Avery's adventure...and our Christmas miracle

Now that we're back in Indiana, I (Beth) thought I'd commandeer the dog blog to report on Avery's Christmas adventure...and how our week in Kansas went from lousy to wonderful.
On Sunday the 21st (Paul's birthday) we left Avery with Michael's parents and drove a couple hours to spend a few days with my family. Early Sunday afternoon, Michael got a call from his mom. Michael's mom had been walking Avery when Avery got spooked, escaped from her harness, and took off.

An exhaustive doghunt ensued. Flyers were made and posted. Doors were knocked on. The radio station ran an ad. A reward was offered. Searchers were on foot, in cars, on fourwheelers. And across the country, people were praying for her return. Michael and I cut our time with my family short and headed back his parent's house. But Avery was nowhere to be found.

Temperatures were in the single digits on Sunday and Monday with negative windchills. Bulldogs don't deal well with extreme temperatures, so it was our hope that she had found shelter with a neighbor or someone had seen her running along the road and "adopted" her. Tuesday and Wednesday came and went and still there was no sign of Avery. At that point we were counting on her microchip - that if someone had her, she'd be taken to a vet, scanned, and returned to us.

Thursday we were preparing Christmas dinner when there was a knock on Michael's parent's door. It was a neighbor...saying they had Avery. We (Michael, his mom, our niece, and myself) piled into Michael's mom's car and sped to the neighbor's house. There was a group of people waiting for us, and they carried out a scared, skinny bulldog. It was Avery!

A family who lives down the road from Michael's parents (or a portion thereof) had gone for a hike after their Christmas dinner when they encountered Avery laying in the pasture across the road from their house. They carried her back to their house, fed her, gave her some water, and consulted with a flyer that had been posted to confirm that the dog they found was, in fact, Avery the Bulldog. It was an answer to prayer. And our Christmas miracle.

We took Avery to the vet the next day. She had some scratches and a rash around her mouth (probably from rooting around for water) and had lost a few pounds, but there was no sign of frostbite and her heart and lungs sounded fine. She was (and still is) somewhat lethargic, but is getting her weight back and her strength back.

We are so grateful to the family who found Avery and returned her to us on Christmas day. And grateful to our family, friends, and neighbors for their prayers and search efforts. Merry Christmas!

They found me!!!

I'm back! I'm skinny, but I'm back!!!I've had quite the adventure the past couple of days. After I arrived in Kansas, I went exploring. And explored for 4 days. It was really cold. I'm not sure how I survived, but I did. And now Michael and Beth and the whole family are really excited to see me again. Merry Christmas!Thank you to the family who spotted me in that field and got me back home for the holidays!

Road trip!

Yesterday Michael, Beth, and I packed up the car and headed west. We drove out of Indiana, all the way through Illinois, all the way through Missouri, and ended up in Kansas. I had the entire backseat to myself. And some of my favorite things to occupy me...a stick, my green ring, and a towel. The journey wasn't too bad, but I'm glad to be back on solid ground here in Kansas. The hospitality is great and I've gotten to meet many new friends...Ozzie, Ruby, Gidget, and Shelby for starters.

From my family to yours...

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Cardboard rolls and leaves

Beth spent part of today wrapping presents. Which turned out well for me...because I got to chew on the cardboard roll once the wrapping paper was exhausted.
Then I went back to barking at leaves out the back door. It was very windy today. So there were a lot of leaves to bark at.

The most wonderful time of the year....

That would be college basketball season. Last night was a big game for the Boilermakers - Purdue vs. the Duke Blue Devils. I was disappointed that Duke prevailed...but the season is still young.

It's snowing! It's snowing!

It's December. And you know what that means. SNOW! All the neighbors made snowmen. I wanted to participate in the outdoor fun. Alas, I am an indoor dog. So I watched from inside.

Thanksgiving update

When last we spoke, there was a turkey thawing in the bathtub. Here's what has transpired since. After the turkey thawed, Michael and Beth made some brine. The brine needed to be cooled...so they stole some of my ice. Can anyone say convective heat transfer?Then in went the turkey...along with a bunch more ice.Then the turkey was covered and spent the night in the garage.Thanksgiving morning was cooking time! The turkey was outfitted with a thermometer and some aluminum foil. I think the aluminum foil was used to keep the aliens away. Michael kept a close eye on the roasting process.And I took a nap on my chair.
Then it was time to make the stuffing! I helped by cleaning up anything that fell on the floor.And Michael kept an eye on the stuffing while it was cooking.After a long day of cooking, we were ready to feast. I, of course, ate dog food. But Michael and Beth enjoyed some green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with streusel, the stuffing, the turkey, and some pumpkin pie.

Thanksgiving eve

Well, it appears that preparations have begun for the Thanksgiving feast at the casa. My first clue? The appearance of these oddly shaped things on the counter:And then there was something odd happening in the bathtub....
Here's a closer look:
That's right. A 17.2 pound turkey. In a 5-gallon bucket. Weighted down by a gallon of tea. In a bathtub. If that doesn't say holiday spirit, I don't know what does.

All worn out

Queen of the castle

Now this is living. Just me, a chair and a half, and the remote. Every day should be this good.

Pedicure time

Emily was nice enough to trim my nails the other day. Have I mentioned how much I hate getting my nails trimmed? It was a team effort...Kevin held me, Emily trimmed me, and Michael distracted me with a Kong full of peanut butter.
It took a long time to get all that peanut butter out of the Kong. But I'm nothing if not persistent.

Pumping iron

I did a little weightlifting this evening. For a warm-up, I started with the 10-pound dumbbell. I pushed itI pulled itand I tried to gnaw on it.Then I moved on to the real weights. The 55-pound dumbbell was a little harder to maneuver.

All I want for Christmas...

Dear Santa,

How are you? I am fine. I am writing to inform you that I have been a very good puppy this year. As such, I would like a little sister for Christmas. I already have one picked out. Her name is Kata and she is adorable. I could teach her lots of things. Like how to chew up her bed. And how to chew up her toys. And how to eat ice cubes from the freezer. Please, Santa, please?

Yours doggedly,
Avery the Bulldog

P.S. To clarify, Kata is already "reserved" and not by Michael and Beth. So it looks like my wish for a little sister will be unfilled this year. That is, unless Santa reserved her for me....

Whew...what a weekend

We had a visitor at the casa this weekend. His name is Brian and he was a lot of fun to play with; we spent a lot of time tugging with my new green ring. Suffice it to say, I'm pretty worn out.

Happy Halloween!!!

I don't know if my Halloween was a trick...or a treat. I spent a portion of the evening in my crate and the doorbell rang a lot. And, to add insult to injury, Michael and Beth dressed me as a...well, I'm not sure what. As a dog in a Purdue shirt? Where's the creativity? Where's the planning? If you ask me, it almost seems like they waited until the last minute and then bought whatever was left at Walmart. The shirt was an XL. I think I may have required an XXXL....
As for the treat, a new chew toy! A new blue elephant. He was delicious.He got trapped under the ottoman for part of the evening.
And then later I amputated (and ingested) his trunk.

Popcorn for the puppy

I haven't been that impressed with the food I find laying on the kitchen floor. Bits of chopped up onion? Nah. A lone Cheerio or two? No thank you. But popcorn? Now there's a floor snack I can get excited about.

Halloween comes early?

I don't know why Michael and Beth thought this was a good idea.... But here I am wearing one of Michael's shirts:
I eventually escaped and am pleased to report that the shirt was delicious.

A new, improved dog bed

Michael and Beth have made the spare bedroom into their office of sorts. Which is great for me. They put a sheet over the bed and I've claimed the bed as my new territory. A superb venue for chewing. Here I am enjoying my strawberry...my rubber strawberry.

Like father, like daughter

I like weekends - especially the extended play time with Michael.

Wide open spaces

Just me, my walrus, a basket of toys, and the wide open carpet. Now that's living.

Indoor play area

This morning Michael and Beth moved all the furniture out of the living areas and onto the tile. I was excited because it created a giant space for me to run around and play. I got tired from running around. So I took a nap. Now there's a man here with machines and he's walking back and forth across the carpet.

I hate cats

There was a furry collared thing outside today...taunting me. I'm not a fan of the felines. Not a fan.

Life without Beth

Beth had/got to do a little traveling for work this week. So Michael and I held down the fort. And by "fort" I mean "couch and pillows." It was great to see her today. I was so excited - I ran around the house with glee.

Yay!

I'm one year old (yesterday)! Yay for Avery!

How lucky am I?

Today is my birthday! Happy birthday to me! But why am I lucky? I'll tell you. Because I share my birthday with international talk like a pirate day. Arrr!

The bowling pin

As anyone who has attempted to have a phone conversation with Michael and/or Beth the past couple weeks knows, I have a new favorite toy. It's no Kong Wubba, but I do enjoy my red bowling pin. It's robust and it sounds like a duck when I chomp down on it. A very loud, very agitated duck.

Tail(?)gating

I know - it's been quiet on the Avery dog blog front. What can I say? It's been a little slow around here.... Michael and Beth did attend the Purdue football game last weekend. I would love to report on the festivities but, alas, I was not invited. I don't know why...I love football. And, last I checked, I'm the only one of us with a tail. How can you tailgate without a tail???

For the sake of oral hygiene...

Emily was nice enough to bring me some dental chews. I think that's her way of saying that my breath is the stinky stink. Regardless of motivation, I do enjoy the chews. So thank you, Emily!

Maybe...

...if I stay very still no one will find me among the pillows.

Ouch!

I do not like getting my nails trimmed. Do not, do not, do not, do not. The bath I don't mind. The subsequent nail trimming is not fun. Today Beth got a little overzealous with the trimming. And now one of the toes on my back right foot hurts. But licking said toe seems to lessen the pain.