A Backyard Photo Shoot

Just a few shots of me playing with my KONG(s)!! Don't be jealous that I have two.

A Day in the Life of Me – Hippo!

My foster parents tell me I’ve got quite the following, now that I’ve reached patch fame (http://chevychase.patch.com/blog_posts/mutts-matter-meet-a-dog-named-hippo), so I figured I’d give my fans a look at what a day in my life is like!

It all starts when foster dad wakes up. He asked me not to mention the specific time, but let’s just say it’s not what most folks would consider early. That’s fine by me though because I’ve got a super comfy bed in my crate and I’m totally cool sleeping late. Once foster dad is up though our exciting day begins with a trip to the backyard where my foster sisters and I do our business. I’m really proud of the fact that I NEVER do my business in the grass – I learned within a matter of days that foster mom and dad want us to do our business in the mulch and I’ve been doing it ever since. Sometimes my foster sisters forget and go in the grass, but I never do. 

After we’ve done our business we head downstairs for our delicious breakfast. My foster sisters get their breakfasts in their crates, but I get mine loose because I get my meals in a special bowl! I lay nicely on the floor while foster dad feeds my foster sisters because he tells me to stay and I’m a real good listener. They just get their meals in normal boring dog bowls, but I get mine in either a wobbly Kong (http://www.kongcompany.com/products/dogs/wobbler/wobbler-1) or a plastic cube. These both have a small hole in them and I roll them around on the floor and knock them over to get the food out a few pieces at a time. It’s so much fun and keeps me busy for 30-45 minutes! It also slows me down because I eat my food SO fast if it’s in a regular bowl. My foster parents say that I’m such a smart little guy that I need lots of stimulation and this way I get some while eating my meals. It also tires me out a bit and gives my foster parents some time to do things like eat meals of their own, make conference calls, or just relax without me around for a bit. It’s great!

After I finish eating I usually head upstairs to see what foster dad’s up to and most of the time I get to chew on one of my bones for an hour or two while he does work. Then it’s time to go get my foster sisters and play! Before we let my foster sisters out of their crates, foster dad has me lay down and stay and then he gets whatever food I left behind and places it on my paw while telling me to “wait.” I get so excited about eating these last few pieces of food, but I always wait until foster dad says it’s ok to eat them. Then I stay in down until foster dad has let both Lydia and Keely out of their crates and tells me it’s time to go upstairs. Then I run up and say hello to Keely and Lyd! My way of saying hello usually involves chewing on their ears and necks because that’s what I love to do, but I know that Keely doesn’t like that so I don’t do it to her. Lydia and I like to chew on each others’ ears and faces for hours though, or at least until it annoys foster dad and he makes us stop.

While foster dad is working we do lots of different things. We watch the squirrels and birds out the window and occasionally bark at a dog passing by outside. Then we chase each other around and jump on the couch or sit on foster dad’s feet under his desk. Sometimes in the afternoon foster dad lets us hang out on the deck where we have lots of toys to play tug with and are even closer to the birds and squirrels. Last week a baby bird fell onto the deck, but none of us noticed except for Keely and she was just sniffing it (foster parents say she’s a huge wuss). I know Lydia wanted to eat it, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was still pretty exciting though!

After we’re done playing on the deck I usually like to lay in the sun if it’s cool or in the shade if it’s hot. If it’s hot foster dad doesn’t leave us out there too long and when he brings us in we always get ice cubes which we think are quite the treats. Lately in the evenings foster mom or dad has been taking me on long walks/runs which are awesome. I get to smell and see tons of new things and run around with them. It also tires me out. They’re working with me a lot on my manners and now when I see another dog I usually don’t even bark (unless they are barking and then I find it hard to resist!).

By then it’s usually time for dinner! We do the same routine as with breakfast and I work at my wobbly kong for as long as it takes to get all the food out. Foster dad had to start duct taping the hole in it to make it smaller because I figured it out too fast, but then I figured out that if I licked the duct tape enough it would move away from the hole and more food would come out. I love figuring things out!

Lots of times after dinner either foster mom or foster dad will work with me on my training. I’m a whiz at training because I’m so food motivated and eager to please. I breezed through the first 7 days of the protocol for relaxation before we got a bit distracted with other things, but I can sit perfectly still while people run circles around me, open the door and walk out and come back in, leave the room and then come back, run in place while clapping, you name it! I can even do it while foster dad is yelling at the Orioles on the TV!

If I’m really lucky, in the late evening we get to go to the dog park. We go at night so we can have the place to ourselves without any other annoying dogs to stress us out. It’s so much fun – last time Lydia and I chased each other around in circles for 30 minutes straight until we were both exhausted. The time before that foster dad took me by myself and I chased these balls that squeak when you chew them. When we get home I’m ready to relax and we usually watch TV for an hour or two. Sometimes I see an animal on the TV and I bark because I want to play with it! Foster parents laugh at me because they say it’s not real but I’m not sure.

When it’s time for bed and foster mom and dad head upstairs, I run right into my crate because I know I sleep in there. It also helps that I know I get a treat in there. Once the lights are out I go right to sleep and am down for the count until the morning when it’s time to do it all over again!

That’s a day in the life of me, Hippo! Wouldn’t you like to spend your days with me?

**NOTE: We are trying very hard to get the word out about Hippo -- let us know if you can help out!  We have a flyer that we're hanging around metro stations and other busy areas, so if you can hang some in your neighborhood that would be awesome. Email or leave a comment and we'll send you the flyer.