My Dogs Need (according to Google):

Hey everyone! I just got the call from the doggy hospital, and Puddleglum is awake and doing very well! I am so happy, and I'm sure I bugged the snot out of them asking for updates. He'll be going home today, so we may have a sleepless night but at least he'll be with us. I'm sure he'll feel fine enough to resume his duties blogging for all his friends pretty soon.

In the meantime, I am going to give you all the "[insert dog's name] needs" meme! It wasn't easy to do-- the curse of having unique names, I guess.

Puddleglum needs AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) --He does? Sure, I share a glass of wine, a snifer of port, a six-pack of beer, and a shot or two of Don Julio with him, but that's not excessive.

Puddleglum needs his happy thoughts --Oh, I think he's got them with him all the time.

All Puddleglum needs is some webby hands and feet --Webby hands and feet? That's it?

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So, that's it for Puddleglum. Not a whole lot, is there? Let's try "Puddy".

Puddy needs lovin' --Well, he gets plenty of it at home!

Lovin' of the other kind, well... I think we all know that's out of the question now.

Puddy needs to turn 3 more or gain 74 more Werewolf points to reach the next level --Hmmm... I've got to cancel his World of Warcraft subscription.

Puddy needs a friend --What? Snoufer isn't enough?

Two-dog rule: that's inflexible. Sorry, little guy.

Puddy needs a pawdicure! --Well of course he does! What dog doesn't like a little pampering now and then?

Puddy needs some food --I bet he does, after having to fast for 12 hours yesterday.

Puddy needs to see a vet straight away --He's already there, so...

All Puddy needs to do is run another Puddystudy --The WWW must not be too sure on what the sum total of Puddy's needs are. In other news, the latest Puddystudy reveals that "popped collars" should be a Class C felony.

Puddy needs 5 to catch Liz --Five what? Don't leave me hanging! I want him to catch Liz just as much as you all do!

Puddy needs a family where rules are established, boundaries are enforced and Nylabones are abundant --Check, check, and semi-check (he prefers real bones first and flavored rawhides second)

Puddy needs to run --Oh, he does. Not only every day when I get home from work, but also several times a day in the house. The guy who we will have to hire to replace our carpet thanks you, Puddy.

Puddy needs some tricks and hints from you! --"Go potty" is tops on my list.

Puddy needs H2O ASAP --When it's hot outside, he certainly does!

Puddy needs to be removed from the list --What? And deprive him of a great deal on siding and windows, to say nothing of cable service?

Puddy needs to be "shown." --Oh, how I would love to have the time to do so. He is such a fine pug!

Puddy needs to stick to bare metal --Hmm... not sure why he would need that. I guess if he is SuperPug, living in a world with bare metal skyscrapers that would come in handy...

Puddy needs to deliver history lessons every so often --On behalf of Puddy then: NEVER GET INVOLVED IN A LAND WAR IN ASIA.

Puddy needs a cookie --More sugar? Right...

My Puddy needs to be petted --Am I the only one who is wierded out by this one?

Puddy needs your help --Yep. He's building an intergalactic death ray and he needs minions to die cheaply. Signup sheet is on the right.

Puddy needs a pinch! --Not quite the kind of "chew" I want him to engage in.

Puddy needs to be shaved --Wow. I would never do that, but what an interesting look that would be for him...

Puddy needs to be beaten to death with his own arms --This is just disturbing on too many levels to mention.

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And here are Snoufer's needs according to Google! "Snoufer" doesn't return any results, but "Snouffer" does, so I'll use that.

Snouf(f)er needs no introduction to most boomerang throwers --Ah yes, Snoufer is mobbed by his boomerang fans daily. They keep cutting locks of his fur off as keepsakes.

Snouf(f)er needs something to do downtown in Chicago this weekend --I recommend going to see "Wicked." That's where I proposed to my wife!

Snouf(f)er needs no citation of authority --He sure doesn't. We all respect his authorita here!

Thoughtful Thursday

Here's an idea I got from Wilson and Henry that I think is grand for my Thoughtful Thursday this week!

1) Bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own blog.

and I'll add a 5th:

5) Put 5 asterisks (5 stars!) beside ones that are in your top 10 ever (not all 10 necessarily on the list)

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen*****
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien *****
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling *****
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams *****
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy *****
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis *****
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy *****
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray *****
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo *****

If you'll notice, I have 9 starred items-- this is a good list! I would probably round out my top 10 with Paradise Lost. Honorary mentions include Last of the Mohicans, Farenheit 451, The Brothers Karamazov, The Iliad, and Pygmalion (I know, it's a play, but I'm still right, so there).

Anyone who wants to do this on their own blog is welcome!

Fifty Questions Friday

Hello everyone!

Since I pretty much have to do an all-text entry, and I was whining about not getting tagged for a meme earlier, I'm going to do the 50 questions one today. [happy bark]! Don't worry, this isn't an every Friday thing-- I just like the alliteration in the title.

1. Do you like blue cheese?
CHEEEEEEESE!!! Yummy cheese yummy cheese yummy cheese... The smellier, the better.
2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette?
Really, what kind of a question is that to ask a pug? My dad smokes a pipe and him and Mom often joke that with my love of sticks, I often look like I strut around with a "stogie" in my mouth.

Obligatory picture:


There. Y'all happy?

3. Do you own a gun?
Just the ones I have hidden under my skin folds. Let's see... AK-47, check. 20-gauge shotgun, check...
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
Dad's favorite: grape Sprite. Mom's favorite: banana blast. My favorite: anything they let me eat. I prefer the Sprite, though, because it comes with little puppy-sized ice bits.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
I'd rather not talk about that awful place. They stick sharp things in my skin and put gooey stuff on a stick and put it up my... I'll stop before it gets PG-13.
6. Do you like hot-dogs?
Oh yes! Especially those long-haired ones. Rrrrowrrr! What? Not that kind? Hmmm... I can't imagine what else you might mean.
7. Favorite Christmas Song?
I haven't had a Christmas yet. Thanks for rubbing it in. Snoufer says he gets really tired of "Carol of the Bells" that time of year.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Water. That's all they give me. Can you believe it? Dad is a coffee fiend-- he has a part-time job at Starbucks, for goodness' sake.
9. Can you do push-ups?
Now why would I do any of those, when I can crawl under Dad when he's doing them? He laughs, his arms give up, and we wrestle/snuggle. Win win.
10. What’s your favorite meal?
One time, Mom and Dad gave me the Filet Mignon Ceaser meal. It was gone in 2.6 seconds.
11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?
I can't wear jewelry. Mom's underwear, though... What? Oh, PG-13. Right.
12. Favorite hobby?
"Helping" Mom while she scrapbooks or wraps presents. Wrapping paper is so much fun to tear!! And chewing. Everyone loves to chew.
13. Do you work with people who idolize you?
Pshaw. I am their world.
14. Name a trait that you hate about yourself?
I have really awkward, gangly long legs that splay out sideways when I run: I look like a spider getting electrocuted.
16. Middle name?
My mom says it's Ian. My dad says it's Ethan. I smell trouble bewing...
17. Name 3 thoughts at this moment:
My butt itches, I wish Dad would get air conditioning in the house, and I want to play-fight Snoufer. Charge!!!
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday:
I had new soft food mix-ins bought for me yesterday, and some gravy, and a new chipmunk toy. Speaking of which... [offscreen squeaking]
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
Again with the drinks! I only drink water, and I only drink FRESH water. I refuse to drink stuff that's sat in the bowl for more than one hour. That's just the way I am.
20. Current worry right now?
I have no worries. I'm a pug. Dad is worried about how I'll do under anasthesia when I get a surgery soon. He won't say what it is, but I know it's got something to do with... down there...
21. Current hate right now?
I have no hates. I'm a pug. Oh wait-- Britney Spears. And Lindsey Lohan. And Paris Hilton. Yeah, Dad needs to get me a plush doll of them so I can cause some serious carnage.
22. Favorite place to be?
On the bed, curled up next to Mom and Dad.
23. How did you bring in New Years?
I slept. I was 3 days old; what do you expect?
24. Favorite place to go?
The Bear Creek dog park! Seriously, all Dad has to do is break out the harness and I go nuts.
25. Name three people who will complete this?
Anyone who reads it and feels like completing it. Great answer, huh?
26. Whose answer do you want to read the most?
Either Roxy's, Clover's, or Winston/Clementine's. I like all my pugfriends, but they like to talk back with me a lot. Plus, I heard that Daisy from Denver might have a bit of a crush on me...
27. What color shirt are you wearing?
Sadly, I only have one blue polo and I'm not wearing it right now.
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
Ooh yes! One of my first experiences at my new home were on satin sheets. I don't think Mom and Dad liked my puppy claws catching though, since I haven't seen them since.
29. Can you whistle?
I can snort. What more do you want?
30. Favorite color(s)?
I think I look smashing in blue, but red works as well. I love brightly-colored toys!
31. Would you be a pirate?
I'll have to take lessons from Pedro first. Rumor has it that there is a picture of Snoufer dressed up as some guy named Sparrow who was a pirate. Maybe I can track that down...
32. What songs do you sing in the shower?
The saddest and most mournful songs I can think of, interspersed with the occasional angry song. I hate the shower.
33. Favorite girl’s name?
Mom and Dad love "Jeniva". I like "Veronica"... *sigh*
34. Favorite boy’s name?
Mom and Dad don't want kids, so they gave me the name they liked as my middle name. Remember? Ian/Ethan? But I don't want to start a whole thing here, so I'll move on.
35. What’s in your pocket right now?
I have pockets?!
36. Last thing that made you laugh?
When Dad slipped and fell on the linoleum yesterday. I licked his face and sneezed on him, but inside I was cracking up.
37. Bed sheets as a child?
I slept on a hand-crocheted afghan. It was so soft... Mmmm....
38. Worst injury you’ve ever had?
I am a tank. I don't get injured. Our backyard is filled with a Colorado native plant, though, that has prickly burrs that get stuck in your paw. I get those at least once a week. They bite.
39. Do you love where you live?
ARE YOU KIDDING?! Colorado scenery, lots of backyard to run around in, a big brother to bite, a Dad to wrestle with, a Mom to snuggle with, and tons of spoiling with toys and the best food. Of course!
40. How many tv’s are in your house?
We have two. Dad spends a lot of time in front of the downstairs one (especially with it so hot). When I hear it turn off, I immediately wake up and go upstairs. It's like clockwork.
41. Who is your loudest friend?
Snoufer. He barks at EVERYTHING outside. I keep telling him that the people walking outside our fence can't get in, but he doesn't listen.
42. How many dogs do you have?
I own two humans, Stephanie and Spencer. I hang out with my brother, Snoufer the Westie.
43. Does someone have a crush on you?
Hopefully Veronica. But this Daisy pug sounds pretty sweet too. Maybe I'll have to run into her at a pug meetup sometime in Denver...
45. What is your favorite book?
Wow. You're going to make me pick one, aren't you? I'll compromise: I'll pick three. Pride and Prejudice, Far From the Madding Crowd, and Les Miserables. Oh. And Lord of the Rings.
46. What is your favorite candy?
Frosty Paws!!!
47. What is your favorite sports team?
The Broncos, Bears, and Cubs. We live in Colorado, and Mom and Dad are both from Illinois, so I'm kinda stuck with them. But Dad's made me the mascot and namesake for his Fantasy Football team-- PugNation. Go me!
48. What song do you want played at your funeral?
"Another Pug Bites the Dust"
49. What were you doing at 12 AM last night?
Chasing the giant bone in the sky. I could fly, too. And I had super-powers.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning?
[Yawn] Alright, time to wake up Dad with kisses!

Wow. Be careful what you wish for, eh? That was a grueling procedure. Hope you liked it!

Mom comes home Sunday!!!