October 12, 2006
So there I was near the front of the stage and I was getting a bit bored just standing there with my good pals – no one was feeding me or petting me or singing to me – and out of the corner of my eye I saw the wicked witch sneaking across the back of the stage. Thinking it would be great fun, I turned and ran after her, barking as loudly as I could. She kept stopping and motioning with big waves of her arm to go away. The audience started laughing so of course I kept it up until she was clear off the stage. What a great time that was! I tried it again the next night to see if people still thought it was funny, and they did, so I am just going to add it to my part. Won’t the wicked witch be surprised!
October 8, 2006
Mom told me she had this funny thought about when I go over to Dorothy’s house (you know, Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz) and meet her dog Graham. Graham is going to say, “Why do you keep saying ‘Dorothy’?”
And of course I will reply with, “Because that is her name.”
After a few rebuttals back and forth (which I hope doesn’t turn into a fight) Graham may come up with “I knew it! My Mom is leading a double life. The first clue should have been when she came home smelling like you! By day, my sweet, innocent Mommy Kim. By night, well, I don’t know what the heck she does with you! But she’s had your stink on her for weeks now.”
Me: “I hear people say I may be going to have an identity crisis. Do you think that is what is happening to Dorothy-Kim?”
Graham: “I don’t know what that is. Let’s play.”
Isn’t my Mommy funny? Everyone knows my friend’s name is Dorothy!
October 5, 2006
I keep adding things to my part as Toto, as the audience notices and responds. I have, however, decided to leave one thing out, and Mom has finally stopped trying to make me do it, because I am not going to do it anymore. Period. End of discussion. Those trees scared me. They walk around and dance and act entirely not like trees. Well, they got in my way after I skipped – well I try to skip – with Dorothy and the Lion and the Tin Man and the Scarecrow across the stage. It is the third time I sort of skip down the proverbial yellow brick road during the play. The first two times went fine. Then that third time those trees, oh those nasty moving trees, got in my way and it scared me and I will not do that again when they are on the stage. Absolutely, positively not.
October 4, 2006
So here I am, the star of the Wizard of Oz, and Mom still comes home at lunch and gives me a bath. The indignity of it all! I thought I was safe at my Grandma’s, but no, here Mom comes with shampoo and a towel and sticks me in the sink. I can’t wait to get back outside and get this shampoo smell off of me. At least she hasn’t tried to make me wear clothes lately. That’s even worse than a bath.
I get to go to Dunlap tonight and help teach dance. I haven’t gone in a long time. I missed the first two lessons because I had to go to rehearsal and face the flying monkeys. Of course, there were lots of treats and fun, too. Mom says some of the people who love me are still there in Dunlap, and there are new people, too, to love me. I am so excited, I can hardly wait. I wish we could go now. I don’t understand why we can’t go right now. I think Mom should come home from this work place where she always says she is going and take me to dance. Doesn’t she know I want to go now? Now, now, now, now, now.
October 2, 2006
I am the star. That’s what everyone says. They say I steal the show, but honest, I didn’t steal anything. I just run out on the stage (at least most of the time) when Mom says, and get treats, and run off, back to Mom who is always there waiting for me. Now I have found that I can go down the front stairs and off the stage into the audience. That’ a hoot. Mom seems kinda freaked out when I get back, though. She says she can’t see me and isn’t sure if I am coming back. I know when I have to be back for when the good witch points at me and asks if I am the witch – how silly! I haven’t missed my cue yet.
And those monkeys – oooooh I don’t like those monkeys. I run as fast as I can when I see them coming and Mom picks me up. But then she hands me to one of the monkeys! So last time they came after me, I ran into my kennel off-stage where I would be safe. When I came out of my kennel, thinking they were all gone, Mom picked me up and handed me to one of them again. I don’t know how I am going to stop her from doing this. Doesn’t she know they are scary??
September 30, 2006
Tonight is dance in Dunlap again. I went last week and really yelled at everyone. I was making up for lost time. And I wouldn’t go to the girls when they called me either. I am mad at them because they didn’t come and see me all summer when Mom wasn’t taking me there. I think they should have come to see me, don’t you? I am not sure if I will let them pet me tonight. I am still getting a lot of petting at the theater, so I don’t really need more. (Why is Mom laughing??)
Mom has started putting good stuff on my food in the morning. She says she wants me to start eating every morning because I am getting too thin. I don’t always do what she wants, but my goodness, this stuff is good.
I am going to rest some more now so I have lots of energy to go to dance tonight. I sure hope we stop at McDonalds again so I can have french fries. Mmmm.
September 22, 2006
I am having such a great time at the theater, both on-stage and off. I try to think of something new to do every night as well as on Sunday afternoon. I pay close attention to how the audience reacts so I will know if I should do it again next time. When Dorothy and I go back onstage after the house has landed in Oz, all the little kids called Munchkins sneak out around the edges of some fake plants and start giggling. I have started running and barking at them, and they giggle harder and run back behind the plants. Everyone in the audience laughs a lot when I do that, so I have kept it in my role as Toto.
One day before the show opened I went to an upstairs place back behind where the audience will be sitting. Mom kept telling me to bark by saying my word, free! She said they were recording me and I should bark as much and in as many different ways as I wanted. All I have to say to that is BARK! BARK! WOOF, WOOF. RRRRRRARRR. So in the scenes where I am supposed to bark, the audience hears the recording. Who knew that when I did a little improve that it would sound different! A few people actually asked if some of my barks were recorded. I wasn’t sure if I should feel embarrassed or proud…
September 15, 2006
Last night the show opened and I got to perform on-stage for the first time ever! It was a Thursday night and there were a lot of older people, which was great, since I really relate to that age bracket. I have had lots of practice with my Grandma, after all. Dorothy was about to take me out on stage with the old-looking new leash she had gotten for the part when Jeffery the director said, “No. We aren’t using a leash.” You should have seen the looks on both Dorothy and my mom’s faces. Dorothy took a deep breath and I think Mom started praying. No one knew what I would do since I had never been able to show them that am a born actor. We had rehearsed a lot and I knew my part and did it. When I first ran out to Dorothy on cue, and the audience breathed a collected sigh of “Awwwwww,” that sealed it. I knew I had found my calling. I would have done anything to hear that again. Then when I stole the hot dog from the stick like I was supposed to do and everyone laughed, I knew I loved this job more than anything. Dorothy had treats hidden in her socks and gave me lots of them during the play. Mom helped by always waiting off-stage where I was supposed to run when it was time and she always had a treat for me too. I think I am in heaven.
You should have seen me at the Annie Awards just before the show opened. I wore a white tux collar and red bow tie – I just knew clothes were going to enter into this at some point! Mom says it was, after all, a black tie affair. So where does this red bow tie come in? Mom wore a red gown to match my red bow tie. I worked the crowd. Pet me, feed me, adore me. And they did. Mom managed to ruin it a bit when she stood up on a chair and warned everyone, “Do not give any ham to the schnauzer.” After the social hour in the lobby, I sat on Mom’s lap for the awards in the auditorium – the one where I will be performing. At first, all the clapping, yelling and hooting bothered me. After about 20 minutes I decided it didn’t matter and settled down to watch the awards, even taking a little nap at the end. Then back to the lobby for dessert! I found the cream puff table and stood with my front paws on it, looking longingly at the treats – not without reward! The director is extremely impressed with my behavior, everyone’s reactions to me and my reactions back to them. What does he expect? When I am nice everyone feeds me treats and pets me. Isn’t that what life is all about, anyhow? So Mom says I don’t have to wear any more clothes during the play. That’s good. Now, if I could just get rid of those darned flying monkeys.
When I was a young pup and having a great time chewing to shreds my potty paper, who would have thought that some day I would be a feature in a newspaper? Yep, there I am, posing so beautifully with Dorothy on the front page of the Lifestyle section of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
I sure hope some puppy doesn’t peepee on my picture.
I got to go back to the Theatre Center and got interviewed. I tried to answer some of the questions but I think the lady only wrote down what Mommy said. I had my picture taken a bunch with Dorothy. I decided I like having my picture taken and posed very nicely outside right next to Dorothy’s red shoes. All of her they got in the picture was her red shoes. Ha, ha, won’t she be surprised! The camera lady said I was very photogenic. What’s photogenic?
Maybe the lady will give some of the pictures to my Mommy and she will put them on my web page.
I followed Dorothy everywhere during rehearsal. I was soooo excited to see her. She came over to my house last week and played with me. Then she came back another day just to take me for ice cream. I wonder how she knew I love ice cream best of all? She is my special friend now. I heard her talking to Mommy about coming to see me again. She is going to come pick me up from my Grandma’s. Dorothy said something about taking me on TV with her. That sounds so silly. Why on earth would she want to be on a TV? I hope I don’t have to sit on the TV. It is up a little too high and I might fall off. I am not a cat, you know.
I love rehearsal now. I get lots and lots of treats. And lots and lots of petting and “good girls”. But especially lots of treats. Everyone is very impressed that I bark when Mommy tells me. Once she remembered the right word to tell me to bark, I understood and now I bark every time she says it. It goes back to me learning to “stay” while we were at the park. First Mom would tell me to “heel,” then “sit,” then “stay.” When it was ok for me to get up again, Mom would say, “free!” The first thing I would do when she said “free” was to jump up and bark, then take off running. So now when Mom wants me to bark, all she has to do is say “free!”
It is late and I want to go to bed now. I always get a treat at bedtime!
Woof, woof! (And a special woof at the witch’s old hat!!)
My people cousins from out of town came to visit my Grandma today and Mom took me over so they could adore me. They were all very nice and petted me lots. I think they probably came because they had heard of my pending stardom. I heard them say they were going out to eat, so I gave Mom my best poor me look, but she made me stay home anyhow. Just wait until I am a big star – the restaurants will be begging me to come eat there!
Man, easy street is over for LexiToto (me). I have to go to rehearsals and get dragged out to Dorothy where she always picks me up. I’m not liken that at all. I have to memorize my lines – mostly woof! It’s getting the knack of when to say them, especially after a life-time of being told to stop barking.
But then everything changed. Dorothy came to my house! and she played ball with me! and she played platy (platypus) hand puppet with me! and she took me for a walk! and she gave me new treats! She even understands dog-speak!! And she sang to me too! I heard her tell Mom she’s not going to pick me up any more because I don’t like it. Ya know, maybe she’s ok after all. Then we went to the meat market and the butcher came out to see me and brought me a big bone. It is so big I can hardly lift it, and boy oh boy is it good!
Mom got me this super yummy treat that is soft and tastes like peanut butter. She keeps making me roll over on my side before she will give me any. I don’t like that. It doesn’t feel right. She said something about poppies and looking like I am asleep. Right now, I am hoping she gives up on this “over” thing. What are poppies?
I had my audition today to be Toto in the Wizard of Oz. It was no big deal. No, really. I am not just being modest. Come on, think about it— me, modest? Mom just asked me to do some stuff I do for her all the time anyhow, like sit, down, stay, heel, twirl. The guy that was watching me do all this asked Mom if I would walk with him, so she gave the yummy bologna to him and he asked me to heel. He was real impressed, but what did he think, that I was going to let him walk away with my bologna? No way! Anyhow, I have to go back on Wednesday to play with the rest of the cast. He said something about they would all want to feed me cookies. I don’t care if I have to sit or lay down for cookies. I sit and lay around a lot anyhow, so again, no big deal. Cookies and bologna…I knew this Toto thing was going to be good.
Oh, and better yet, this guy wants Mom to let my hair grow out. You know what that means don’t you? No grooming!!!! It only keeps getting better and better. Now, if only I don’t have to take baths, either…
“I’m off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.” What’s Oz?
Grandma fell down last week in her living room and hit her head and it bled a lot. Mom took her to see the doctor and I was very worried about her until she came back home. She is all bruised on her front and she still hurts a lot. Mom wouldn’t let me go get my toast from her for a couple of days, and I really missed that, especially the good peach jam she has started putting on it. Don’t get me wrong – I missed my Grandma too. She must have missed me a whole lot because she kept me all day Saturday. I don’t really like staying all day. It gets boring. But at least she gives me a lot of good stuff to eat.
Things are back to normal now. I get to spend the morning with my Grandma and eat my toast. I am careful to be real gentle with her and not jump on her where she is hurting. I lay at her feet more, too, because I know she likes that. Mom said we need to pray for her. Maybe other people will too, when they read this. I love my Grandma.
May 23, 2006
My eye is all better now. No more horrible collar thingy. I am free! Life is good again.
I went to the downtown market Sunday and got to see lots of people and dogs. The band was playing and Grandma made me stay with her while Mom danced. I wanted to go out on the dance floor too, but no one would let me. So Mom took me out on the dance floor when it was all over and asked me to dance with her, but I didn’t want to anymore because the band had quit playing. I saw a couple of my favorite people but no one seemed happy when I jumped up on them and got them all dirty with my paws. I still had a good time and was exhausted when I got home.
I am learning Bolero. Mom has a tape, and I watch it with her and watch her practice. I think I can do this. She is going to have to take smaller steps, though.
More later from the “dancing Schnauzer.” (Has a nice sound to it, don’t you think?)
May 17, 2006
Mom said I have a sick eye and that’s why she took me to the vet. The vet said I have conjunctivitis. It was really itching, so I kept wiping it with my leg and cleaning my leg with my tongue. I thought that was a smart thing to do, being the smart Schnauzer that I am. The vet said I could hurt my eye doing that, so now I have to wear this e-collar thing. I am absolutely devastated. I am so torn up over this collar thingy that I can hardly walk. I sure can’t go up and down stairs. I got up two stairs and gave up. I just sat down and waited for Mom to come home and carry me. Mom made me go out to potty, and I felt so defeated. I just dropped my head down to the concrete and stood there. Why is she doing this to me? It’s the most horrible thing that has ever happened to me. I want to just get a shot with a needle. That isn’t bad. Or just scold me. But take this horrible, terrible thing off from around my head!!!! It scares me. I run into things with it. I am afraid to walk. I don’t think I can eat or drink. Who is going to feed me? Somebody help me!
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse Mom says I have to go to help with dance lessons tonight. I don’t think I can bear it. Everyone will see me with this thingy on my head, and I think they will laugh at me. I will be humiliated. Maybe someone will take pity on me and take it off me. I am pitiful. Mom keeps saying so. I would go and pretend it isn’t on me, but it is on me and it is so scary. I hate my life. Mom says just four days of this, but I think that means forever. Help!!!!!!!!!
May 11, 2006
Wow, what a great birthday weekend. It started on Friday when I went to help teach dance. We had cake and everyone sang to me and I got a huge pig ear. I danced and ate up the whole pig ear. Hmmm. I wonder what happened to the rest of the pig…
Then I got to have cake again for breakfast on Saturday, and Mom took me shopping. We went to a fancy downtown dog store and I got two bling and a free treat. After that we went to Petsmart and I got two more bling but no treat. All day Mom sang to me about my birthday and I was so excited!
On Sunday – my real birthday – I had cake again for breakfast and hot dogs for lunch and pizza for dinner!!! I went to get the pizza with Mom and when she said it was for me too, I got so excited I shook all over and wagged my tail as fast as it would go. We had ice cream for dessert because the cake was all gone. I know, because I got to lick the icing off the bottom of the plate.
Birthdays are really great, but I want a cheeseburger now. I thought this was just the start of something new, like not having to stay in my crate anymore during the day. I thought I was going to get to eat like this every day. You know, something that happens now that I am a whole three years old. I must admit that I am a bit disappointed. Guess I will have to stick with my Grandma to get the toast every morning. Things could be worse. (I wonder when I will have another birthday….)
May 5, 2006
I am so excited (except for the bath part!) This is my official “birthday weekend!!” and it starts tonight.
I have been going once a week to help Mom and Jeff teach dance to some teens and adults about an hour’s drive away. They just love me 🙂 and tonight we are taking birthday cake and candles and we are going to have a party! I just love parties. I hope I get ice cream too. I really love ice cream. And they all know I love bling bling, so maybe I will get presents even though Mom had to go and tell them not to bring any.
This teaching dance thing is a blast! I run up and down the line of dancers and leap up in the air to show them how to dance. Sometimes I even have to bark to get them to do it right. They smile and pet me a lot. Then I run over to Mom and stand up on my back legs so she can take my hand paws and dance with me. Sometimes she picks me up and dances with me in her arms, and I like that too. I am absolutely exhausted by the time we are done, what with all that running and supervising and being adorable. That’s hard work. But I get to sleep on the ride home.
I can hardly wait to find out what else we are doing this weekend for my birthday on Sunday!
March 7, 2006
I had the bestest time of my life on Sunday. There are two dogs who run around the neighborhood who are bigger than me, but Mom says they are still puppies. They come in my yard a lot and I see them through the gate. Well, guess who forgot to latch the gate when the garbage got taken to the curb on Sunday? It wasn’t me, but I know how to take advantage of a situation. I went on out and ran, ran, ran with the “puppies.” I ran for a very long time. I ran all over the place. I ran places I had never been before. It was so much fun!
Mom was out driving in the car looking for me when she saw me as I was on my way back home. She got out of the car and ran through yards and grabbed me up and ran back to the car and drove home. Sometimes I really don’t understand the things she does. Then she just sat there and held me and cried. I don’t know why. I was having so much fun, and I tried to tell her I had new friends and I wanted to go back out to play with them some more, but she just carried me in the house and wouldn’t let me back out. She said they would have to come in the fence to play with me from now on.
Well, you will never guess what happened the next day… my new “puppy” friends came over and tried to break me out. They grabbed the gate with their teeth and kept yanking on it to try to get me out, but it didn’t work. Maybe they will come back and try again and we can all go running and playing together again. Maybe Mom won’t cry this time.
My big brother Andrew had a birthday and that is always fun. Andrew and my other big brother Adam and my Grandma and two of my other good friends all came over and we ate ice cream cake. Yumm! Then I took turns sitting on everyone’s laps and getting petted. It was almost as good as me having a birthday, except they all went out to eat without me and I didn’t get any presents. So I guess maybe it wasn’t quite as good. But it was still tons of fun and I want to do it again.
I'm Dalton, a Rat terrier mix and I came here in Sept, 2017, I was rescued from Hurricane Harvey. My birthday is 8-20-2016. My Gotcha Day is 8-27-2017. And I am Benji, a terrier mix of unknown origin. MY Birthday is June 6, 2018, and my Gotcha Day is Dec 28, 2018. I also was a rescue from a different part of Texas. We also have Angel MrJackFreckles, (2-5-2018); and also we have Angel Minko, (6-18-2017); and Angel Pipo, (11-3-2020);There are also Angels Groucho, Simba, Suki, & Toki. We meezers used to be known as WeBeesSiameezers. We'e all from Michigan, Dalton and Benji both came here from Texas, as rescues..
Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess with Lucy and Chia 