My Yorkie Bichon Mix

One of Jack’s favorite games is “playing” fetch.  In our condo we have a loft, so how we play is that I’ll throw his favorite toy up onto the loft and Jack will run up the stairs like a bat our of hell and grab his toy.  It works best when the toy is a squeaky toy because he’ll you can really get him revved up by “squeak squeak squeaking” it in his face.  One thing you’ll see, that I find hilarious is that Jack will peak over the edge, down from the loft, before coming down.  I think he does this to check and make sure I am still there. Here is a little video of us playing…

and here is another video where Jack decides he wants to stay up in the loft

One thing about Jack though is he may go get the ball, but you can be sure that he won’t give it back.  He loves to play keep away so I have to temp him with a treat or something more enticing in order for him to drop his toy.  This game you saw is usually a one time only thing.

This past Monday I was put on the DL (disabled list) when I opted for foot surgery to help fix some problems that have come back from an old injury.  Seeing that I won’t be able to drive for the next few weeks, I’ll be working from home.  This brings the added benefit of spending some wonderful time with our 2 year old Borkie (Yorkie Bichon mix).

Jack has been nothing short of great!  every time I sit down he’ll curl up on my lap and just hang out with me.  He’s usually a playful dog, but I think he realizes I’m a bit injured and has just settled down next to me and kept me company.  Jack is afraid of my crutches though, as I think they remind him of a broom or something.  He hasn’t started barking at them just yet, but I can see it coming.  You should see the way he barks at my wife when she sweeps the kitchen floor, he goes nuts!

Right now I’m sitting on the couch (i hooked up my computer to my 42 inch TV so I could keep my foot elevated on the couch) and Jack is laying behind my head on the cushion.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that dog gots some cat in him.

Some things Jack has been doing since I had my operation..

• Sitting on the couch with me
• Follows me to the bathroom
• He brings his toy to me, instead of trying to get me to chase him
• barks like a crazed lunatic when someone is coming in (well he does this all the time but I like to think he is being extra protective.)

Next week I’ll try and post a cute video or pictures of Jack doing some doggy tricks

Have a good rest of the week!

Like many other pet owners, we always have trouble finding a good spot for our Yorkie Bichon doggy, Jack, when we go away for vacation.  We hate the idea of bringing him to a boarder and having him stuck in a cage for hours on end.  Growing up, my parents always put our family dog in a boarder and sometimes Cricket would come home with Kennel cough and she would always seem a bit off for a few days afterwords. We don’t want this for Jack, and we know how much he hates being in a cage.

About a year ago, my wife was talking to one of her co-workers and got a recommendation for a local family who watches dogs for $35 a day.   They have 3 dogs of their own as well as 3 great little girls.  On average they may watch 1 to 3 other dogs at any given time.  It is the perfect match for us and our pup.

Before even bringing Jack there for his first extended stay, we brought him over for about an hour to just check out the place and see how he reacts to the owners dogs and kids.  He, understandably was very nervous and wouldn’t leave our side for the first half hour, but soon started sniffing around and getting to comfortable.

The first time we left him their was for a week, and dropping him off was hard on us as we watched Jack shacking in Nicole’s hands as we walked away.  It was heart wrenching for sure!  About 2 days into the trip and just as we were really starting to miss our dog and wonder how he was doing, Nicole sent my wife a picture text message of Jack sleeping on their couch in his favorite feet up position.

When we saw that, we just knew Jack was in good hands and was having a good time.  At the end of the week, we picked Jack up and he was his old self but with some shorter hair.  The dog watcher also does grooming too!  Since then we have used Nicole 2 more times and each time jack is a little less nervous, which makes us feel like we chose the perfect dog watcher.

I’m writing this post because Val and I just got back from Las Vegas (Great place to spend New Years Eve!) and we have yet to pick up Jack because we got back too late.  I miss him and can’t wait to pick the little guy up from Nicole tomorrow afternoon.  Jack is a huge part of our family and it’s not the same sleeping in our bed with out him.

Hope everyone had a great New Years Eve!