Two Balls, No Balls, One Ball, Two Balls

December 18, 2007. Well I have now come full circle as it were. I started out life as a puppy with two balls until with the flick of a surgeon’s knife, they were gone. So now I had no balls. When I was adopted by Tom and Renee they presented me with a tennis ball to play with and chase, so now I had one ball. Over the next year, I became rather possessive of that ball. When Tom would throw it, I would go and get it. But, when I brought it back, I had to be coaxed into dropping it.

I even went so far as to come back, drop the ball and as soon as Tom would bend over to pick it up, I would pounce, grab it and run away. Sometimes I managed to keep the ball for as long as 10 minutes before I would let Tom get it. Yesterday, Tom fooled me. I heard him say it was Renee’s idea. I came running back with the ball in my mouth when suddenly, Tom lifted the launcher and there was the ball. It was like magic.

I was so shocked my mouth fell open and the ball rolled out, right to Tom’s feet. Then he threw the other one and I chased it. We kept repeating the process over and over. Boy, did I ever get a good workout because I was constantly running. After 30 minutes Renee arrived from work and we played for another 15 minutes. This was my second workout of the day too. On the way home though, my buddy Oscar arrived and I went running with him for another 15 minutes. Boy was that fun and was I ever tired.

Today when Tom and I went to the park, we did the two ball trick again, but part way through, Tom pocketed the second ball. When I would come back with the ball, he would raise the ball launcher and I would still drop the ball and let him pick it up. What a great training idea for me. Renee was brilliant and Tom can’t figure out why we didn’t think of it sooner.

It has been a busy time since I last wrote and it has been a long time since I did that. November was a month of anniversary’s and remembrances. First there was Remembrance Day on the 11th and we went to a ceremony at Confederation Park. There was lots of people (and rain), bagpipes, bands and airplanes. It was very exciting for me.

On the 13th we celebrated Tom and Renee’s 4th Anniversary together. We went to a big restaurant, where Tom and Renee had a big crab dinner. I guarded the truck for them and got lots of hugs and pats after they came back. The best part though is I got to lick off the taste of the crab still left on their fingers.

On the 16th it was a sad day as we marked the 15th Anniversary of the death of Tom’s Mom. I wish I could have met her. I know I would have loved her and she would have loved me.

Then on the 30th we went to a huge party for Matias sister Micaela. It was a coming out party as she had turned 15. It is like a combination Sweet Sixteen party and a Debutante’s Ball. Instead of 16 like it is celebrated in North America, people from Uruguay celebrate the 15th birthday. I got to guard the truck again. The next morning we woke up to snow. Yippee. I love snow.

Tom and Renee are keeping up their Monday guitar lessons together and Tom has added in private lessons on Wednesday’s to learn to play his electric guitar better. Both of them are getting pretty good. Tom and I have not gone to hockey in several weeks now. When he was playing a game in November, with Karl, there was a bit of an accident. Karl scored his first ever goal and then later fell into Tom’s knee. Unfortunately, it tore the cartilage in Tom’s knee and he hasn’t played since.

The 23rd of December is going to be a special Anniversary Day. That is the day, one year ago, that Tom and Renee drove all the way to Yakima, Washington to adopt me. It has been such a wonderful first year. I love them so much. Tom produced a DVD of some of the highlights of my first year, called “Toby, The Wonder Dog, The First Year”. I have watched it twice now and really enjoy seeing myself on the screen. Unfortunately, I keep leaving nose prints on the glass. Tom sent a copy to Elly too, so she can see what I have been up to.

Tom’s Mom would have been 90 years old on the 23rd. That’s like about 400 or more in dog years. Tom’s Dad will be 89 on the 29th and he is still going strong.

Tom put up the Christmas lights the other day, but he is not going to put the tree up this year. They figure it will be too tempting for me. I didn’t bother it last year, but then, it was up long before I arrived. I think they figure, and rightly so, that I would swipe branches and eat them while they were setting it up.

I will close now and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year in 2008. I know it will be another great year for me.