LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

In the middle of all the nuttiness, our puppy turned four!

Put your paws up.

You’d think we’d have a cake or steak, but although I love Ollie tremendously, he’s a dog and has no idea of the passing of time. He did get extra scritches and nose-smooches, though.

He still has his puppylick, though!

As the years of my life fly by, young Ollie has gone from a goofball puppy to a dog with character. And while I adore puppies, I like seeing their real personality evolve. Ollie is no genius, but he’s very good at being a dog. And that’s fine with me.

Like most dogs, Ollie is a creature of habit. Every morning when I come out of the shower and head to the bedroom to finish getting ready, Ollie grabs a tennis ball and follows me in. As much as I’d love to play with him, I can’t. So he brings in a second ball in order to get his point across.

Play with me.

See that clock? I start work at 8:30. Yeah.

Once Ollie realizes that I won’t be tossing the ball, he decides to have fun solo. Which involves flopping on the bed.

Feel free to toss this ball.

Then when I sit on the bed to put my shoes on, he turns the cute meter to 11.

You can toss that ball anytime now.

Finally, my earrings are a sign to him that, sadly, I can’t play.

Maybe just a belly scratch?

Okay, Olliepeño. Just a belly scratch.

During all of this hullabaloo, Max is enjoying some non-Ollie time to himself in the other room.