am hungry and tries to make them give me treats. If they don't Me-mee sneaks me some anyway. I love my Me-mee. So now all I get is kibble, twice a day. Dr. Longsie even told mommy my secret. Before I used to pick the kibble out and only eat certain pieces. Mommy thought I didn't like those pieces and would give me other pieces. Dr. Longsie told mommy that they all taste the same and that I was fooling her. Bad Dr. Longsie.

The last thing I will tell you about today is DoDo. She is mommy's sister and Taylor's aunt. I call her DoDo (like the bird) because she may as well stick her head in the sand. She doesn't like me very much and I don't know what to think of her either. I don't like the way she smells and her hair looks funny. It always sticks up on top of her head like a bird. It is scary. She calls my name but doesn't really want anything, and when she comes over to visit or when we ride in the car together she says my hair gets all over her and that she doesn't want to smell like dog.

First of all she smells - I don't and second, I'm smarter than she is. My hair doesn't stick up in different directions and I can find my way out of a closed room without a map.

So beware of DoDo - if you see her hold your nose and run.

Cats and Birds

2008-06-30T17:03:00.007-05:00

You may have wondered why my slide show is of cats and not of me. I plan to add more pictures of me in the near future, but at the particular moment - cats are on my mind.

As I mentioned my sister is a tabby cat. When I joined the family she wasn't exactly thrilled to see me. This is a picture of me giving my sister a kiss when we were little.

She doesn't like it when I kiss her or even walk past her. Yes, sometimes I get excited and run over her; sometimes when there is food I accidentally back up into her, but it is not as if I have eyes in the back of my head.

Mommy says she has an attitude problem and that I should not let it bother me. Still I like when she spends time with me. To me she really isn't a cat - just my sister. Mommy said she read in some books that cats and dogs don't get along. In our house for the most part we do.

Outside is an entirely different matter. Outside cats excite me and I run to each window to get a better look. I don't know what it is about them that excites me. They just sit in their windows with blank stares. Sometimes they walk past my window and I get to bark at them. The funny thing is they don't bark back. They just look up and walk across the ground as if something dirty is beneath them. I wonder why they walk that way? What I like most about barking at outside cats is knowing that I am protecting my territory. The outside cats are not supposed to be in front of my window. Since apparently they don't know this it is my job to protect our home.

Birds on the other hand don't fascinate me quite as much as cats. My brother makes a lot of noise and can be quite messy at times. Sometimes we have contests to see who can scream the loudest. Sometimes I win, but when he is angry, he wins. I know because mommy has to come and make him be quiet. I like that he is very nice to me and always shares his food. If he gets cheerios I can always count on him to drop the ones he doesn't like on the floor. The same goes with his birdseed. Mommy doesn't like it when he puts his food on the floor, and she really hates it when I eat his birdseed from the floor. Honestly I don't see a problem here. Nevertheless, she always brings out the electric monster to suck up the birdseed before I can. Each time she plugs in the monster and turns it on for me, it is like a new game begins. I play "chicken" with the monster to see which one of us will move before colliding. Every time we play I always win, because Mommy drives the monster and always turns it away before it can get near me. I love this game.

The only thing I don't like about my brother is that he sometimes wants to fly. To me birds are not supposed to fly. He is supposed to sit on his perch and play with his toys, not spread his wings and flap them. Every time he does this I immediately stop what I am doing and run to his cage. I jump really high and try to help him get back to his perch. For some reason this makes Mommy really angry. I'm not sure exactly why. My brother was the one flying, why do I get in trouble for helping him down? Mommy says, "Caity, you don't eat your brother." I try to tell her that I wasn't going to eat him; that I was just going to help him down, but she doesn't believe me. Must be that cat/dog thing again. Maybe it also applies to birds.

This is my brother.

Isn't he pretty? His name is Symba. In the mornings he blows kisses and starts talking to help wake everyone up. Most times he says "Symba pretty bird" or "Symba baby bird", but I haven't figured out why he keeps repeating the same things. Do you think he could learn to bark?

Well it has been nice sharing with all of you, but I must take a nap. It has been a long day and Hermionie and I are tired. By the way, she and Harry asked me to tell you all hello.

Caity

Welcome To My Blog

2008-06-28T17:03:00.008-05:00

Hello humans. Thank you for stopping by to view my blog. I promise you won't be disappointed and will want to come back soon. Now lets get acquainted.

My name is Caity and I am a seven year old Jack Russell Terrier. My parents were both Jack Russell Terriers and I was born on some farm in Florida. I met my current family when they rescued me from this horrible place that sold puppies. They were charging humans obscene amounts of money for puppies. Luckily just before the people got in trouble and were forced to go out of business, my Mommy and sister rescued me - but not before they paid an obscene amount of money. I met my sister first. Her name is Taylor and when she found me she thought I was a Dalmatian because I didn't have my spots yet. She and her grandma came in to visit and Taylor and I fell in love with each other. We have the same eyes and share a similar taste in toys.

Taylor wanted to take me home, but needed mommy to agree. To make things a bit easier she gave me a name and asked the sales lady to place me on hold. Taylor named me "Caity" after our youth pastor's daughter because she said the little girl was always so sweet. The hard part of the deal was getting Mommy to agree to let me come home with them. Mommy wanted to wait until they purchased a house to get a dog, but Taylor had other plans. So that afternoon when I met my "soon to be new mommy" the first thing I did was to untie her shoes. Then when she sat down with me I jumped all over her and planted kisses. It worked! We became a family and I got a new home. When we got home I got to meet my other siblings. My four legged sister who is just a year older, is a tabby cat and my brother who is older than both of us is a very noisy cockatiel. They didn't know what to think when I came home. I really shook the place up!

That was seven years ago and we have never been happier. Sure I ate mommy's furniture and the library books she borrowed to learn how to train a terrier; I chewed off the heads and limbs of several of Taylor's favorite toys, dug holes in the carpet and even chewed a hole in the wall, but I think those are just minor inconveniences. At the time Mommy and Taylor didn't feel that way, but they eventually got over it. Now I pretty much get my way with everything, but we can talk about that later.

It was nice meeting you.

Caity