This is Hoover. We got new sleeping places. Soooooooooo comfortable, Dyson and I nearly knock each other over when She opens the door. After a long day of just waiting it is a major miracle to climb into your own bed.
I am a little confused by the excitement in the air. The other day She brought in a tree, mind you, right into the house. It has little lights all over it and really looks great, especially at night. Dyson is suspicious (he always is) and says it doesn't smell like a tree. But what does he know? We don't have any trees of our own to compare it to. I just like the warm feeling I get when I sleep near it. There are also some colorful boxes under the tree. We found out the hard way that they are a big No. Dyson was sniffing them, well, so was I. Just nice smells nothing to get too excited about but it cost us a swat on the rear and a big No.
Yesterday He came home with the best, best ever. When He unzipped the bag He gave me another ball, it was bigger than the green ones and makes a lovely sound when it hits the floor. Oh, my, what fun to chase, carry, catch, and toss. It keeps me busy for a good part of the day. Dyson does not show much interest until he gets a little jealous of the attention. Then he pretends he is chasing the ball, but he is really chasing me because he grabs my collar and drags at me. But I am focused, eye on the ball, never wavering, well, most of the time.
Well, it is a little rainy outside, kind of damp and chilly. I think I will go to my sleeping place for a little bit. I am feeling a little droopy.

This is Hoover. I am missing the cousins this morning. They went home a couple of days ago with the Other She after a long visit. They left their beds here and we have been enjoying the smells ever since. Maybe that is why I am missing them. But a lot of other things have happened since then. We went for a long ride in the Riding Thing and went for a walk where there were lots of people. Most people like us and we have to be gentle and let them touch us. It is not so bad, except that it is a distraction when there is so much to look at and smell. I like it best when the real little people come to see us. They are gentle and curious.
I forgot to mention that before we went for the long walk we had what is called a shower. That is when it rains from above and you get all wet. We were not outside when this happened either. They rubbed me all over with some really nice smelling stuff and then it rained some more. The best part is when it is over and they wrap you up and try to hold you. I can usually escape pretty fast and shake the water off. Apparently that is funny, though I don't know why. I don't really like it when it rains in the little room, it is kind of scary when the sky is not there. But after wards it is fun to shake and run fast . Then, of course, you have to get used to the new smell of each other. Dyson says it is good to be clean, maybe that is because he is the big brother. I wonder if all little brothers like dirt as much as I do.

This is Hoover. The cousins are still here. It makes me a little nervous that maybe they are staying. But this has given Molly and me a chance to be friends. She has been sneaking onto my bed and curling up with me. She shivers alot at first, but then pretty soon we both feel cozier. I think she is missing the Other She. Funny thing happened this morning when She was in her room. All of us came to tattle on Bo and when She came out to see what we wanted she couldn't find Bo. We tried to tell Her he was in the other house but She looked everywhere else first. I think She thought he did the Wall Crawl so She really laughed when he came out of the other house. These cousins are funny.
Later today She took out the Little Red Whiner. I am beginning to feel sorry for him. She was yanking him all over today and even got his tail caught around his nose. She must not have noticed because She ended up picking him up by his nose. He must not have been feeling well either because She took his belly out and gave him a new one. I feel so badly about being unkind.
Dyson says everything happens for a reason and we have to watch for the lesson waiting for us. I don't know where he gets this stuff. So I suppose I learned that the first time you meet someone you don't really know all about them at that moment. It takes time to find out if you like someone or not. And usually you end up liking them anyway. That must be my lesson.

This is Hoover. I am a little overwhelmed. The cousins are here again for a sleepover, but they are really staying here a long time. The one called Bo likes to runaway so they keep him tied up on a leash. Every once in a while She lets him loose and I am so worried he will run away and upset everyone. She gets mad at me when I chase him, try to block him at the door, push at him with my nose or try to grab his collar with my teeth. I try to talk to Her but, of course, with this tongue thing the words don't come out and I just sound whiney. That little one named Molly is a stinker. We have rules at our house and I guess they don't apply to her. She actually sat on His lap while they were watching the Picture Box. Never in all my life would I think to do that unless He was sitting on the floor and playing with us. Pretty bold for such a little thing. The one called SH something sleeps a lot. She is not very playful, but she can really get us going when she hears a noise. Even when she seems to be sleeping she is on guard, (she could teach Dyson a thing or two about being alert) All she has to do is bark in her sleep and we are all fighting to get through our door. Sometimes she looks like she is laughing at us when we all come back in. Hey, I have to run....it sounds like someone is trying to takeover my sleeping place. I have to protect that with everything I have!!!!!!

This is Hoover. Ok, I think I have some disturbing news. Everything was going well, great smells and a couple of treats for us. Who could have known that the Little Red Whiner had a big brother, too? He came in with the Big Silver Growler. I saw it out in the Other House, but had no idea what it was. Wow, it really sniffed out all the stuff with lots of noise and nothing left on the floor when it was done. In the meantime I was keeping an eye on the Hot Box and did not see what was happening because of all the distraction. At some point the Other She came in and what with sniffing all over the Other Her because of the Cousins, I missed when She took out the bird-thing-with-no-feathers. Suddenly everything was happening at once and He was tearing apart something that smelled a lot like what had been in the Hot Box all day. Then there was all this other stuff up high where we could only smell it and they were eating it. Now, I don't want to say it is true, but I think they were eating the bird-thing-with-no-feathers. Dyson seems to think they were, he says that is just being human. I am feeling a little sick about the whole thing. Well, I will just look at it as a learning experience and next time I will be more prepared. Again, I have to say, I am glad I am a dog.

This is Hoover. Oh, my something is going on today. Usually She gets up in the dark on this day but today it was a be-quiet-for-a long-time-morning. In the GoodSmells Room she took this huge white thing out of the Cold Box and put it in the sink. When She unwrapped it, there was this incredible smell. I wanted to bury my nose in it. When I tried to sniff it She slapped my nose. Guess it will not be for us. Dyson said it was a bird of some kind, but it didn't have any feathers. I didn't say anything to him because I don't want to hurt his feelings, but I think he is wrong. And I felt sorry for the poor thing, because She watered it all over and it reminded me that They do that to us sometimes and I don't like it. Then She did the strangest thing. She put it in a box with a lid and put the whole thing in the Hot Box. Now it is just sitting in there and waiting. I can see it because there is a Picture Screen. Maybe it is happy and cozy, like when I am on my Sleeping Place. I'll bet that's it and I will check from time to time and let you know.

This is Hoover. What a weekend. We had a sleepover with our cousins. They came in the car with the Other She. The oldest one is Bo, They have to tie him up because he does the runaway thing. The last time he was here he tried to talk us into trying it. Dyson and I were not impressed because we really like it here. I guess Bo is just trying to find the Other She when he does that Over the Wall Crawl. This time he seemed less anxious about it and They let him free more of the time. He can be fun to play with until he takes my ball. Another one is named Sh..... something. Mostly she just eats, sleeps and barks at the wind. She doesn't play much or get in our way. Then there is the little one. Her name is Molly-I can spell that, but I can't pronounce it, mind you, because of the tongue thing. We got off to a rocky start, which is my own fault. She is very tiny and the first time she was here I thought she was a toy and grabbed her a little hard. She has very sharp teeth and is very quick. She can also slide through the gate to the other side where He parks His Riding Things. That annoys me no end, because she goes over there and yaps at us thinking she is the Princess of That Side. Then she sneaks back into the house and climbs up on the Sitting Place and sleeps up there. We are not allowed in the Sitting Places because of the Big No. It does kind of make me chuckle though when They catch her up there and she gets the Big No for herself.
Well, anyway that was our big weekend. Always glad when they come, always glad when they go home.