TOYS! are not all for me???

Now. I may be a "senior" Cocker Spaniel, but that doesn't mean Rhett Bostrom doesn't love love love toys. I have two big favorites, Pink Stick and crab, but my parents had to hide them in the pantry on the shelf I can't climb to since annoying fur brother Wade doesn't know how to soft jaw like I do... I mean seriously?! is it that hard to lovingly nibble and move the toys outside to the sun porch for the day and then back in to guard the door for the night??? Apparently for Wade it is, since he chews them up and spits the stuffing all over the house... Mom and Dad don't like it since they have to clean it up, and I don't like it because my toys are dying daily!! Anyways though... Without Pink Stick and Crab, whats a toy loving dog like me to do???? One answer. Baby has toys.

Rhett has baby's toys.

My mom got so annoyed with baby and I sharing squeaky Sophie she had to go out and get me my own. She labeled mine and the baby's so she could tell them apart, but really, does she think a dog can read???? obviously I end up with the baby's toy as often as he ends up with mine... Spit swapping brothers!!

And, speaking of spit.... The baby has brought one unexpected perk to the Tatum household. PACIFIERS. They sure are amazing. Great to hold on the tongue, carry around, soft jaw and steal out of baby's bed (sometimes  a dog has to do what a dog has to do... yes, it requires a good quick jump in and out of the crib to grab a forgotten pacifier in the morning, luckily Rhett Bostrom has springy dog knees for an old guy...)

So anyways, I am minding my business when my Mom gets home from her run, just hanging out, chewing my paci, when she yells at me, takes the pacifier and sends me outside!! I mean, what's a dog to do??? It's like she doesn't think I have the right to everything in the house??? Well, not to worry. When she throws me outside for being a bad dog, I just come right back in the dog door, take a quick pee on the side of the bed to show her whose boss, and, Surprise!! Head back for a pre-stashed baby toy on the couch by the window from earlier! Like I said... Baby toys equal Rhett Bostrom toys, when will my mother ever learn ;)

Dog Park outing

BIG DAY for the fur kids at the dog park... Once upon a time, when Rhett Bostrom was an only child living with Mom in Manhattan, the dog park was a big part of our lives. It was the only place for a slightly misbehaving dog to run free, and the best place for a neurotic newly rescued cocker spaniel to run off some steam. Or so my Mom thought... She quickly learned that I did not like to play with strange dogs, and that I would spend the whole time alone in the corner of the park, practicing my marking skills for later when we would get home to her apartment. (speaking of, dog diapers don't work on "markers", we just wait until you think they are and take them off and then we pee on your furniture 2x as much as we originally were planning)... But anyways. When my life changed, and my brother Wilkes arrived, I started to learn to play, and realized with a friend, the dog park was more interesting. Then when brother Wade was added to the pack, we realized we could really get it going, and I became a BIG dog park fan because, with my two dog brothers, and my Mother juggling us and a 5 month old baby in a stroller, she can't watch us as well, and therefore we get to do our favorite thing. Group hump. Today, we were tricked though. Mom put on her baby carrier and kept an eye on us the whole time. Boring day at the dog park, but that all changed when we got in the car and she took off her baby carrier to drive us home. My youngest brother Wade, who REALLY wants to be the baby, decided to ride home in the baby carrier, and got stuck.

But, not sort of stuck, REALLY stuck. Like, we got home, and he was stuck in the carrier, to the car, and couldn't get out. Wade is clearly not as smart as me, who took advantage of the confusion while we was being detangled to run away down the driveway where the trash bin was left out for pick up and GET INVOLVED.

My parents love having three dogs and a baby. More to come later!

Introducing Rhett Bostrom...

Rhett Bostrom here. I am a much loved rescue Cocker Spaniel living in Southlake, TX. My mother is insane (obviously) as she is writing a blog in the third person from the perspective of a dog, but she is a bleeding heart who keeps adopting more and more animals, and it seemed like the right time to start a blog.... Right now there are three cocker spaniels, three horses, and one new baby so we are all desperate for constant attention!! Obviously, as the oldest, Rhett Bostrom is the favorite (to clarify, there is no hyphenation on my last name, as my mom rescued me before she was a Tatum, I kept my original last name).

This blog was a good way to talk about the joys of having three rescue dogs, and as a place to (sometimes) vent about the trouble we cause and the fun we add to an otherwise normal life. My parents swear that rescuing a dog is the best thing to do. I agree, but am still not QUITE sure that I needed siblings. Especially not sure we needed my middle brother Wilkes (more on that later!) At any rate, lets start things off with typical day in my life....

Wake up around 8, try to snuggle in bed with my Mom... Get sent outside to go "potty", which I obviously don't need to do, since I already peed on her corner of the bed! so instead go sit on the chair I'm not allowed on with my follower brother, Wilkes while we wait on breakfast. Next, a quick bark at the front door even though no one is there, just to shake things up a little and watch my two dog brothers get yelled at for waking up the baby while I watch and sneak his half finished bottle out of the dog door to see if I can soft jaw it  a bit before it gets taken away... After a busy morning like this, my mom leaves for the afternoon, so I have to spend a few hours perusing the house for good spots to mark and leave half chewed toys for my Dad to trip over later when he gets home from work. Once that happens, we have a quick dinner where I try to steal some wine out of a wine glass left near the couch, and then a good 3 mile walk before bed...

Thats all for now! We are getting started sharing bits of our life here in TX, hopefully we will inspire some new dog lovers to decide to rescue a cocker spaniel like me and my brothers and add to their lives! At the very least, we have a place where my Mom can talk about how great I am, and how much she loves having me and my brothers around ALL THE TIME. More tomorrow :)